He Rejected Me, So I Let His Pack Fall

The yellow eyes blinked once and vanished from the small grated window. Heavy footsteps echoed down the concrete corridor outside my cell. The steel door groaned open.

Elias marched inside. A gray-haired woman followed him, carrying a wooden medical box.

"Check her," Elias ordered.

The woman grabbed my injured arm. She unwrapped the bloody cloth. Her nose wrinkled in disgust.

"Well?" Elias asked, crossing his arms.

"She isn't healing, Alpha," the woman said, her voice tight. "The wound is festering. A normal wolf would have closed this bite in an hour. Her blood... it's stagnant. She has no wolf."

Elias stepped closer. He grabbed my wrist, twisting my arm into the harsh light of the single bulb overhead. I winced at the sharp pain.

"You really are a weakling," he muttered. "A rogue pup nearly tore you apart."

"I tried to tell you," I said. "I can't shift."

Elias dropped my arm. "No wolf. No strength. You don't even possess basic accelerated healing." He turned toward the open doorway. "Thorne!"

The burly guard stepped into the frame. "Yes, Alpha?"

"Did the messenger leave?" Elias asked.

"Yes, Alpha. Ten minutes ago."

"Call him back," Elias snapped. "Damon won't pay a single dime for this trash."

Thorne nodded and rushed down the hall.

Elias paced the small cell. His heavy boots pounded against the floor. I watched his jaw clench and unclench. Rumors about the Night Howler Alpha painted him as a volatile, bloodthirsty tyrant. He didn't take failure well.

"You ruined my leverage," Elias accused, pointing a finger at my face.

"I didn't ask you to kidnap me," I shot back.

"You are useless. A shiftless Omega." He scoffed. "Damon threw you out because you are a liability. He probably laughed when my scouts picked you up."

"He didn't know," I said, keeping my chin high. "But if you kill me, he will laugh. You'll be doing his dirty work."

Elias stopped pacing. He leaned down, his face inches from mine. "Are you trying to manipulate me, little Omega?"

"I'm giving you the truth," I replied. "Damon banished me. He ordered his patrols to kill me on sight if I ever crossed back into Silver Thorn territory. I am nothing to him."

"Then you are nothing to me." Elias straightened up. He pulled a silver hunting knife from his belt. The blade caught the dim light.

My heart slammed against my ribs. "What are you doing?"

"I don't feed useless mouths," Elias stated. "Maeve, step outside."

The healer grabbed her box and hurried out of the cell.

Elias tested the edge of the blade with his thumb. "If I can't use you against Damon, I have no reason to keep you alive."

"Wait," I choked out, pulling at the coarse ropes binding my wrists. "You don't have to do this."

"Give me one good reason to spare you," he challenged.

"I can work," I offered rapidly. "I'll clean the floors. I'll cook. I'll scrub the kennels. I can do anything."

Elias laughed. It was a harsh, scraping sound. "I have plenty of Omegas to scrub my floors. I need assets."

"I am an asset!" I shouted.

He raised an eyebrow. "How?"

"I lived in the Alpha's house for two years," I explained, the words tumbling out in a rush. "I know Damon's patrol schedules. I know the blind spots on his eastern border. I memorized the trade routes and the security codes for his armory."

Elias paused. He lowered the knife slightly. "You would sell out your own pack?"

"They aren't my pack anymore," I said. "They threw me away. They cheered while Damon banished me to die in the woods."

Elias stared at me. His icy blue eyes searched my face for a lie.

"Let me stay here," I begged. "I will do whatever you ask. Just don't send me back to them. Don't kill me for a man who doesn't care."

The Alpha tapped the flat side of the blade against his thigh. The silence in the cell stretched, thick and suffocating.

"You hate him," Elias noted softly.

"He took my home," I answered. "He humiliated me in front of everyone I knew."

Elias stepped behind my chair. I stiffened, expecting the cold steel to slice across my throat. Instead, the blade sawed through the thick ropes around my wrists.

My arms fell to my sides. I rubbed my raw skin, staring up at him in shock.

"You have a deal, Selina," Elias said.

"Thank you," I whispered.

He walked around to face me again. "Don't thank me yet. You said you would do anything."

"I meant it."

"Good." Elias crouched down, meeting my eyes levelly. "Because sweeping floors won't earn your keep. If you want my protection, you are going to help me destroy Damon."

I swallowed hard. "How?"

Elias smiled. A cruel, predatory grin stretched across his scarred face. "You are going to pretend to be my mate."

My stomach dropped. "What?"

"Damon rejected you because you lacked power," Elias explained, his voice dropping to a low rumble. "Imagine his fury when the Alpha of his greatest rival claims you as his Luna. It will shatter his pride. His pack will question his judgment."

"But I'm not a wolf," I argued. "Your pack won't accept me either."

"My pack follows my orders," Elias snapped. "They don't question me. You will wear my mark. You will stand by my side. You will smile for my people."

"A fake bond," I murmured.

"A public spectacle," he corrected. "You will show Damon exactly what he threw away. And in return, you get to live."

He stood up and sheathed his knife. "Do we have an understanding?"

I looked at the heavy steel door, then back at the ruthless Alpha standing before me. I had no other choice.

"Yes," I said.

"Get up," Elias commanded.

I pushed myself out of the chair. My legs wobbled, but I forced my knees to lock.

Elias reached out and grabbed my uninjured arm. His grip was firm but not painful.

"Thorne!" Elias barked.

The guard reappeared in the doorway. "Alpha?"

"Take her to the guest quarters," Elias ordered. "Have Maeve stitch that bite. I want her presentable by morning."

"Guest quarters?" Thorne repeated, his eyes widening.

"Did I stutter?" Elias asked.

"No, Alpha. Right away." Thorne gestured for me to follow.

I took a step toward the door, but Elias pulled me back. He leaned in close. His scent—pine needles and cold rain—surrounded me.

"One more thing, Selina," he whispered, his tone dangerously soft.

"What?" I asked, my pulse quickening.

"If you ever try to run, or if I find out you lied about Damon's secrets..." Elias traced a finger along my jawline. "I won't just kill you. I will make you beg for death."

I held his gaze. "I won't run."

Elias released me. "Go."

I followed Thorne down the dark hallway. We climbed a narrow stone staircase, leaving the damp dungeon behind. The air grew warmer. The scent of roasted meat drifted from a nearby kitchen.

Thorne stopped in front of a heavy oak door. He pushed it open.

"In here," he grunted.

I stepped inside. A massive four-poster bed dominated the room. A fire crackled in the hearth. It was the most luxurious room I had ever seen.

Thorne shut the door behind me. The lock clicked.

I stood alone in the center of the plush rug. I had survived the night. I had secured a place in the Night Howler Pack.

But as I walked toward the attached bathroom to wash the dirt from my face, I caught my reflection in the tall mirror.

My eyes weren't their usual dull brown.

They were glowing a bright, piercing yellow.