Alpha Leon sat in the Grand Hall of his estate in suffocating silence. The warmth of the crackling fireplace didn't reach him. His fingers pressed against his temples as he leaned forward with his elbows resting on his knees. The very picture of a man drowning in the weight of his own decisions. How had it co to this? Where had he gone so wrong?
Selene stood by the window. Her eyes tracked the gathering storm clouds in the night sky. "You know what you have to do," she murmured. Her voice was smooth and controlled but the underlying jealousy curled around the words.
Leon let out a long exhale, "Selling her to Raventhorn just to buy us a couple of years of peace? It's beyond inhumane." His voice grew hoarse with frustration. "The man killed her father."
Selene finally turned, "But Ava doesn't know that, does she?" She tilted her head slightly. "If you don't offer sothing valuable, Raventhorn will co for us."
Leon clenched his fists. This was a new low. "I married you for the protection that cos with your father's pack. How much more of my people will I sacrifice before your father holds his end of the bargain?" His voice was cold.
Selene's expression darkened. "As long as Ava is still in this pack, your end of the bargain is incomplete. As long as I do not have a child, your duty remains unfinished." Her voice sharpened into a blade.
Leon ran a hand down his face. He was beginning to feel like a pawn in a ga he had no control over. "What makes you think Raventhorn would even want her?" he snapped. "She's wolfless. Weak."
Selene let out a laugh. "Oh, my dear husband, you underestimate how much n enjoy breaking things." She stepped closer, her lips curling in a knowing smile. "He doesn't want a wife. He wants a concubine. A forr fated mate of an Alpha? He'll be begging you for her."
Leon's stomach churned. "And Ava has no say in this?" His voice cracked slightly.
Selene's fingers traced a lazy circle on his shoulder before she withdrew, walking away. "You need to stop caring." She turned back to face him. "She was never fit to be your Luna."
The words echoed in his mind like a cruel chorus he had heard a thousand tis before. He had been told so many ti that he started to believe it.
"She is still part of my pack," Leon roared.
Selene's face contorted with fury. "No! I will not breathe the sa air as that woman for another second. You will go down there tomorrow and make it clear. This is not a choice. It is her Alpha's order."
Leon scoffed bitterly. "Hasn't she suffered enough?" His voice was low. "You've turned your lapdog, Sharon, into Ava's personal torntor. You make her listen to us when we fuck at night. You make her do the work of ten ogas. You..." He exhaled sharply. "She has no wolf, Selene. How long do you think she can survive this tornt or life as Raventhorn's concubine?"
Selene smirked. "As long as I deem fit." Then, she added, "Rember, darling, I didn't ask for this marriage. You did. So don't sit there and paint as the villain in your tragic little tale."
Leon studied her, the woman he had once believed would bring his pack security. Now, she was nothing more than a shackle. A prison he had walked into willingly. And Ava... Ava had been the price.
*****
Ava sat curled on the cold floor of her tiny room. Her body still ached from the previous beating. She let out a small laugh. How was it that she had once been Luna-to-be? And now? Now, she was nothing more than the dirt beneath their boots.
She heard the footsteps before the door creaked open. Her stomach clenched as she looked up, expecting Sharon or one of Selene's lackeys. But it wasn't them.
It was Leon.
Oh, what fresh hell was this?
The man who had once sworn to love and protect her now stood in front of her, his face a mask of indifference. Ava let out a breath, watching him warily.
"You're being sent away."
She blinked. "What?"
His gaze avoided hers. "You will be Alpha Raventhorn's concubine."
The words sliced through her. "No."
Leon remained motionless. "It's already done."
Ava felt her world tilting. "You... you can't do this."
Leon's jaw tightened. He still refused to look at her. "You have no place here."
Ava laughed. A broken sound. "When the Moon Goddess chose as your mate, I thought I must have done sothing good in a past life. I thought you were my reward." Her voice cracked. "I loved you, Leon. I never hurt you. Why do you keep hurting ?"
Silence.
Then, finally, he spoke. "The Moon Goddess chose you." He lifted his gaze. "But I chose soone else."
Ava felt like the air had been stolen from her lungs.
Leon turned towards the exit. "Raventhorn will be here in a few days. Pack your things." He hesitated for only a second before adding, "And find a way to look less... pitiable."
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