The heavy oak door clicked shut, sealing out the raw screams of Diamond's transformation and the coppery scent of the punishment grounds. Inside, the air was sterile, smelling of expensive wax and old money. Luxurious art hung on the walls, and framed photos of the Alpha's family—smiling, perfect, and untouched—lined the entryway.
Trinity stopped after only a few steps. She didn't look at the opulence. Her eyes were hollow, her posture a rigid imitation of the regal elegance she was beginning to realize she possessed.
"There's no need for our dinner," she said.
Her voice was flat, devoid of any warmth. She reached up and pulled the collar of her shirt down, exposing the junction of her neck and shoulder. The skin was angry and red, the teeth marks of a fresh mate's mark stark against her pale skin.
"I've mated a lower pack member. You got what you wanted."
Alpha Adrian's triumphant expression vanished, replaced by a deep, dark frown. He stepped closer, his eyes narrowing as he inspected the mark to ensure it wasn't a clever imitation. He leaned in, sniffing at her. In the chaos outside, her scent had been buried under blood and ozone, but here, he could smell the truth. Her scent had changed—a mixture of her own floral notes and a sharp, musky undertone he'd smelled before, but nothing he knew by heart.
He felt a surge of cold irritation. He had wanted to curate this—to choose the man who would break her spirit. This mystery mate was a variable he hadn't accounted for.
Boris stared at the mark in a state of absolute shock. He felt a wave of guilt so profound it made his knees weak. He had been gone for such a short time, and in his absence, his daughter had been driven to this—sold like cattle, forced to bond with a stranger just to escape a monster. He felt a crushing weight in his chest, realizing he was a spectator in his own daughter's life, failing Trinity just as he had failed to reign in her mother's spiraling, obsessive behavior. He had been the one person who could have stopped Alana's descent, and instead, he had let it destroy their family.
"I have held up my part of the bargain," Trinity stated, her eyes locked on Adrian's. "You are the only holdout."
Alpha Adrian was fuming. He didn't just want her mated; he wanted to humiliate her, to show her she was a speck of dirt on his shoe. "I have a vested interest in meeting my Beta son-in-law," he demanded, his patience snapping. "Bring him here. Now."
Trinity's eyes fogged over as she sent a mental message to Boris. Boris, his jaw tight, nodded and relayed the command to Kale and Speed through the link.
"You can communicate like the rest of us?" Alpha Adrian asked, puzzled. Even as he spoke, his wolf bristled. There was something about Trinity that made his skin itch—a sense of power that didn't belong to a "defective." He refused to give in to the feeling. No defective was near his status. They were all interchangeable trash to be used and discarded.
They waited in a suffocating silence until Harlow entered the room. She looked between the trio, sensing the jagged tension. She had been waiting upstairs for the uncomfortable dinner she still wasn't used to, only to find her mate and the Beta standing in a grim stalemate.
"Good evening, Beta," Harlow's soft voice broke the tension. Adrian immediately reached for his mate, pulling her to his side.
"It's good to see you, Alpha female," Boris replied.
Harlow's assessing eyes narrowed on Trinity. She noted the lack of a bow, the lack of a greeting—the sheer absence of respect. She understood her husband hadn't made things comfortable for Trinity, but pack politics were never comfortable for anyone, herself included. As the mate of the Alpha and an Alpha's daughter herself, she was unaccustomed to disrespect, even in its most minimal forms.
Boris tightened his grip on Trinity's shoulder, a silent plea for her to show a modicum of respect.
"Hello, Alpha female," Trinity said, her voice dripping with disinterest. Harlow's glare intensified.
"Shall we take this to the sitting room?" Harlow suggested, her voice tight. "Unless we are all ready for dinner?"
Harlow and Boris began to move, but Trinity remained a still, frozen statue.
"You should tell your warriors to lower their whips," Trinity said. "A pause. Until you can see my mate with your eyes."
Alpha Adrian's lip curled, but to avoid her irrational behavior, he signaled his lead warriors to pause. "Do not get so comfortable with your demands," he warned, turning his back to follow his mate. "The lower ranks are not as vocal as you have become accustomed to."
They had just settled into the plush chairs when the front door was thrown open. Grayson was dragged in by two warriors. He was filthy, his clothes were rags, and he was bound in silver cuffs and a heavy silver collar.
Alpha Adrian stared at the boy, then at Trinity. For a moment, he was silent. Then, he began to laugh—a jagged, insulting sound.
"You've wasted my time," Adrian snarled, his laughter turning into a roar. "Not only am I going to continue the whippings, they're going to get worse!"
He lunged to his feet, trembling with fury. His plan had disintegrated; she was marked, bound to a piece of trash. Harlow stood and gripped his arm, her touch finally settling him into a quiet, lethal calm.
"I should have you whipped like the rest of your kind," Adrian whispered.
Boris stood. "Alpha—"
"Speak a word, and I'll make sure you're the one holding the whip. Sit!"
The Alpha command slammed into Boris. The veins in his throat bulged as he fought the compulsion, but his knees buckled. He was forced back into his chair, gasping under the strain.
Trinity looked at Grayson and gave him a soft, fleeting smile before looking back at Adrian. "You told me to mate a lower pack member. I did. I listened to your every word."
"He's a rogue!" Adrian barked.
"Grayson Hunt was born here," Trinity countered, her voice ice-cold. "He was stolen from us as a child—abducted before he could even name his own allegiances. He never renounced this pack, Alpha. He is exactly what you demanded: a member of this pack with no status at all."
Grayson's eyes hardened. He hated hearing his parents described as abductors, but he knew why she was doing it. For Ryan. He apologized to their memory in his heart.
"Really?" Adrian leaned over him. "Were you abducted, rogue?"
Grayson met the Alpha's eyes. "I was taken from my pack. I was... I was abducted."
"It's obvious you're lying," Harlow sighed, her voice weary as she pulled Adrian back toward his seat.
"Prove it," Trinity said. "As I said, Alpha... you won!"
She didn't hide her smile. It was bright and condescending. Adrian stroked his jaw, knowing he had been outplayed on a technicality he couldn't disprove.
"Let's share the good news," Adrian said, heading for the back door.
Trinity stepped to Grayson, her fingers hovering over his cuffs. "Take them off. He's an abducted pup."
The warriors unlocked the silver. Grayson winced as his skin began to itch with the start of a slow, starved healing process. Trinity rested her hand on his for a polite moment before following the Alpha.
Boris watched them, frowning. He saw the mark, he smelled the change, but there was no warmth between them. They were cold, divided. Grayson didn't look like a newly mated wolf; his behavior seemed divided, as if there was a schism between them.
They stepped onto the porch. Alpha Adrian waved the warriors away. "Off your knees!" he told the defectives.
As they rose, confused and tentative, Adrian spoke. "I have heard the pleas of my Beta. As Boris and I are of one mind, I have decided to honor his request for mercy. It is his wisdom and his voice you should thank today."
He paused, soaking in the disbelief. "I have decided to stop the punishments. You have paid your debt. There will be no more whippings. But do not take this for granted. The act of one could be the punishment of all."
Adrian turned, patting Boris on the shoulder as he walked back inside. He gave Trinity a small, victorious smile as he passed. He had made her a selfish elitist in their eyes, crediting Boris for the mercy she had actually bought with her own life.