CHAPTER TEN
1293 Words
SILVER’S POV
The carriage was too quiet.
Even with the wind howling outside and the occasional bump of the tires against the dirt road, all I could hear was the silence in my chest.
It had been like that since I left the Night Pack gates behind.
I didn’t say goodbye.
Not to my father.
Not to my mother.
Not even to Sterling.
They didn’t deserve one.
Not that they even bothered to see me off.
To them, I was a disgrace now and a means to an end.
Sterling could be Alpha for all I care.
It won't take months for him to ruin the pack completely.
I pressed my forehead against the window, watching the trees blur past. The sky was iron grey, the clouds heavy, like the world itself was holding its breath.
It fit my mood perfectly.
“Are you comfortable, miss?” one of the guards—Eldon, I think—asked from the front seat.
“I’m fine,” I said quickly, not bothering to make eye contact.
He didn’t say anything else. Good. I didn’t want small talk.
I didn’t want anything.
I was dressed in a pale blue cloak. The kind my mother insisted looked “dignified but humble.” Whatever that meant.
Normally, I knew if women were mated to wolves outside of the pack and they were taken there, some or should I say many wore white, some blue like I was wearing now, some red.
Now, I understood what the colours meant.
White for virgins, blue for non virgins and red for women whose mates had died and they were marrying again.
They should have clothed me in red. My mate was dead to me since they strongly believed i wasn't a virgin.
I was angry at all of them because no one tried to make an effort to know the truth.
I even suggested my virginity be checked by a pack doctor, but it only strengthened their thoughts on me not being one.
The final words she gave me before I left echoed in my ears.
“Remember, you’re not going there as our daughter. You’re going as our offering.”
Offering.
As if I was a lamb being led to s*******r.
Maybe I was.
A month ago, I had a title, a mate, a future.
Now? I had a contract with a stranger.
An alliance sealed with my spine and silence.
I leaned back in the seat and closed my eyes.
Images flashed behind my eyelids.
Kaiden’s face.
His voice.
That moment in the library.
“I, Kaiden Accus, reject you, Silver Night, as my mate.”
That bastard.
I never saw him again for me to accept his rejection, at least.
Meaning, I will feel pain if he mates with another woman.
I curled my fingers into fists in my lap. I could still feel the sting of those words like they were stitched into my skin.
And now, I was being sent to a man even he feared.
Alessio De Luca.
The infamous Alpha of Cassano.
He was older than me—twenty-four, I’d heard. Ruthless. Cold. Rumoured to have killed his own mate.
And this was who my parents thought was worthy of me.
The irony would be hilarious if it didn’t make me want to scream.
“Almost there,” Eldon called out again.
“We’ll be at the Cassano border in fifteen minutes.”
I sat up straight, brushing my hands over my cloak and adjusting the thin scarf around my shoulders. My stomach was in knots, but I forced myself to breathe evenly.
Whatever was waiting for me there, I had to be stronger than it.
I wouldn’t flinch.
I wouldn’t break.
I am an Alpha heir.... Well, it was.
I was still trained to be Alpha.
No one could intimidate me, not even Alessio Cassano.
When we reached the gates, I leaned toward the window.
Cassano Pack looked nothing like home.
The woods were darker. The trees taller, thicker, almost looming. Stone walls surrounded the entire pack estate, and black iron gates guarded the front like they were daring anyone to try and enter.
Soldiers flanked both sides, dressed in all black, silver swords strapped across their backs.
This wasn’t just a pack.
It was a fortress.
The carriage rolled forward slowly as the gates creaked open. Two guards stepped forward.
“Name?” one barked.
“Silver Night,” Eldon answered for me.
“Luna-to-be.”
One of the guards narrowed his eyes at me, looking me up and down like I was an uninvited guest. The other nodded stiffly and motioned us through.
The carriage jerked forward again.
I caught my first glimpse of the pack square. It was clean, orderly, and quiet. People bustled about, dressed neatly, not a hair out of place. No children running wild. No laughter. Just business.
It felt… sterile."
Emotionless.
Perfect for a man with no heart.
The carriage finally pulled to a stop in front of a massive stone estate.
A castle, really. Four stories high, towers in the corners, ivy crawling along the cold stone walls. The front doors were blackened steel, carved with the Cassano crest—a silver wolf wrapped in thorned vines.
The driver opened the door.
“We’re here, miss.”
I stepped out, boots crunching against the gravel. My heart thudded in my ears.
The wind cut through my cloak as I looked up at the estate.
No one was there to greet me.
No welcoming party. No smiling, Beta. No curious Alpha.
Just silence.
I turned to Eldon.
“Is there someone I’m supposed to report to?”
Before he could answer, the doors opened.
A tall man with sharp features, dark brown hair, and an expression carved from marble stepped out. He looked about twenty, with bright amber eyes and no trace of warmth.
He nodded once.
“Miss Night. I’m Lorenzo Olivieri. Beta of the Cassano Pack.”
So this was the Beta.
Not the Alpha.
Of course.
I dipped my head politely.
“Beta Olivieri.”
I would never bow to anyone lower than my title before, a handshake to my equal at best, but now I was a commoner.
“Your room has been prepared. You’ll be escorted there now. The Alpha will not be meeting you before the ceremony.”
My chest tightened.
Not even a glance?
Not even a hello?
He really didn’t care.
Lorenzo noticed the flicker in my expression.
“Don’t take it personally. He’s not one for tradition.”
“I gathered.”
He almost smiled.
“Come. I’ll show you in.”
I followed him into the estate. The halls were dim, lit with antique lamps and high, narrow windows. Everything was clean, sterile, cold.
Like walking through a mausoleum.
Eventually, we reached a room on the second floor. Lorenzo opened the door and stepped aside.
It was beautiful.
Spacious, with a large bed, a sitting area, a fireplace, and a balcony that overlooked the forest.
It was also empty.
“You’ll be staying here until the ceremony,” Lorenzo said.
“Meals will be brought up. If you need anything, there’s a bell on the desk.”
I nodded.
He paused, then added.
“He’s not what you’re expecting.”
I looked at him.
“Then what is he?”
Lorenzo’s eyes darkened slightly.
“A man who doesn’t believe in second chances.”
Then he turned and left, the door clicking softly behind him.
I stood there for a moment, staring at the door.
Then, I walked to the bed, sat down slowly, and looked around the room I’d now be calling mine.
Not because I wanted to.
But because I had nothing else left.
- Writer
