Bought For The Alpha's Revenge

CHAPTER 4

LILA'S POV

The door to the medical wing exploded inward and Ethan burst through, flanked by Marcus and five warriors, all of them ready for a fight.

Then he saw me in my silver wolf form standing over three submitted wolves. Addison on her knees. Blood on my muzzle from where I'd bitten the first attacker.

Everyone froze.

"Goddess above," Marcus breathed. "Is that..."

"Everyone out," Ethan said, his voice deadly calm. "Now."

"But Alpha, she's..."

"I said out!" Ethan's command cracked like a whip.

The warriors scrambled backward. Marcus hesitated, staring at me with wide eyes, then followed them.

Addison tried to crawl toward the door. "Ethan, I can explain..."

"You brought wolves to attack her," Ethan said, not looking at her. "In my pack house and in my medical wing."

"I didn't know she was... I thought she was just a slave!"

"Get out of my sight before I let her finish what she started."

Addison fled, her expensive shoes clicking frantically down the hallway.

The door closed and Ethan turned to face me fully.

"Shift back," he said quietly.

My wolf didn't want to. It was still riding high on the victory, on finally being free, on defending itself for the first time ever.

"Lila," Ethan moved closer. "I know you're angry. I know your wolf wants blood, but you need to shift back before the whole pack sees you like this."

"Too late," I growled. It came as words this time, not barks. "Addison saw. Marcus saw."

"Addison won't talk. Not if she values her life." Ethan crouched down so he was eye level with me. "And Marcus is loyal to me. He'll keep quiet if I order it."

"What about the warriors?"

"They only saw a large wolf, not the color. The lighting in here is dim." He paused. "But if you don't shift back now, if you walk out of this room still in wolf form, the whole pack will know and then you become a target."

He was right. I hated that he was right.

I focused inward, pulling my human form forward. The shift was easier this time.

When I opened my eyes, I was human again. Still dressed, thankfully. The shift had been fast enough that the clothes stayed intact.

Ethan immediately looked away, even though I was covered. The mate bond made him uncomfortable with his own protective instincts.

"Thea," he said. "Is she injured?"

Thea had been standing quietly in the corner. "No. The other wolves didn't land a single hit."

"Good." Ethan stood and paced to the window. "What happened?"

"Addison came with three wolves," Thea explained. "Said she was going to hand Lila over to Alpha Kade to end the conflict."

Ethan's whole body went rigid. "She did what?"

"Lila's wolf responded before I could stop her."

"I'm not apologizing," I said. "They attacked me first."

"I'm not asking you to apologize." Ethan's voice was strained. "I'm asking you to understand that you just revealed yourself to the worst possible person."

"Addison."

"Yes. Addison who wants to be Luna. Addison, who sees you as a threat." Ethan turned around. "Addison who now knows you're a silver wolf and will completely use that information against us."

"Against us?" I stood up despite my shaking legs. "There is no us. You made that very clear."

"There's us whether we like it or not," Ethan shot back. "The mate bond makes us. And if Addison tells Alpha Kade what you are, he won't just want to claim you for that old bargain. He'll want you for your bloodline."

"So what do you want me to do? Hide forever?"

"For now? Yes."

"No." The word came out firmly. "I'm done hiding. Helena made me hide for twenty-one years. I'm not doing it anymore."

"You don't have a choice."

"Yes I do." I moved closer to him, ignoring how the mate bond hummed with approval. "You want me to stay weak so you can use me for revenge, but I'm not weak anymore. My wolf is awake, and I'm not letting anyone cage me again. Not Helena. Not my father. Not you."

Something flashed in Ethan's eyes. Respect, maybe. Or frustration.

"You're going to get yourself killed."

"Then I'll die free."

"No you won't." Ethan's voice dropped. "Because the mate bond won't let you die. If you die, I die. So, whether you like it or not, I have a vested interest in keeping you alive."

"How convenient for you."

"It's not convenient. It's a nightmare." Ethan ran his hands through his hair. "But we're stuck with it. So we need to figure out how to..."

An explosion rocked the building.

We both stumbled. Thea grabbed the medical table to steady herself.

"What was that?" I asked.

"The attack." Ethan was already moving toward the door. "It's getting worse."

Marcus burst in without knocking. "Alpha, the eastern wall is breached. Shadow Ridge wolves are inside the territory."

"How many?"

"At least thirty and Alpha Kade is with them." Marcus's eyes cut to me briefly. "He's asking for Daniel Harper's daughter by name."

"He's not getting her."

"Alpha, with all respect, we're outnumbered. Shadow Ridge brought more warriors than we anticipated. If we don't hand her over..."

"We fight," Ethan said flatly.

"We'll lose wolves. Good wolves."

"I know."

"Is she worth it?" Marcus asked everyone was thinking.

Ethan looked at me. The mate bond pulsed between us, invisible to everyone else but undeniable to us.

"Yes," he said finally. "She's worth it."

Marcus's eyes widened slightly. "Alpha..."

"Get our warriors to the eastern perimeter. I'm coming."

"And her?"

"She stays here. With Thea."

"No," I said immediately. "If they're fighting because of me, I should be there."

"Absolutely not."

"Why? Afraid I'll get hurt? Thought you wanted me to suffer."

"I want you to suffer on my terms," Ethan said. "Not torn apart by Shadow Ridge wolves."

"I can fight."

"You just learned to shift an hour ago!"

"And I have already taken down three wolves!"

"Those were pack wolves who weren't trying to kill you!" Ethan's voice rose. "Alpha Kade's warriors will rip you apart!"

"Then teach me!" I shouted back. "You said I need to learn to fight anyway. So teach me!"

"There's no time..."

"Then we make time!" I moved closer, close enough that the mate bond made us both shiver. "You want revenge on my father? Fine. But I want revenge too on Helena for poisoning me. On my father for letting it happen. On everyone who made me feel worthless for twenty-one years. So stop trying to lock me away and let me fight."

Ethan stared at me. The mate bond was screaming at him, I could feel it. His wolf wanted to protect me. Wanted to hide me away where nothing could hurt me.

But something else in his eyes acknowledged the truth. I wasn't the weak slave he'd bought anymore.

"One condition," he said finally.

"What?"

"You don't shift unless I tell you to. If Alpha Kade's wolves see your silver fur, they'll target you specifically."

"Fine."

"And you stay close to me. Always within reach."

"Why?"

"Because if something happens, if you're injured or threatened, the mate bond will make me lose control." His voice was rough. "And I can't protect the pack if I'm too busy trying to save you."

The admission cost him something. I could see it in the way his jaw clenched, the way he couldn't quite meet my eyes.

"Okay," I said softly.

Marcus cleared his throat. "Alpha, we need to move."

Ethan nodded. "Get her something to fight in. Not a dress."

Marcus disappeared and returned with training clothes. Pants, a fitted shirt, boots. All black. All practical.

"Change," Ethan ordered, then turned his back to give me privacy.

I stripped quickly and pulled on the new clothes. They fit surprisingly well.

"Ready," I said.

Ethan turned around and something flickered in his eyes when he saw me. "You look like a warrior."

"I feel like prey."

"Then don't act like prey." He moved to the weapons rack on the wall and pulled down a short sword. "Do you know how to use this?"

"No."

"Basic lesson then." He moved behind me, placing the sword in my hand, his other hand covering mine to adjust my grip. The mate bond sang at the contact. "Hold it like this. Don't grip too tight, or you'll tire quickly. Keep your wrist locked."

His breath was warm against my ear. "If someone comes at you, aim for the throat or stomach. Don't try to be fancy. Just survive."

"That's your idea of training?"

"That's my idea of keeping you alive for the next hour." He stepped back. "Follow me, stay close and if I tell you to run, you run. Understood?"

"I'm not running."

"Lila..."

"I said I'm not running." I met his eyes. "I'm done running from everything. If I'm going to die tonight, I'm dying fighting."

Something that might have been admiration crossed his face. "You really are infuriating."

"Good. Maybe you'll finally let me go."

"Never." The word came out fierce, possessive. The mate bond speaking through him. Then he caught himself. "I mean... not until I'm done with my revenge."

"Right. Revenge." I gripped the sword tighter. "Let's go then."

We ran through the pack house and out into the night. The eastern wall was chaotic. Wolves fighting in both human and animal form. Blood on the ground. Bodies that weren't moving.

Alpha Kade stood in the center of it all. Massive, scarred, gray-furred in his wolf form. Easily the largest wolf I'd ever seen.

He spotted Ethan and shifted to a human. "Alpha Black. Ready to negotiate?"

"I told you my answer," Ethan called back. "She's not yours."

"Daniel Harper promised her to me twenty years ago," Kade said. "Before she was even born. That bargain is binding."

"Bargains made by someone who doesn't own the item are void."

"Daniel was her father. He had every right..."

"He lost that right when he sold her to me," Ethan interrupted. "She's legally mine now. Your claim is null."

Kade's eyes swept the battlefield until they found me standing behind Ethan. His lips curled into a smile that made my skin crawl.

"So that's Daniel's daughter," he said. "You're younger than I expected."

"And you're uglier than I imagined," I shot back before I could stop myself.

Ethan made a choking sound that might have been a laugh.

Kade's smile vanished. "Careful, girl. I'm trying to be civilized about this, but my patience has limits."

"Then leave," I said, stepping around Ethan despite his attempt to keep me behind him. "You have no claim on me. My father had no right to promise me to anyone. I'm not property to be traded."

"Oh, but you are," Kade said. "Your father owed me a blood debt. A daughter for a son. He lost my heir in a battle twenty years ago. He promised me his firstborn daughter as compensation."

The world tilted.

"What?" I whispered.

"Didn't you know?" Kade's smile returned. "Your father's been planning to hand you over since before you were born. Why do you think Helena poisoned you? She didn't want a daughter strong enough to survive what I had planned for her."

Ethan's hand found mine, squeezing once. A warning or comfort, I couldn't tell.

"That's not happening," Ethan said.

"Then we fight." Kade shifted back to wolf form. "And when I win, I'm taking her whether you're alive to protest or not."

His warriors surged forward.

The battle exploded around us.

Ethan shifted into his black wolf form and launched into the fight. I raised my sword, my whole body shaking, as a Shadow Ridge wolf charged straight at me.

This was it. My first real fight without proper training and preparation.

It was survival of the fittest. The first wolf leaped towards me and I swung.