Two
1172 Words
Something inside me shattered. My wolf whimpered, curled in with a low whine
How could our mate ignore us?
The Moon doesn’t make mistakes. Why did this feel like one?
I didn't stop walking. Thankfully, no one seemed to be paying close attention. If I weren’t already the subject of pack gossip,I might have stormed straight up to Justin and demanded answers.
Why was every so-called gift from the Moon so wrong?
Family. Friendship. Love.
Things meant to bring joy turned to grief.
My father stepped up behind me and linked his arm through mine, pretending we were close.
“There you are, honeypie,” he said lightly. “That sharp mind of yours is working overtime, isn’t it?”
I blinked, unsettled, but he nudged me forward. Then he leaned in and his breath warmed my ear.
“You’re aiming for the biggest fish in the room. Let me make it easier for you.”
He paused and smirked, “I hear the Lycan prince has a taste for variety.”
My heart stuttered.
“You’re not just any woman, Rissa. You’re a force. A trained lawyer. You could trap him with a clause in a prenup, if nothing else.”
The truth lodged in my throat.
I wanted to scream it, shove it in my father’s face and force Justin to look at me.
Bitterness rose instead — even my heartbreak was a bargaining chip for my father. He’d already be planning the deal, mapping the next power grab.
I stopped moving.
Maybe that’s why Justin hadn’t looked at me. Maybe the idea of taking a mate from a dwindling pack disgusted him. Maybe he refused to acknowledge me because of what I was.
We were suddenly standing directly in front of him.
And he still wasn’t looking at me.
“My Prince,” my father boomed, oozing pride. Justin gave a bored frown; it made my father’s smile wobble.
“My paragon of beauty, my daughter Marissa,” my father said. “Sharp as a dagger. She prosecuted the northern wolves and secured our lands.”
Justin’s gaze skimmed over me. Gooseflesh rose along my arms. I prayed. See me. Feel this.
Then he did the unthinkable—he looked away.
“Nice pitch, Marcus,” he said to my father. “But as you can see, I’m already well accompanied.”
Heat crawled down my spine.
His companion laughed and patted his arm. Wendy — the Eastern Lycan King’s daughter, famous and perfectly pedigreed.
Was Justin so bound to her he couldn’t give me the dignity of a look before rejecting me?
They turned and walked off.
My father cursed under his breath. “Proud bastard,” he muttered.
He glanced down at my dress and his face hardened. “You wore grey to a festival and expect anyone to notice you? Go change into something that doesn’t make you look like a bloody widow.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m not your bargaining chip. Leave me.”
That set him off.
“That mouth is why no man has taken you at twenty-five. I’ll find someone to tame that spirit before you’re too old for anyone.”
I didn’t move. I’d heard it a thousand times.
He shoved me toward a marble alcove where Alphas and Betas lounged, sipping dark liquor and exhaling cigar smoke. The stench burned my eyes.
Alpha Darius of the Northern Pack rose. Late forties, neck thick as a bull, teeth yellowed.
Rumors trailed him. Three wives were buried, and no one was brave enough to ask how they died.
He appraised me with a leer. “Marcus. Your daughter is still unclaimed.”
“Unfortunately,” my father muttered, grip tightening on my arm.
“I wouldn’t marry you if you were the last man alive,” I snapped.
A short laugh flickered across Darius’s face. “Pity. With a mouth like that, you’ll rust into a bitter, forgotten woman.”
That was my entire worth boiled down to womb and silence.
My father exploded. “You’re impossible, Marissa. Unmanageable. No wonder Alan left you.”
That low blow sent a jagged pulse through me. My arm tore free; rage shook me. I turned and collided with Justin's mother, Queen Mallory.
Her eyes slid over me once, then to my father. My pulse tripped. My wolf stirred, desperate.
Tell her. She’s his mother. She’ll make him see reason.
The words sat on my tongue, then vanished. What if she already knew?
Before I could decide, the Queen spoke. “Is public humiliation customary in your pack’s treatment of women?”
My father tried to smooth it over. “Your Majesty, just a misunderstanding—an introduction gone awry—”
“It’s no wonder your pack is falling apart,” she interrupted.
The hall rippled. No one spoke to an Alpha like that.
Alpha Darius puffed chest. “With all due respect, Your Majesty, you’ve already been claimed and bred. You understand the value of practical arrangements.”
Justin’s voice cut him off, low and sharp. “Don’t speak to my mother like that, you rotten bastard.”
The guard's hands slid at the walls. Justin’s eyes bored into Darius. The room tensed.
He defended his mother but not me.
The Queen turned back to my father. “I married by choice. Your daughter should have the same freedom. Focus on your pack’s dwindling resources instead of using her as collateral.”
My father’s face darkened. “Our troubles are temporary.”
The Queen's eyes returned to me.
“Would you consider joining the Royal House’s legal counsel?”
My stomach dropped. An offer? From the woman whose son had just ignored me?
This wasn’t kindness. It was a move on the board.
My father’s hand tightened on my arm again, trying to regain control.
“Your Majesty, you have capable counsel already,” he began, voice shifting toward advantage. “What our pack truly needs is your help—”
“Then send your best minds,” the Queen said. “Accept my offer or let your pack rot.”
Against the pounding in my chest, one thought cleared: I couldn’t stay. Not under my father’s thumb. Not in a pack that valued me as collateral.
I stepped forward. My voice was steady, loud enough for the Queen to hear. “We have no pride left to cling to. The Queen’s offer is fair.”
A small smile touched her lips. “Smart girl.”
My father rearranged his face into polite approval and announced, “If the Royal Court values my daughter, I am proud to offer her service—for the good of the pack.”
Moments ago I’d been a disgrace. Now I was a prize.
Justin’s fingers curled at his sides. His eyes flicked to me, then down. He said nothing.
My chest ached at the silence. He was holding something back.
I would break that silence. I would find out what game he was playing.
- Writer
