Chapter 5 The Alpha's Ultimatum

Rachel's POV

"You are choosing her as your Luna and you want me to serve your future wife, Daniel. How are you any better than Cassidy? Why are you being so cruel to my wolf?"

My voice was hoarse and my inner wolf howled in agony. I wasn't going to submit in silence.

Daniel’s face darkened and he bared his fangs slightly. "Still think you have the right to challenge me?"

I could barely breathe under his dominance.

"Even if I don't crown Elena as my Luna, my mate will be a daughter of the Jayden bloodline or a high-ranking she-wolf of the Dunes. It will never be a packless Omega like you. Got it?"

He couldn't have scented the air with his rejection any clearer.

I had no pedigree, no powerful pack lineage. For an Alpha like Daniel, bloodline meant everything. Taking me into his private quarters years ago was already the wildest and most scandalous thing he had ever done. He was never going to give me his mark.

I let out a bitter laugh. "I never expected you to mark me. I'm not stupid. I always knew this arrangement had an expiration date."

"Rachel, be realistic," Daniel said and his aura softened as he stepped closer to engulf me. "As long as you behave, I won't cast you out when the Luna ceremony is over. Pick any estate in the Silver Ridge territory. I’ll provide the pack guards, the credits and whatever your wolf desires. Just be at the Alpha Manor early tomorrow."

"I want to find a mate too, Daniel," I whispered with my voice numb.

Daniel paused mid-step and turned back to glare at me with his jaw tight.

"I'm serious." I lifted my chin to meet his gaze while tears spilled down my flushed cheeks.

"Get some rest. I'll pretend your wolf is just throwing a tantrum," Daniel dismissed me coldly. "When you're actually ready to settle down, let me know. I’ll find you a decent Beta warrior from the pack guard. Someone stable and manageable."

His tone sounded generous as he turned and slammed the door shut behind him.

He was certain that a low-born wolf like me could never find a better male than what he chose to provide. He had slept with me for four years and now that he was claiming his true Luna, he wanted to hand me off to some controllable subordinate.

Controlling my life now. Controlling my future mating later.

But it didn't matter. Tonight, I would cross the border to meet Alpha Silas. Even Daniel wouldn't dare cross him. If I aligned myself with Silas, Daniel's hold on me would finally be broken.

The next day.

I had been to Daniel’s estate before. As his pack assistant, I had driven him here plenty of times. But every single visit made my inner wolf whimper with unease. Perhaps because I was a rogue-born orphan, I had always been obsessed with the concept of a true pack-den.

Daniel kept me hidden in a luxury penthouse in the lower territory, a cage designed to keep a pretty bird captive.

His real home was here. And I would never belong to it.

"Rachel, you're here," Elena greeted me with a purr of satisfaction as I walked through the massive double doors.

Elena stood in the grand foyer, smelling strongly of Daniel’s scent. She looked every bit the future Luna.

"My lady, this is for you." I handed over her offering, a box of homemade moon-berry biscuits. I used to bake them for the pups at the fringe sanctuary.

Elena smiled sweetly as she opened the box before casting a knowing look back at Daniel, who was descending the grand staircase. "Daniel, I think I smell these exact same biscuits in your SUV every week."

Daniel’s expression instantly turned murderous. The temperature in the room plummeted as his oppressive Alpha scent spiked. He clearly thought I had brought the treats on purpose to mark my territory and provoke his future Luna.

"Oh, actually, the Alpha has been skipping his morning meals due to pack council meetings," I rushed to explain while my fingers stiffened with anxiety. My heart hammered against my ribs. "I made extra for the sanctuary, so I left some in his office..."

"It seems Daniel really enjoys your cooking, Rachel. He even keeps it in his car," Elena smiled with her voice soft.

I kept my eyes glued to the floor. The more she spoke, the worse it became.

"I don't eat Omega scraps," Daniel said flatly. "I ordered them thrown out. My beta must have taken them out of the bin and left them in the vehicle."

My entire body went rigid. Scraps. Trash.

The biscuits I had woken up at dawn to bake, burning my fingers on the iron trays just to ensure he had sustenance. So, they were just garbage to be cleaned up by his beta. He was sending me a brutal message in front of his new mate.

Elena smiled gently and tossed a pair of flimsy, disposable slides at my feet. "Relax. Let me introduce you to our guests."

I stared at the disposable slides. Everyone else in the foyer wore fine indoor shoes. The disposable slide meant one thing, Elena only wanted me to cross this threshold once.

Daniel clearly noticed the insult but he remained silent.

"Everyone, let me introduce you. This is Daniel’s little Omega assistant. Isn't she precious?" Elena announced lightheartedly as she steered me into the grand living room.

I forced myself to lift my chin and paste on a submissive smile. But the moment my eyes adjusted to the wolves sitting in the lounge, blood drained entirely from my face.

Six high-ranking pack members sat in the room. Three of them were my former tormentors from the Pack Academy. The elite bloodlines who had spent years making my life a living hell.

Cassidy, Daniel’s vicious younger sister, Aaron Cross, Elena’s brutal Alpha cousin. Sandra Clifford, the female beta who had helped orchestrate my worst nightmares.

My body began to tremble violently and my inner wolf retreated to the darkest corners of my mind terrified. I cast a desperate pleading look toward Daniel for his protection.

Elena might not have known about my horrific history with these wolves. But Daniel knew. He knew exactly what Cassidy and her friends had done to me in the woods years ago.

He knew Elena had invited them. Yet, he still commanded me to come.

He wanted to break me, I realized with sudden clarity. He truly wanted my wolf to die