Being latent was a curse.
Three days ago, Isolde Coleman had found her mate.
Trey Blackwood.
The Alpha of the Raven Pack.
A name spoken with reverence, a presence that commanded respect and fear in equal measure.
He wasn't just powerful—he was untouchable, a force of nature that made the world bend to his will.
He had come to her pack for an alliance meeting with her father.
She hadn't planned on meeting him, hadn't even dared to dream it.
But fate had its cruel sense of humor.
The moment their eyes met in the hallway, the bond snapped into place with the intensity of a lightning strike.
Her breath hitched, and her heart pounded.
He was hers.
The mate she had waited for, prayed for and dreamt of, every lonely night.
For a heartbeat, hope bloomed.
Then his gaze darkened.
"You're joking," Trey said, the words a low, growling thundercloud.
Before she could even speak, his voice cut through her like a blade:
"I, Trey Blackwood, reject you, Isolde Coleman, as my mate."
The world shattered.
It wasn't just words—it was a brutal, unforgiving strike to the core of her soul.
Each syllable tore through her like jagged glass, splintering the fragile threads of hope she'd dared to hold.
Her throat closed, her chest ached, but she wouldn't break in front of him. Not here. Not now.
She locked her knees, and forced herself to stand tall, even as the ground felt like it was caving beneath her.
She swallowed the sob clawing its way up her throat.
Trey didn't linger. He turned and walked away without a second glance as if she meant nothing.
And maybe, to him, she didn't.
The moment her bedroom door clicked shut, the dam broke. Silent tears gave way to wracking sobs as she crumbled onto the floor. For three days, she stayed there, locked away from the world, her pain raw and endless.
But today, the reprieve was over.
Her father had summoned her and she knew it would be nothing but trouble.
As Isolde approached the heavy oak doors to her father's office, she caught sight of Silver standing guard.
He loomed there like a sentinel carved from stone, his massive frame eclipsing the light that filtered through the dim hallway.
His shoulders were broad, his presence unshakable, and his beard thick enough to obscure the jagged scar that slashed across his face.
Silver never spoke more than a word at a time.
Not because he couldn't, but because he didn't need to.
She respected that about him.
And unlike the others, he didn't look at her like she was something to scrape off his boot.
"Is he in?" she asked, tilting her head toward the doors.
Silver's response was a slow, deliberate nod.
With a deep breath, she reached for the handle.
The cold brass bit into her palm as she pushed the door open.
The sound hit her like a slap.
Moaning. Low, breathy, unmistakable.
Isolde froze in the doorway, her stomach churning with a sickening mix of anger and disgust.
There he was—Peter Coleman, her father, the almighty Alpha—entangled with a woman she didn't recognize.
His hands moved over the stranger's body with shameless ease, as if the world beyond the walls of his office didn't exist.
"Enough," she snapped, stepping into the room with deliberate force, her voice cutting through the suffocating silence.
They broke apart like startled animals.
The woman stumbled back, fumbling to straighten her clothes, while Peter glared at Isolde with a venomous intensity, as if she were the intruder in this sordid scene.
Then the woman turned.
Isolde's breath hitched, her chest tightening in disbelief.
She had auburn hair that fell in soft waves and piercing green eyes with fair skin and sharp features gave her a polished beauty.
Dressed in an emerald blouse and black skirt, she had a look of disdain on her face as she caught sight of Isolde.
It was the pack's new healer. Nancy.
The one Peter had so graciously brought in to replace her.
Nancy, whose healing abilities were mediocre at best, was here. Nancy, who had taken the position Isolde had once held with pride.
Her fists clenched as the truth settled over her like a dark cloud.
Of course. Peter Coleman couldn't stomach the idea of relying on his latent daughter, and couldn't stand the shame of depending on someone he deemed weak.
So, he found a replacement—another healer, and a convenient distraction.
"Rude of you to interrupt," Nancy sneered, her lips curling with a smugness that filled the room. "You could've waited until we were finished."
Isolde stared at her, unflinching, letting a slow, exaggerated blink convey her disdain. Then she tilted her head, her voice dripping with mock sweetness. "Seriously? Men your age not cutting it anymore, so you're chasing dinosaurs now?"
Nancy's smirk faltered, but Peter Coleman wasn't one to let an insult slide.
"Who are you calling a dinosaur?" he barked, his voice rising.
"Oh, sorry," Isolde said, her expression shifting to faux contrition. "I meant Grandpa."
Nancy's face turned crimson, veins bulging in her temples.
"You crazy b*tch! How dare a latent talk to an Alpha like that?"
Isolde leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, her tone colder than ice. " It's exactly because I'm a latent I dare to speak that way. I simple do not care?"
Nancy stepped forward, her sneer returning as she invaded Isolde's space.
The sickly-sweet scent of her perfume clung to the air, and Isolde's wolf stirred uneasily beneath her skin.
"You're awfully bold," Nancy hissed, her breath hot as she leaned closer.
Way too close.
It made Isolde uncomfortable.
Isolde straightened, locking eyes with her.
"Back off," she said, her voice low, a growl simmering beneath her words. "You're making my wolf restless."
Nancy's scoff was sharp and mocking.
"Do you even have a wolf? Or are you just pretending, little latent?"
Oh, she had a wolf all right. And that wolf was clawing at the edges of her control, begging to break free and tear Nancy apart.
Isolde's fingers flexed.
She wanted to give in.
She really, really wanted to.
But instead, she gave her wolf a taste of satisfaction in another way.
Without warning, her head snapped forward hitting Nancy to the nose.
And Nancy stumbled back with a shriek, clutching her face as blood streamed between her fingers.
Her eyes watered, but the fury burning in them was unmistakable.
"You... I'll kill you!"
Nancy snarled her voice a guttural rasp of pain and rage.
Isolde smirked, her wolf purring at the sight of Nancy's bloodied nose.
"Oh, quit whining. Aren't you a healer? Fix yourself. Or are you as useless as you look?"
Nancy's lips curled into a snarl, her shoulders rolling back as her wolf surged forward, barely contained.
But before Nancy could make her move, Peter's voice cracked through the tension like a whip. "That's enough! Nancy, get out. Now."
Nancy froze mid-step, her fury palpable.
Her lips curled as she wiped at the blood still trickling down her face, her venomous gaze fixed on Isolde as she walked away.
"You'll regret this."
Isolde leaned back against the doorframe, a mocking smile spreading across her face. "Nah... I'm sure I won't."
Nancy's frustration boiled over as she stormed out, slamming the door so hard the walls seemed to shake.
Silence settled in the room like a shroud. Now, it was just Peter and Isolde, the air between them heavy with unspoken tension.
Peter's cold, piercing stare locked onto his daughter, his expression unreadable but unrelenting.
Isolde met his gaze, her irritation bubbling beneath her skin.
If he was planning to pile on about the rejection, about her so-called failures, she wasn't in the mood.
"So, what's this about? I doubt you called me in here just for a staring contest."
Peter's lips pressed into a hard line and then sighed heavily.
"It's about time you leave my pack."
The words hit Isolde like a punch to the chest.
Not that she hadn't seen it coming.
He'd made it painfully clear she didn't belong the moment her latent status was revealed.
Useless.
That was the first word out of his mouth, and every glance, every order since, had echoed the sentiment.
But there was a knot in her stomach, a sense that this conversation wasn't over—that something worse was coming.
Peter's gaze hardened, calculating and cold.
"You ever heard of Tao Beaumont?"
Her spine stiffened.
The name sent a ripple of unease through her, sharp and immediate.
Of course, she'd heard of Tao.
Everyone had.
He was alpha on the cusp of taking over the Sunless Pack, his reputation preceded him, and not in a good way.
She'd seen him three days ago at the General Pack Meeting.
Tall, charismatic, with a veneer of charm so polished it felt fake.
His smile had lingered too long, his eyes scanning like a predator sizing up prey.
Something about him had set her wolf on edge, and she'd made a silent vow to stay far out of his orbit.
Now, her father was bringing him up.
Peter leaned forward, his voice steady, his eyes sharp and unyielding.
"When Tao came to the meeting, he saw you. And, strangely enough, he liked what he saw."
The room tilted.
Her heart skipped, her chest tightening as the meaning began to crystallize.
There's no way.
Peter's lips curled into a grim smile, his satisfaction thinly veiled.
"Tao made an offer to take you as his mate, to secure an alliance."
He paused, letting the silence stretch, his next words like a dagger.
"And as your alpha and father, I've accepted."