Chapter 1
Chapter 1
Bondage and Grief
ARIA.
The sound of chains followed me into the hall.
The guards did not bother to be gentle. They never did. I did not expect them to be anyway.
The throne room smelled like blood with the dominance of one man. The man that I found myself dreading most.
Alpha Lucien Thomas.
The one and only feared Alpha. The monster they whispered about. The Alpha who burned an entire rogue camp for trespassing. The one my father thought would spare our family if he handed me over like some prize mare.
"I know that you don't want to do this, but it is for your family, Aria." His last words played in my mind. But I knew better. This was a game he played and it was me who was going to pay the price.
I didn’t bow.
I didn’t even lower my gaze.
He sat on the black throne, pretending and claiming to be king, his body relaxed but radiating the kind of power that made the air tighten around my lungs. Tall, broad-shouldered, and cold-eyed, he looked carved out of sin.
The woman beside him, a raven-haired beauty draped in silver silk, leaned closer to whisper something in his ear. Her hand rested on his thigh like she owned him.
The chosen Luna. Luna Katherine.
I had heard about her. Every wolf in the kingdom had. Every girl around was jealous of her.
Perfect lineage. Perfect beauty. Perfect match for an Alpha like him.
So what the hell was I doing here?
"Aria Wren." Lucien's voice rolled through the chamber, low and controlled.
I lifted my chin higher.
His eyes locked onto mine and something flickered there. Surprise maybe or irritation. I could not tell and I did not care.
Katherine's fingers traced lazy circles on his shoulder and she tilted her head to study me like I was something she might scrape off her shoe.
"Is this the one?" she asked.
"Yes," Lucien said without looking at her.
She laughed softly. "She looks so small. Are you sure she is worth all this trouble?"
"That remains to be seen."
The way he said it made my skin prickle. Like I was a problem he intended to solve.
"Your father sold intelligence to rogues," Lucien said and each word was deliberate. "Three of my wolves died because of him."
My hands clenched behind my back and the chains rattled.
"My father would never do that," I said.
The room went silent. Even the guards behind me tensed.
Katherine's lips curved into a smile that did not reach her eyes. She leaned further into Lucien and her fingers moved from his shoulder to his chest.
"She speaks," she said. "How entertaining."
Lucien did not look at her. His gaze stayed fixed on me and the weight of it made my skin burn.
"Your father confessed," he said. "Before he died."
My father was dead… I knew that. They told me that much before they dragged me here. But hearing it from Lucien's mouth made it real in a way that shattered something inside me.
"He would not have confessed to something he did not do," I said and my voice cracked.
"Everyone confesses eventually." Lucien leaned forward and his elbows rested on his knees. "Your father was no different."
"You are wrong."
"Am I?" His tone was almost bored. "Then explain why we found correspondence between him and the rogue Alpha. Explain why the attack on my border patrol happened exactly where and when your father said it would not."
I opened my mouth but no words came out. How could I explain something I did not understand myself?
"You cannot," Lucien said. "Because there is no explanation. Only betrayal."
Katherine whispered something in his ear again and this time he nodded. Her hand slid down to rest on his thigh once more and she looked at me with something that might have been pity if it were not so cold.
"What will you do with her?" she asked.
"Put her to work."
"Work?" I said before I could stop myself. "You mean slavery."
Lucien's jaw tightened. "I mean exactly what I said. You will serve in the pack house. Every moment of your service will remind you what betrayal costs. You will scrub floors. You will serve meals. You will do whatever is asked of you without question or complaint."
"And if I refuse?"
His smile was sharp and dangerous. "Then I will make you wish you had not."
The guards yanked me backward and I stumbled. My knees hit the stone floor but I pushed myself back up. I would not grovel. Not for him. Not for anyone.
Katherine laughed again and the sound echoed off the walls.
"She has spirit," she said. "I wonder how long that will last."
"Not long," Lucien said.
As the guards dragged me toward the doors, I turned my head one last time. Lucien was watching me and so was the man standing to his right.
Beta Logan.
He was tall and lean with dark hair and eyes that seemed to see too much. And he was smiling. Not the polite smile of a pack Beta. Something else. Something calculating and cold that made my stomach twist.
Our eyes met for half a second before the guards pulled me through the doorway.
But before we cleared the threshold, a hand shot out and grabbed my wrist.
Lucien.
He had moved faster than I could track and now he stood inches away. His grip was iron and his skin burned against mine like fire.
The guards stopped and went still.
Katherine was still on the throne but her smile had disappeared.
"Don't try to run," Lucien whispered and his breath was hot against my ear. "I enjoy the chase."
His fingers tightened for a moment and then he let go. The guards yanked me forward again and this time they did not stop until we were out of the throne room and down three flights of stairs.
The servant's quarters were bare. A thin mattress on a metal frame. A cracked mirror on the wall. A single window with bars across it.
This was my new home.
I sank onto the mattress and pressed my palms against my eyes. I would not cry. I refused to give them that satisfaction.
But my father's face filled my mind. His smile. His laugh. The way he used to ruffle my hair and call me his little warrior.
He was gone and here I was, alone.
A sound from the next room pulled me from my thoughts. Voices. Low and careful.
I moved to the wall and pressed my ear against it.
"She's more dangerous than you think, Lucien." Katherine's voice was unmistakable. "The Wren bloodline has always been... unpredictable."
A pause. Then Lucien spoke but his words were too muffled to make out.
Katherine laughed softly, then her voice dropped lower.
"I'll handle her."
