THE CURSED ALPHA’S STOLEN LUNA

Sierra

The car door slammed shut.

The interior of the car smelled of expensive leather and something sharp, like ozone before a storm. I huddled against the door, my skin still crawling from the phantom sensation of Santiago’s touch. The rejection bond was still aching in my chest. It felt like my heart had been shredded and left to bleed in the dark.

"Stop crying."

The voice was deep. It was like velvet wrapped around gravel.

I looked up. The man sitting in the shadows of the backseat was even more terrifying up close. He was massive. His shoulders were so broad they seemed to take up half the cabin. He leaned back with a terrifying grace, his long legs stretched out. He didn't look like the other Alphas I knew. He wasn't polished. He was raw. Dark tattoos peeked out from the collar of his black shirt, climbing up his neck like ivy.

"I am not crying." I wiped my face with the back of my hand. My voice was hoarse. "I am mourning the fact that I didn't kill Santiago when I had the chance."

A small, dangerous smirk touched his lips. He finally looked at me. His eyes weren't just dark. They were haunting. He was devastatingly handsome in a way that made you want to run and stay at the same time.

"Great." He said. "Keep that fire. You are going to need it where we are going."

"Where are we going?" I asked. I moved as far away from him as the seat allowed. "And why did you buy me? I am a 'murderer,' remember? Or did Santiago forget to mention that?"

"I don't care about the gossip of a pack that can't even protect its own." He leaned forward. The movement was sudden. He invaded my space, his scent flooding my senses. "You are Sierra. The girl with no pack. And I am Ansel. Your new reality."

"I am not your property." I snapped.

"Technically, you are." He corrected me coldly. "But let us be clear about one thing. I do not have time for tears or drama. You have a role to play. If you play it well, we won't have problems. You will be fed, clothed, and protected. If you don't, the North is a very cold place for a lone wolf."

"What role?" I felt a chill that had nothing to do with the air conditioning.

Ansel looked out the window as the car sped away from the Vanguard estate. I watched the lights of my home disappear. I felt a pang of agony, but I pushed it down. I had to survive.

"My position is being threatened." Ansel said. His voice was casual, as if he were discussing the weather. "The Council of Elders thinks I am too unstable. Too 'cursed' to lead without an anchor. My brother, Ricosta, is already whispering in their ears, trying to claim my seat. He thinks he can run the North better than I can."

"And what does that have to do with me?"

Ansel turned back to me. He leaned in so close I could feel the heat radiating off his body. He reached out, his thumb tracing the line of my jaw. His touch was firm, almost aggressive.

"I need a Luna." He whispered. "A perfect, happy, devoted Luna to show the Council that I am settled. I need the world to believe we are a match made in the stars."

I let out a harsh laugh. "You want me to lie? After what just happened? I can barely stand to be touched by a man right now."

"It is a transaction, Sierra." He said. His gaze dropped to my lips. "You play the part of the doting wife in public. You smile at the galas. You stand by my side at the trials. In exchange, I give you a life Santiago could never dream of."

"And in private?" I challenged him.

"In private, you can hate me all you want." He shrugged. "But there is one more condition. The Council won't be satisfied with just a wedding. They want a legacy."

I shook my head. "What does that mean?"

Ansel's eyes darkened. He moved his hand from my jaw to the back of my neck, pulling me slightly closer. The air in the car suddenly felt very thin.

"I need a son, Sierra." He said. His voice was a low growl. "I need an heir to secure my line. Give me a son, and after he is born and the Council is silenced, I will give you your freedom. I will give you enough money to go anywhere in the world and disappear."

I felt like the floor had dropped out from under me. "You want me to... you want a baby?"

"I want a future." He corrected. "And you are the one I chose to give it to me. It is a simple deal. A life for a life."

"You are insane." I whispered. "I don't even know you."

"You don't need to know me to carry my child." He said. He didn't sound like a hero. He sounded like a king who was used to taking whatever he wanted. "Do we have a deal, or should I tell the driver to drop you off in the middle of the woods? I hear the rogues are hungry this time of year."

I looked at him. Truly looked at him. He was ruthless. He was arrogant. He was everything I should hate. But he was also my only way out. He was the only person who could keep me safe from Santiago’s reach.

"Three months." I said. My voice was trembling. "Give me three months to decide."

"You have until we reach the border." Ansel said. He didn't move away. He stayed in my space, his heavy presence pinning me against the seat. "But let me give you a piece of advice, pet. Don't look back. There is nothing left for you in that pack but a grave."

I looked at his tattoos. I looked at the raw power in his shoulders. I thought about Santiago and Amaia laughing in that ballroom. I thought about how he had used me and then thrown me away like trash.

"I'll do it." I whispered. "But I have my own rules. You don't touch me unless it's for the 'role.' And you never, ever mention my mother."

Ansel’s smirk returned. It was a beautiful, lethal thing.

"We'll see about the touching, Sierra." He said.

He didn't pull away. Instead, he leaned in further, his nose brushing against mine. For a second, the hatred I felt for men in general flickered. There was a spark there. A dangerous, forbidden pull that had nothing to do with a mate bond and everything to do with the man himself.

"Welcome to the North." He whispered against my lips.

His phone buzzed. He pulled back, the spell breaking instantly. He looked at the screen and his expression turned to ice.

"What is it?" I asked.

"My brother." Ansel said. He looked at me with a look that made me want to scream. "It seems he has already found out about you. He's waiting at the gates. And he brought a guest."

"Who?"

Ansel didn't answer. He just looked out the window as we crossed the mountain pass.

Get ready, Sierra." He said. "The game just got a lot more complicated."

As the car rounded the final bend, I saw the lights of a massive stone fortress. And standing under the spotlights at the entrance was a figure I recognized all too well.

It was Giberano.

My heart stopped. He wasn't supposed to be here. I had seen him on the news and heard about him. Ansel's father.

My hands shook.

What was I supposed to do?

But as the car pulled to a stop, I saw the look on his face. It wasn't anger. It was a bit genuine smile.

Ansel gripped my hand, his rings cold against my skin.

"Smile, Luna." He commanded. "Our first audience is waiting.”