Skylar
The sudden voice that came from behind was like a bucket of ice water poured over my soul.
I froze. But I didn't turn around. I couldn't move. My feet felt like they were rooted into the stone of the courtyard.
I heard the slow, deliberate crunch of boots on gravel.
Alec. I knew it was him.
He stepped at my side, his hands shoved deep into his pockets. He wasn't wearing his suit jacket anymore, just the black shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He didn't look angry. He looked bored.
"I was... I was just getting some air." I almost stammered, trying to sound confident. "Aveline said I should look around."
Alec, then, stopped in front of me, blocking my path to the wagon. He looked at the driver, then back at me. For the first time, the corner of his lips quirked up a bit. Fuck.
"In a delivery wagon? I didn't realize the Alpha's wife had such a passion for empty vegetable crates."
He stepped closer as he reached out, his fingers catching my chin and forcing me to look up at him.
"You have thirty-six hours left on your deadline, Skylar," he murmured. "Don't waste them trying to run. You have nowhere to go. Even if you made it past my gates, do you think I wouldn't be able find you?"
A wave of sadness made my knees weak. He was right. He was the Alpha of Alphas. There was nothing impossible for him.
"I am here. I am just looking around. I wasn't trying to escape." I breathed, it came shaky. "But I can't be what you want either."
Alec's grip on my chin tightened, just enough to be a reminder of his power.
"You'll be exactly what I want," he said, his voice dropping to a growl. "Because the alternative is much, much worse. Now, go back inside before I decide that your two-day grace period is over."
He let go of me, but he didn't move. He watched me as I turned and stumbled back toward the door.
I reached the doorway and looked back one last time. Alec was still standing there, watching the forest as if he were the only king it had ever known. But then, suddenly, a black raven landed on his shoulder, and Alec didn't flinch. He reached up and touched its wing, whispering something I couldn't hear.
The raven took flight, and Alec's eyes found mine across the courtyard. He knew I had seen it. He didn't bother.
Who talks to a raven? Was it his pet or something? I had never heard things like that.
I hurried back into the house. God. My mind was spinning. First the contract, then the bite, and now a man who whispered to birds. It felt like I had married into a nightmare.
I didn't stop until I reached our bedroom. I leaned against the heavy oak door, gasping for air.
"A raven," I whispered to the empty room. "He talks to ravens."
In the stories my grandmother told me, ravens were messengers of the old gods or omens of death. Looking at Alec out there, with the bird's black wings brushing his cheek, he didn't look like an Alpha. He looked like a dark sorcerer.
I sat on the edge of the massive bed, burying my face in my hands. Thirty-six hours. That was all the time I had left before I officially became a his madman's "vessel."
The door opened suddenly. I flinched, expecting Alec to walk in with more threats, but it was a young maid. she was carrying a large, heavy box wrapped in black silk.
"The Alpha sent this for you, Luna." She said, her head bowed low. "He said you are to wear it for the gala tonight."
She placed the box on the bed and hurried out before I could ask her a single question.
I pulled the silk ribbon. The lid slid off, revealing a dress of deep, blood-red velvet. It was beautiful, but it was also terrifying.
Tucked into the folds of the fabric was a small, handwritten note.
"The Council does not like ghosts, little ghost. Tonight, you will be a queen. Do not fail me."
Beneath the note was a necklace with a single, dark red stone. He had a choice, at least.
I looked at the clock on the wall. The seconds were ticking away.
Thirty-five hours.
I spent the rest of the afternoon staring at the red dress. When the sun finally dipped below the trees, the house began to groan with the sounds of a hundred guests arriving.
I dressed in silence and put on the silver necklace, clicking the clasp shut.
I was finishing my hair when the door opened.
Alec stepped inside. He was dressed in a suit that was as black as his soul, his hair swept back, looking every bit the ruthless Alpha the world feared. He stopped a few feet away, his eyes traveling slowly over the dress, the necklace, and finally, my face.
He didn't say I looked beautiful. I didn't expect.
"The Council is waiting," He said. "Remember Rule Three, Skylar. One slip, one tear, and I withdraw the guards from your father's borders tonight. You smile, you nod, and you act like you would die for me."
"I'm already dying for you," I muttered, keeping voice utterly calm. "You're just doing it slowly."
Alec's eyes flashed with something that wasn't quite anger. He stepped closer, reaching out to adjust the choker. His cold fingers brushed my skin. I couldn't help the shiver that raced down my spine.
"Don't be dramatic," He hissed. "It's just a party. Now, take my arm."
I did as I was told. I took his arm. My hand was trembling, so I gripped his sleeve tighter. We walked down the long hallway toward the grand staircase.
As we reached the top of the stairs, the music stopped. A hundred heads turned upward. The elite of the Black-Stone pack, the Council members, and the most powerful Alphas of the North were all there, watching us.
"Smile." Alec commanded under his breath.
I forced my lips to curve upward. We began to come down the stairs.
Halfway down, a man stepped forward from the crowd. He was older, with graying hair.
"So, this is what the shadow tomb offering?" the man asked as he looked at me with confusion. "She looks fragile, Alec. Are you sure she can survive the shadow tomb's special rituals?"