"The Pack has selected Sabrina as the next bride for the Alpha."Nina's father stood in the doorway holding an envelope with a golden wax seal. The Vermont crest.
He'd called them for an important family meeting, and when Nina saw his face, she knew something was wrong.
But she'd not been expecting this.
There was utter silence in the living room. And then Sabrina, her step sister's scream cracked through.
"No!" She collapsed on the floor, grabbing fistfuls of her hair. "It's a lie. Father? Tell me it's a lie please?″
She cried, staring from her father to her mother, Majorie, who sat still, too stunned to speak.
"No! No!" She grabbed her hair with both hands, tears streaming down her face. "Father, I don't want to die! Please!"
Her voice cracked.
"His previous wives all died! All four of them! In less than twelve days! He's cursed! How could you do this to me?"
Nina sat frozen, watching her stepsister fall apart.
Lady Marjorie turned to Jonathan, panic breaking through her composure. "Sabrina cannot marry that cursed Alpha. His wives have all died under mysterious circumstances. No one has even seen his face. How do we know he even exists? How can you accept this for your own daughter?"
She leaned forward, her chest rising and falling.
"Reject the offer. I don't care—"
"A hundred thousand gold bars as dowry. And the opportunity to become members of the founding families."
Lady Marjorie stopped.
Nina watched her stepmother's expression shift. Horror giving way to something else. Greed.
"We would be elevated in the pack's hierarchy," Jonathan continued. "and I would be made a distinguished member of the council if she survives."
Lady Marjorie sat back slowly. The protest died on her tongue.
Nina stared at her in disbelief. She was actually considering it. Her own daughter!
"I know it's hard," Jonathan said quietly. "But we cannot miss this opportunity of a lifetime."
Sabrina's sobs grew louder. She crawled toward her mother, clutching at her hands.
"Mother? I beg you." Her lips trembled. "I don't want to die. Please help me."
She looked at her father. Then at Nina.
And suddenly, she stopped crying.
Nina's body went still.
Sabrina was staring at her. Not with hatred this time. With something worse.
She tilted her head, studying Nina like she was solving a problem. Then she stood and walked toward her, slowly, deliberately.
Nina's stomach dropped.
No. She wouldn't.
Sabrina stopped beside her and placed an arm around her shoulders, her grip firm. Then she smiled the brightest smile Nina had ever seen.
"Mother, look!" Her voice was filled with so much excitement. Almost giddy.
Lady Marjorie looked up. "What do I need to see, Sabrina?"
Sabrina laughed. "If we dye Nina's hair black and my hair blonde—what do you think? Would anyone even notice she's not me?"
The words slammed straight into Nina.
Her blood ran cold. She turned slowly to look at Sabrina with dread in her eyes, her mouth dry, and then her eyes whipped to her father.
Jonathan's face was calm. Unsurprised.
It took Nina a few seconds before it all came back to her.
The reason he had asked her to join in the meeting.
He had known. Before he walked through the door.
He'd already decided—she, the illegitimate child, would die in his daughter's place.
There was pin-drop silence in the living room, but Nina could see the shift that had taken place.
The gloomy, panicked expressions from moments ago had vanished, replaced by something else entirely. Relief. Excitement, even.
Her eyes moved from her father, who was avoiding her gaze, to her stepmother, whose lips were pressed together in a thin line of satisfaction, and then she slowly turned to look at Sabrina.
"Are you suggesting that I die in your stead?"
Sabrina stood upright, tilting her chin, and then slowly burst into laughter. The sound bounced off the walls, grating to her ears.
"So you think I should die instead? Is that what you're saying?"
"You must be joking right now..." Nina chuckled dryly, her voice barely holding together. She turned to look at her father, searching for something—anything—but he was quiet, his eyes fixed on the floor, refusing to meet hers.
Her heart began to pound against her chest. Her fingers trembled at her sides. She looked around the room, at each of their faces, and the truth hit her.
There was no one here who would take her side. There never had been.
A sob caught in her throat. "Every woman the Alpha marries dies, Sabrina. Every single one."
At her words, Sabrina scoffed, waving a hand dismissively. "Oh, so I should die then? The legitimate daughter?" She paused, her eyes flickering over Nina like she was examining a piece of trash. "And you should live?" She turned to her parents with a smirk, folding her arms across her chest.
"Alright then, let our parents decide. Who should live, and who should die."
Nina's face drained of color. "You cannot do this. The Pack asked for you specifically. You cannot deceive them—"
"They asked for a daughter, Nina." Sabrina's voice was sharp with irritation. "They don't know who I am. They've never seen my face. How would they specifically ask for me?" She rolled her eyes, then turned to her mother with a sweet smile. "Mom, what do you say?"
Lady Marjorie's eyes moved between the two girls, coldly. Then she rose from the couch.
She walked to where Nina sat, her heels clicking against the floor. Nina didn't have time to brace herself before Lady Marjorie's palm connected with her cheek, the force of the blow sending her crashing to the floor.
Nina's vision swam. A high-pitched ringing filled her ears as she lay on the cold tiles, her cheek burning, her lip split. She tasted blood again—the second time today.
Blood dripped from her face onto the marble floor, pooling in small red droplets beneath her.
"I took you in and raised you like my own," Lady Marjorie spat, her voice trembling with manufactured outrage. "And this is how you repay me? You want my daughter dead? Is this what I get for raising the child of a common whore?"
Nina's arms shook as she dragged herself up from the ground. Her legs felt like water beneath her, but she forced herself to stand upright.
Sabrina was smiling now, bright and radiant, the earlier terror completely gone from her face. She watched the scene unfold like it was a performance staged for her entertainment. The thought of Nina being sent off to die—of the Alpha beheading her, or whatever mysterious fate had claimed the previous wives—sent a thrill of excitement through her.
She couldn't wait for the news that Nina was dead. Then she would have Dante all to herself.
The Alpha's cousin. He'd barely spared her a glance all because of Nina. Now she was going to be dead, he would be hers.
She grinned widely.
Nina raised her eyes to her father one last time.
Jonathan looked down at the letter in his hands, turning it over slowly, as though it was the most interesting thing in the room. He refused to look at her.
It wasn't the first time she had been beaten. It wasn't the first time she had been humiliated and cast aside. But this was the first time her life had been on the line—and her own father had looked the other way.
Something cracked inside her.
Nina trembled, tears spilling down her cheeks in hot, uncontrollable streams. "But I am your child too..." she whispered, her voice breaking.
She took a shaky step toward him.
"I'm your child too, Father. Do I not deserve to live? Does my life mean nothing to you?"
Her lips trembled as her knees gave out and she sank to the floor, weeping.
Jonathan's jaw tightened. His hands clenched around the piece of paper, knuckles white. For a moment—just a moment—something flickered across his face.
Then it was gone.
He turned away.
"It is settled," he said, his voice flat. "Nina will take Sabrina's place. Marjorie, see to it that she is prepared for the meeting with the Alpha. Nothing can go wrong. We leave for House Vermont in three days."
He walked toward the front door, then stopped with his hand on the frame.
"You should be grateful," he added without turning around. "At least, your filthy life will serve a purpose."