I sat in the car for two hours, weighing what I could offer against what I needed to protect.
Only then did I finally dial the number.
Ferrell Drake answered.
He was the Alpha of Raven and Caden's only rival in the North.
Six months earlier, he'd proposed a marriage alliance. Back then, my heart had belonged entirely to Caden, and I'd rejected Ferrell without a second thought.
This time, I was the one making the offer.
"Mr. Drake, is your previous proposal still on the table?"
There was a two-second silence before Ferrell replied, his voice steady, "What do you need?"
"Marry me in three days. In return, I'll open the Gray Fir Corridor to Raven. Your patrols and grain convoys will have direct passage between your northern and southern territories. You won't have to go through Blackr
