“I knew you were wolfless,” he continued, voice as steady as the storm outside. “I didn’t know you were mute.”
I forced my feet to move forward, but my voice was gone, swallowed by fear. My throat clenched as I stared at him, sweat slicking my palms against my skirt. I wanted to demand, “How did you slip in unseen?” but all that came out was a ragged hitch in my chest.
“My… My lord,” I lowered my head slightly, careful not to break eye contact too soon. “Please forgive my current state. I was not informed that you would be visiting my humble rooms tonight.”
His steps were soundless across the warped floorboards, yet every movement made the walls feel smaller. He didn’t pace, he prowled, like something untamed that had wandered too far from its leash. Even when still, he moved. Like the storm, like the wind. Always watching. Always ready to strike.
Then he said it, softly, almost idly, like it amused him. “Say… what do you think will happen if the bride ends her own life before the Prince arrives?”
The words slid like a blade between my ribs.
Inside, I froze. Outside, I didn’t even flinch.
I wasn’t stupid.
If he wanted me dead, he could do it now. No one would stop him. No one would question it. And something told me he wouldn’t even blink.
Still, I did my best to control myself. Not too calm, calm would sound practiced. Not too frightened, fear would only feed whatever game this was.
“My death would start a war,” I answered. “If I refuse the King’s decree, if I die before we wed, my entire pack will be annihilated to punish us for insubordination.”
Cassian’s storm–lit profile didn’t change, but I sensed his gaze sharpen.
“He demands a bride for his brother,” I continued, voice steadier now that the truth was out. “If that bride perishes… the King would see it as treason. He’d give you free rein to cleanse Nightfall.”
He made a deliberate pause. Did I pass? Was that the answer that he wanted to hear?
Then Cassian’s lips curved, not kindly, but slowly, like the smile had been earned. “Clever.”
His eyes gleamed with something unreadable. Not amusement. Not approval.
Something worse.
“I wasn’t sure what to expect,” he said. “They told me you were quiet. Fragile. Dull. But not stupid.”
He stepped closer. The shadows clung to him like smoke, and yet his presence filled the space like fire. I could smell rain on his coat, blood on his past, and something colder beneath it all.
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Chapter 2
My hands stayed still at my sides.
Do not tremble. Please, do not tremble.
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Cassian stood in front of me now, arms loose at his sides. He looked down like he was calculating something – something like how fast he could kill me, or whether it was worth it.
“I did not come here to waste my time on an Omega,” he said. “Your father’s hiding something.”
That threw me off. Just slightly. Not enough to show.
“Hiding… something?” As the Alpha of one of the strongest packs in Arecor, my father has his own secrets. But what does this have to do with me?
He tilted his head. “Something he doesn’t want the King to see. And I want to know what it is.”
Thunder boomed directly above us, loud enough to rattle the glass. Still, I didn’t look away from him.
“I don’t know.”
His brow twitched.
“I’m not lying,” I added quickly. “I was never brought into council. I wasn’t allowed in war briefings or strategy meetings. My presence… was inconvenient.”
He made another pause.
Almost immediately, the room crackled with tension, like the very walls were listening. Watching. Waiting for him to decide what came next.
One step, I thought. That’s all it would take. One step and he could crush my throat before I could even
scream.
And yet–he didn’t.
His eyes scanned mine.
“So useless after all,” his voice seemed lower than before, but he didn’t leave.
And that–more than anything–terrified me. Why wasn’t he leaving?
“Truly, I was never allowed into council meetings. I wasn’t even permitted to speak during court visits. They don’t tell me anything” I knew he knew. How could they let me join the meetings? I am weak. Powerless. This man did not come here to ask. He came here to find some random reason to kill his next bride.
A snort followed. “What a useless wolf.” He suddenly held my chin and raised my head up. I swallowed as I stared at his eyes. They weren’t glowing, nor monstrous, but something about them seemed wrong, off.
It was as if something inside him was hungrier than any beast.
“How beautifully useless,” he said, rising again. The calm in his tone only made the venom worse. “What a
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Chapter 2
waste.”
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Then he snapped his finger, and a man suddenly entered the room from the windows. “Stage something… I don’t care what. Make sure she dies without feeling any pain,” Cassian said. “Make it clean. And by dawn, burn the Nightfall Pack to ash. Let them learn what happens when they mock a King’s decree.”
My eyes flew wide. He meant it. They were going to wipe us out!
“Wait! My lord-!”
He paused mid–step.
Then slowly turned.
That smile again. “Oh? Is there something else the little offering wants to say?”
I took a deep breath, “I believe I can serve you. I- I believe… I can be useful.”
The flicker behind his gaze hinted at interest, not belief. So, I stepped forward toward the nearest guard and reached for the dagger at his waist.
Immediately, a hand clamped down on my wrist. Hard.
“Let me show you something.”
He made a sound, somewhere between a scoff and a laugh, then gave a slight nod.
The guard let go without saying a word.
Then, without hesitation, I dragged the blade across my palm.
Blood welled up instantly, dark red and thick, trailing down my fingers and dripping onto the cold wooden floor. Then I turned my hand upward, letting him see it. The blood kept flowing, until it didn’t.
Slowly, the bleeding began to stop. The edges of the wound pulsed faintly, then started to close. Right there, in front of them.
Flesh knitted back together, strand by strand, until the wound disappeared as if it was never there in the first place.
I raised my eyes to meet Cassian’s again.
But before I could say a word, the man beside Cassian drew his sword without hesitation and pointed it straight at my neck. “Stay away witch, or I will slit your throat!”
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Chapter 3
