CRESSIDA'S POV
The loud blares of horns jolted me awake.
Quickly, I grabbed the dagger under my pillow and rolled out of bed, rushing to the window with a racing heart.
Outside, I could see flares of black smoke curling through the clouds, angry cheers growing louder with each breath I took.
They were here.
Our enemies had come to collect their debt, and from the panic erupting outside, it was clear that they were succeeding.
Our pack warriors rushed out of the gates, armed with shields and spears. On the other side, pack members ran toward their homes, locking themselves behind doors that would not hold.
We were doomed.
"Curses," I whispered under my breath as I rushed out of my room. There had to be a way to stop this battle before it began.
"Princess," one of the guards shouted as I walked past. "You shouldn't be here. Come with me—let me take you to the Royal Sanctuary."
"No," I insisted, walking even faster. "Join the other warriors outside and try to hold the border for as long as you can."
"But… Princess—" He grabbed my arm.
"Just go," I shouted louder than I intended, shoving him off. "I can take care of myself."
Before he could make up his mind, I raced past him, heading toward the only person I knew who could help stop this war.
***
The King's chambers were filled with the smell of garlic and old herbs. The air was thick with medicines that had stopped working weeks ago.
My father lay as he always did—his body still, his eyes unfocused, his face tilted toward the ceiling.
For a moment, as I approached his bed, I thought he had stopped breathing.
"Father?!" I called out desperately, taking his cold hand in mine.
"Cressida…" he croaked, his lips softening into a smile.
Tears blurred my eyes almost instantly.
"They are here, Father," I whispered,
squeezing his hand too tightly. "The enemy forces are at our border gate. They haven't broken in yet, but I still believe that—"
"It is too late," my father replied slowly, his eyes glossy with unshed tears. "I have failed this pack. I have failed you."
His words felt like a punch to my gut.
"No!" I cut him off. "There is still time. If we send out a messenger to ask for more time, maybe they will—"
"They will never give us more time, Cressida. Our time was up long ago. This pack will be conquered, and there is nothing we can do about it." His eyes were filled with resignation—with weakness.
My father, the Alpha of our once-great pack, was now a coward who refused to look me in the eye.
I almost resented him.
"Stormhaven is going to be taken to settle our debt, and if you don't leave now, you will be sold along with it."
I shook my head and dropped his hand, standing up. "I am not going to let that happen. I will never let them take our people. I swear it!"
His eyes softened, sorrow etched into his face.
"My beautiful and brave daughter," he whispered, a tear rolling down his cheek. "I truly hope this world doesn't break your spirit."
My mouth opened, about to reply, when the door creaked open and heeled footsteps approached us.
I did not need to turn around to know who it was.
Lady Dimitri.
My stepmother's presence hovered in the room like a dark shadow on an already cloudy day.
She wore mourning black, as though my father had already stopped breathing. Her silver hair was swept back into a tight bun, and her rouged lips tightened into a thin smile as her eyes settled on me.
"Cressida," she said smoothly. "You know you should not be here right now.
"I am exactly where I am supposed to be," I replied with a cold smile. "The enemy is at our gates. We need to summon the council—now."
"There will be no council," she said firmly. "You will be escorted back to your chambers by the guards."
I scoffed in disbelief, folding my arms and glancing down at my father. "You don't have that authority."
Lady Dimitri smiled faintly. "Actually, I do."
Before I could reply, the guards stepped forward and grabbed my arms.
"You can't do this!" I protested, trying to shove them away as they dragged me backward. "You have no right!"
"Make sure she doesn't leave her chambers," she instructed calmly.
"Father!" I yelled desperately, but my father only turned his head away.
"You should stay in your room and pray for a miracle," Lady Dimitri said as the doors to my father's chambers shut in my face.
There was something off.
The further the guards dragged me away, the stronger the impending sense of doom became.
It felt like something terrible was about to happen—and there was nothing I could do to stop it.
***
I paced my room restlessly, occasionally banging on the doors or fidgeting with the knob to see if it was unlocked.
"You need to stop, Princess," my personal maid and best friend, Alicia, whispered anxiously as I slammed my fist against the door again.
"How can I stop?" I demanded. "By nightfall, our warriors won't be able to hold the border, and by tomorrow this pack will be conquered. How can you expect me to sit here and do nothing when everything is about to be destroyed?!"
Alicia went silent, her hands trembling.
She was scared.
We both were.
"I don't know what my stepmother is planning," I said softly, walking toward her, "but I can't let it happen."
"My family…" Alicia murmured, tears filling her eyes. "They're outside the palace walls, and no one will let me see them. Even if the pack is conquered, I still want to say goodbye."
"Don't say that," I said confidently, even though I didn't believe it myself. "Nothing will happen to your family. Stormhaven will not fall."
"Are you sure? Because I—"
"I am sure," I insisted, pulling her into my arms.
"It will be okay," I whispered, rubbing her back as she sobbed.
Suddenly, there was a loud knock on the door.
"Princess Cressida," a guard called out.
"You have been summoned to the Royal Court."
I turned to Alicia, surprise and relief mixing in my chest.
"I will ask the council to send out a messenger," I reassured her. "Even if I have to meet their general myself, I will buy us time."
"And the debt?" Alicia asked. "How is the pack supposed to raise a million pieces of gold?"
My stomach tightened as I realized I had no answer.
* * *
The court was already full by the time I entered.
Elders sat together, murmuring anxiously. Worry, confusion, and fear hung thick in the air.
Suddenly, Lady Dimitri walked in with her son, Edmund, by her side.
I watched her with narrowed eyes, fists clenched, as she strode to the throne—and sat on my father's seat.
I froze.
What was she doing?
How could she sit on the throne?
What did that mean?
"What is the meaning of this, Lady Dimitri?" an elder demanded.
"You should address the Matriarch with respect," Edmund snapped.
"Matriarch?" another elder asked, confused. "Has the King already passed?"
Whispers rippled across the room as my heart pounded. I silently prayed to the Luna Goddess that the worst had not happened.
"I summoned this meeting because a solution has been found to save Stormhaven," Lady Dimitri said, silencing the room.
She pulled out a scroll sealed with red royal wax.
My father's seal?
An elder stood abruptly. "Is that—"
"Yes," she replied calmly. "It is the royal seal.
This decree was signed by the Alpha himself, in his final moments of clarity."
Final moments?
Cold dread crawled up my spine.
"What do you mean by that?" I asked, forcing my voice to remain steady as I stepped forward.
"Your father made one last decree to save our kingdom," Lady Dimitri said, her eyes gleaming with silent amusement.
Had she done it?
Had she finally killed my father?
My chest tightened, my hands trembling as the walls seemed to close in around me.
"This decree states that our debt may be repaid with something of equal value."
Her words echoed in my head.
She broke the seal and unrolled the parchment.
Equal value? What could possibly be worth a million gold pieces?
"The debt owed to the Lycan Empire may not be repaid in land or gold, but in offering," she read aloud.
"A payment of equal value that ensures Stormhaven remains a sovereign entity."
Her gaze lifted and locked onto mine.
"Princess Cressida of Stormhaven," she continued coldly, "shall be sent to the Lycan King, Alessio of the Silverfang Empire, as his lawful bride and mate."
My mouth fell open.
I was to be sent as tribute?
To King Alessio—of all people?
The Black King whose brides never survived a night.
The one whose name made warriors cower in fear.
Horror seeped into my bones as Lady Dimitri's lips curled into a sickening smile.
She wasn't sending me to save my people.
She was sending me to die.