Chapter 1 Chains of fate

"So, you are the one your father sent?"

The words struck me before I had even finished crossing the wide threshold of the throne room. My heart pounded as I lifted my gaze. Two of them sat upon thrones carved from obsidian, each glowing faintly under the firelight.

The one who spoke had a mane of black hair falling neatly around his shoulders. His eyes, sharp and commanding, lingered on me as though they could strip me bare with a single glance.

The other, red-haired and broad-shouldered, leaned forward with impatience, his gaze burning hotter than the torches that lined the walls.

"I... yes," I whispered, forcing my lips to move. "My father sent me."

The words tasted like betrayal. My father's voice from the night before still rang in my ears, his command sealed with finality. You will go to them. You will do as you are told. It is for our house, for our survival.

And now, here I was, standing before monsters who carried my fate in their hands.

The black-haired one-Kai-rose from his throne, his movements deliberate, graceful. His eyes softened slightly, and I felt it then, a pull deep inside my chest. My breath caught. The mate bond.

I staggered a little under its weight, clutching my skirts. Heat flared across my skin, and no matter how fiercely I resisted, a faint shiver of excitement ran through me. I hated it. I hated that my body reacted even as my heart screamed in protest.

His lips twitched, and I saw the same flicker of recognition in his face. The bond. He felt it too.

Beside him, Rowan-the red-haired one-shifted, his expression tightening as though the bond had pricked him as well. His fingers curled around the armrest of his throne. His nostrils flared, his breath coming sharper. They both knew.

But neither spoke of it.

Instead, Kai's voice cut through the silence, smooth and confident. "Your father said you are untouched. Fertile. A woman who can bear strong heirs."

My stomach knotted. His words were calm, yet every syllable pierced me like a blade.

Rowan smirked cruelly, his voice harsher. "So that is your worth. Nothing more."

My throat tightened, but I lifted my chin. "If that is what he told you, then you know the truth of why I stand here."

What I had expected were endless questions about children, about duty, about what my body could give them. What I had not expected were the questions Kai asked next.

"What is your name?" His tone softened, as though he were speaking not to a captive but to a guest.

The question startled me. My name? Why would he want to know? I hesitated, then answered, "Mira."

"Were you tired from your journey?" he asked again, his brows knitting with what looked like concern.

Confusion spread through me like fire through dry leaves. I stammered, "It was long, but I managed."

Kai tilted his head. "How many maids will you need to feel comfortable here?"

I stared at him, baffled. A man who had just spoken of heirs and worth now spoke of comfort? My mind reeled. Perhaps he meant to mock me. Or perhaps... he saw me as more than what my father had bargained me for. That sliver of humanity gave me the audacity to ask a question of my own.

"What of the other two?" I asked carefully, my voice echoing faintly in the massive hall. "I was told there were four of you."

The room shifted instantly.

Rowan shot to his feet, his chair scraping the stone floor with a growl of defiance. His voice thundered across the chamber. "You will not question us! Remember your place!"

I flinched as his words lashed against me, but I did not lower my eyes. My pulse raced, torn between fear and something sharper-rage.

How could it be? How could I be bound by this cursed bond to two men at once? Kai, whose elegance carried a cruel kind of arrogance, and Rowan, whose harshness dripped from every word. The mate bond tugged at me in both directions, stretching me thin, leaving me dizzy with confusion.

"Take her," Kai commanded at last, his voice regaining its calm authority.

A tall man-Darius, the steward-stepped forward, bowing slightly before gesturing for me to follow. My feet felt heavy as I obeyed.

"Prepare yourself," Rowan's voice echoed after me, sharp as a blade. "You will be bred soon enough."

The words burned in my ears. My fists clenched at my sides, but I said nothing. Not yet.

As we walked through the winding corridors, I tried to steady my breath. Bred. He dares speak of me like livestock. The hatred I carried flared hotter, mingling with the pain of betrayal. My father had sent me here willingly, knowing these men would chain me to their desires.

But I had not come here only as a pawn. I had come for vengeance.

Just as Darius and I approached a chamber door, a strong hand shot out of the shadows and gripped me, yanking me away with startling force.

I gasped, twisting, but before I could cry out, I was dragged down another hallway, my back pressed against a broad chest.

It was Rowan.

His red hair caught the dim light, his jaw tight with fury. He shoved the door open to another room and pushed me inside.

"You will stay here," he growled, his voice low, dangerous. "Until I decide it is time."

I pressed my back against the wall, breath trembling. "Why? Why bring me here?"

His eyes darkened, his voice dropping to a rasp. "Because I will not allow my brothers to touch what is mine."

The possessiveness in his tone sent a chill through me. I remembered the whispers I had heard in my village: Lycans did not share their mates. The thought alone unsettled me. If the bond had tied me to more than one of them, it was already tearing me apart.

Rowan lingered only a moment longer before storming out, the door slamming shut behind him.

The room was plain-no gilded walls, no luxuries, just a bed and a narrow window. I sank onto the edge of it, my father's words from that morning echoing in my mind.

"You will be well cared for. Where you are going, riches and grandeur await you."

Lies. All lies.

The truth was harder, sharper: my mother's life was taken by the Lycans. They tore her life away. They had slaughtered her. I was here to repay that debt, to strike them down as they had struck her. That oath was the only anchor I had left.

Hours crept by in silence. No one came. My eyelids grew heavy, exhaustion weighing me down after the long journey. I leaned back, letting the darkness pull me under.

But then-the door creaked open.

My eyes snapped wide, scanning the dim room. No one stood in the doorway. Only stillness.

And then I saw it-shadows shifting, curling along the walls. A whisper brushed against my ear, hot and chilling all at once.

Fingers traced across my skin, feather-light, possessive, sending shivers racing through me.

"Who's there?" My voice cracked as I tried to swat at the air, but the shadows moved with cunning, evading my touch.

A chuckle drifted through the darkness, low and seductive. The shadows gathered, swirling until a figure began to form.

My heart hammered as the darkness peeled away, revealing a face.

The face of the one who had come for me.