A month has passed since I'm transported to the human portal through an unknown portal. I still can't seem to forget my encounter with the stranger who makes my body respond to his touch against my will.
I wake up to the sound of birds chirping loudly outside the tent, the early morning light shines in. My stomach turns again, as I feel nausea. Lately, I feel this dull sickness every morning when I wake up.
I gently rub my stomach, hoping it's just tiredness. But I can't seem to shake off the feeling it might not be.
Outside, I can hear the voices of people and the sounds of their boots tapping against the ground.
Everyone in the pack is on edge since the attack that happened a month back. Since I disappeared, time now feels like a countdown to something.
A low but firm voice cuts through the crowd murmuring, it's Kael, that's always how it is when he gives orders. I did not bother standing up from the bed, I feel too weak to even sit up.
The voice outside becomes louder, sounding like an argument. I wonder what's going on, I try moving my body again but it won't budge.
Just then, I hear footsteps approaching me. I lift my head to see who it is, Kael walks in still wearing his patrol attire. I notice the sweat on his neck and his messy hair.
Soon, his eyes lock on me. His face carries no emotion, he's just standing there and staring like he is studying me briefly, I think he is waiting for me to say something first.
"Hey, good morning." I greet him, trying to disperse the tension in the air.
"Hey! Why are you still in bed?" he asks.
"I am feeling a little weak, so I decide to stay a little longer." I explain to him.
"Oh! I thought you are already getting better after the doctor's prescription."
"Yes I am. I don't know why it feels different this morning."
He nods, He doesn't smile. He just stands across me, rigidly avoiding my gaze. As if he's waiting for me to say something first.
"You don't look happy, are you fine?" I ask, my voice fill with concern.
"I have some news," he says. His tone carries weight.
"From the High Council."
Unconsciously, I blink up at him. I think I didn't hear him well.
"The High Council?"
He nods once. "They sent a messenger."
That doesn't make sense. The High Council never bothers with rogues. They never care about us, we're the broken, forgotten lone wolves without land, without law. Outcasts. If they sent a messenger, it has to be serious.
"What kind of news?" I ask quietly.
He doesn't answer right away. His jaw tightens, and that's how I know it's bad. He finally steps closer, a rolled parchment in his hand. The seal on it glints gold under the dim light. Noticing my gaze still fix on him, he gives me an answer.
"An edict," he says, his voice rough. "A blood marriage decree."
The words hit me before I fully understand them. "A what?"
"An order," he explains. "The Council is calling for selective blood marriages to preserve powerful lines. To restore balance after the wars."
"What does this have to do with me?" I mutter.
I stare at him, waiting for the part that matters. The part that tells me why he's standing here like the ground's been cut out from under him.
Then I see the way he's looking at me. That's when my chest tightens.
"Kael," I whisper. "What is it?"
He holds my gaze for a long, unbroken moment. Then he says it softly, like he's trying to keep the sound from tearing through the air.
"They've chosen you, Raya."
The room goes quiet, even though the camp outside keeps humming. I can feel the words sink into my bones, heavy and slow.
"Chosen me for what?" I ask, even though my voice already sounds like it knows.
"For Alpha Rex."
For a brief moment, it's like the world is collapsing right on me. The same Rex who slaughtered Kael's father. The same man whose pack destroy everything I once believe in.
I let out a dry laugh, short and bitter.
"You're joking."
"I wouldn't joke about something so serious and you know it." He throws the parchment on the table next to me.
It unfurls across the wood, neat and cruel. My name, written in the Council's ink. My fate, sealed without my consent.
"Why will they do this to me?" I say under my breath. "I'm just a rogue. Why are they concerned with me?"
He lowers his head, nodding gently."That's what I've been thinking since I got this."
I stand, the cot creaking behind me. My hands tremble, not from fear exactly, but from something sharper. Fury.
"So you are saying I'm supposed to just go to him? Become some symbol for their twisted politics?"
Kael moves closer. His gaze burning, a quiet storm arising in them making me want to look away. "You are not leaving this place."
I meet his gaze. "What makes you think you get to decide that?"
"Raya, I am not just deciding," he says, his tone firm. "I'm just trying to keep you safe."
I scoff before replying to him. "From what? From doing what the council wants me to do? You forget why I'm even here, Kael. I swear I'd destroy Rex for what he did. What if this is it? Maybe this is how I get close enough to finish it." I scoff
His expression twists. "You think walking into his den is revenge? That's suicide."
I walk towards him, matching his energy.
"What makes you so sure?"
He lets out a harsh breath and looks away for a moment, running a hand through his hair. His voice drops when he speaks again.
"You're not thinking straight. This isn't just about you anymore."
That last part hangs between us like smoke.
I hold my breath. "What are you trying to say?"