lise

rcing my gaze up to meet hers through the mirror. "A mute girl pretending to be a pretty princess. Do you know what happens to fragile things when wolves bare their teeth?" Her nails dug into my skin. I didn't flinch. I had grown used to the pain she masked as affection, the way she pretended concern in front of others while twisting the knife deeper into me when no one looked. "You will keep your pretty little head bowed," she whispered, against my ear. "Do not embarrass us. Do not give him a reason to tear you apart. Be grateful it's you and not Dahlia, because Alaric is merciless. He would have crushed her." My stomach knotted. A thousand questions screamed in my chest, trapped where my voice could not reach. 'Why me? Why must I carry the shame of my sister's flight? Why was I always the shadow, the replacement, the unwanted daughter forced into silence?' I tried to look away, but Judy's grip tightened until my jaw ached. "Smile," she hissed. "At least try to look like a bride instead of a funeral offering." The door slowly creaked. My father stood there, shoulders slumped beneath his ceremonial robes. Troy, Beta of SilverClaw, feared by others, but to me he looked like nothing more than a broken man. His eyes softened when they fell on me, then hardened with guilt. "That's enough, Judy," he said quietly. "Leave us." She lingered, slowly squeezing my face one last time before releasing me with a cruel soft pat on the cheek. "Remember what I said," she sang, her tone sickly sweet like honey as she slipped out from the chamber. The silence she left behind pressed heavier than her words. My father approached slowly, each step a confession. "I'm sorry," he said, his voice rough. "Annalise... I never wanted this for you." My throat tightened. My hands moved in sharp gestures "Then why? Why let them use me like this?" His eyes followed my signs. He understood, as he always had. And still, his answer broke me. "Because there is no choice my dear. The Alpha demands a bride. The Lycans demand unity. Without this union, blood will spill again. I cannot protect you from their wrath." He swallowed hard. "At least this way, you live." Live. Was this living? To be caged in vows not my own? To be bound to a man feared by all, even his own kind? Troy reached out, his calloused hand trembling as it brushed against mine. "I failed your mother. I will not fail you.... I swear, if there is any danger... I will find a way." I wanted to believe him. But I had learned long ago that survival in this world meant learning to carry wounds alone. The knock came bef