Another chance with the Beta

The journey to the Blackwood Pack was long and silent. My parents sat in the front of the car, murmuring to each other in hushed voices while I stared out the window. The forests blurred together, dark and endless, as if swallowing me whole.

I should have been relieved to leave the place that had tormented me my entire life, but an odd hollowness gnawed at my chest. This wasn’t just a goodbye to the pack—it was a goodbye to Jaxon. To the foolish girl who had once believed in love, in fate, in mates.

I clenched my fists. No more hoping. No more dreaming.

From now on, I would only believe in what I could control.

The car slowed as we reached towering iron gates. Blackwood Pack territory. A shiver ran down my spine. This was nothing like the Silver Fang Pack. The air felt heavier, thick with an energy I couldn’t place.

The gates creaked open, revealing a massive estate in the distance. The packhouse was enormous, built of dark stone, looming over the land like a fortress. Wolves moved around the property, their eyes sharp and calculating as they watched our car roll in.

I swallowed hard.

We parked near the entrance, and before I could fully prepare myself, the doors opened. Two men stepped out.

One of them was tall and broad, his presence dominating even from afar. His black hair was slightly tousled, as if he had just run his fingers through it in frustration. His sharp jawline was rigid, his piercing silver eyes like shards of ice.

I didn’t need to be told who he was.

Alpha Lucian Blackwood.

The other man was slightly shorter but still powerful in build. His honey-blond hair framed his face in soft waves, and his green eyes held warmth—a stark contrast to the Alpha beside him. He looked… kind.

I released a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding.

My father stepped forward, bowing his head. “Alpha Lucian, Beta Elias. Thank you for allowing us into your pack.”

Lucian’s gaze swept over my parents before landing on me. His expression remained unreadable, his silver eyes cold and calculating.

I shifted uncomfortably under his scrutiny.

“This is your daughter?” he asked, his deep voice smooth yet devoid of warmth.

I met his gaze, my throat tightening. There was something about him—something unsettling.

“Yes, Alpha,” my father confirmed. “This is Aria.”

Lucian’s lips pressed into a thin line. “She’s wolf-less.”