Chapter 7
1233 Words
Gwen
The meeting had no warning.
One moment I was folding laundry in the living room at Jordan’s, the next I was standing in the Alpha’s study, summoned like a child to the principal’s office. The air felt heavy in my lungs, thick with the scent of aged oak, leather-bound books, and something else beneath—anger.
Karl sat behind his desk like a king on a crumbling throne. His dark eyes flicked up from the papers he pretended to read. Terrance stood to the right, arms crossed, lips pressed into a line so tight it was barely there. He wouldn’t meet my eyes.
Something was wrong. I knew it before a word was said.
“Sit,” Karl ordered.
I did.
My father didn't say anything.
Karl leaned forward, fingers steepled. “There’s going to be a proposal at the Winter Ball. Justin will offer you his hand in front of the entire pack. You will accept it.”
My stomach dropped. “You want me to pretend—”
“You will accept it,” Karl said, voice dipping lower. “And you will smile when you do.”
Akira rose in my chest, her growl a low thrum under my skin. I felt her claws press behind my ribs. No. This isn’t right. This isn’t our path.
I looked at my father. “Dad?”
Terrance shifted his weight, the lines around his mouth deepening. “It’s what’s expected. What’s necessary.”
“Necessary?” My voice cracked. “You think marrying a man who slept with someone else hours after we—who used me—is necessary?”
“It’s for your future, Gwen. For the pack,” he repeated. “For your protection.”
My chest clenched. “You’re protecting me? You’re standing there letting this happen.”
Karl’s nostrils flared. “Do not mistake this for a negotiation, girl.”
I stood. “I don’t want to marry him.”
Karl’s voice cut through the room like a blade. “Then I’ll give you no choice.”
The Alpha command hit like a blow to the chest. My knees buckled. I barely caught the edge of the desk. The words slid like oil through my veins, choking my wolf. I felt Akira scream in the back of my mind, but the sound was distant, buried beneath the weight of compliance.
“I issue this as your Alpha,” Karl said slowly, his voice a hammer of power. “You will accept Justin’s proposal at the Winter Ball. You will not speak of this order to anyone.”
The command sealed itself over my skin, branding me.
My mouth opened, but no words came. The urge to scream curled in my throat, smothered by something deeper—obedience born of force. My body stilled, but inside, I shattered.
Akira whimpered.
Karl smiled. “Good girl.”
I stumbled out of the office, shoving the door so hard it echoed behind me. My wolf paced relentlessly now, furious and caged. I stood outside the office for what felt like an eternity, trying to catch my breath. Tears streamed down my face as I faced the reality of what had just happened.
Terrance
I didn’t speak as Gwen left. I couldn’t.
I stared at the empty space she’d filled only moments ago, a sickness roiling in my gut. Karl poured himself a drink, calm and unbothered, like he hadn’t just broken my daughter with a few cruel words and a stroke of his Alpha power.
“She’s strong-willed,” he said. “That’s your fault.”
I clenched my fists behind my back. “She’s always been spirited.”
“And that spirit will be her ruin if it’s not brought to heel.”
I hated him. In that moment, I hated him more than I ever had before. But hate didn’t matter when you were a Beta bound to a monster who controlled everything—your job, your future, your child’s safety.
“She’s my daughter,” I muttered.
Karl gave a sharp laugh. “And she’s your responsibility. If you don’t want to see her end up behind locked doors servicing wolves like the rest of the Omegas we pull from the gutters, then get her under control.”
My blood ran cold. “You wouldn’t.”
His eyes met mine, flat and calculating. “You know the King and Queen are investigating. The last thing we need is your redheaded brat sniffing around where she doesn’t belong. The Winter Ball gives us legitimacy. Gwen marrying Justin solidifies that image.”
He set down his glass. “I won’t let a daughter of the pack make us look weak. And if that means I have to lock her up and throw away the key, so be it.”
I nodded once. Short. Cold. Numb.
Because what choice did I have?
Gwen
I couldn't sleep.
The ceiling in Jordan’s spare bedroom blurred as I blinked away the tears. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Karl’s face. Felt the pressure of his command curling like a collar around my throat. The bond itched beneath my skin, and Akira paced inside me, clawing for air.
My father’s face—stoic, resigned—stung the worst. He didn’t even fight. He let it happen.
Akira growled. He betrayed us.
He thinks he’s protecting us, I whispered back. But the words felt hollow. Meaningless.
I curled tighter into the blankets, but they offered no comfort. Only weight. Just like the order.
Just like my silence.
I found Jordan outside, barefoot in the grass with a mug of tea, her long hair wild around her face. She looked up as I stepped onto the porch, her expression unreadable.
"You’re not sleeping either," she said.
I sat beside her on the steps. The air was cold, but it helped. It cleared the fog in my head.
She passed me her tea. I sipped, grateful.
“I have to marry him.”
Jordan’s eyes narrowed. “Did Karl issue an order?”
I didn’t answer.
“I thought so,” she muttered. “I could smell something on you. Your wolf’s off.”
“Akira’s barely breathing,” I whispered. “It’s like she’s drowning inside me.”
Jordan’s jaw tensed. “This is how he keeps us controlled. Karl, your dad, all of them. They think they’re doing what’s best, but all they’re doing is tightening the leash.”
“I know I said I'd only live with you for a little but I can’t go back to my parents' house,” I said suddenly. “I can’t breathe there. I feel like I’m being watched. Like they’re just waiting for me to mess up.”
Jordan turned to face me fully. “Then don’t. Move in here, fully. Not just a duffel bag of necessities. Stay. For as long as you need.”
I nodded, throat tight. “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me. We’re basically sisters.”
A smile curled the edge of her mouth, but her eyes stayed sharp. “Tomorrow we’ll go get your things. All of them.”
“Are you sure?”
She rolled her eyes. “You think I’ll let you back into that house alone? Not a chance.”
And for the first time that day, I felt something solid. Something real.
Hope.
- Writer
