CHAPTER 1 —
The rain carried a metallic aroma on the night when Ella Wolfe's world crumbled for the second time.
She found herself outside the pack's council hall, her fists clenched and breath visible in the chilly night air. Just a few hours had passed since her father's funeral, yet instead of mourning, she was being summoned by the most feared wolf clan in the region.
The Silverfangs.
A clan to which no human should ever be indebted.
The heavy wooden doors creaked open. Two guards emerged, tall and broad-shouldered, their silver eyes faintly glowing in the flickering torchlight.
"Ella Hayes?" one of them asked.
She swallowed hard. "Yes."
"Enter. The council awaits."
Her stomach knotted. She crossed the threshold.
******
The council chamber was dimly lit, illuminated only by fire bowls that cast flickering shadows across the stone walls. Three elders sat on a raised platform, stern and emotionless, watching her as if she were prey.
But it was the man beside them who took her breath away.
Alpha Rylan Wolfe.
Tall and powerful, his presence seemed to envelop the entire room. His black hair grazed a sharply etched jaw, and his cold, predatory eyes shone slightly with silver.
Rumors painted him as ruthless. Damaged. Cursed.
And he was looking at her as if she were a nuisance.
"Ella Hayes," the head elder started. "Your late father owed a blood debt to this clan."
"I know he borrowed money," Ella said, her voice steady despite the tremor in her knees. "I will repay it. I just need some time."
The elder raised an eyebrow. "A human cannot settle a wolf's blood debt with mere currency."
Her heart raced. "Then… What is the price?"
The elder gestured toward Rylan.
"His hand. His Luna."
Ella's breath hitched in her throat.
Rylan's voice emerged low, calm, and colder than winter's breath.
"A marriage. Three months. Follow my rules, adhere to my boundaries, and serve as my Luna for the duration of the contract."
Ella looked at him, this man with the soulless eyes, this Alpha who seemed to despise the idea of a wife more than he abhorred rogues.
"You must be joking," she whispered.
"I do not joke," Rylan said flatly. "Your father signed the contract. To clear the debt, you must marry me. Tonight."
Ella felt her body go numb. She was unprepared for this. She wasn't ready for any of it.
"My mother she's unwell," she stammered. "I'm all she has. I can't just disappear."
Rylan's eyes flickered with something sharp and unreadable, yet his voice remained devoid of emotion.
"She will be taken care of. Your father ensured that in the agreement."
A pause.
"But you are coming with me."
Ella clenched her fists at her sides. Anger mixed with her fear.
"My father would never permit this."
"He didn't sell you," Rylan asserted, stepping closer. His scent of cedar and storm wind enveloped her senses. "He did what he could to protect you. You have no idea of the threats surrounding him."
"What threats?" she shot back.
Silence enveloped them.
The elders shifted yet remained silent.
Rylan's jaw tightened.
"Not everything must be explained tonight."
Ella glared at him.
"I am not your possession."
"No," he replied quietly. "But you are my responsibility. And I always uphold my responsibilities."
The atmosphere felt suffocating. Too small. Too oppressive.
Ella glanced at the elders, Rylan, and the open marriage contract resting on the table.
Every choice had been removed from her.
Every option is closed.
Except this one.
"Sign it," the elder commanded.
Ella's hands trembled as she reached for the pen. A weight hung heavy in her heart. Her father's words echoed in her thoughts:
Someday, please forgive me, Ella.
She inhaled sharply, dried her tears, and placed the pen on the paper.
Her signature would shape her future.
Once she finished, Rylan stepped forward, taking the contract. His fingers brushed against hers, cold as the steel of winter.
"Pack your things," he said softly, almost forebodingly. "You're coming back with me."
Ella lifted her chin defiantly.
"If you believe I'll make this easy, Alpha… you clearly don't know me."
For the first time, a flicker of light shone in Rylan's eyes.
"Good," he responded quietly. "I detest easy."
Outside, a flash of lightning lit up the sky.
The joining of a human girl and a cursed Alpha had commenced.