Lycan's Second Mate

“Martha Taylor, you are a disgrace to this pack!" Her father's roar shook the iron door. The bulb above her flickered as he slammed the last lock into place. Footsteps thundered up the stairs and faded, leaving the basement cold and silent. Martha drew her knees to her chest. The chains bolted to the floor tugged at her wrists and ankles when she moved, a hard reminder of what she was now. Not the alpha's daughter. Not the girl who used to race warriors through the forest. Just a piece on her father's board, waiting to be traded. I am Alpha Taylor's daughter, she thought bitterly. And he is going to sell me. Snow Moon Pack had always been her whole world—tall pines, sharp peaks, the bite of frost on the wind. She had trained with the warriors, listened at her father's war table, believed him when he said family came before everything. Then Alpha Davis's proposal had arrived and she learned what “everything" truly meant. Alpha Davis. Even thinking his name made her stomach twist. He ruled a distant border pack and was old enough to be her grandfather, a man no wolf dared offend because he was the Lycan King's uncle, kin to the most powerful alpha alive. At first, the bride he requested hadn't been her. It had been Linda. Martha could still see her little sister's face when their father announced it—how Linda's knuckles had gone white on the back of her chair, how the perfect Luna‑in‑training had actually lost her smile. Linda, the golden heir, meant to rule Snow Moon after Alpha Taylor. Linda, whom he couldn't bear to send away. So he had offered Martha instead. First daughter. Spare. Easy to sacrifice. She had argued until her throat burned. She'd told him about the bond that already tied her to someone else, the spark in her chest when Brian Hale, the beta's son, first smiled at her across the training grounds. Her wolf had howled mate, and for the first time in her life she'd believed the Moon Goddess cared about her future. Her father hadn't. An alliance with Alpha Davis will keep our borders safe, he had said. Brian is nothing compared to that. When she still refused, his expression had gone flat and cold. He had ordered the warriors to drag her below, to chain her like a criminal, to deny her food and water until she “came to her senses." Hours later, her head throbbed and her lips were split and dry. The basement smelled of rust and damp stone. Above her, the small barred window showed only a strip of colorless sky. Brian will come, she told herself, clinging to the thought like a lifeline. He won't let my father give me to Alpha Davis. He promised. Martha's vision blurred. Her head throbbed. She tried to shift, to call her wolf, but her energy was too low. Her wolf whimpered weakly in the back of her mind. “Martha," the soft voice whispered. “Please… don't push yourself like this…" “I can't give in," Martha answered inside her own head. “If I agree once, he'll use me whenever he needs something." Her wolf sighed. “But if you die here, there is nothing left to fight with." “Brian will come," Martha murmured aloud. “He has to." Her thoughts drifted to the man she loved. Brian, the beta's son. The first time their eyes met, her wolf had cried, “Mate!" His scent—clean pine and smoke—was burned into her memory, along with his promise that he would never leave her. “Brian will talk to my father," she whispered. “He won't let them give me to Alpha Davis." Time blurred. Her lips cracked. Her stomach twisted with hunger, then slowly went numb. At some point, she heard footsteps again. Slow. Careful. She forced her eyes open, expecting warriors or her father. Instead, she saw the maid, Anna, peeking through the small window in the door. “Mistress Martha," Anna whispered. “Are you awake?" Martha tried to answer, but her throat gave only a dry sound. Anna's eyes filled with tears. “I am so sorry. Alpha Taylor forbade us to bring you anything. He said he would punish anyone who disobeyed." “It's… fine," Martha managed. “I chose this." “The whole pack is talking," Anna rushed on. “They say Alpha Davis is arriving in two days. They're preparing the feast and guest rooms. They say you will be married by the end of the week." Martha's heart lurched, then sank. “I won't marry him," she said. “I don't care if I die here. I won't." Anna wiped her eyes. “Please," the maid whispered, “just say yes. After the wedding, maybe you can escape." Martha closed her eyes. She had no answer left. Another sound echoed from upstairs. Anna flinched. “I have to go," she whispered. “I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…" Her face vanished from the window. Darkness folded over Martha again. The pain slowly faded into numbness. Her body felt distant. Her eyelids grew heavier. “You will marry him broken," her father's words echoed in her memory. Her wolf lay quiet now, a dim presence in her mind. “Brian," she whispered. “Please… come…" The world tilted. Darkness swallowed her. She didn't know how long she was gone. When she became aware again, the first thing she felt was cold against her lips. Then cool liquid slipped into her mouth. “Easy," a low male voice murmured. “Drink slowly." Her lashes fluttered. Her throat ached, but water flowed over her tongue. Her body reacted at once, desperate. “Not so fast," the voice said. “You'll choke." A strong hand slid under her head, lifting it. The rim of a bottle pressed to her lips again. She drank until the burning in her throat eased. “Good," the voice murmured. “That's better." Her vision cleared. First, a shoulder. Then a familiar jaw, dark hair, deep brown eyes. A scent she knew by heart—pine and smoke, cutting through the damp air. Her heart lurched. “Brian…?" she whispered. The face above her came into focus. Brian looked down at her, worry sharp in his eyes, guilt hiding behind it. “It's me," he said softly. “I'm here." She tried to sit up. Her muscles shook, but he slid an arm behind her back and helped her. The chains rattled as she moved. “I knew you wouldn't leave me," she breathed. “I knew it." Brian's mouth tightened. For a moment, he didn't answer. He just held the bottle to her lips again. “Drink a little more," he said. “You passed out. I thought…" He broke off. Martha ignored the pain in her wrists and grabbed the front of his shirt with trembling hands. “You talked to my father, right?" she asked quickly. “You told him you're my fated mate? He can't force me to marry Alpha Davis if the Moon Goddess already bonded us. He has to listen to you. He needs you." “Martha…" Brian said. She pressed on, desperate. “Tell me you won't let them take me away," she begged. “Tell me you'll stand with me. Please." Brian looked at her for a long moment, his eyes unreadable. Silence filled the basement, thick and heavy. Finally, he sighed. “That's… what we need to talk about," he said quietly.