Claimed by the Ruthless Alpha Prince

Chapter12

Elara's POV

And beside her, pale and sick-looking, stands Daciana. Her dark eyes meet mine for just a second before she looks away, guilt written across her face.

“Sit,” Blackwood commands, gesturing to the empty chair beside Harper.

I move toward his desk but remain standing.

“What’s going on?”

“There’s been a change of plans,” he says, his voice deceptively calm.

My stomach clenches.

“What kind of change?”

“The Blue Crest Pack has agreed to the exchange. One female from our pack will be sent to mate with one of their warriors.” His gray eyes fix on me with evil pleasure. “That female will be you.”

The words stun me. For a moment, I can’t breathe.

“Me?” My voice comes out as a soft squeak. “But—but the decree said the strongest female. I don’t have any abilities. I can’t even shift.”

Alpha Blackwood’s smile is cruel.

“That’s not my problem.”

The room spins slightly as understanding begins to dawn.

“You can’t do this. The royal decree specifically—”

“The royal decree says we must send a strong female.” He leans back in his chair, looking pleased with himself. “And I’ve decided to send you. You’re strong enough.”

He’s going against the royal decree! Can he even do that?!

“I won’t go.” The words burst out of me before I could stop them.

Harper’s sob rings out in the air.

“Elara, please!” She reaches for my hand, her tear-filled eyes desperate. “They’ll torture me! They’ll kill me!”

I jerk my hand away, shocked by what she is saying.

“And you think they won’t do the same to me?”

“That’s different…” Harper starts before trailing off.

Disgust fills me. So much for the kind and benevolent façade she puts on. She’s just like the rest of them. I’m nothing in her eyes.

“How?” My voice rises. “How is it different? Because I’m not the Alpha’s daughter? Because I have a latent wolf? Because my life matters less?”

Harper looks to her father, tears streaming down her face.

“Papa, please. Tell her—”

“Harper is a beloved member of this pack,” Blackwood says coldly. “She has value here. You, on the other hand, can make this sacrifice.”

“Sacrifice?” I scoff. “You mean you can throw me away, and no one will care.”

“Precisely.”

His casual admission of my worthlessness hits harder than I would have expected. But beneath the hurt, rage begins to build.

“I refuse,” I say, my voice deadly quiet. “Find someone else.”

Alpha Blackwood’s expression darkens. In one swift motion, he stands up and backhands me across the face. The blow sends me stumbling sideways, my cheek exploding with pain.

“You will go to the Blue Crest Pack tomorrow morning,” he snarls. “Whether you walk there willingly or we drag your unconscious body is up to you.”

I touch my stinging cheek, tasting blood where my teeth have cut my lip. Around the room, no one moves to help me. Beta Leroy looks tense but doesn’t intervene. Daciana stares at the floor; I can see her teeth sinking into her lower lip. And Harper... Harper is sobbing quietly, but she doesn’t meet my eyes.

“Henrik, George,” Blackwood snaps. “Escort her back to her cottage. Place guards outside. She doesn’t leave until morning.”

“No!” I start to back toward the door, panic rising in my throat. “You can’t do this! I have rights—”

“You have no rights.” Alpha Blackwood’s voice is ice cold. “You’re a burden I’m finally disposing of. Be grateful I’m not simply having you killed outright.”

The guards grab my arms and haul me toward the door despite my struggles.

“Harper!” I call out desperately. “Don’t let him do this! You know this is wrong!”

But Harper just cries harder, her face buried in her hands.

“Please,” I tried one more time, staring at Daciana. “Someone help me!”

My friend finally looks up, and the sadness in her eyes tells me everything I need to know. She knew. She knew this was coming, but she couldn’t stop it.

The guards march me through the pack hall, past the staring faces of pack members who are clearly enjoying the show. Outside, the evening air feels too thin, like I can’t get enough oxygen into my lungs.

At my cottage, Henrik shoves me roughly inside.

“Don’t even think about running,” he warns. “We’ll be right outside all night.”

The door slams shut, and I hear them taking their positions on either side of it.

I stand in my living room, swaying slightly, my mind struggling to process what just happened. Luna jumps down from the couch and rubs against my legs, purring softly.

I stare down at her numbly.

When she purrs louder, I slump to the floor, scooping her into my lap with shaking hands.

“What do I do now, Luna?”

Tomorrow morning, they’re going to hand me over to the Blue Crest Pack like a piece of property. And everyone knows what that means.

They’re going to torture me. Maybe for information about our pack’s weaknesses, maybe just for the fun of it. And when they’re done, they’ll kill me.

I think about Harper’s tears, her desperate pleas. She is terrified of what the Blue Crest Pack would do to her, but she’s willing to let them do it to me instead.

“This is what my whole life has amounted to,” I tell Luna, my voice hollow. “Twenty-four years of existence just so I can be sacrificed to save someone more important.”

Luna purrs and nudges my chin with her head.

“What’s going to happen to you when I’m gone?” I stroke her soft fur, my heart breaking. “Who is going to take care of you?”

The thought of Luna starving to death in this cottage, waiting for me to come home, makes tears burn in my eyes. Maybe I should ask Selene to look after her. But will she even be allowed to associate with anything connected to me once I’m gone?

I consider my options, but there aren’t many. The cottage is surrounded by guards. Even if I could sneak out, where would I go? Into the Wyvern Woods at night? That’s suicide. And Alpha Blackwood would just hunt me down anyway.!