Jennifer’s Pov

As Alpha Christian walked away, I heard them.

The other girls who had stood beside me at the sacred stone were whispering among themselves.

“Thank the goddess it wasn’t me,” one of them whispered, still sounding shaken. “I thought I was going to pass out when they called my name.”

“I know,” another replied quietly. “My legs are still weak. I really thought the stone was going to light up.”

There was a short pause.

“Poor girl though,” the first one added, glancing in my direction. “Seven before her… and now she’s next.”

They looked at me with a mix of pity and relief. The kind of look that said they were sorry for me, but even more grateful it had not been them. Nobody said it to my face. Nobody had to. I could see it clearly enough.

Two maidens came up on either side of me and reached for my hands like I was something that needed to be moved from one place to another.

“We will escort you to your room, my lady,” one of them said.

I looked at their hands first. Then at their faces. They were not being cruel. They were just doing what they had been told. Still, something in me tightened.

I had just been chosen. People were still whispering behind me. My legs had not even stopped shaking. And now they wanted to hold my hands and walk me away like I had already accepted it.

I pulled my hands back.

Not hard. Just enough for them to notice.

“I can walk,” I said.

The shorter one blinked. “My lady, we were instructed to—”

“I heard you.” My voice came out quieter than I meant, but I did not take it back. “I just… I can walk on my own.”

They looked at each other, unsure if they were allowed to let me do that. For a second I thought they might take my arms anyway. I stayed still and waited. If they forced it, I would not fight them in front of the whole hall. I was not that stupid. But I was not going to offer my hands either.

After a moment, they stepped back just enough to give me space.

“This way,” the other one said.

I nodded once and started walking. They stayed close, one on each side, but they did not touch me again. That small thing should not have mattered. It did. It was the first choice I had been allowed to make since I woke up in this castle.

We had only taken a few steps when the High Priestess’s voice cut through the hall.

“Wait.”

I stopped. My stomach dropped before I even turned around. Every time someone said that word today, something worse followed it.

I turned back slowly.

Her face was blank, like she was reading off a list.

“Brace yourself. You should know what is coming next,” she said. “The Alpha has granted you the privilege of seeing your people. It may be your last time.”

Privilege.

Last time.

It still felt so surreal. 

I stood there for a second, just blinking.

That was it. That was how they told someone they were going to die. No sorry. No maybe you will survive this. Straight to the face like it was nothing.

My first thought was Sophia. Then my father. Then Brian. The same people who had put me here. The same people I still wanted to see, even now, even after everything.

I swallowed and looked at the maiden beside me.

“Then I should go now.”

“Yes,” she said.

I nodded once more and followed them out, still walking on my own.

I stepped outside and stopped, my breath catching in my chest. The castle was massive, big enough to swallow a hundred people whole and still have room to spare. I could not even see past the gates from where I stood. They rose up dark and heavy, like they were built to keep people in more than they were built to keep people out.

I did not even have time to take it all in before a man walked up to me.

“Jennifer. I am Kane, Beta and second in command to Alpha Christian. I will be escorting you to see your people.” He gave a short nod. “Lead the way.”

I nodded back. My throat felt too tight to say anything more.

I climbed into the carriage. Kane sat across from me and stayed quiet. I was grateful for that. I did not think I could handle conversation right now. I gave the driver the directions to my father’s house and then turned my face toward the window.

The streets of Solara looked the same as always, but everything felt different. People were going about their day like nothing had changed. Meanwhile I was sitting in a castle carriage, marked as the eighth bride of the Wolf King, on my way to face the family that had sent me there in the first place.

My hands would not stop shaking. I pressed them between my knees and stared outside, trying to keep my face calm. Inside, it was a mess. Part of me still hoped my father would look sorry when he saw me. Another part of me already knew better.

When we reached the house, I stepped down slowly. Kane told me he would wait by the carriage. I only nodded again.

The walk to the front door felt longer than it should have. Every step brought back memories I did not want. Evenings at the table. Sophia laughing. My father barely looking at me. I knocked once. Then twice. Then a third time.

Nothing.

I went around to the back and tried there too. Still nothing. The house was empty.

I stood there for a moment, staring at the closed door, and felt something ugly and familiar settle in my chest. Of course no one was home. Of course they would not be waiting. They had already gotten what they wanted.

I should have turned around right then. I should have gone back to the carriage and accepted that this was all I was going to get. But I could not. Not yet.

I walked back to Kane.

“He’s not here,” I said. My voice came out quieter than I expected. “Can we check somewhere else?”

Kane studied me for a second, then nodded. “Alright. Where?”

“Brian’s house.”

I gave the driver the new directions and climbed back into the carriage. My stomach felt tight the entire ride. I kept telling myself not to expect anything. Brian had chosen Sophia. My father had chosen Sophia. Hoping for anything else was stupid.

When we arrived, people were already staring. Word had spread fast. I could see it on their faces as I stepped down, that mix of pity and morbid curiosity. The same look people give someone who is already considered dead.

I walked up to the front door and knocked.

It opened almost immediately.

Sophia stood there.

For a second neither of us spoke. She looked me up and down, taking in the castle clothes, the fact that I was still alive, the fact that I was standing on her doorstep at all.

“I should have known it was your plan all along,” I said.

My voice sounded steadier than I felt.

Sophia’s expression didn’t change much. “Hello to you too, sister.”

She turned and walked back inside, leaving the door open behind her.

I knew that was my cue to follow.

I stepped into the house, heart pounding, and found Brian sitting at the table. Sophia’s chair was still pulled close to his. There was food half-eaten in front of them, like this was just another normal afternoon. Like they hadn’t sent me off to die and then gone home to eat.

Something in my chest twisted hard.

They didn’t even look guilty.

Brian was still seated at the table, his eyes on his plate like I was some unwanted interruption. Sophia had already gone back to her food. The sight of them sitting there so calmly made something ugly rise in my chest.

“You betrayed me, Brian,” I said.

My voice came out quieter than I expected. I hated that.

He didn’t look up right away. When he finally did, his expression was almost annoyed. “Is this what you came here for? To disrupt the peace of this house?”

I stared at him. For a second I couldn’t even speak. All the years, all the quiet promises, all the times I had believed he cared about me — and that was what he had to say.

“Is that all?” My voice cracked despite my effort to keep it steady. “After everything, that’s all you have to say to me? You left me for the wolves and now you’re worried about the peace of this house?”

He didn’t answer. Sophia kept eating like I wasn’t standing right there.

Then the door to one of the back rooms opened and my father walked out.

The moment I saw him, something in me snapped.

“Of course you’re here,” I said. My laugh came out sharp and ugly. “I should have known. You’ve always hated me. I’ve known that for years. But this? You all just sent me away like I was nothing. Like I wouldn’t even feel it.”

I looked at each of them in turn. My father. Sophia. Brian. None of them looked ashamed. That somehow hurt more than if they had shouted at me.

My father sat down slowly, as if he had all the time in the world. “You should be grateful to us.”

“Grateful?” The word tasted bitter. “For what? For selling me off? For deciding my life was worth less than hers?” I pointed at Sophia without looking at her. “What did I ever do to make you hate me this much?”

Sophia’s chair scraped loudly as she stood. “Oh, stop it. You’re always so dramatic. We did you a favor. You’re going to be the Alpha’s bride. Most girls would kill for that.”

“You sent me there to die,” I shot back.

“We gave you a purpose,” she snapped. “You’ve never done anything for this family. At least now you’re useful. So spare me the tears.”

My hands were shaking. I could feel the heat in my face and the sting building behind my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. Not here. Not in front of them.

“If it’s such an honor, then you should have gone,” I said. My voice was trembling now, and I hated it. “We are sisters. Same blood. And you still did this to me.” I turned back to my father. “What about me? Did any of you even once think about what I wanted?”

His expression hardened. “You ungrateful child.” His voice rose. “You should be happy. You don’t get to question us.”

“I am your daughter!” The words tore out of me before I could stop them. “I am your daughter and all you’ve ever done is treat me like I was a burden. What did I do to deserve that?”

He moved faster than I expected.

The slap landed hard across my face. The sound cracked through the room. Pain flared hot across my cheek and for a second my vision blurred. I pressed my hand to my face, stunned.

“How dare you raise your voice at me,” he said coldly. “Leave this house. Now.”

I stood there, breathing hard, my cheek still stinging. I looked at Brian, waiting for him to say something. To stand up. To do anything.

He really used to treat me like a princess, and I was the happiest girl in the world.

If there was even the slightest trace of the love we once shared left in his heart, he couldn’t possibly stand by and watch me be treated like this.

He only looked away.

“I think you should listen to your father,” he said quietly. “And leave.”

It had all been an act from him, every last bit of it—a carefully calculated scheme designed to lead me, step by step, to the miserable place I was in now.

Something in my chest finally went quiet and cold.

Sophia opened her mouth, clearly ready to say something else.

I shot her a cold, warning look.

Whatever words she had been about to say died on her lips. She immediately closed her mouth, her eyes flickering with surprise.

I didn’t say a word. I simply turned and walked out of the house, leaving them behind without a backward glance.

The carriage was still waiting. I climbed in and sat down heavily, staring straight ahead. My throat was tight and my eyes burned, but I clenched my jaw and forced the tears back. I would not cry here. Not in front of Kane. Not in front of anyone.

They had taken everything from me. But no matter what it took, I would make them pay.

I wiped the heat from my eyes and lifted my chin, my fingers curling tightly into my palms.

Kane glanced at me but didn’t ask questions.

“Are we ready to go?” he asked.

I kept my eyes on the road ahead.

“Yes.”