Chapter 3

Mira

I enunciated each word with deliberate precision: "I said, the man I was with last night was an Alpha. He's far stronger than you."

Kellen's pupils contracted sharply, a warning growl grinding up from his throat.

"You're lying. Which goddamn Alpha in the Northern Lands would dare touch my fiancée?"

He scrutinized the red marks on my neck, his eyes bloodshot.

"Unless they have a death wish."

Or unless he's powerful enough to kill you.

I let out a cold laugh and pulled down my collar with unhurried deliberation, forcing his widening eyes to land on my collarbone—where Aiden had left kiss marks in his dazed passion.

"Kellen." Emma gripped his arm. "My sister would never—she's so devoted, how could she possibly be with another Alpha—"

Kellen leaned in close, a flash of jealousy and shock crossing his features.

"You mated with someone else?"

"We didn't go all the way, but we came close enough. Do you need me to keep undressing?" I arched an eyebrow.

His jaw clenched, hands beginning to tremble.

Emma covered her mouth, tears welling in her eyes. "Mira, how could you betray Kellen? Your wedding ceremony was already halfway through..."

"Shut up."

She froze, tears spilling down her cheeks.

"I'm only thinking of your marriage, how can you—"

Kellen pulled her into his embrace while I raised my head and fixed Emma with a cold stare.

"Say one more word, and I'll expose every single one of your filthy secrets to the entire clan."

Well done, Seraphina rumbled low within me.

"You've lost your mind, you bitch." Kellen suddenly stepped forward, nearly pressing his face against mine as he lowered his voice in a final threat. "Prepare the herbs for Emma right now, then get out. I'll pretend this disgrace never happened."

I laughed aloud.

"This time, I won't obey you. And I never will again."

Kellen's fingers dug into my shoulders, nearly penetrating the flesh—the thought of a far stronger Alpha attempting to claim his abandoned fiancée, the one he'd left at the altar believing no one would want, constituted an unbearable humiliation for him.

"Listen carefully. You betrayed me first, so our engagement ends here. I owe you nothing."

His pupils constricted as he failed to recognize this version of me—not the Mira who had prepared his medicines and borne everything for him. That Mira had died on the altar.

I wrenched free from his grip and turned toward the door.

"Who do you think you are? A piece of trash I abandoned at the altar."

"You think sleeping with someone once means anyone actually wants you?"

"I'll be waiting for you to come crawling back, begging on your knees for my forgiveness!"

The door slammed shut behind me with his curses still echoing, but I didn't look back—even though I wore nothing but a thin dress, carried no luggage, no gold coins, and not a single servant willing to follow me.

"I'll make them kneel before me," I whispered to myself. Kellen. Emma. Everyone who ever looked down on me.

But how? My fingers traced the marks on my neck as Aiden's face surfaced in my mind—handsome, cruel, and radiating that desire he'd fought so hard to restrain. My heartbeat quickened, heat creeping up my throat. Perhaps I could use that desire to my advantage.

The problem was access. I couldn't approach Aiden directly; his security was impenetrable. Yesterday had been the closest I'd ever gotten to him, and likely the last opportunity I'd ever have.

My mind raced through every scrap of useful information until suddenly a memory surfaced—women from the clan crouched by the river doing laundry, voices lowered as they chewed over secrets. One had mentioned that Iron Claw's power structure included more than just Aiden and the Council of Elders; there was also a woman who had once wielded considerable influence but whose position now teetered on instability: Eliya, the old Alpha's widow.

I bit down hard and decided to gamble.

Three days later, I pushed open the door of the Raven Hotel on the border—nominally an inn for travelers, but in reality a gray zone where people traded intelligence in shadows. The front hall held only one elderly woman with silver hair combed into impeccable order, exuding nobility and elegance.

As I'd anticipated, Eliya had read my letter and kept the appointment.

"Lady Dravenhall."

She nodded, surveying me with undisguised wariness—a state I understood completely. A foreign woman who had survived twenty years in the Northern Lands didn't rely on trust but on never trusting anyone.

The old Alpha had died years ago in an ambush, leaving his mistress alone in the clan. The Northern Lands bred constant warfare, and Iron Claw's elders wanted Elena from the Southern Territories for a strategic marriage to consolidate their power base. Any woman with connections who married or attempted to approach Aiden would inevitably threaten Eliya's current position—my only bargaining chip.

"Mira." Eliya finally spoke, her voice steady. "I've heard about your situation. I admire that you didn't simply accept your fate."

"If I'd done nothing but pray for Kellen to change his mind, I'd be found frozen to death by the river some winter morning."

"What vivid imagination."

"Not imagination," I met her eyes directly. "That's how my mother died."

Eliya's eyebrow twitched slightly before she fell into a silence so prolonged that the firewood in the hearth collapsed once before she moved to the window, turning her back to me. "You understand my position?"

"Of course. Elena's engagement party is approaching. You're running out of time."

Her shoulders stiffened.

I leaned forward slightly. "You need someone who can help you. And I happen to need a place to land."

"Why would I trust you?"

"You don't need to trust me as a person—only trust my circumstances. And these." I slowly pulled down my collar, exposing the bruises that stood out clearly in the firelight.

Eliya turned around, her gaze settling on those almost obscene marks.

"Aiden left these," I said. "An Alpha, especially one like Aiden Dravenhall, doesn't leave marks on just any woman."

"But this time he failed," I continued. "Because I made him lose control."

The statement hung in the air for three seconds before Eliya sat back down across from me, her gaze like a scalpel trying to excavate any trace of deception from my eyes.

"How do you prove you're not lying?" she finally asked.

"Simple. Give me a chance to work as a healer in your clan. You'll lose nothing," I swallowed, keeping my voice firm. "The rest, I'll handle myself."

The answer clearly caught her off guard. "You know herbalism?"

"I prepared medicinal formulas for the elders in my clan for four years. I've handled difficult births and sutured silver bullet wounds." I paused. "Besides, a clan healer can legitimately enter any household—including those you can't access."

"I'll tell you what the elders said over dinner and who they met with; I'll tell you which of their sons owes gambling debts; I'll know everyone's leverage points."

She lapsed into silence again, her gaze sharp as a blade as she assessed me.

Trust your judgment, Mira, I told myself. She took this risk to meet you because she's already desperate.

"Once you're discovered, they'll tear you apart and feed you to the dogs."

"Better than spending the rest of my life on my knees before Kellen."

The firmness in my own voice surprised me.

Eliya smoothed the wrinkles from her skirt and looked up—this time her expression held not scrutiny but something else, perhaps recognition, perhaps seeing her younger self reflected in me.

"Tomorrow afternoon, come to Dravenhall Manor." She stood, adjusting her shawl. "My steward will introduce you to the people you need to meet."

The door closed behind her, restoring silence.

I sank back into the chair as my hands finally began to tremble.

Have a little confidence in yourself, Seraphina stretched within me like a cat waking from sleep. I'm looking forward to watching you seduce Alpha Aiden.

"Shut up," I murmured, but the corner of my mouth curved upward nonetheless.