What if the monster you were sold to wasn't the real danger?

They call him the Monster. Nine wives. Nine graves. No heirs.

I was supposed to be the tenth.

Sold by my family to save a sister who betrayed me, I thought survival meant staying invisible.

 But when I healed Alpha Kael Cinderclaw in the snow, I accidentally bound us together, a mate bond neither of us wanted and neither can sever.

Now I feel his rage like fire beneath my skin.

 He feels my fear like a blade against his throat. And the fortress that buried nine wives is watching us both.

My family wanted me erased.
His enemies want me dead.

And Kael? He looks at me like I'm the one thing he can't afford to want—but can't let go.

They wanted a sacrifice.
They're getting an awakening.
In a world where power is everything, the wolfless girl just became the Alpha's greatest weakness, and his most dangerous obsession.

Chapter 50: The Poison That Didn't Kill


I should have known something was wrong the moment Ivy smiled like that.


It stayed with me even after she left the room. That expression, too calm, too satisfied, like something had already been decided and I just hadn't caught up to it yet. I lay back slowly, staring at the ceiling, trying to make sense of it, trying to convince myself I wasn't overthinking.


Not fear exactly. Something sharper. Like a warning I couldn't fully hear yet.


The room was quiet, and for a while, nothing happened. I stayed where I was, listening to the faint sounds of the fortress settling into the night, letting my breathing even out.


At first, it was subtle. A heaviness in my limbs, like I had pushed myself too far again. I shifted slightly on the bed, trying to ignore it, but the feeling didn't fade. It spread instead, slowly, steadily, like something sinking deeper into my body.


Chapter 50 - Chapter 50: The Poison That Didn’t Kill