SOLD TO THE RUTHLESS ALPHA:The White Wolf's Price

Chapter:4Found you

*Chapter 4: Found You*

"Mine."

The word didn't sound like a word. It sounded like a vow. Like a brand.

His hand was still around my wrist. My bracelet was cracked open, light pouring from it. My skin underneath was glowing — not normal skin glow. Silver-white, like moonlight was living under it.

I tried to pull away. I couldn't. His grip wasn't hurting me. It was the opposite. It was warm and it stopped the burning.

"Kade —" I whispered, because I didn't know what else to call him. Alpha? Sir? I didn't know.

His eyes were still black and gold, flickering. He didn't blink.

"Say it again," he said, his voice hoarse.

"Say what?"

"My name. Say my name the way you just did."

My lips trembled. "K-Kade."

He closed his eyes for one second, like my voice physically hurt him in a good way. When he opened them again, the gold was a little calmer, but his breathing was heavy.

The two wolves on the floor were still on their knees, heads bowed. They were breathing hard too, affected by my scent.

Diana scrambled up from the floor, her face twisted.

"No! No, that's impossible! Her mother was a weak human! She died sick! She was nothing! This girl is nothing! She scrubs toilets!"

Kade didn't look at her. He slowly, very slowly, slid the broken bracelet completely off my wrist and dropped it. It hit the marble with a clang and turned to ash.

Where the bracelet was, there was a mark. A small crescent moon, silver-white, pulsing.

My mark.

I stared at it. "What... what is this?"

"Your wolf," Kade said quietly, so only I could hear. "She finally woke up."

Behind me, Fred pushed himself up, holding his wrist. His eyes were wide, staring at my glowing arm.

"Ashira? Your arm..."

I turned to him, panicked. "Fred, I don't know —"

Kiara screamed and pointed. "Her eyes! Mom! Look at her eyes!"

My vision blurred. The living room lights became too bright. I could hear everything — Diana's heartbeat, fast and guilty. Kiara's breath. The rain outside. Fred's blood pumping. And under all of it, a second heartbeat inside my own chest. Not mine. Hers.

My wolf.

I gasped and grabbed my head. "It hurts—"

Kade caught me before I fell. He pulled me against his chest in one smooth motion. His jacket was gone — Fred threw it — so I felt his hot skin through his black shirt. He smelled like pine, rain, and Alpha. It made the pain in my head quieter.

"Breathe with me," he ordered, his hand large on my back. "In. Out. With me."

I tried. I couldn't. The white wolf inside was pushing, clawing to come out after ten years of silver.

"She's trying to shift," one of his men whispered in terror. "Alpha, she's unshifted, eighteen, first shift, no control — she will die if she shifts here—"

"I know," Kade snapped. He looked down at me, furious and scared at the same time. "Ashira, look at me. Do not shift. Not here. Not in front of them. You hear me? You are stronger than her right now. Hold her."

How? How do I hold a wolf I didn't know I had?

He pressed his forehead to mine. It was forbidden. No Alpha touches a female like that unless —

Unless she is his mate.

His skin was burning hot. Mine was freezing cold.

"Think about your brother," he murmured, his lips almost touching my forehead. "Think about Fred. You don't want to hurt Fred, right?"

I nodded, tears running down my glowing cheeks. Fred. Yes. Fred.

The pain dulled a little. The glowing in my arm dimmed.

Kade exhaled in relief and picked me up again, bridal style this time, with no effort.

"We are leaving," he announced to the room. His voice was Alpha voice again. Cold. Final. "This house, this debt, is mine now. You will all be out by morning. My men will bring the papers."

Diana shrieked, "What? You can't! This is my house! My husband's house!"

"Your husband's house," Kade said, looking at her for the first time, and his gold eyes made her take two steps back. "Not yours. You sold his daughter for a necklace. You put silver on a pup. I should kill you where you stand."

Diana fell to her knees again, truly terrified this time.

He didn't kill her. He turned away from her like she was dirt and walked toward the door, carrying me.

"Wait!" I clutched his shirt. "Fred! I can't leave Fred!"

Kade stopped. He looked at Fred, who was still on the floor, staring at us like he had seen a ghost.

"Come," Kade said to Fred.

Fred blinked. "What?"

"You heard me. You get ten minutes to pack one bag. You are coming to Blackwood Estate. Your sister needs a human she trusts while she goes through her first shift. And I need someone to keep her from being scared of me."

Fred didn't need to be told twice. He scrambled up and ran to his room.

Kiara tried to run after Kade. "Alpha! Alpha, what about me? I can wear the necklace! I am prettier! Take me!"

One of Kade's wolves stepped in front of her without touching her. "Don't."

The rain outside was cold. But in Kade's arms, I wasn't cold anymore. My eyes were heavy. The mark on my wrist was warm.

He carried me to a black matte sports car that cost more than our whole mansion. He opened the passenger door and placed me inside gently, buckling my seatbelt himself like I was something breakable.

He leaned over me, his hands on the seat on either side of me, caging me. Our faces were inches apart.

"You ran for ten years," he whispered, his golden eyes searching my face, my now silver-flecked brown eyes. "Did you really think I wouldn't find you, little white wolf?"

I didn't have an answer. My wolf, inside, pushed again and I whimpered.

Kade's jaw clenched. He reached into the glove box and took out a small velvet box. Inside was my mother's moonstone necklace. It was glowing now too, bright silver, responding to me.

"This belongs to you," he said, and placed it around my neck himself. His fingers brushed my skin and I shuddered.

The moment the moonstone touched my chest, the pain stopped. Completely. The necklace pulsed once, in sync with my mark.

I gasped and looked down. The stone was alive.

Kade smiled for the first time. A small, dangerous, possessive smile.

"Welcome home, Ashira."

Then he closed my door, walked to the driver's side, and drove us away from the mansion that had been my prison for eighteen years — straight toward the full moon, straight toward his estate on the hill where every wolf in the city was already howling her name.