Anna's POV

"Alpha, we've found a key to a supposed treasure that belonged to the Red Moon pack."

My breath hitched in my throat and an overwhelming surge of pain filled me as the voices came closer. The limited air in the coffin pressed against my lungs, fueling the fear in my heart.

I heard the rattle of a key and a loud click. "That vicious Luna," the voice continued. "She wouldn't let go of this, even after you ripped out her heart."

I gripped the sides of my coffin convulsively as I heard them speak. They'd killed my mother, in cold blood, murdered her easily as though she was worth nothing. Her sacrifice had saved my life but taken hers.

A new voice chuckled. "She had a strong mind, but all of that is naught before me. I'm the crusher of souls, the harvester of lives. Before me, the strong are nothing but mules."

"You're right, Alpha."

"Warriors, hear my order."

Chills raced up and down my spine as I felt the power in his commanding voice. My heart hammered erratically, and I wondered how long it would take before I was found out and killed, like my parents and my pack members. But I remembered my promise to my mother. To live no matter what.

Her sacrifice could not go to waste.

I forcefully slapped my hand over my mouth to prevent my desperate screams from seeping out. Two hundred and fifty-two pack members, including my parents, had been killed because of this one man. I was the only one alive for now, and the agony was destroying me. I could still hear the final screams of my pack members, their pains, their hurt.

"Prepare the treasures you find here for transport back to Black Reed. And as for the particular treasure, the Luna wouldn't let go of even in death, I have to personally see it." The voice growled.

"Of course, Alpha."

I heard their footsteps coming and Goddess, did I wish I was dead. Every step they took made me hold my breath, and I knew it was only a matter of time before I was discovered.

The door to the treasure room blasted open, and a cold sweat broke out of my skin. I felt invaded, knocked out, and naked as a multitude of warriors entered the room. Even though the coffin I was laying in was closed, I could smell the blood around as well as the bloodlust seeping from them.

But then…

My wandering thoughts came to a halt when I felt a presence in front of me. A calming, woody scent and the aftermath of rain filled my nose. My erratic heart started to calm, even as I heard the key to the coffin click open.

For some reason, I felt like my survival was a sure thing.

The veil of the coffin was lifted and I lurched forward, taking my first gasp of air in several hours. I was immediately greeted by a pair of blue eyes, which glared at me. My eyes wandered from that antagonistic glare to the rest of his face. Its owner had long, dark hair, and a strand of it fell over his face.

This was the man who had killed my parents.

But in that single moment, my heart betrayed me. All the resolves I had made to kill him flew out the window. Slowly my heart started to come back to normal, as though it could sense home. Like it was safe. I knew he felt that too, I could see it through the brief look of awe and relief in his eyes. Relief that he hadn't killed me. Or not.

Because the next thing I knew, his hands had elongated into claws that swiftly wrapped around my neck.

His eyes were icy now, showing the Lycan within.

I gasped as his fingers pressed against my windpipe, cutting through the air I had struggled so hard to get.

"D-do you… Do you not feel it? Our bond?" I managed to blurt amid my struggle.

The man merely looked at me, and his lips tugged up in scorn. In merely a second, his grip around my neck increased causing me to choke on my breath.

I looked into his eyes and was surprised by the amount of unfeeling emotions he held for me. What could have caused him to hold this much disdain for anyone? Much more his mate?

I couldn't think of an answer to that anymore, I elbowed him right under the chin, causing him to let go of me. I stumbled out of the coffin as he staggered backward, slightly dazed. But his momentary confusion could only buy me such little time. So I decided to do what I never thought I'd do.

I grabbed the hairpin that held my hair in a chignon, and my dark hair fell around my shoulders. Then I pressed the sharp point against my palm, drawing blood.

My mate was quickly recovering. He leaped forward and grabbed me by the neck, but I held in the pain while keeping my grip firm on the hairpin in my hand.

"Who do you think you are?" He snarled, his eyes blazing with blue Lycan light. "Answer me, girl!"

"I am the daughter of the Alpha and Luna of the Red Moon pack, and I will not be a victim of your cruelty," I replied, my voice laced with venom, my gaze steady and determined.

Channeling the last of my strength, I raised my hand and stabbed my mate's arm with the hairpin. He roared in pain and immediately let go of me. In his momentary confusion, I lunged forward and grabbed his bleeding arm, feeling a sudden jolt of energy as our blood mixed.

The alpha staggered and fell to the ground; it was obvious that he'd felt the jolt of energy too and was trying to fight it. I watched, with my back pressed to the wall, as he struggled to fight it, but I knew there was no going back.

The deed had been done.

We were bound together by blood now.

I felt a pressure on my neck and my hand slipped up to my neck. I looked at my reflection on the glass door across from me and saw a little tattoo-like flower blossoming on the side of my neck. It was pink and green, the symbol of a forced connection to my mate.

The Red Seal.

It was called the Red Seal for a reason.

The alpha was still struggling on the ground. Suddenly he stopped panting and lunged at me. I took a hasty step backward as he bled on the ground, and he looked at me with a horrified expression, and hate.

"W-what the hell did you do to me!" He yelled.

I forced a smirk, even though my heart was pounding with fear. "All you need to know is that I'm bound to you, Alpha. You cannot hurt me. If you kill me, you die as well."

"You...you evil girl! You linked us!"

Despite hearing the rage in his voice, I put up a brave face and moved slowly toward the door of the treasure room.

"You've already killed two hundred and fifty-two of my pack members. Would it kill you to just spare one?" I asked. He looked up slowly, and our eyes met again. And again, the surge of emotion I'd felt before, returned with full force.

I had saved my life by tying mine to his, but I had also secured his too. I couldn't take revenge on him for murdering my entire pack now. The harsh reality settled on my shoulders as our gazes connected, and a gasp of despair slipped through my lips.

I took another step towards the door and away from him. Even though the man who had killed my parents and my entire pack was standing in front of me, I couldn't bring myself to hate him. Or maybe I Loved him because deep inside, despite my weak body, I was a monster.