Page 1 of Betrayed Wolf Mate

Chapter 1 - Stella

The autumn chill nipped at my skin as I made my way through the town, keeping my head down against the wind and trying not to think about why Farrow might have summoned me. When he wasn’t throwing insults, he typically ignored me. So the fact that he’d ordered me to come to his office couldn’t mean anything good. If I’d needed more convincing that something was wrong, he’d sent along one of his cronies to “escort” me.

We hadn’t spoken a word since he’d arrived at my doorstep this morning and told me Farrow wanted to talk to me. We’d just walked in silence, him at my shoulder every step of the way as if waiting for me to flee.

Which was stupid. If I was going to run, I would have run a long time ago.

Farrow, the Full Moon Pack’s alpha, worked out of the largest building in the center of town. The red brick structure towered over everything else. We were still a quarter mile away, but it still loomed over us ominously.

The streets were relatively empty, and the people who were out were hurrying as if anxious to get their business over and done with so they could return home. A year ago, it would have been a different story. Shifters would have been roaming the town, enjoying the last traces of warmth before winter fully set in.

I mulled this over as we walked up the steps, my silent shadow still following me. It wasn’t until he led me through the halls to Farrow’s office and knocked on the door that he finally said anything. And it was to the shifter on the other side of the door, not to me.

“It’s Oscar,” he said. “I’ve got her.”

Her.I didn’t even warrant my actual name. That was how low I was on the social totem pole here.

“Come in,” the gruff voice from inside the room growled. Oscar opened the door and pushed me inside.

Farrow was standing at the window, his brow creased in thought. He was tall and imposing, and the look he gave me when he turned his gaze from the window to me was enough to make me shrink back just a little.

It was impossible not to notice that Oscar had stepped inside the room and closed the door. He positioned himself in front of it, blocking my only escape route.

“Have a seat, Stella.” Farrow motioned at the wooden chair in front of his desk. It wasn’t a suggestion; it was a demand. I hurried to follow his orders.

“What’s this about?” I asked once I was seated.

He didn’t answer right away. Instead, he drummed his fingers against his folded arm as he looked at me like I was an interesting specimen. The look was enough to make my stomach clench in unease. I hated the silence, but I knew better than to rush him. So, I waited nervously.

Finally, he said, “I’m assuming you know who Akron is by now.”

Of course I knew who Akron was. He was the reason everyone stayed inside whenever possible. He was a demon, and he and his underlings had taken up residence nearby. They’d decided the Full Moon Pack was their playground and had spent the last six months terrorizing the town.

I had no idea what Akron had to do with me, but I nodded.

“Akron and I were able to come to an arrangement,” Farrow said. He gave a feral grin that made ice crawl up my spine. That was not a good look.

“I’m glad to hear it.”

“I’m glad you’re glad.” Farrow turned to face me, looking down at me with cool indifference.

After a long pause, I realized he was waiting for me to ask the obvious question. Something told me I wasn’t going to like the answer. It was the look in his eye. But I found myself asking the question, anyway.

“What arrangement, exactly?”

He gave me a grin that showed all his teeth. “He would stop terrorizing our town if we offered him a… we’ll call it a tribute.”

“A tribute? Like a sacrifice?”

He tilted his head from side to side. “Not a sacrifice. They’re not going to die. Think of it as more of an offering.”

“What’s the arrangement?” I asked. A clipped, almost panicked edge had entered my voice.

“He’ll stop attacking the town and come to an alliance in exchange for you.”

The world came crashing down around me as the words hit home. My mouth dropped open, half-convinced I must have misheard him.

“You can’t be serious,” I managed to say.

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