What if the monster you were sold to wasn't the real danger?

They call him the Monster. Nine wives. Nine graves. No heirs.

I was supposed to be the tenth.

Sold by my family to save a sister who betrayed me, I thought survival meant staying invisible.

 But when I healed Alpha Kael Cinderclaw in the snow, I accidentally bound us together, a mate bond neither of us wanted and neither can sever.

Now I feel his rage like fire beneath my skin.

 He feels my fear like a blade against his throat. And the fortress that buried nine wives is watching us both.

My family wanted me erased.
His enemies want me dead.

And Kael? He looks at me like I'm the one thing he can't afford to want—but can't let go.

They wanted a sacrifice.
They're getting an awakening.
In a world where power is everything, the wolfless girl just became the Alpha's greatest weakness, and his most dangerous obsession.

The room felt different after Kael left.


Not quieter, because the fortress was never truly quiet anymore. There were always footsteps in the distance, voices carried through walls, the constant reminder that something was shifting beyond what anyone was willing to say out loud. But inside my room, something had settled in a way that made it harder to ignore my own thoughts.


Kael knew. He knew exactly how little I had left and I knew just as much about him.


I stayed where I was for a while after he left, sitting on the edge of the bed, my hand resting unconsciously against my stomach. The bond between us was still there, but it felt distant, muted in a way I hadn't gotten used to yet. Before the pregnancy, I would have felt him even after he walked out, would have known exactly what he was thinking without needing to guess.


I exhaled slowly and pushed myself to my feet.


Chapter 63 - Chapter 63 : The Truth Elara Carried