CHAPTER 2

The sky was dark when they found her. There was mud all over her torn dress, and her face was pale, filled with blood and dirt. Her bare feet were blistered and bleeding, and her eyes still burned with panic as she was dragged through the DeRyile gates. “Let go of me!” Eva screamed, writhing against the iron grip of the family’s hired handyman. His fingers dug into her bruised arms. He didn’t give two fucks about her desperate struggling. “You’ve caused enough trouble for one night, girl,” he snapped. The gates closed behind them with a clang that felt like the end of freedom itself. Inside the manor, the lights were low. The hallways were silent—eerily so. The stillness didn’t comfort Eva. It suffocated her. She barely had time to catch her breath before the door to Mr. Jason DeRyile’s study slammed open. He was waiting. Jason, her foster father, stood behind the desk. The years had not softened him. His face was as severe as his rules. He had wrinkles all over his face. He didn’t speak right away. He simply pointed to the ground in front of him. The handyman shoved her forward. She fell hard. Eva hit the floor with a grunt, her elbows scraping the ground. She tried to stand, but Jason’s voice stopped her. “Stay down.” He ordered. Her breath caught in her throat. “You’ve shamed this family,” he said, stepping around his desk. His shoes echoed as he walked toward her. “Do you have any idea what you've done?” “I didn’t ask to be part of this family,” she whispered. “You only kept me around to clean your boots and take your daughter’s punishments.” That was when the first blow came. It was a harsh, open-handed slap that sent her crashing sideways. Pain exploded across her cheek. She gasped, eyes stinging with tears. “You think you have a choice?” he hissed, his face inches from hers. “That marriage has been in place since before you could walk. It is the only thing keeping our kind from war.” She blinked hard. Her vision was getting blurry.. “Then let Jennifer go!” Eva cried. “She’s your daughter—” “You are my foster daughter,” Jason growled, grabbing a fistful of her hair and yanking her head back. “And as my ward, your life is a tool to be used. That marriage is your duty.” Eva gritted her teeth, even as pain spread through her scalp. “No… it's your deal. I was just the spare.” He let go of her, letting her slump back to the ground, shaking. A slow clap echoed from the doorway. Jennifer. She walked into the room with a smirk playing on her glossy lips. She was dressed in a silk nightgown. She looked more like someone preparing for a ball than witnessing her sister’s punishment. “Well, well, little runaway,” Jennifer purred, stepping closer. “Did you enjoy your romantic night in the mud?” Eva turned her face away, refusing to give her the satisfaction. But Jennifer saw it—the bruise on her neck, vivid and shaped like fangs. Jennifer assumed it was a hickey. She gasped theatrically, then chuckled. “Oh my God… is that a love bite?” Jason’s eyes narrowed. “What are you talking about?” Jennifer crouched beside Eva, who winced as her step-sister brushed back her matted hair. “Looks like little Eva’s been sneaking off for some late-night fun,” Jennifer sneered. “Better enjoy your disgusting hookups while you can. That old fossil you are going to marry—he won’t satisfy anything.” Jason’s face darkened. “What have you done in that forest?” Eva’s voice broke. “Nothing, except from running.” “If this deal falls apart, there will be blood, Eva. Do you understand me?” Jason said “They will come for us. You think the werewolves will forgive being insulted by a runaway human bride?” She spat blood on the floor. “Why do I care? You treat me like a slave, not a daughter. Either way I'm going to be discarded as a piece of trash.” Jason went still. Then he turned, opened a locked drawer in his desk, and pulled out a faded envelope. Her heart skipped when she saw it. she wondered what was inside. Another punishment? “This,” he said coldly, holding it up, “contains information about your real parents.” Eva froze. Jason leaned in close, letting her see it, smell it—then yanked it away again. “Cooperate. Fulfill your duty. And this will be yours.” She stared at him, wide-eyed. Her breathing was heavier now due to how desperate she was. The envelope disappeared back into the drawer with a click. Eva’s shoulders slumped. “I hate you,” she whispered. Jason said nothing. Jennifer only smiled wider. - Three days later and in the River Pack territory, Alpha Zayne paced before the large arched windows. His whole body was filled with tension. He hadn’t slept. Not well. His claws itched to shift, to run, to find her. But he hadn’t seen her face. All he knew about her was the fire in her soul, the scent of her skin, and the blood-deep echo of the mate bond still burning under his own. He turned as Leo stepped into the room. “Any word?” Zayne asked immediately. Leo shook his head. “Nothing yet. We need to be careful in human territory. They're shielding her well.” Zayne’s jaw clenched. “She ran from me,” he said, pacing again. “But not out of disgust. She was chasing by someone. She was afraid of them. Of what would happen.” “She was also afraid of you,” Leo pointed out. “You marked her, Alpha. Bit her basically. You didn’t complete the ritual. She’s probably confused, scared… maybe in pain.” Zayne’s hands curled into fists. “The humans interrupted before I could give her my blood,” he growled. “I didn’t seal it. The bond is raw. Incomplete. It’s my fault.” Leo nodded,“So what now?” “I will marry the human girl the treaty demands,” Zayne said bitterly. “I’ll honor the agreement.” “But?” “But my true mate. She will be my Luna. The only one who matters.” Leo exhaled slowly. “You do realize what that could cause, don’t you? Marrying one, claiming another?” “I don’t care.” Zayne’s eyes burned gold. “A treaty is politics. A mate is destiny.” Before Leo could reply, the doors burst open. Two of Zayne’s trackers stormed in, panting from their run. “Alpha!” they shrieked. Zayne turned to them immediately, hoping for news “What is it?” “We found her!” one of them gasped. “The girl… the human bearing your mark.” Time stopped. Zayne’s heart beat even heavier now. “Where?” he demanded, stepping forward.