Page 2 of Betrayed Wolf Mate

“Believe me, I’m very serious.” Farrow walked over to me and leaned forward, putting his face so close to mine that I actually leaned back. “I offered you in exchange for the alliance.He agreed.” He grinned again, but it didn’t penetrate the cold in his eyes. “Congratulations. You’re about to get married.”

“I’m not,” I said before springing to my feet and marching toward the door. I stopped short. Oscar was still there, arms folded like a club bouncer. The look on his face dared me to try getting past him.

A strong arm grabbed my bicep and spun me around so I was face to face with Farrow again. The smug smile had been replaced by a sinister, disconcerting scowl.

“Yes, you are,” he said, his warm breath brushing against my face. “Even if you’re an outcast, even if you’ve made some stupid decisions before now, you’re still a member of this pack. And I’m still your alpha. You’re going to do your duty.”

“I’m pretty sure this goes beyond what’s expected of me.” I tugged my arm from his grip. I half-expected him to grip tighter, but he let me go. “Don’t I get a say in any of this?”

He gave me a feral smile that seemed to fill my vision. “No.”

“This isn’t fair,” I managed to say. Everything around me was swimming.

“I think this is perfectly fair,” he said, folding his arms as he frowned down at me. “If it makes it easier, you can think of this as punishment for disobeying our laws.”

“That was one time, and it was years ago,” I burst out, unable to hide my anger and disbelief. “I don’t see how the two things are connected. Haven’t I paid enough for it by being ostracized ever since?”

“No.” The single word was like a knife to the stomach. “You made the choice of falling in love with an outsider whenyou knew it was against our rules. That sort of disobedience can’t be forgiven.”

I’d been young and stupid. A group of military men had come to town and set up camp right outside. I’d fallen in love with one of them; he’d seemed kind and sweet. I’d fallen for him, and I’d thought he was in love with me. But it was forbidden. The pack had a strict rule against being with an outsider. The soldier had told me we could just leave together, but when the time came to leave, he didn’t show. The camp left the same day. Everyone in town seemed to have known about the affair, and I was punished for the rest of my time in the pack.

It seemed like the punishment wasn’t finished yet.

My jaw clenched, and I tried to fight back the tears of frustration threatening to spill down my cheeks. All my life, I’d been taught to be obedient and do what I was told, especially if it was for the good of the pack. But marrying me off to a demon who had been terrorizing the town…

“Think of the countless number of lives you’ll be saving,” Farrow said. “And think of how much stronger the pack will be, having Akron as an ally. And if you refuse, think of how Akron would react. He’ll be furious, and he’ll take it out on the pack. Who knows how many people will be caught in the crossfire?”

I looked away, rage rolling off me in giant waves. Rough, strong fingers gripped my chin and jerked my head back so I was looking directly into Farrow’s cold eyes.

“Do you really want to be responsible for that much death?” he snarled.

I shook my head as best I could, his fingers still digging into my jaw.

“Good. Now stop whining.”

He released his grip on my face and stood back. There was no remorse on his features. If anything, there was an almost savage triumph there. He was getting everything he could possibly want: an end to the violence, an alliance with a powerful demon, and the most disliked pack member out of his hair for good.

“If I get any word of you trying to weasel your way out of this, Stella, believe me when I say you will regret it. Have I made myself clear?”

My limbs were shaking, and I couldn’t tell if it was from fear, anger, or resignation. I supposed it didn’t matter. I gave a curt nod of my head and stood silently.

“Good,” he said again. “In that case, it seems like you have a wedding to plan for. I’d suggest you start packing, too.”

I clenched my jaw as tightly as I could. If I said anything, it was only going to make things worse. Besides, it was like Farrow had said—it was for the good of the pack. No matter what else, I had always done my duty for the pack, done what I was told to do. I’d made the mistake of going against the pack only once, and look how that had turned out. Rules were there for a reason. Decisions were made intentionally and always had a purpose. So even if Farrow had multiple motives for offering me to the demon, it had to be the right choice for the good of the pack.

It had to be, because if it wasn’t, then I was binding myself to an evil demon for nothing.

“Stella?”

I paused, my hand on the knob. I wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible. I needed to be by myself and process everything that had just happened. But I forced myself to turn back and look at my alpha.

He was smiling, and his grin was wide, malicious, and feral. It was enough to freeze my insides.

“Congratulations on your engagement,” he said.

As I stepped outside, Oscar on my heels, I looked up at the quickly graying sky. I had to wonder if any of this would have happened if I hadn’t been so stupid as to fall in love with an outsider all those years ago.

If I had never met Sam.

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