Chapter 3
1674 Words
I wake to shouting downstairs. Byrde's voice, deadly calm, and another man yelling.
My father.
I scramble out of bed, still in yesterday's torn dress. The clock says it's barely 6 AM. Through the window, I see three cars in the driveway.
"—She belongs to Beta Marcus!" Father's voice carries up the stairs. "The contract was signed!"
"Any contract involving my mate is void." Byrde's voice could freeze hell.
I creep to the top of the stairs. Father stands in the foyer with Beta Marcus and four guards. Byrde faces them alone, but somehow he's the one who looks dangerous.
"Show him the papers," Beta Marcus sneers. "I paid for that girl. She's mine."
My stomach turns. Paid for. Like I'm property.
"How much?" Byrde asks.
"What?"
"How much did you pay for her?"
Beta Marcus smirks. "Fifty thousand."
"I'll give you a hundred thousand to leave and never come back."
"She's not for sale—"
"Two hundred thousand."
Father's eyes go wide with greed. "Alpha Byrde, surely we can discuss—"
"I wasn't talking to you." Byrde's eyes never leave Beta Marcus. "Three hundred thousand. Final offer."
"You can't just buy—"
Byrde moves fast. Beta Marcus slams into the wall, Byrde's hand around his throat.
"I'm trying to be civilized," Byrde says quietly. "But if you prefer, I can simply kill you for trying to claim my mate. Your choice."
"You wouldn't dare," Beta Marcus gasps. "The Council—"
"The Council has no power over mate bonds." A new voice speaks from the doorway. A woman walks in—older, elegant, radiating power. "Hello, son."
Son?
Byrde doesn't let go of Beta Marcus. "Mother. You're early."
"I heard you found your mate. Imagine my surprise when I learned it wasn't the girl we discussed."
My heart drops. His mother. The former Luna. Here about the broken engagement.
"Let him go, Byrde," she says calmly. "Beta Marcus, I believe my son made you a generous offer. I suggest you take it."
Beta Marcus falls to the floor when Byrde releases him. He scrambles up, face red.
"This isn't over," he spits, then runs out.
Father steps forward. "Luna Catherine, I apologize for this misunderstanding. Vera is ready to—"
"There is no misunderstanding." Her eyes find mine at the top of the stairs. "You must be Wendy."
I freeze. I should bow, show respect, something. But I can't move.
"Come down, child," she says, not unkindly.
My legs shake as I descend. Up close, she's even more intimidating. Where Byrde got his dark eyes and dangerous presence is obvious.
She circles me slowly, examining. I feel like a bug under a microscope.
"You're very thin," she observes.
"Mother," Byrde warns.
"Quiet. I'm evaluating your mate." She stops in front of me. "How old are you?"
"Twenty-one."
"Your wolf?"
"She's..." I swallow. "Weak."
"Hmm." She turns to Father. "You've been starving your own daughter?"
"She's always been sickly," Father lies smoothly. "Since her mother died—"
Catherine moves so fast I don't see it. Her hand cracks across Father's face, sending him to the floor.
"Don't lie to me," she says calmly. "I can smell the fear on her. Years of it. You tortured this child."
"She's not even—" Father stops himself.
Everyone goes still.
"She's not even what?" Byrde's voice is lethal.
Father's mouth snaps shut.
Catherine's eyes narrow. "What are you hiding, Marcus?"
My father—no, Marcus—stays silent.
"Speak, or I'll have Byrde tear it from your throat," she says pleasantly.
Marcus looks at me with such hatred it makes me step back.
"She's not mine," he spits. "Her mother was already pregnant when I married her. I only kept her because Anna begged me."
The world tilts. I can't breathe.
Not his daughter. I'm not his daughter.
"You're lying," I whisper.
"Am I? You look nothing like me. Nothing like your mother either, really." His smile is cruel. "Your real father was some rogue Anna met before me. She never told me his name."
Byrde is suddenly beside me, his arm around my waist holding me up.
"That's why you treated her like this?" His voice is too calm. "Because she wasn't yours?"
"I gave her shelter, food—"
"You gave her nothing!" I shout, surprising everyone, including myself. "You beat me! Starved me! Locked me in that attic like an animal!"
"Because that's what you are!" Marcus roars. "The bastard of a rogue and a w***e—"
He doesn't finish. Byrde's fist connects with his jaw, sending him flying through the front door onto the lawn.
"Get out," Byrde says quietly. "If I see you again, I'll kill you."
Marcus staggers to his feet, blood running from his nose. "Vera is the true heir! The engagement—"
"Is void." Catherine speaks with finality. "My son has found his mate. Any prior arrangements are dissolved."
Marcus stumbles to his car and speeds away.
I'm shaking. Not his daughter. Everything makes sense now—the hatred, the abuse, why I was never enough.
"Wendy." Byrde turns me to face him. "Look at me."
I meet his eyes through my tears.
"This changes nothing," he says firmly. "You're still my mate."
"I'm nobody," I whisper. "I don't even know who my real father is."
"You're mine," he says simply. "That's all that matters."
Catherine clears her throat. "As touching as this is, we have a problem."
We both look at her.
"If Wendy isn't Marcus's daughter, she has no pack affiliation. Technically, she's a rogue."
My blood turns cold. Rogues aren't allowed in pack territories without permission. They're considered dangerous, unstable.
"Then I'll claim her into my pack," Byrde says.
"Without being marked? The Council won't recognize it."
"Then I'll mark her."
"Byrde!" I gasp. "We just met yesterday!"
"So?"
"So you can't just mark me because of politics!"
His eyes darken. "I'm not marking you because of politics."
Catherine watches us with interest. "There is another option."
We both turn to her.
"The Trials," she says. "If Wendy can pass the Luna Trials, the Council has to accept her, regardless of her bloodline."
"No," Byrde says immediately. "The Trials are brutal. She's been starved and abused for years—"
"I'll do it."
They both stare at me.
"I'll do it," I repeat, standing straighter. "I won't be your weakness, Byrde. I won't give anyone a reason to question your choice."
"Wendy, you don't understand. The Trials—"
"Will prove I deserve to be your mate." I meet his mother's eyes. "When do they start?"
She smiles slowly. "I like her, Byrde. She has spine."
"Mother—"
"Three days," she tells me. "You have three days to prepare. The Trials test strength, intelligence, and leadership. Many strong wolves have failed."
"And if I fail?"
"Then the bond can be formally rejected without killing either of you."
Byrde growls. "I won't reject her."
"Then she better not fail." Catherine heads for the door. "I'll inform the Council. Three days, Wendy. Don't disappoint me."
She leaves, and silence fills the room.
"You don't have to do this," Byrde says quietly.
"Yes, I do." I touch his face gently. "You saved me. Let me save myself."
He leans into my touch. "The Trials could kill you."
"So could staying with Marcus." I manage a small smile. "At least this way, I have a chance."
He pulls me against him, burying his face in my hair. "I just found you. I can't lose you."
"You won't." I hope I sound more confident than I feel. "Luna might be weak, but I'm not. Not anymore."
His phone rings. He answers with obvious irritation.
"What?"
His expression darkens as he listens. Finally, he hangs up.
"What is it?" I ask.
"Vera," he says grimly. "She's gone to the Council. She's claiming you used witchcraft to create a fake mate bond."
"That's insane!"
"She has a witness. Someone who says they saw you buying herbs from a witch yesterday."
My heart sinks. "James's cousin. She sells herbs at her diner. But they're just cooking herbs!"
"It doesn't matter. If the Council believes there's even a possibility..." He runs his hand through his hair. "They'll test the bond."
"How?"
He looks at me with worry. "They'll separate us. Completely. No contact for seven days. If the bond is real, we'll both go into withdrawal. If it's fake..."
"We'll be fine," I finish.
"Wendy, withdrawal from a true bond is agony. Wolves have died from it."
"When would this happen?"
"Tonight. They're sending enforcers."
My knees go weak. We've had less than a day together, and now they want to tear us apart?
"There's another way," he says quietly. "If we complete the bond—mark and mate—they can't separate us."
Heat floods my face. "Byrde..."
"I know it's fast. I know you barely know me. But—"
The front door explodes inward. Five enforcers enter, dressed in black, their faces cold.
"Alpha Byrde," the leader speaks. "By order of the Council, you and the female Wendy are to be separated pending investigation of a false bond claim."
"You can't do this," Byrde growls, stepping in front of me.
"We can and will." The enforcer signals his men. "Take the female."
"No!" Byrde roars, his body beginning to shift.
They shoot him with something—a dart. He staggers, his shift stopping.
"Byrde!"
Arms grab me, pulling me away. He tries to reach for me but falls to his knees, fighting whatever they drugged him with.
"Stop!" I scream. "Please!"
"Seven days," the lead enforcer says coldly. "If your bond is real, you'll survive."
They drag me toward a van. The last thing I see is Byrde collapsing, his hand stretched toward me.
"Byrde!" I scream his name until my throat is raw.
The van door slams shut, and everything goes dark.
Seven days.
Luna whimpers inside me, already feeling the separation.
How are we supposed to survive seven days?
- Writer
