SACRIFICED TO THE CURSED ALPHA KING

The moon was full the night my father decided I was worth more dead than alive. I remember because everyone else in Briar Hollow was celebrating. Silver lanterns hung from the trees surrounding the packhouse, their light spilling across the courtyard. Wolves danced beneath the moon, their laughter rising into the cold night air. Children chased one another between the tables while their parents watched with proud smiles. It was the Night of the First Howl. Every year, on the first full moon after the harvest, the young wolves of Briar Hollow gathered before the pack to summon their wolves for the first time. It was supposed to be a night of pride, family and new beginnings. For me, it had always been a reminder of what I lacked. I stood at the edge of the courtyard, holding a silver tray of untouched wine glasses. My fingers were numb from the cold, but I didn't dare return inside. My stepmother had made it clear that I was to remain useful until the celebration ended. "Valerie!" I turned. Sera Ashbourne stood beneath the archway, her beautiful red gown shimmering beneath the lanterns. Her dark hair was pinned elegantly at the back of her head, and a diamond necklace rested against her throat. She looked like a woman born to command a room. I looked like the servant she had ordered to stand outside it. "Yes?" "Those glasses are empty." I glanced down at the tray. Every glass contained wine. "They're full." Her smile disappeared. "Did I ask for your opinion?" "No." "Then don't give one." I lowered my eyes. "Yes, Sera." She stepped closer, her perfume sweet enough to make my stomach turn. "Your father expects you in the great hall after the ceremony. Don't embarrass him tonight." I almost laughed. Embarrass him? I had spent twenty-four years trying not to embarrass a man who barely looked at me. "Understood." She studied my face for a moment before leaning closer. "And cover your wrist. That mark is unpleasant." My hand instinctively moved toward my left wrist. There was nothing unusual about it. Just a faint, pale scar that curved beneath my skin like a crescent moon. I had been born with it, and nobody knew where it came from. Sera hated it. She hated anything about me that she couldn't explain. I pulled my sleeve down. "Of course." She turned away, her heels clicking against the stone. I watched her disappear into the celebration. Then I looked up at the moon. Once, when I was little, my mother had told me that every wolf carried a song inside its soul. When the moon called, that song would rise, and the wolf would answer. I had believed her. I had waited for years to hear my own song. At seventeen, I stood beneath the moon with my hands trembling and my heart pounding, waiting for my wolf to awaken. Nothing happened. At eighteen, the pack healer examined me and declared that my wolf was late. At nineteen, she examined me again. At twenty, she stopped making excuses. I was wolfless. A wolf without a wolf. A daughter of an Alpha who could not shift, could not fight, could not contribute to the strength of her pack. A mistake, according to Sera. A disappointment, according to my father. And tonight, as the young wolves prepared to howl, I was once again reminded that I did not belong among them. A sudden roar of excitement rose from the courtyard. I looked toward the centre of the celebration. A young woman had fallen to her knees, her body trembling as a silver glow spread beneath her skin. Her eyes flashed gold. Her fingers curled, and a beautiful white wolf emerged beneath the moonlight. The crowd erupted. Her family rushed forward, embracing her as she shifted back into human form. I smiled despite myself. She looked so happy. For one foolish moment, I imagined what it would feel like to have someone rush toward me with that much joy. Someone who was proud of me. Someone who didn't look at me as though my existence were an inconvenience. "You're staring." I turned sharply. My father stood behind me. Alpha Edric Ashbourne was a tall, broad-shouldered man whose dark hair had begun to grey at the temples. His presence usually made people straighten their backs and lower their voices. I did the same. "Father." His eyes moved to the tray. "Why are you standing here?" "Sera asked me to—" "I didn't ask what Sera asked you." I swallowed. "I was waiting for the ceremony to finish." He looked toward the celebrating wolves. "Come with me." There was something in his voice that made my stomach tighten. "Is something wrong?" His expression hardened. "Do I need to repeat myself?" I followed him. We crossed the courtyard, passed through the great hall and entered the eastern corridor. The music grew quieter behind us. At the end of the corridor stood the pack council chamber. Two guards waited outside. One of them opened the door. My father entered first. I followed. The room smelled of old wood, smoke and expensive leather. Three members of the pack council sat around the long table. The pack healer, an elderly woman named Mara, stood beside the fireplace with a leather-bound book pressed against her chest. I recognized the council members. Beta Rowan. Gamma Felix. And Elder Corvin, whose silver beard reached almost to his chest. None of them smiled when I entered. "Sit down, Valerie," my father ordered. I sat. My fingers twisted together beneath the table. "What is this about?" Nobody answered immediately. Elder Corvin opened a thick parchment and placed it before my father. "Alpha, the terms have been reviewed." My father nodded. "Read them." The elder cleared his throat. "By the authority of the Northern Wolf Council, the debt owed by Briar Hollow Pack to the Crown remains unpaid. The original agreement was violated three times. The penalty has therefore increased." My brows drew together. "What debt?" My father shot me a warning look. I closed my mouth. Elder Corvin continued. "The Crown demands a living offering to be delivered to Blackmere Castle before the next blood moon." The room seemed to grow colder. I looked from one face to another. "An offering?" Nobody looked at me. The elder turned another page. "The offering must be a female of the Ashbourne bloodline. She must be unmarried, without a recognised wolf bond and capable of being presented before the Alpha King." A strange sensation crept into my stomach. I slowly turned toward my father. "Why are you reading that to me?" He didn't answer. The pack healer lowered her eyes. That was when I understood. Not completely. Not yet. But enough to make my hands go cold. "Father?" He leaned back in his chair. "Valerie, you know the condition of this pack." I stared at him. "What condition?" "Our borders are weak. Our warriors are exhausted. We have lost two territories, and the northern packs are watching for an opportunity to attack." "Then why haven't we asked the other packs for help?" "Because we cannot afford another debt." He paused. Then he said the words that split my world in two. "You have been chosen." I blinked. "Chosen for what?" "To fulfil the Crown's demand." I stared at him. The room was silent. "No." My father frowned. "Valerie—" "No. What are you saying?" "You will be taken to Blackmere Castle." I pushed my chair back. "Why?" "Because the Crown requires a sacrifice." The word struck me so violently that I almost forgot how to breathe. A sacrifice. They wanted to sacrifice me. I looked at the council members, waiting for one of them to object. For someone to say this was madness. For Mara to step forward and remind them that I was a living person, not a bargaining token. Nobody moved. My eyes returned to my father. "Why me?" His jaw tightened. "You are the only unmarried daughter of the Alpha bloodline." "I'm your daughter." "I am aware of that." The casualness of his answer hurt more than shouting would have. I shook my head. "You cannot send me to die because the pack owes someone money." "Your sacrifice will save hundreds of lives." "And mine?" His eyes hardened. "Your situation is different." A bitter laugh escaped me. "Because I don't have a wolf?" Nobody answered. I looked at Mara. "Tell them." The healer's lips parted. "Valerie—" "Tell them I'm still a wolf. Tell them there's a reason I haven't shifted. You examined me. You said—" "I said there was no evidence of an active wolf." "That doesn't mean I'm worthless!" My voice cracked. For the first time that evening, everyone looked directly at me. I stood, my chair scraping against the floor. "I have worked for this pack. I have served its people. I have carried water for the warriors, cleaned the infirmary, prepared meals and done everything Sera asked. I have never asked anyone to give me anything." My eyes burned. "And now you are telling me that because I cannot howl, I am the easiest person to throw away?" "Enough!" my father thundered. The command shook the room. I fell silent. He rose slowly. "Your inability to shift has made you a burden for long enough. This is the first time your existence can serve a purpose." For a moment, I couldn't hear anything. Not the fire. Not the guards. Not even my own breathing. I simply stared at the man who had once carried me on his shoulders through the orchard. The man who had held my hand when I was little. The man who had promised my mother he would protect me. "Mother would never have allowed this," I whispered. His expression changed. Only for a second. Then the coldness returned. "Your mother is dead." I flinched. He looked at the elder. "The agreement will be honoured." Elder Corvin nodded. "Then the decision is final." A strange pressure began building beneath my skin. It started at my wrist. The pale crescent scar beneath my sleeve felt warm. I pressed my palm against it. For one brief moment, I thought I heard something. A sound so faint it could have been the wind moving through the trees. A breath. A whisper. Not yet. I froze. "What?" Mara looked at me. "What did you say?" I stared at her. "Nothing." But the warmth beneath my skin had already disappeared. My father turned toward the door. "Take her to her room." The guards stepped forward. I didn't move. "Father." He paused without looking back. "Please." It was a small word. A pathetic word. But it was the only thing I had left to offer him. He remained still for several seconds. Then he said, "The carriage leaves at dawn." And walked away. The door closed behind him. I stood alone in the council chamber, surrounded by people who had just agreed that my life was an acceptable price. Outside, the celebration continued. The young wolves were howling beneath the full moon. And I stood in silence, wondering whether the world had forgotten that I was still alive.