The Perfect Daugthers Revenge

Chapter 5: The devil Bargain

The moment I stepped through the gates of Golden Dawn, every muscle in my body remained tense.

I didn't dare look back.

Because I knew he was still standing there.

My mate.

The words tasted like poison.

No...

Not my mate.

Just another curse the Moon Goddess had thrown into my already miserable life.

The bond pulsed faintly in my chest, warm... persistent... impossible to ignore.

I pressed a hand against my heart.

"Enough."

The warmth disappeared almost immediately.

For years, I had trained my emotions into submission.

Fear.

Love.

Hope.

All weaknesses.

If I could silence my wolf...

Then I could silence the bond.

"Aria."

I froze.

Grandmother Elira stood beside the garden path, leaning on her carved wooden staff.

Her silver hair danced in the evening breeze.

Her blind eyes stared directly at me.

As if she could see every secret I carried.

"You met him."

It wasn't a question.

I lowered my gaze.

"...Yes."

"And?"

"I walked away."

A long silence settled between us.

Then Grandmother sighed.

"I prayed the Goddess would spare you this fate."

I frowned.

"You knew?"

She nodded slowly.

"I saw fragments years ago."

Cold spread through my stomach.

"What exactly did you see?"

She gripped her staff tightly.

"I saw two wolves standing beneath a blood moon."

"One carried death."

"The other carried salvation."

"I couldn't see which one was you."

My heartbeat quickened.

"What does that even mean?"

"It means your destiny has finally begun."

I hated prophecies.

They never brought anything except suffering.

"I won't accept him."

"You may not have a choice."

"I always have a choice."

Before she could answer, loud horns echoed across the entire pack.

One long blast.

Then another.

The emergency signal.

War council.

My stomach dropped.

Grandmother's face darkened.

"They're here."

"Who?"

"The Nightshade delegation."

My heart skipped.

No...

Already?

I hurried toward the council hall.

By the time I arrived, every elder and warrior captain had gathered.

At the front stood Queen Eleanor.

Beautiful.

Elegant.

Deadly.

Her smile could fool anyone.

Except me.

She looked toward the entrance just as I walked in.

"There you are."

Her icy blue eyes lingered on me for one second too long.

Almost as though she already knew where I had been.

"The Nightshade Pack has finally accepted our proposal."

Murmurs erupted around the room.

One elder smiled.

Another looked relieved.

Only I felt dread.

Eleanor continued.

"They will arrive tomorrow."

Tomorrow?

My breath caught.

That meant...

I would see him again.

The mate bond flared violently.

I clenched my fists until my nails cut into my palms.

No.

This couldn't happen.

Not after everything.

Eleanor stepped closer.

"Aria."

"Yes, Mother?"

"You will personally welcome Alpha Derek Draven."

The room fell silent.

Every eye turned toward me.

I forced my face to remain expressionless.

"...Why me?"

Her smile widened.

"Because diplomacy requires our finest."

Something about the way she said it made my skin crawl.

Grandmother had warned me.

Mother already knew something.

But how?

As everyone began leaving the hall, Eleanor's sweet smile vanished.

She leaned close enough that only I could hear.

"Do not disappoint me."

A chill ran down my spine.

Then she whispered four words that made my blood freeze.

"I know where you went."

She walked away before I could respond.

Leaving me rooted to the floor.

She knows...

She knows I crossed the border.

She knows I met Derek.

But how?

Outside the palace walls...

Hidden beneath layers of ancient stone...

A pair of glowing crimson eyes slowly opened.

A deep, distorted laugh echoed through the darkness.

"After twenty-five years..."

"The Moon Goddess has reunited them."

Chains rattled.

Black smoke curled through the underground prison.

"And this time..."

"No one will save them."