Lydia's POV "Tell them I said no." My voice shook, but I didn't care, I stood in the middle of our small living room, staring at my father as if the words coming out of his mouth had to be a joke, they couldn't be serious. My father looked older than he had this morning. His shoulders were bent, and his eyes were red, but he refused to look at me. "Lydia..." "No." I shook my head. "I won't marry him." My mother sat beside my father, silently wiping her tears. My two younger brothers were standing near the doorway, watching us with frightened expressions. Nobody spoke because nobody needed to, the silence told me everything. This wasn't a discussion, they had already decided, this is just me being informed. "You don't understand what you're saying," Father finally whispered. "I understand perfectly." My hands curled into fists. "You want me to marry Alpha Ronan." Even saying his name made my stomach twist, every wolf in our pack knew who Alpha Ronan was. The ruthless Alpha of the Black Moon Pack. Powerful. Wealthy. Feared. And the worst part? Famous for being widowed, three times now... His first wife died less than a year after their wedding, the second barely survive two years. The third...I swallowed, she had died only six months ago after two years of marriage. People said it was an accident. Others whispered that she had been poisoned. Some said she had tried to escape the pack and was killed for it. Nobody except the husband, Alpha Ronan, knew the truth. But everyone knew one thing, no woman survived being Alpha Ronan's wife. And now my father wanted me to become his fourth and add to his dead wives quote. "Why me?" I asked. My voice cracked. "Why does he even want me?" My father finally looked at me. His eyes were filled with something I had never seen in them before, helplessness and fear. "He doesn't." I frowned. "What?" "He didn't choose you by himself." Father lowered his head, "Alpha Marcus did" My heart sank to my toes, Alpha Marcus, our Alpha, the man who had ruled our pack for twelve years. The man who had decided that because my family was poor, we had no right to refuse him. "What does he have to do with this?" Father didn't answer immediately. Mother did, "He made a deal with Alpha Ronan." I stared at her. "What kind of deal?" Mother began crying harder and father clenched his fists. "Three days ago, I was called by Alpha Marcus to give you to Alpha Ronan" I blinked. "I refused to and he seized our land," he said bitterly. "The land your grandfather left me." My heart tightened, "That land is all we have." "I know but you are my daughter." Father's voice became louder, "If I gave him that land, we had nothing left but I can't bear to give my daughter up" "And now?" He looked at me with sad eyes, "Now we have nothing." My breath caught, I looked around the room in utter dejection, the cracked walls, the old wooden chairs. The small table Mother had bought when she married Father. Our small comfortable home, It wasn't much but it was ours. "What did he do?" Father looked away. "He took it." My mouth fell open. "He can't just take it." "He's the Alpha, Lydia." That was the answer, the answer that could justify anything, Alpha Marcus had already stopped the merchants from buying Father's crops. He had ordered the pack guards not to allow my brothers to work at the training grounds. Yesterday, our food supply was confiscated. And now he wanted my family to understand exactly how powerless we were. Mother reached for my hand. "Alpha Marcus said he will restore everything if you marry Alpha Ronan." I pulled my hand away from hers, "So that's it?" My laugh came out bitter, "He destroys our family and then offers to fix it if I become another one of Alpha Ronan's wives?" "Lydia," Father whispered. "No! Don't Lydia me, father!" I stepped back. "I am not going to be anyone's marital sacrifice." "You think I don't know that?" Father stood suddenly. His voice broke. "You think I want to send my daughter to another pack? To a man whose three wives are dead?" Nobody spoke,I could feel the pain in his face. "I would rather lose everything than do this to you," he continued. "But Lydia, they have already taken everything." I froze, "What do you mean?" Father looked at my brothers. "They are coming for the house tomorrow." My heart stopped. "What?" "They gave us until tomorrow morning." Mother covered her face. "If we don't accept the agreement, we'll be thrown out, we will become rogues" I couldn't breathe, our house, our family, everything will be gone. Because one Alpha had decided we were too poor to say no. I slowly sank into the chair. "Why Alpha Ronan? Why not any other Alpha?" Father hesitated. "Because the park needs his alliance." Something about that answer bothered me. "Why?" "I don't know." "Did he ask for a wife to seal the deal?" "No." "Then why did he agree?" Father's eyes met mine. "I don't know, I wasn't there." A knock suddenly sounded against the door and everyone went silent. Another knock followed, three slow knocks. My youngest brother moved closer to Mother. Father walked toward the door. "Don't," I whispered. He stopped. Then a deep voice came from outside. "Open the door." My heart began pounding, I knew that voice, everyone did. Alpha Marcus, father slowly opened the door. Alpha Marcus stood outside with six guards behind him. His eyes moved around the room before settling on me. He smiled and It wasn't a kind smile. "Lydia." I stood. He looked at me from head to toe. "Have you made your decision?" I stared at him. "I said no." His smile disappeared. "Then your family leaves this pack tomorrow." My mother's sob escaped her lips, Alpha Marcus turned toward the guards. "Prepare the eviction order." "Wait!" The word left my mouth before I could stop it. He looked back at me. "You said you wanted my decision." "I do." I swallowed the lump in my throat. "What happens if I agree?" His smile returned "Your family's land will be restored." "And our house?" "Returned." "My brothers?" "They can work again." I closed my eyes. Everything I loved was being placed on one side of a scale. And my life was on the other, I opened my eyes. "What are the terms?" Alpha Marcus stepped closer. "You will leave this pack tomorrow." My stomach twisted. "You will marry Alpha Ronan." I stared at him. "And I can't refuse?" "You can if you want but..." His expression became cold, "...you won't have a family to return to." Silence filled the room, then he handed my father a sealed document. "The marriage contract." I looked at it, my name was already written on the first page, Lydia Vale, I had never met Alpha Ronan. Yet somehow, my life had already been signed away to him. And according to everyone in this room... I was about to become the fourth wife of an Alpha whose wives never survived.

Lydia's POV I stared at the document in my father's trembling hands, my name was printed clearly on it, Lydia Vale. For a moment, I couldn't move, It felt strange seeing my name on a piece of paper that would decide the rest of my life. I reached for it, but Father didn't let go immediately. "Lydia..." "I need to see it." He slowly released the document and I opened it with shaking fingers. The first few lines were exactly what Alpha Marcus had said. Marriage between me and Alpha Ronan of the Black Moon Pack. A political union between the two packs, my family would have their land returned. Our house would remain ours, my brothers would be allowed to work again. Everything would be restored, everything except my freedom. I turned the page. My eyes moved down the list of conditions, I stopped. "What is this?" Alpha Marcus remained silent, I looked at him. "There are conditions." "Yes." "What conditions?" "You'll know when you arrive at the Black Moon Pack." I frowned. "That isn't what a contract is supposed to mean." His eyes narrowed dangerously at me, "I did not know I said you could negotiate." I looked back at the document, there were several sections I didn't understand, but one sentence caught my attention. The bride shall remain within the Black Moon Pack for the duration of the marriage agreement unless given permission by the Alpha. My stomach tightened. "So I can't leave? What if I wanted a divorce later on?" "You'll be his wife and there won't be any divorce except...death, which is pretty common there" "That doesn't answer my question." Alpha Marcus stepped closer, "You will live according to the laws of your husband's pack." I looked at Father, he wouldn't meet my eyes and my heart hurt. He knew this was wrong, but there was nothing he or anyone could do. I turned another page. The marriage would last for one year. If I die in the process, the contract could be renewed or terminated according to the agreement between the two Alphas. I almost laughed, one year, they were giving me one year of my life in exchange for everything my family had already lost. "Where is Alpha Ronan?" "Black Moon Pack." "He didn't come here?" "No." That surprised me, "If I'm supposed to marry him, shouldn't he at least be here?" Alpha Marcus gave a small shrug, "His presence isn't necessary." Something about that answer irritated me. Apparently, everyone had already decided my future without even bothering to ask the man I was marrying to show his face. I closed the contract. "I want to meet him." "You will." "When?" "Three days." My heart sank, "What?" "The wedding will take place in three days." My head snapped up, "Three days?" Alpha Marcus nodded. "You'll leave this pack tomorrow morning." Everything was happening too fast, yesterday, I was just Lydia Vale. The daughter of a poor farmer. The eldest daughter who helped her mother cook, took care of her brothers and worked in the fields when Father needed help. Now, I was someone's future wife, and not just anyone's, the future wife of Alpha Ronan. The man whose previous wives were dead, I looked at Mother. She was crying silently, I walked toward her and knelt in front of her. "Mom." She touched my face, "I'm sorry." I shook my head quickly. "Don't say that." "But I should have protected you." "You tried." She pulled me into her arms, I closed my eyes. For the first time that night, I allowed myself to cry, not because I was afraid of Alpha Ronan. I cried because I knew that once I walked out of that house tomorrow, I might never see my family again. After a few minutes, I pulled away, "I'll do it." Father looked at me, "Lydia..." "I'll marry him." My voice was steadier this time, "But I have one condition." Alpha Marcus raised an eyebrow. "You're in no position to make conditions." "I know." I looked directly into his eyes, "But if you want my cooperation, you will keep your side of the agreement." He smiled faintly. "You have my word." "No, I want it written." His smile disappeared, "Fine." He gestured to one of the guards, "Add it." The guard stepped forward and I pointed at the contract. "My family's land. Our house. My brothers' jobs. Everything you've taken from us." "It will be restored after the wedding." "....before." Alpha Marcus stared at me. "After..." "Before I leave." His jaw tightened, and for a few seconds, neither of us spoke, then he nodded. "Fine." I knew I had won a small battle, but somehow, it didn't feel like a victory. Alpha Marcus turned toward the door. "Prepare yourself, Lydia." He stopped before leaving. "I hope you don't die soon" I frowned. "What does that mean?" He looked over his shoulder, "Don't worry just make sure you survive." Then he left and the guards followed him. The moment the door closed, my father sank into his chair. I looked at him. "Dad?" He covered his face with both hands. "I failed you." "No." "I couldn't protect my daughter." "You protected all of us." His eyes filled with tears, I walked to him and hugged him. "I'm doing this because I want all of you to be safe." He held me tightly. "You shouldn't have to, it's my responsibility." "I know." I pulled away. "But I will." That night, I barely slept, my mother helped me pack, there wasn't much to take. A few dresses, some personal belongings. A necklace my grandmother had given me before she died and a small photograph of my family. I placed the photograph inside my bag carefully, then I sat on the edge of my bed. My eyes fell on the new wedding dress hanging beside the window. It wasn't mine, Alpha Marcus had sent it this evening. A beautiful white dress looks and smells expensive, it was elegant, almost too beautiful for someone who had been forced into marriage. I touched the fabric, tomorrow, I will leave. Tomorrow, I would meet the man who was supposed to become my husband. And I couldn't stop thinking about the three women who had come before me. Three women, three wives, three graves. I wondered what their families had been told, I wondered if they had been afraid to marry him. A strange thought suddenly entered my mind. What if everyone was wrong about Alpha Ronan? What if he wasn't responsible for their deaths? And then another thought followed. What if they were right?

Lydia's POV The wedding dress felt heavier than it looked, maybe it was because I knew what it meant. I stood in front of the mirror while two women from Black Moon Pack adjusted the long white dress around my body. They arrived early that morning with everything I needed for the wedding. The dress was beautiful but I couldn't enjoy it. Today, I was getting married to a man I had never met, Alpha Ronan. The man whose name alone made people lower their voices, I swallowed hard. My mother stood behind me, trying not to cry as she watched the women fix my veil. "Stop looking at me like that, Mama," I whispered. She forced a smile. "I'm only looking." "You're looking at me like you're never going to see me again." Her smile disappeared, for a moment, neither of us spoke, she stepped forward and took my hands. "I don't know what awaits you there," she said quietly. "But remember who you are." I nodded, "I will, mama" She kissed my forehead, "I love you." "I love you too." One of the women cleared her throat. "Your mother should wait outside now. We need to finish preparing the bride." Mama hesitated, her eyes remained on me for a few seconds before she finally walked toward the door. "Be strong, Lydia, my child" I watched her leave, the door closed behind her. Soon, the other women finished fixing my veil and checking my dress. "You look beautiful," one of them said. I looked at myself in the mirror again, beautiful, but as what? A bride? A sacrifice? The women left the room, telling me they would return when it was time to walk down the aisle. The moment the door closed, silence filled the room. I let out a slow breath. My eyes moved around the room, everything was too perfect, the flowers, the white curtains, the expensive decorations. The soft music coming from somewhere outside, It looked like a celebration but all I could think about was the contract sitting inside my bag. One year, one year of marriage to a stranger, one year in Black Moon Pack, one year to keep my family safe. I lowered my eyes, "At least they will have their home back," I whispered. That was what I kept telling myself, it was the only thing keeping me from running. I took a few steps toward the dressing table. Then I stopped, something was lying beneath the edge of my veil. A small black envelope, my heart immediately began beating faster. I looked toward the door. Nobody was there, slowly, I picked it up, there was no name or seal on it, nothing to identify the sender. Just three words written across the front. DON'T MARRY HIM. My fingers went cold, I opened it and inside was a small piece of paper, i unfolded it. YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO THE WOMEN BEFORE YOU. My breath caught in my throat, I read the next line. ASK WHAT HAPPENED TO THE THIRD WIFE. I stared at the words, so it was true, they didn't die naturally, and it seemed like the sender knew something. Someone had gone out of their way to warn me, my first instinct was to run. I looked toward the door. But where would I go? If I disappeared now, Alpha Marcus would destroy my family. He had already taken everything, he had already stopped my brothers from working. He had already threatened to throw us out of our home and pack. If I refused this marriage now, he would make sure my family paid for it. My hand tightened around the note just then a knock came from the door. I quickly folded the paper and pushed it into the small pocket inside my dress. "Lydia?" It was Mama. "I'm coming." I looked at myself in the mirror one last time, my face looked calm. But inside, everything in me was shaking. The door opened. "You're ready," Mama said softly. I nodded. "Yes." She reached for my hand, "It's time." I followed her, the moment I stepped outside, I heard the wedding music. My stomach twisted, people turned to look at me. Some smiled, some whispered, i wondered if the sender was among the people looking at me or did they leave after seeing me ignore their warnings? Then I saw him, Alpha Ronan, he stood at the end of the aisle dressed completely in black. He was taller than I expected, broad shoulders, dark hair and a hard, unreadable expression. He wasn't smiling but he wasn't looking at the guests either. His eyes were fixed on me, for the first time, I understood why people were afraid of him. There was something intimidating about the way he stood there. Not because he was doing anything special he honestly didn't need to. His presence alone was enough, our eyes met and for a second, neither of us looked away. Then I remembered the note hidden inside my dress. Didn't MARRY HIM. My steps almost stopped immediately but I continued, one step, then another, each felt heavier as I approached the altar, until I stood beside the man who was about to become my husband. He looked me in the eye, "Lydia Vale?" His voice was deep and calm, not fitting his presence and expression. "Yes." "I'm Ronan." I almost laughed at how strange the introduction sounded, of course he was Ronan. But this was the first time we had ever spoken. "Greetings Alpha Ronan," I replied. His eyes narrowed slightly, "Just Ronan." I didn't know what to say to that, so I held my mouth, and the priest began speaking. I barely heard him, my mind was still on the note. ASK WHAT HAPPENED TO THE THIRD WIFE. I glanced at Ronan, was he really capable of killing his wives? Was that why someone had warned me? Or was there something else I didn't know? "Do you, Alpha Ronan, take Lydia Vale as your lawful wife?" Ronan looked directly at me "I do." My heart pounded as the priest turned to me. "And do you, Lydia Vale, take Alpha Ronan as your lawful husband?" Everything became silent, I know I was hesitating, I looked at Ronan, then I thought about my parents, my brothers, our house, our land. The life Alpha Marcus had threatened to destroy, I had no choice, there wasn't any to begin with, it's this or my family. "I do." The words left my mouth in a breathy wave, everyone around us smiled. Someone even clapped and the music started again. But I barely heard any of it. As I stood beside my new husband, I touched the hidden note inside my dress. I had just married a man whose previous wives never survived. And now, I was his wife, but I made myself one promise. I would find out what happened to them. And whatever had happened to the women before me... I would NOT become the next one.