CHAPTER 3
DAREK'S POV
The scent of pine and fresh rain lingered on her. It was faint, yet it clung to her every movement as she walked past me into the carriage. Verity. The name alone grated on my nerves.
She was small, delicate even, with a quiet defiance burning in her eyes—a spark I already loathed. The daughter of the Lunaria Alpha was forced into my life like an unwanted piece of furniture.
I could still remember the way she looked in the woods. She looked so helpless and vulnerable. She could feel my stare lingering as she shifted uncomfortably in her seat. I love the way I made her feel uncomfortable.
"Drive," I barked at the coachman, taking my seat across from her. She didn't look at me, her gaze fixed out the window, jaw tight.
Good. If she thought this union was going to soften me, she was in for a rude awakening.
By the time we arrived at the Nightwalker stronghold, I could sense her tension. The fortress was designed to intimidate, and it did its job well. The Lunaria pack's lush greenery was absent here. My home was forged from stone and steel, a reflection of the strength I demanded from my pack.
I gave her no tour, no pleasantries, and certainly no reassurances. This wasn't her fairy tale; it was reality, and she'd better learn quickly.
As I walked away from her room, I couldn't help but glance back briefly. She was standing there, staring at the closed door, her back straight despite the weight she carried. She turned her head and looked at me, her eyes capturing mine. Before she broke the gaze, I walked into her room.
There was something about her that made my wolf stir uneasily, something I couldn't quite place. But I shoved the thought aside. She was nothing more than a means to an end—a
temporary truce, a fleeting convenience.
The next morning, I found her in the dining hall, her posture stiff and her gaze determined. She didn't cower like I'd expected. Instead, she met my stare head-on.
"Good morning, Alpha," she said, her voice steady.
"Verity," I replied coldly, taking a seat at the head of the table.
The room was silent except for the clinking of silverware. My pack's warriors eyed her warily, their distrust palpable. They didn't want her here any more than I did.
She seemed unfazed by their stares. She ignored them entirely, focusing instead on the meal before her.
"Do you plan to ignore me forever, or is this just your charming personality?" she asked suddenly, her tone laced with sarcasm.
A few warriors stifled their laughter, quickly silenced by my glare.
"I don't have time for games, Verity," I said, my voice low and warning.
"Good," she said, her eyes narrowing slightly. "Because neither do I. I didn't ask for this union, but I'm here now. I'll play my part as your Luna, but I won't be your prisoner."
Her boldness caught me off guard, but I masked my surprise with a cold smirk. "You seem to misunderstand your position. You're here to secure peace, nothing more. Don't think for a second that you hold any power in this pack."
Her eyes darkened, and for a moment, I thought she might argue. But instead, she pushed her chair back and stood, her head held high.
"Understood, Alpha," she said curtly before walking out of the hall.
The warriors watched her leave, their expressions a mixture of curiosity and amusement.
"She has fire," Caleb, my beta, remarked from his seat beside me.
"She has arrogance," I replied, my voice clipped.
Caleb chuckled. "And yet, you didn't break her spirit. Interesting."
I shot him a glare, but his words stayed with me. There was something about Verity that unnerved me, something that made my wolf restless.
She wasn't like the others.
Later that evening, I found myself pacing my study, her defiant gaze haunting my thoughts. She was nothing more than a pawn, yet she acted as if she had control.
It was infuriating.
With a growl, I slammed my fist against the desk, the wood splintering under his force. I couldn't afford distractions, not with the pack's future at stake.
But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't shake the feeling that Verity was more than she seemed.
And that scared me more than I cared to admit.
I angrily left the study room as I couldn't seem to focus on anything.
Walking into my training grounds I watched as my men were sweating as they tackled each other.
"Caleb, let's train together," I said as I shifted into my wolf form, the anger in my voice was very obvious.
Caleb growled slowly as he was intimidated by the size of my wolf.
All my men gave way as I walked closer to Caleb. They were all scared of my anger.
I watched as some of my men whispered to each other.
Smiling at me mischievously, " I wonder who had made you this angry, that can't control it. I'm pretty sure that the person must be important to get under your skin this way," he said, attacking vigorously as I countered every one of his attacks.
Smiling a bit as he became slow in his attack.
"I think you are too slow and weak, Caleb. You need to train harder," I said, growling loudly. I attacked him, scratching him with my claws. Wounding his lower jaw and stomach.
Slowly calming my wolf down, I rushed to where my beta was growling in pain.
"I'm sorry," I said to him as I ordered my men to carry him to the pack's infirmary.
Looking at my claws his blood was on them. "How could I do such a thing to my man? He had been with me for a very long time' I thought to myself.
I wouldn't have forgiven myself if anything had happened to him.
Looking up I saw Verity staring at me through her window.
"She is the cause of all this; I will make her pay for making me lose control of myself; I will break her," I muttered as I headed to my private chambers.