Chapter 1: The contract

The knock came at dawn.

I had barely slept. My little cabin felt colder than usual, the night wind sneaking in through the cracks of the wooden walls. I curled tighter under the blanket, wishing the world would leave me alone for just a few more hours.

But the knock came again. Harder. Louder.

I sat up, my chest tightening. No one ever visited me this early. No one ever visited me at all. Being a lone wolf meant silence. It meant empty nights and empty mornings.

I opened the door.

A tall man stood there, dressed in the dark colors of Moonstone Pack. His face was stern, his eyes sharper than the steel sword at his belt. He looked at me as though I were something small and unworthy.

“Fianna,” he said. His voice was rough, commanding. “You are summoned.”

My throat went dry. “Summoned?”

He handed me a sealed letter. The wax was stamped with the Moonstone crest—an obsidian wolf’s head.

I broke the seal with trembling fingers.

The words were written in neat, sharp script. They said I was required to appear before Alpha Kael of Moonstone Pack. To honor an agreement that had been decided. To stand in his hall and accept a contract of peace.

A marriage contract.

My stomach twisted.

The messenger did not wait for me to speak. He simply turned and gestured to the carriage waiting by the road. “Come. The Alpha does not like delays.”

I stared at him, at the carriage, at the woods that surrounded my little home. I could run. I could shift and vanish into the trees, never to be seen again.

But where would I go? I had no allies, no warriors, no pack. Alone, I was nothing but prey.

I stepped inside the carriage.

The ride felt endless.

I sat stiffly, my hands knotted together in my lap as the forest sped by. My heart beat too fast, every mile pulling me closer to something I couldn’t escape.

Moonstone Pack.

Alpha Kael.

I had heard the stories. Every wolf had. They called him the Alpha of Ice. A leader who trusted no one. A man who thought love was weakness. They said he lost something long ago and never forgave the world for it.

And now… he wanted me.

No. Not me. Not Fianna.

He wanted a contract. A Luna in name. A shield for his borders.

I pressed my forehead against the window, trying to breathe. I had lived my whole life free, even if that freedom was lonely. Now, it felt like chains were waiting for me at the end of this road.

When the carriage stopped, my breath caught.

The grand hall of Moonstone Pack rose before me, stone and iron twisting into towers that scraped the gray sky. Wolves patrolled the steps, their armor glinting, their eyes following me with suspicion.

I stepped out, my legs heavy. Every gaze cut into me.

The hall doors opened with a groan, and I was led inside.

It was beautiful, in a cold way. Marble floors, high pillars, banners of silver and black. But it didn’t feel alive. It felt like a place built for power, not for warmth.

And there he was.

Alpha Kael.

He sat at the far end of the hall, his throne carved from obsidian stone. His posture was straight, his shoulders broad, his presence filling the room like a storm cloud.

His eyes were the first thing I noticed. Gray. Cold. They looked at me, but not into me. As though I were already measured, already judged, already dismissed.

My knees wanted to buckle, but I forced myself to bow.

“Alpha,” I whispered.

His voice was deep when he spoke. “You know why you’re here.”

I lifted my head slowly. “To honor the contract.”

“Yes.” He rose from his throne, each step echoing across the hall as he came closer. He was tall, towering, his strength impossible to ignore. “Your land is small. Vulnerable. You cannot protect it. By binding yourself to me, you gain safety. And I gain peace along my borders.”

He stopped a breath away from me. His scent—earth and smoke—wrapped around me, heavy and sharp.

“This is not about love,” he said. His voice was steady, unfeeling. “Do not mistake it for such. You will stand as my Luna in name, but nothing more.”

The words pierced me.

I had not expected kindness. I had not expected warmth. But hearing him strip away even the idea of it hurt more than I thought it would.

“You don’t even know me,” I whispered before I could stop myself.

His eyes narrowed slightly. For a heartbeat, something flickered there—pain, maybe, or memory—but it vanished too quickly to catch.

“I don’t need to know you,” he said. “I know what I see. A lone wolf. Weak. Soft. You will serve your purpose, and in return, you will live.”

His words left no space for argument. No space for hope.

I lowered my eyes. “Yes, Alpha.”

The ceremony was quick. Too quick.

Words were spoken, vows recited, palms cut and pressed together until blood mingled. The council stood watching, their eyes hard, their whispers sharp.

“She’s too fragile.”

“She’ll never last here.”

“She doesn’t deserve him.”

Each murmur cut into me, but I held my chin high.

When it was done, the council clapped their hands once, final and cold.

I was Luna of Moonstone Pack.

But I had never felt more alone.

That night, the hall filled with food and drink. Wolves feasted, laughed, whispered. I sat beside Kael, silent, my stomach too tight to eat.

No one spoke to me. No one welcomed me. Their eyes slid over me as if I were nothing but a shadow.

Kael didn’t look at me either. He gave orders to his men, spoke of patrols and training, his tone sharp and businesslike. I might as well have been invisible.

At last, I found the courage to whisper, “Why me?”

He stilled, his hand tightening on his cup. Slowly, his gray eyes turned to mine.

“Because you were convenient,” he said softly, so no one else could hear. “Do not search for meaning where there is none.”

My chest ached, but I said nothing more.

When the feast ended, Kael stood.

I rose too, but he did not offer his hand. He did not even glance at me.

He walked past me, his cape sweeping the floor. At the doorway, he paused.

For one fragile second, I thought he might turn. Maybe he would soften. That maybe I wasn’t completely invisible.

But his voice came like ice, cutting the air in two.

“You’re here as my Luna in name only. Don’t expect my heart.”

The hall fell silent.

I stood

frozen, his words burning into me like fire.

And at that moment, I understood.

I hadn’t stepped into a marriage.

I had stepped into a cage.