Chapter Seven – Zara's POV
Sold to the Shadow Fang Alpha
The world around me felt frozen.
The crowd was silent.
The warriors stood still—bows raised, arrows pointed.
But no one moved.
No one spoke.
All eyes were on the man who had just stopped my execution.
I stared at him, my breath caught in my throat.
He was tall—commanding. His presence swallowed the space around him, thick and suffocating.
He took slow, deliberate steps toward me, his boots barely making a sound against the packed dirt.
And then he stopped.
Right in front of me.
He didn't speak.
Didn't blink.
He just stared.
The more he stared the more I felt my heart racing.
Something inside me tightened, a strange feeling curling deep in my stomach.
Then, suddenly—
A spark.
It shot through me, hot and electric, spreading from my chest to my fingertips.
I inhaled sharply.
My wolf stirred violently inside me, thrashing against the walls of my mind.
"Mate," she whispered, almost in awe.
I froze.
No.
That—That wasn't possible.
I didn't even know this man.
But my wolf did.
She knew him.
Recognized him.
Even sees him as a mate.
"Mate," she repeated, more desperate this time.
My lips parted, but no words came out.
I watched, stunned, as my father finally stepped forward, his gaze dark and wary.
"Hunter," he said, his tone heavy with caution.
That name sent another wave of unease through me.
Hunter.
Why does that name sound familiar
Could it be–
No way–
Alpha of the Shadow Fang Pack.
I had heard stories.
He was ruthless. A conqueror.
A beast among wolves.
And now, he was standing right in front of me.
My father squared his shoulders, his voice sharper now. "Why are you here?"
Hunter didn't turn to face him.
He didn't even acknowledge the warriors still holding their bows.
Instead, his green eyes remained locked on me as he spoke.
"I've come to take what belongs to me."
A cold chill ran down my spine.
I didn't understand.
What was he talking about?
My father scowled. "She's a threat, Hunter. She cannot be controlled."
Hunter finally shifted his gaze to my father, his expression unreadable.
"She's mine."
The words sent a shock through me, my fingers curling against the ropes binding me.
Mine.
What did he mean, mine?
I tried to speak, to demand answers, but my throat was too dry, my body too weak.
My father scoffed. "She is a curse upon this pack. She killed her own mother."
Hunter raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "Did she? So funny coming from an alpha who can't control his own Daughter."
The question lingered in the air.
I saw Cora stiffen beside my father, her fingers tightening around the folds of her dress.
For the first time, uncertainty flickered in my father's expression.
Hunter took another step closer, his voice calm but sharp. "You fear her because she is strong." His green eyes glowed. "That's why you tried to kill her, isn't it?"
My father bristled. "She is dangerous."
"She is powerful," Hunter corrected. "And power should not be wasted."
A muscle in my father's jaw twitched.
For a moment, no one spoke.
Then, Hunter's voice dropped lower, his next words slicing through the silence.
"Are you going to deny the deal we made, Nightshade?"
My father stiffened.
A ripple went through the gathered wolves, hushed whispers rising between them.
Deal?
What deal?
My breath came in shallow gasps, my mind racing.
Hunter watched my father carefully, his expression unreadable. "I fought beside your warriors against your enemies," he said slowly. "And in return, you promised me something."
My father's face darkened.
"No," I breathed, realization hitting me like a punch to the gut.
I had heard about it.
The battle between my father's warriors and the enemy packs.
They had been outnumbered.
Hopeless.
Until the Shadow Fang Pack arrived.
Hunter had led them himself.
And now—now I knew the price my father had paid.
He had made a deal with him and if my father decided to honor that deal then it means…
Me.
I felt sick.
My father clenched his jaw, looking away. "She is unstable," he said again. "She cannot be handled."
Hunter smirked, a slow, knowing expression. "You're afraid of her. Of your own daughter."
My father's nostrils flared. "She is not fit to lead—"
"I don't need her to lead," Hunter cut in.
I flinched at the finality in his voice.
He wasn't here to save me.
He was here to claim me.
I turned my gaze to my father, silently pleading with him.
Refuse him.
Say no.
Kill me instead.
Or take me back to that cell.
But my father only exhaled, his shoulders stiff.
Then—without hesitation—he turned to me and shoved me forward.
I stumbled, my body too weak to hold itself upright, and I crashed into Hunter's chest.
His hands caught me before I could hit the ground.
Large. Warm. Strong.
I looked up at him, my vision swimming.
His green eyes burned into mine.
And then my father spoke the words that sealed my fate.
"From this day forward, she belongs to Alpha Hunter of the Shadow Fang Pack."
The crowd spoke in whispers.
Some were shocked. Some in approval. Some murmurs of uncertainty.
Cora let out a soft laugh, crossing her arms.
James smirked, his amusement clear.
And I—
I could only stare.
The ropes around my wrists were cut.
The warriors lowered their bows.
My execution was over.
But I wasn't free.
I was being given away.
Like a pawn.
Like property.
I tried to push away from Hunter's grip, but my body was too weak.
Instead, he pulled me upright, holding me steady as he leaned in slightly.
His voice was low, barely above a whisper.
"I'd suggest you keep your strength," he murmured. "You'll need it where we're going."
I shuddered, my heart pounding.
The last thing I saw before darkness swallowed me was his green gaze.
And then—
Everything faded to black.