6

The room pulsed with tension.

Sebastian’s emerald gaze burned into me, calculating, assessing—measuring my worth. Kai crossed his arms, his jaw tight with frustration, while Dante, ever unreadable, studied the Beta with a sharp, assessing look.

But I barely noticed any of it.

Because all I could hear was her words.

"We have reason to believe they’re after her."

The attacks on the Moonstone Pack weren’t just random strikes. Someone was hunting me.

The knowledge settled deep in my chest, a cold weight pressing against my ribs.

For the longest moment, nobody spoke.

Then, finally, Sebastian exhaled. “How long have we known?”

The Beta—whose name I still didn’t know—hesitated. “The attacks began a few weeks ago, but we only recently intercepted information that suggests they were searching for a specific target.”

Her hazel eyes flicked to me. “For her.”

A slow, tight smile spread across Kai’s face, though it held no amusement. “I’d say that’s one hell of a coincidence.”

I clenched my fists. “It’s not a coincidence.”

All eyes turned to me.

I straightened my shoulders, refusing to shrink under their scrutiny. “You already know I’m not a normal omega,” I said evenly. “You had me tested the moment I got here. My blood work, my genetics—you knew there was something off.”

Dante’s gaze flickered, but he didn’t deny it.

Sebastian leaned back slightly in his chair, fingers tapping lightly against the wooden armrest. “And now,” he mused, “our enemies know it too.”

His voice was calm. Too calm.

He wasn’t surprised.

He had been expecting this.

My stomach twisted. “You knew this was coming, didn’t you?”

Kai scoffed, pushing off from where he’d been leaning. “Knew? No. But we’ve been waiting for confirmation.”

I sucked in a breath. “That’s why I was brought here.”

It wasn’t just about politics. It wasn’t just about strengthening alliances.

The arranged marriage had been a convenient excuse to keep me contained. To control me.

My nails dug into my palms. “You knew I was being hunted, and instead of telling me, you used me as bait.”

Dante finally spoke. “It was a calculated risk.”

I let out a sharp laugh, one that held no real humor. “A calculated risk,” I repeated. “That’s what I am to you?”

Sebastian’s expression didn’t change. “Would you have rather been left in your old pack, completely unaware? Vulnerable? Dead?”

I didn’t answer.

Because no matter how much I hated to admit it…

He was right.

I would be dead if I were still in my former pack. Whoever was after me—whoever wanted me eliminated—was strong enough to threaten the Moonstone Pack.

And if they could threaten the strongest pack in the region, then they would have torn through my old home like it was nothing.

A shiver ran down my spine.

I was in danger before I even knew I was a target.

Sebastian sighed, standing slowly. “Regardless of how you feel about the situation, it doesn’t change the facts.”

He leveled me with a sharp look. “You are under our protection, and until we figure out exactly who wants you dead—and why—you will follow my orders.”

Everything inside me screamed to push back.

But I didn’t.

Not yet.

Instead, I forced my expression into something unreadable. “What exactly does that mean?”

Sebastian arched a brow. “It means that from now on, you are not to leave this estate without an Alpha escort. You will not engage with the pack without permission, and you will not—under any circumstances—leave this territory until we say otherwise.”

I clenched my jaw. A prisoner, then.

A caged bird.

But I only nodded. Because they might think they had all the power here…

But I had something they didn’t.

The knowledge that they feared something about me.

And that meant I had leverage.

Later That Night

Sleep never came.

I lay in my bed, staring at the ceiling, my mind racing.

Who was after me?

Why was I different?

What had my old pack kept hidden from me?

The answers had to be somewhere.

Dante’s key had led me to the archives. But there had to be more than just genetic records.

And if the Alphas weren’t going to give me the truth, then I’d find it myself.

Moving carefully, I slipped out of bed, padding silently toward the door.

If the archives were locked down, then my next best option was—

A sudden knock at my door made me freeze.

I barely had time to react before it swung open.

Kai stood there, shirtless, his golden skin glowing under the soft moonlight. His eyes, normally filled with mischief, were deadly serious.

"We need to talk."

I crossed my arms. “You mean, you need to talk and I need to listen?”

To my surprise, he smirked. “Maybe. But this time, I might actually give you answers.”

I hesitated, then stepped aside. “Fine. Talk.”

Kai closed the door behind him, leaning against it casually. But I wasn’t fooled by the relaxed stance.

There was tension in his shoulders.

“You’re mad,” he said.

I let out a slow breath. “I’m pissed.”

He chuckled. “Understandable.”

Silence stretched between us before he sighed and ran a hand through his dark hair. “Look, Aria. I’m not saying we handled this perfectly, but you need to understand something—we didn’t bring you here just to use you.”

I frowned. “Then why?”

He hesitated. “Because you’re ours.”

Something in my stomach flipped.

He met my gaze, completely serious now. “The arranged marriage? The treaty? That’s just political bullshit. But the bond?” He took a slow step forward. “That’s real, Aria. And whether you accept it or not, you belong to us.”

My heart pounded. “I never asked for that.”

His lips twitched. “Neither did we.”

I swallowed hard. “So what now?”

Kai studied me for a moment, then sighed. “Now? You let us protect you. And you stop running toward danger like you have a death wish.”

I scoffed. “I don’t have a death wish.”

He arched a brow. “You broke into restricted archives and almost got caught by rogue warriors. That’s a death wish.”

Heat rose to my cheeks. “I was looking for answers.”

Kai’s gaze softened just slightly. “Then let us help you find them.”

My chest tightened.

I wanted to trust them.

I wanted to believe that they weren’t just using me.

But trust was a dangerous thing.

And I wasn’t ready to hand it over just yet.

Instead, I simply nodded. “Fine.”

Kai studied me for a long moment, then finally turned toward the door.

“Get some rest, omega,” he murmured. “You’re going to need it.”

Then he was gone, leaving me alone with the terrifying realization that no matter how much I fought this…

Somewhere deep inside, I was already starting to belong to them.