The Alpha's Bargain

Freya's POV

"Care to explain what the hell just happened back there?" I demanded the second we were far enough down the corridor.

Gael walked beside me, his broad shoulders slumped in a way that screamed defeat. The confrontation with his father had completely drained him.

"It's nothing," he muttered, keeping his gaze fixed straight ahead.

"Don't give me that bullshit, Gael," I snapped, keeping my voice low. "I know Beta Silas just as well as you do. What exactly were the two of you fighting over?"

He stopped walking and clenched his hands tight against his thighs. "Drop it, Freya. I can manage my own damn problems."

I opened my mouth to tear into him, but a sudden boom of laughter echoed through the enclosed space, instantly silencing me. It was coming directly from my father's office at the end of the hall.

*Someone is in there with him,* Lyra murmured in my head, a distinct edge of unease bleeding through our bond.

*Any idea who?* I asked her.

My inner wolf pushed forward, testing the air. *I can't pinpoint it. But there is a very distinct, very familiar scent leaking into the hallway.*

Before I could brace myself, the heavy wooden door to the Alpha's office swung open. My towering father stepped into the doorway, sporting a massive, entirely uncharacteristic grin.

*Well, shit,* Gael's voice echoed through our mind-link. *The Alpha looks practically ecstatic.*

I figured the peace treaty negotiations with the rival pack had been a massive success.

"Freya, excellent timing," my father announced, his booming voice carrying down the hall. "We were just waiting on you."

"We?" I blurted out, throwing a bewildered glance at my Beta.

I had lived with this man my entire life, and I rarely saw him this jovial. For an Alpha known for his explosive temper, this cheerful demeanor set off immediate alarm bells. I studied his face, desperately searching for a clue, but his gray eyes only reflected pure, unadulterated joy.

*Let's just get in there and see what the party is all about,* Gael linked me, his tone shifting back to his usual steady self.

*His mood whiplash is going to give me a migraine,* Lyra grumbled in my head.

*You and me both,* I replied to Gael, though my pulse had already started to pick up an erratic rhythm.

"Come on in, don't keep our guest waiting," my father urged, waving a massive hand toward the interior of his office.

Gael and I crossed the threshold, completely blind to what was waiting for us. My father's massive six-foot-nine frame blocked my line of sight as he turned to lead the way. He looked remarkably rested, his graying hair perfectly combed. Whatever happened on that diplomatic trip had put him in an exceptionally good mood.

Then, the scent hit me.

A crisp wave of sweet grassland washed over my senses, instantly paralyzing my legs. My lungs seized.

*No. Absolutely fucking not,* I screamed internally. *He wouldn't dare show his face here!*

"Jesus, Freya, keep moving!" Gael hissed, bumping hard into my back.

"Sorry," I managed to choke out, my eyes blowing wide.

Gael stepped around me, but the annoyed reprimand died in his throat. My father had finally stepped aside to take his seat at the mahogany desk, revealing the man standing casually near the bookshelves.

Kaelen fucking Blackwood.

*Is that...* Gael trailed off in the mind-link.

I gave a stiff, jerky nod.

*Why the hell is he in our territory?* my Beta demanded.

"Take a seat, Freya," my father instructed, gesturing to the single leather chair positioned squarely in front of his desk. "There is much to go over."

My joints felt like rusted iron as I forced myself to walk forward and sink into the seat.

"Beta Gael, make yourself comfortable on the couch," my father added, pointing to the seating area against the far wall.

Gael shot a blistering glare at Kaelen before shaking his head.

"I appreciate the offer, Alpha," Gael replied, plastering on a fake, rigid smile. "But my place is standing right here beside the future Luna."

My father frowned, his thick eyebrows knitting together as he looked between the two of us.

"Fine," my father conceded with a dismissive wave. "Suit yourself." He shifted his focus squarely onto me. "Freya, I believe you are already acquainted with Alpha Kaelen."

I forced down the massive lump blocking my airway and gave a slow, deliberate nod.

"Excellent." My father leaned back in his leather executive chair, a proud smile stretching across his face. "Alpha Kaelen has just informed me that you are his fated mate."

*What the actual hell is the Alpha talking about?* Gael’s voice exploded through our mental connection. *He's your mate? Why didn't you tell me? What else are you hiding?*

*Back the fuck off, Beta,* Lyra snarled through the link, instantly shutting Gael down. *Your panic is giving me a headache!*

I kept my mouth clamped shut, letting my silence answer the barrage of questions. All my energy was focused on the smug little smirk tugging at the corners of Kaelen's mouth. I wanted to reach across the room and rip it right off his face.

"This is a superb development," my father continued, completely oblivious to the tension suffocating the room. "Alpha Kaelen has formally requested your hand in marriage."

Every single hair on the back of my neck stood straight up. The sheer audacity of this bastard. He was deliberately using my father’s authority to trap me.

"Oh, really?" I finally forced the words out, my tone dripping in ice.

Both men nodded in unison.

I pushed myself out of the chair, the legs scraping loudly against the hardwood floor. I refused to sit there and be treated like property.

"And did Alpha Kaelen also happen to mention that he rejected me over a year ago?" I asked, staring dead into my father's eyes.

The joyful warmth drained from my father's face in a fraction of a second. Across the room, Kaelen's smug expression completely dissolved into sheer panic. Did this idiot genuinely think I would just roll over and accept an arranged marriage without dragging his dirty laundry into the light?

"He did what to you?" Gael roared, his voice bouncing off the office walls.

I didn't break eye contact with my father. "He rejected me to claim a chosen mate instead."

"Is this true?" my father demanded, his voice dropping into a lethal, guttural register. The muscles in his neck strained, and right before my eyes, his irises vanished, swallowed by pitch-black. Brutus, his dominant wolf, was violently tearing his way to the surface.

"It is," Kaelen stammered, throwing his hands up in a placating gesture. "But you have to let me explain! My chosen mate slipped a dark love potion into my system. She wanted to force me to make her Luna. I wasn't in my right mind, Alpha. The dark magic only broke the exact moment I severed the bond with Freya and felt her pain!"

*Bullshit!* Lyra roared inside my mind, her fury explosive. She threw her entire weight against my mental barriers, her claws scraping for control. She wanted to vault over the desk and tear his throat out.

"Rein in your wolf, Freya!" my father barked, the Alpha command lacing his tone.

I stumbled back as my body shook with Lyra's rage. Gael reacted instantly. His strong arms clamped around my waist, physically hoisting me off my feet and dragging me backward into the far corner of the office. I thrashed against his hold, my wolf desperate for blood, but he anchored me in place until the murderous haze finally began to recede.

"Why didn't you just tell me?" Gael whispered once I stopped fighting him. I could hear the deep pity in his voice—the exact reaction I had been trying to avoid for over a year.

I took a ragged breath, leaning back against his chest. The secret was out now. There was no point in dodging it anymore.

"Because there was nothing to tell," I murmured bitterly. "He kissed his new girl, threw a rejection in my face, and walked away. The whole pathetic thing took less than two minutes."

"Christ. I'm so sorry, Freya," Gael breathed, wrapping me up in a tight, crushing bear hug.

"Don't," I said, gently pushing against his chest to create some space. "I'm better off without him."

A heavy sigh left my lips. By tomorrow morning, the entire pack would know I was a rejected mate. I would be drowning in their sympathetic whispers.

I turned my attention back to the center of the room. My father and Kaelen were locked in a fierce, hushed argument. I couldn't catch the words, but as I watched, the violent black faded from my father's eyes. The fury melted away, and that sickeningly pleased smile slowly crept back onto his face. He actually nodded at Kaelen.

*Oh, absolutely not,* Lyra growled, pacing wildly in my mind. *What kind of deal did that bastard just offer?*

*We're about to find out,* I hissed back.

"Are you good to go back over there?" Gael asked, tracking the severe shift in my expression.

I nodded sharply. "Lyra is just pissed. She wants him dead."

With a mutual, silent agreement, Gael and I closed the distance back to the mahogany desk.

"Freya," my father started, his tone dropping into that smooth, diplomatic cadence he used for pack business. "After hearing Alpha Kaelen out, I have reached a final decision regarding this matter."

"A decision?" I choked out, my pulse hammering a frantic beat against my ribs. "What are you talking about?"

"I am more than willing to give us a second chance," Kaelen interjected smoothly, taking a step toward me. "Especially considering you haven't managed to find a second-chance mate of your own yet."

My jaw practically hit the floor. Was he out of his goddamn mind? And my father was actually entertaining this? I shot a look at the Alpha behind the desk. He looked completely satisfied with this repulsive compromise.

"Willing?" I spat the word like poison. "I wouldn't mate with you if you were the last wolf on earth."

"Watch your tone, Freya," my father warned, his gaze hardening into stone. "You know the ancient laws of this pack. You cannot ascend to the Alpha position and lead our people if you are not bound to a mate."

I crossed my arms tightly over my chest, my nails digging into my own skin. I knew the archaic rules perfectly well. A male Alpha could lead solo, but a she-wolf always needed a mate by her side to take the mantle. The political structure of our pack was rigged against me.

I was entirely cornered. I needed an out, and I needed it right this second.

"Who ever said I didn't have a mate?" I challenged, lifting my chin to stare my father down.

The declaration landed like a bomb. All three dominant wolves froze, exchanging bewildered looks.

"Gael and I have already agreed to become chosen mates," I lied, the words rushing out in a desperate flood. "It's the logical choice. He knows the pack laws inside and out, the people respect him, and he will make an exceptional Alpha."

The silence in the office was deafening. The three men stared at me as if I had just grown a second head.

*What the fuck are you doing, Freya?* Gael's terrified voice practically shattered our mind-link. *We never agreed to anything like that! You know I can't be Alpha—*

*Just play along!* I pleaded frantically through the bond.

*Hell no!* he roared in my head. *I am not lying to the reigning Alpha! This is suicide!*

*We are buying time, Gael,* I pushed back, pouring all my desperation into the link. *I refuse to be tied to that treacherous snake. Look at Kaelen! You know he’ll destroy everything our fathers built. Please.*

"Beta Gael, is this true?" my father demanded, slicing through our private mental argument.

Gael stared at me, his face pale, before slowly turning his gaze back to my father. He closed his eyes tight, his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed down his natural instinct to submit to the Alpha's authority.

When he opened his eyes, he squared his shoulders.

"Yes, Alpha," Gael stated, his voice miraculously steady. "Freya and I have put such an agreement in place."

Before Kaelen could open his mouth to protest, I immediately seized the momentum.

"If that concludes our business," I said, stepping back from the desk, "we have training to get back to."

My father gave a slow nod. I felt a massive rush of relief. We had actually pulled it off.

But the exact second Gael and I turned around and wrapped our fingers around the brass doorknob, the harsh sound of my father clearing his throat froze us in place.

*Shit,* Lyra whined, her ears pinning back. *I know that sound.*

We slowly turned back around to face the desk, waiting for the axe to fall.

"Freya. Beta Gael," my father said, his voice stripping away any remaining warmth, leaving only the absolute authority of an Alpha. "Make whatever preparations you need. Your mating ceremony will take place on the next full moon."

The floor completely dropped out from under me.

The next full moon was this weekend.