CHAPTER 161
LEXA'S POV
The morning air had been crisp with promise when I'd left our territory, my heart fluttering with anticipation. I'd planned something special for Zeneviva—a surprise that would make her eyes light up the way they did when she laughed. But now, as rough hands dragged me from the vehicle, that sweet memory felt like a lifetime ago.
"What the hell is going on?" I screamed, my voice raw from the terror that had been building in my throat for what felt like hours. The blindfold scratched against my skin, and I could taste blood where I'd bitten my tongue during the violent ride.
The guards—because that's what they had to be, with their synchronized movements and military precision—said nothing. Their silence was more terrifying than any threat could have been. They'd appeared out of nowhere, like shadows materializing from my worst nightmares, and before I could even process what was happening, I was being shoved into a vehicle that smelled of leather and something darker—something that made my wolf recoil in instinctive fear.
"Please," I whispered, hating how small my voice sounded. "I don't understand what's happening."
Still nothing. Just the sound of heavy boots on what felt like gravel, then stone. The air changed around us—cooler, carrying scents I didn't recognize. This wasn't my territory. This wasn't anywhere close to home.
They led me forward, their grip on my arms firm but not bruising. Professional. That somehow made it worse. This wasn't random violence—this was planned, calculated, deliberate.
"Sit," one of them finally spoke, his voice gravelly and emotionless.
I felt the edge of a chair against the back of my legs and sank down, my knees trembling. The blindfold was still in place, leaving me in a world of darkness and unknown sounds. Footsteps echoed around me—how many people were here? Where was I?
Then I heard her.
"Remove the blindfold."
The voice was crisp, authoritative, and unmistakably female. It carried the kind of power that came from years of being obeyed without question. When the cloth fell away from my eyes, I blinked rapidly, trying to adjust to the sudden light.
The woman standing before me was elegant in the way that money and breeding could create—tall, silver-haired, with eyes like chips of ice. She wore her authority like expensive perfume, and everything about her screamed old money, old power, old blood.
"Do you know who I am?" she asked, her tone conversational, as if we were meeting at a garden party instead of... wherever this was.
"No," I managed, my voice stronger now that I could see. "I don't know who you are, and I don't know why I'm here."
She smiled, but it was the kind of smile that made my skin crawl. "How refreshing. Honesty. Though I suspect that won't last long."
I looked around, taking in my surroundings for the first time. We were in what looked like a study—rich mahogany furniture, leather-bound books, oil paintings of stern-faced people who looked like they'd never smiled a day in their lives. Everything screamed wealth and tradition.
"My son," she continued, beginning to pace in front of me like a predator circling prey, "is royalty. Do you understand what that means?"
My heart stopped. Son. Royalty. The pieces began clicking together in my mind, forming a picture I desperately didn't want to see.
"Kyle," I whispered.
"Ah, so you do have some intelligence after all." Her smile widened, showing teeth that were too white, too perfect. "Yes, Kyle. My son. The future Alpha of one of the most powerful packs in the region."
I felt like I was drowning. "I don't understand what this has to do with me."
"Don't you?" She stopped pacing and fixed me with those ice-cold eyes. "Don't insult my intelligence, girl. You know exactly what this is about. This... mate bond nonsense."
The way she said 'mate bond' made it sound like something dirty, something shameful. My wolf stirred restlessly inside me, responding to the insult.
"The mate bond isn't nonsense," I said, surprised by the steadiness in my own voice. "It's sacred."
She laughed, a sound like breaking glass. "Sacred? Is that what you call it when some nobody uses dark magic to trick herself into believing she's mated to my son?"
"Dark magic?" I stared at her in shock. "What are you talking about? I haven't used any magic. I don't even know how to—"
"Enough!" Her voice cracked like a whip. "Do you think I'm stupid? Do you think I don't know a manipulation when I see one? Girls like you have been trying to sink their claws into powerful men for centuries."
"Girls like me?" The words came out sharper than I intended. "What exactly do you mean by that?"
"Common. Ordinary. Unremarkable." Each word was delivered like a physical blow. "You have nothing to offer him. No bloodline, no power, no connections. You're a nobody trying to impose yourself on someone far above your station."
I felt heat rising in my cheeks, but it wasn't embarrassment—it was anger. "I never imposed myself on anyone. The mate bond—"
"Is a lie you've convinced yourself of." She moved closer, and I could smell her perfume—expensive and cloying. "But I'm not here to debate the authenticity of your delusions. I'm here to offer you a solution."
"A solution?"
"Money." The word hung in the air between us like a challenge. "Enough money to disappear. To start over somewhere far from here. To marry whoever you want to marry and live whatever little life makes you happy."
I stared at her, trying to process what she was saying. "You want to pay me to leave Kyle?"
"I want to pay you to stop this charade before it destroys everything my family has built." Her voice was getting harder, more desperate around the edges. "Do you have any idea what it would mean for our pack if Kyle were to actually mate with someone like you?"
"Someone like me," I repeated, the words tasting bitter in my mouth.
"Yes! Someone with no breeding, no status, no understanding of what it means to lead. You would be a liability, a weakness that our enemies could exploit. You would bring our pack to its knees."
I felt something cold settle in my stomach. "And you think that's what I want? To destroy your pack?"
"I think you're a selfish little girl who doesn't understand the consequences of her actions." She leaned forward, her eyes blazing. "I think you see a powerful, attractive man and you want him for yourself, regardless of what it costs everyone else."
"That's not—"
"It doesn't matter what you think it is." She straightened, smoothing down her perfectly tailored jacket. "What matters is what you're going to do about it. Take the money. Disappear. Let Kyle find a mate worthy of his position."
I looked at her for a long moment, this woman who had had me kidnapped, who was trying to buy me like I was some kind of commodity. And suddenly, I felt something I hadn't expected—pity.
"You don't know your son at all, do you?" I said quietly.
Her eyes flashed dangerously. "Excuse me?"
"Kyle. You don't know him. You don't know what he wants, what makes him happy, what he dreams about." I shook my head. "You see him as a chess piece in whatever game you're playing, but you don't see him as a person."
"How dare you—"
"I'm not trying to impose myself on anyone," I continued, my voice growing stronger. "I didn't ask for this mate bond. I didn't cast some spell or use dark magic. It just... happened. The way it's supposed to happen."
"The way it's supposed to happen," she repeated mockingly. "And I suppose you think that gives you the right to waltz into our lives and turn everything upside down?"
"I think it gives me the right to be with the person the Moon Goddess chose for me." I met her gaze steadily. "And if Kyle wants me—really wants me—then no amount of money in the world is going to make me walk away from that."
The silence that followed was deafening. I could see the rage building in her eyes, the way her perfectly manicured hands clenched into fists at her sides.
"You stupid, naive little girl," she whispered. "Do you have any idea what you're saying? Do you understand what you're refusing?"
"I understand perfectly." I stood up, surprised to find that my legs were steady. "You're asking me to give up my mate, my future, my happiness, because it's inconvenient for you. And I'm telling you no."
"No?" The word came out like a hiss.
"No. If Kyle wants to reject the mate bond, he can do it himself. Face to face. But I won't be bought off like some kind of... of prostitute."
The slap came so fast I didn't see it coming. The sound echoed through the room like a gunshot, and I felt the sting spread across my cheek like fire. But I didn't fall. I didn't even step back.
"You will regret this," she said, her voice shaking with fury. "You will regret this decision for the rest of your very short life."
I touched my cheek, feeling the heat radiating from where her hand had connected. When I looked at my fingers, there was no blood, but I could taste it in my mouth where I'd bitten my tongue again.
"Maybe," I said, my voice steady despite the pain. "But at least I'll regret it as myself. Not as whoever you think I should be."
She stared at me for a long moment, and I saw something flicker in her eyes—surprise, maybe, or a grudging respect. But it was gone so quickly I might have imagined it.
"Guards," she called, never taking her eyes off me.
The men who had brought me here materialized from the shadows like they'd been waiting for this moment.
"Take her to the holding cells," she ordered. "Let her think about her decision. Maybe a night in the dark will help her see reason."
As they moved toward me, I felt my wolf surge forward, ready to fight. But I pushed her back down. Not yet. Not here. I needed to be smart about this.
"This isn't over," I said as they took my arms.
"No," she agreed, her smile returning. "It's not. But it will be. One way or another, it will be."
As they led me away, I caught one last glimpse of her standing in that opulent study, surrounded by the portraits of her ancestors. She looked like a queen in her castle, powerful and untouchable.
But I had seen the fear in her eyes. The desperation. And I knew that for all her money and power and threats, she was just as scared as I was.
The only difference was, I wasn't going to let that fear control me.
The mate bond pulsed in my chest, a steady rhythm that reminded me I wasn't alone. Somewhere out there, Kyle was probably looking for me. And when he found me—because he would find me—we would face whatever came next together.
Even if it meant facing his mother's wrath.
Even if it meant war.
The guards led me deeper into the building, their footsteps echoing off stone walls that seemed to close in around us with every step. But I kept my head high, my spine straight.
I was Lexa. I was Kyle's mate. And I wasn't going anywhere.
Not without a fight.