LILLIAN
I run through the forest, my lungs burning as branches whip against my face and arms. My feet pound against the earth, but I can't stop. I won't stop. To stop would be worse than death.
They're hunting me like an animal. The official story is that I stole something precious from the pack—some treasure that belongs to them. But that's a lie. The real reason they want me back is because I discovered a secret. A secret they'd kill to protect.
"Lillian!" My father's voice roars through our telepathic link, making my head throb. "Stop running, you foolish girl! You're only making this worse!"
I grit my teeth against the pain of his mental assault. I don't have the strength to sever the connection—I've never been strong enough for anything. That's what they've always told me, anyway.
"You will come back and face what you've done!" His voice thunders in my mind again.
I stumble over a root but catch myself, forcing my legs to keep moving. My heart hammers so hard I think it might burst through my chest.
I have to keep running.
I push through another wall of branches, ignoring the sting as they rake across my arms. But no matter how hard I run, I can't outpace my own mind. The memory crashes over me like a wave, vivid and relentless—two days ago, when everything fell apart.
It had started so ordinarily. Just another morning of being invisible...
I scrub the wooden floor of Dylan's bedroom, my knees aching from kneeling on the hard surface for the past hour. The bucket of soapy water beside me has turned gray with dirt, but I'm not done yet. His room is huge—because of course the Alpha's son Dylan deserves the biggest room in the pack house, and he's a slob who never picks up after himself.
One would think being a Beta's daughter would mean my life would be much better, but having a human mom changes everything. My dad never loved her, looked down on humans as mates, and thought himself too good for her. So when she died giving birth to me, he didn't grieve. He remarried, poured everything into his new wife and her two children, who were pure wolf blood, and forgot I existed. All seventeen years of my life.
In a pack obsessed with blood purity, I'm worse than nothing. I haven't shifted yet, so they treat me like I'm less than a half-blood. Even the Omegas look down on me. I work as a servant just to earn my keep, just to have a roof over my head and scraps to eat.
That's why even though I'd rather die than clean this asshole's room, I have no choice. Every part of me burns to make him pay for making my life a living hell since we were children, but what can I do? Just thinking about the times he's pushed me, tripped me, laughed at me, and called me weak and worthless makes my blood boil. And the worst part? Everyone just watched. No one ever stopped him.
I'm waiting for my eighteenth birthday. Just a few more days. Once I turn eighteen, I might find my mate. Maybe—just maybe—he'll be from another pack. Maybe he'll take me away from here, and I'll never have to see any of these people again.
The door suddenly bursts open.
I freeze, my hand still gripping the scrub brush. Heavy footsteps enter the room, followed by lighter ones. Then I hear it—a woman's breathy giggle.
"Dylan," she purrs.
My eyes widen. I know that voice. That's Julia. My half-sister.
I'm still kneeling behind the bed, hidden from view. My heart starts to race. I need to get out of here, but if I move now, they'll see me. They'll know I was here.
"You smell so good," Dylan's deep voice rumbles.
I clap my hand over my mouth, forcing myself to breathe as quietly as possible. Please don't let them notice me. Please.
The sounds start almost immediately—the rustle of clothing hitting the floor, the creak of the bed, then the moans. My face burns with humiliation as I hear my sister fucking with Dylan. I squeeze my eyes shut, wishing I could disappear into the floor.
"We have to be careful," Julia gasps between moans. "At least until after you reject that pathetic half-breed."
My blood turns to ice.
"Don't worry about Lillian," Dylan grunts. "She's nothing. I'll reject her the moment the bond snaps into place."
"Good," Julia breathes. "Because I overheard something yesterday. Father didn't know I was listening."
My heart pounds so hard I'm afraid they'll hear it.
"The Alpha received a confidential message from the Alpha King," Julia continues, her voice turning gossipy despite their activities. "A political marriage alliance. The King wants our pack to provide a suitable female to marry the Alpha of the Silver Fang Pack—to cement the alliance."
"And?" Dylan sounds bored.
"And it should be the Alpha's daughter, but you don’t have a sister. So the duty falls to the Beta's daughter." Julia laughs, breathless. "They were planning to send me. Can you imagine?"
My stomach drops.
"That's insane," Dylan says. "You're mine."
"Not yet, I'm not. That's why you need to reject Lillian and mark me as soon as possible. Once we're mated, they can't send me away. They'll have to send her instead." Julia's voice drips with satisfaction. "The weak little half-breed can go marry that monster."
"What monster?" Dylan asks.
"The Alpha they want me—her—to marry. They say he's already killed two previous mates. Two! He's dangerous, probably insane. But perfect for a political pawn." Julia giggles again. "Poor Lillian. She'll finally get to be useful for once. Even if it's just as a breeder who won't last a year."
Terror floods through me, cold and sharp. They're going to send me away. They're going to force me to marry someone who kills his mates.
I have to run. I have to get out of here. I have to—
My hand slips on the wet floor, and the scrub brush clatters against the bucket.
The sounds from the bed stop instantly.
"What was that?" Julia hisses.
"Someone's in here." Dylan's voice turns deadly.
I scramble to my feet, but it's too late. Dylan appears around the edge of the bed, naked and furious. His eyes lock onto mine, and I see the exact moment he realizes what I've heard.
"You little spy!" he roars.
His hand shoots out and grabs something from the bedside table—a heavy iron bookend. Before I can move, before I can even scream, he hurls it at my head with all his strength.
The impact is devastating. Pain explodes through the left side of my face as the iron smashes into my ear. I crumple to the floor, my vision swimming with stars. A high-pitched ringing drowns out everything else. I can see Dylan and Julia's mouths moving—screaming at me, probably—but I can't hear the words. The ringing in my ear is too loud, too intense.
Blood trickles down the side of my face.
I don't wait to see what they'll do next. I drag myself to my feet and run.
My backpack catches on a branch and tears open, spilling my few belongings across the forest floor. I don't stop to gather them. I can't. All I want is to get as far away from the Black Stone Pack as possible.
I can see it ahead—the shallow river that marks the boundary between our territory and the Blood Wolf Pack's land. Once I cross that river, Dylan won't have the authority to apprehend me. Border laws are strict. He won't be able to follow.
My legs are shaking, my whole body screaming in protest, but I push forward. The water is cold as I wade into it, soaking my jeans and shoes. It's only knee-deep, and I splash through it as fast as I can.
My feet hit the opposite bank. I'm across. I'm in Blood Wolf Pack territory.
My legs give out, and I collapse onto the muddy ground, gasping for air. My lungs feel like they're on fire. My left ear is still ringing from where Dylan hit me, and dried blood crusts the side of my face.
"There she is!" someone shouts from behind me.
I turn my head weakly. On the opposite bank, Dylan and my father stand side by side, both of them glaring at me with pure hatred.
"Get back here, Lillian!" my father roars.
But they can't cross. The border regulations require formal documentation for entry. Unauthorized crossings are treated as acts of espionage or rogue intrusion—the Blood Wolf Pack guards would attack them on sight.
Relief washes over me, so intense it makes me dizzy. They can't reach me. I'm safe.
I force myself to stand on trembling legs. I need to keep moving, need to get to the human town nearby. I can disappear there, start over—
Something heavy slams into me from the side, tackling me to the ground. My face hits the mud, and all the air rushes out of my lungs.
No. No, no, no—
Strong hands flip me onto my back, and I find myself staring up into Dylan's furious face. He crossed the border. He actually crossed it.
"Did you really think you could run from me?" he snarls.
He grabs a fistful of my hair and starts dragging me backward. I scream, kicking and clawing at his hand, but he's so much stronger than me. The physical disparity between us is immense—he's an Alpha wolf, and I'm just... nothing.
"Stop! Please!" I beg, but he ignores me.
He's dragging me back toward the river, back toward Black Stone territory. Terror crashes over me in waves. If he gets me across that border, I'm dead. I know it with absolute certainty.
I struggle harder, digging my heels into the mud, scratching at his wrists until my nails break and bleed. Nothing works. He's too strong, and I'm too weak.
We're almost at the river's edge when a commanding voice rings out.
"Stop!"
Dylan freezes. I crane my neck and see at least a dozen warriors surrounding us, all wearing the Blood Wolf Pack insignia. At the front stands a man with silver streaks in his dark hair—a Gamma, based on the authority radiating from him.
"You've violated our border," the Gamma says coldly, his eyes fixed on Dylan. His name tag reads Michael.
Hope flares in my chest. They're going to stop him. They're going to save me.
"This doesn't concern you," Dylan says, not loosening his grip on my hair. "This girl is a rogue from my pack. She broke our laws and stole from us. I'm simply taking her back to face justice."
"No!" I gasp, trying to lift my head despite the pain. "Please, that's not true! He's lying! Please don't let him take me back—they'll kill me!"
Gamma Michael's gaze shifts to me, and for one brief, shining moment, I think he might believe me. I think he might help.
Then his expression hardens.
"Take her," he says to Dylan.
My heart shatters.
"No," I whisper. "No, please—"
But it's over. My last glimmer of hope extinguishes like a candle in the wind.
Dylan leans down, his face so close to mine I can feel his breath on my skin. When he speaks, his voice is low and venomous, his teeth clenched in barely contained rage.
"The Alpha King is arriving in just a few days to witness my ascension as the new Pack Leader," he hisses. "You can forget about ruining my plans, you pathetic little half-breed."
Then he drags me into the river, back toward the hell I tried so desperately to escape.
