Raine's POV
***A day earlier***
In the council chamber, the scent of sage and iron filled the air — a scent I had come to associate with arguments that would not end well.
"The pack needs an heir, Alpha."
Elder Luke's voice was steady, but his eyes were impatient. "You cannot defy tradition forever."
I sat at the head of the table, hands clasped, jaw tight. "Tradition is what doomed us in the first place," I said flatly. "Every Alpha before me tried to outrun the curse. Every one of them failed. Why should I be any different?"
The other elders exchanged uneasy glances.
"Because the Nightshade bloodline cannot end with you," Luke said, his tone rising. "Our people need continuity. Without an heir, the curse wins."
I let out a low, humorless laugh. "The curse has already won, old man. Anyone who carries my blood is damned. The witch herself saw to that."
"Enough!" snapped another elder, pounding his fist on the table. "You mock the will of the Moon. Do you wish for your people to live without a leader after you're gone?"
I rose from my chair, the old wood groaning under the sudden movement. "I'd rather my line die with me than bring another soul into this world to suffer."
The silence that followed was thick.
"You speak of pity," Luke said quietly, "but what you truly mean is fear."
My eyes snapped to his, cold and sharp. "Careful, Elder."
But he only met my gaze, unflinching. "You carry the curse of love, Alpha Raine. Yet you refuse to understand that one does not punish without purpose. Perhaps the one who can break it has not yet come — but she will. And when she does, you will have to choose between your heart and your fear."
I turned away, the words cutting deeper than I wanted to admit. "We're done here."
I left before they could say more, the echo of their disappointment following me down the hall. Outside, the night was cool, heavy with the scent of rain. The Blood Moon loomed faintly on the horizon — a reminder of the curse that had chained my family for centuries.
Any wolf I loved would die by my hands.That was the law of the curse.And I could not defy it.
By morning, I'd made up my mind to leave Nightshade for a few days — to visit Silvercrest, an allied pack under Alpha Kael Draven. Kael had been pressing for a trade alliance, and though politics rarely interested me, it was as good an excuse as any to escape the suffocating stares of my council.
When I arrived, Kael greeted me with the arrogance of a man who'd never known loss. He was young — proud, strong, too sure of his own invincibility. His pack was well-fed, his lands green and thriving. He spoke of alliances and trade routes, but his eyes gleamed with ambition.
By evening, he insisted I attend a dinner in his honor — a betrothal feast, he called it, celebrating his union with a neighboring Alpha's daughter.
I should have declined.
I wish I had.
But I went.
The hall was filled with light, laughter, and the scent of wine. I stayed to the edges, observing more than participating. Kael's fiancée, Selene, smiled like she owned the room. The music was loud, the conversations louder.
And then, it happened.
A sound — the crash of glass, sharp and startling — cut through the noise. My gaze shifted instinctively toward it. A young woman stood frozen in the middle of the hall, her tray shattered at her feet.
Something stirred in the air around her — a flicker of power, faint but undeniable. I could sense it, even before I saw the truth of her pain.
Her gaze was locked on Kael. His on her.
And in that moment, I knew what had just happened.
The mate bond.
The room held its breath — until Kael's expression twisted in disgust.
"I, Kael Draven, Alpha of the Silvercrest Pack, reject you, Aria Vale, as my mate."
Her scream wasn't audible, but I felt it — a ripple of agony through the air that struck even my wolf silent.
The crowd laughed. Selene mocked her. And Kael stood there, proud and heartless.
I'd seen many things in my life — death, war, betrayal — but few things as cruel as that moment.
She ran from the hall, broken, humiliated, and I found myself wondering if the Goddess ever watched the chaos she created, or if she simply left us to drown in it.
***
The night air outside the hall was thick and the breeze smelled like wine. The laughter from the feast still echoed faintly behind me. I should've left after that scene, but my wolf was restless — pacing beneath my skin, unsettled.
I found Kael on the balcony, a goblet of red wine in his hand, his posture relaxed as though he hadn't just torn his mate's heart in front of half his pack.
"You call that leadership?" I asked, voice low.
He didn't even flinch. "You mean the girl?" He swirled the wine lazily. "A mistake of the Goddess. I corrected it."
I stepped closer, my gaze sharp. "You rejected your fated mate in front of everyone."
"I did what had to be done," he said simply, turning his back to me. "She's weak. A servant. My father pitied her after her parents died in service to Silvercrest. Took her in when she was barely ten. She's nothing but a mouth to feed — a burden I've tolerated long enough."
My jaw tightened. "Her name?"
He looked at me briefly, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. "Aria Vale."
"What will happen to her now?" I asked.
Kael's smirk grew. "She'll learn her place. The pack already knows she's been rejected. She won't last long here."
"She's unmarked?" I asked slowly.
Kael arched a brow, amused. "Unmarked, untouched, and now… unwanted."
I let the silence stretch. The idea that formed in my mind wasn't kind — not to her, not to me — but it was practical. The elders' words still echoed in my head: You cannot defy tradition forever.
"I'll take her," I said finally.
Kael blinked, the smirk faltering. "What?"
"You heard me," I said, my tone even. "The Nightshade pack needs an heir. I don't need love — just someone to bear my bloodline."
Kael studied me for a long moment before bursting into laughter. "You'd take her? The rejected servant?"
"If she serves a purpose, yes," I replied coldly. "She gets to live. You get rid of your embarrassment. I get the council off my back. Everyone wins."
His laughter faded, replaced by calculation. "And what do I get out of this besides the satisfaction of watching her suffer somewhere else?"
"A trade alliance," I said. "Reinforcements for your southern border. My men, my resources. In exchange, she comes with me."
Kael turned back to the horizon, thinking. The moonlight caught the sharp edge of his jaw as he took a slow sip of wine. "You're serious."
"I don't joke about war or women."
He was silent for a long moment before setting down his goblet. "Fine," he said finally. "You can have her. She's of no use to me."
"When will you send her?" I asked.
He smiled faintly. "Tomorrow. I'll have her ready by dawn. You can take her when you leave."
I nodded once, concealing the unease that settled in my chest.
As I turned to leave, Kael's voice stopped me. "Raine," he called out. "You think taking her will silence your council, but mark my words — that girl carries trouble. There's a spirit in her that doesn't break the way it should."
I didn't answer.
Because a part of me — the cursed, half-broken part — knew that if he was right, I'd be looking forward to welcoming the kind of trouble she would bring to my world.