Wolf Bound

Elowen POV.

The water was ice cold, biting into my skin as I scrubbed the heavy furs and linens against the rough stone of the washing trough. My hands were already red and raw, pruned and stiff from hours of work, but I didn’t dare stop. In the Luminara Pack, I was not the Alpha’s daughter—I was the lowest servant, the invisible ghost who existed only to clean up after everyone else.

‘Why am I even doing this?’ I thought bitterly, wringing out a piece of cloth. ‘Calista’s maids should be doing this. But Father says it is what I am good for. Nothing else.’

My father, Alpha Cyrillus, had never looked at me with anything other than disgust. While my younger sister, Calista, was bathed in sunlight, praise, and power, I was cast into the shadows.

Everyone whispered that I took after my mother’s side, but they didn’t know the half of it. Deep down, I always felt different—weaker, quieter, like a wolf who had lost her pack. I was nineteen years old, and I had never known a single day of love or kindness in this house.

"Elowen!"

I jumped, nearly dropping the heavy wet fur into the muddy water. I turned to see one of the Omegas standing there, panting slightly, her eyes wide with a mix of pity and urgency.

"Alpha Cyrillus is asking for you. He wants you in the main hall. Now."

My heart sank like a stone. The main hall? He never called me there unless it was to scold me or give me more punishment.

‘What have I done wrong now?’ I wondered, panic rising in my chest. ‘Did I clean the floors wrong? Did I burn the food again? Or does he just want to remind me how useless I am compared to Calista?’

I quickly wiped my wet, freezing hands on my tattered apron, trying to smooth down my messy hair and dirty clothes. I knew I looked like a beggar compared to the elegant ladies of the pack, but there was no time to change. If I kept him waiting, his anger would only grow worse.

"Coming," I whispered, my voice trembling.

I walked with my head bowed, my bare feet silent against the cold stone floors as I made my way toward the main hall. The closer I got, the more I could feel the heavy atmosphere of authority radiating from within. This was the place where my sister Calista stood proudly, receiving gifts and praise, and where I usually stood in the corner, waiting to be scolded.

Please, Moon Goddess, just let this be quick, I prayed silently, my hands twisting nervously in my apron. Let him not be too angry today. My hands are already numb from the cold.

I pushed open the heavy oak doors and stepped inside, immediately lowering my gaze to the floor. The room was large and imposing, filled with the scent of old wood and expensive herbs. Standing near the window was my father, Alpha Cyrillus, his broad frame casting a long shadow. Beside him stood Calista, looking radiant in a silk dress, her face perfect and her expression bored. She didn’t even look at me; to her, I was less than air.

"You called for me, Father?" I asked, my voice soft and small.

Cyrillus turned, and I could feel the weight of his hatred before I even saw his face. His eyes swept over me—over my dirty clothes, my red, chapped hands, and my messy hair—and his lip curled in obvious distaste.

"Yes, I did," he said, his voice deep and cold. "There is important business to discuss. A treaty has been signed between our pack and the Onyx Guard."

I stood there quietly, not understanding why I was being told this. Political matters were for Alphas and their true heirs, not for servants like me.

"The Alpha of Onyx Guard, Theron Blackwood, has demanded a bride from our family to seal the bond," he continued, and I saw Calista flinch slightly beside him. "Originally, it was agreed that Calista would be the one to go."

My heart gave a tiny jump. Calista? Married? But she was only eighteen. And everyone knew who Theron Blackwood was. He was not a young man; he was forty-five years old, a hardened warrior who had ruled his lands for decades. Worse than his age were the rumors… rumors that he was cursed, that any woman who became his would not live long.

"However," Cyrillus said, his eyes locking onto mine with a cruel glint, "we have decided that it would be better if you went in her place."

The words hit me like a physical blow. I froze, my mind reeling. Me? He wants me to marry that monster? A man old enough to be my father? A man who kills his wives?

"But… Father," I stammered, looking up in shock, "I… I am not the heir. It should be Calista—"

"Silence!" he roared, taking a step forward so quickly I stumbled back in fear. "Do not question me! You owe this pack everything. You have been fed and clothed here for nineteen years, doing nothing but being a burden. This is your chance to actually be useful."

He leaned down, his face inches from mine, and I could feel his rage radiating off him.

"Calista is precious. She is strong, she is talented, she is mine. You…" He sneered, his voice dropping to a venomous whisper. "You are nothing but a stain on this family. You are going to marry Alpha Theron. You will go to him, and you will do whatever he says. If you die there, it will be the most useful thing you have ever done."

I felt the blood drain from my face. ‘He wants me to die.’

He knew about the curse. He knew about the danger. He was sending me away not as a daughter, but as a lamb to the slaughterhouse, just to save the girl he actually loved.

Calista finally looked at me then, her eyes shining with relief and just a hint of pity, but mostly satisfaction. She was safe.

I was the one being thrown to the wolves—literally.

"Pack your things," Cyrillus ordered, straightening up and turning away as if I already ceased to exist. "The carriage leaves at dawn. You are no longer a part of this household."

I stood there, paralyzed, as the reality crashed down on me. I was nineteen years old, I had never been loved, and now I was being sent to marry a terrifying older man who was said to bring death to anyone he touched.

‘So this is how it ends,’ I thought, tears stinging my eyes but refusing to fall. ‘I lived like a ghost, and now I am going to die like a sacrifice.’

"Y-yes, Father," I whispered, turning on shaking legs to leave the room, walking away from the only life I had ever known, heading toward a darkness I could not even imagine.