I looked from the messenger to Brooke, wondering what was going on. Brooke who looked surprised suddenly wore a smile on his face, and I could tell how fake that smile was.

“I had asked my men to give your messenger a warm welcome – it would have been much grander if I had known it was you coming,” he said.

“Please pardon my guardian, she had no idea who you are,”

“Grace, greet Alpha Pierce,” Brooke immediately said to me, his eyes ordering me to go on my knees. I scoffed, then turned to the one beside me.

“This is a mistake from my sincerity and loyalty to my pack. If I had known you were Alpha Pierce, I would have been a little bit nicer,”

“But it all happened because you were being sneaky,” I added, refusing to accept that I had done any wrong. And of course, I had done absolutely no wrong.

“You sure are cocky,” he said, taking a pause to take a good look at me.

“I like her; I’ll have her and whoever the bride is at Layers pack.” he said with so much conviction in his decision.

“Do you intend making me your mistress?” I asked him, giving him a sharp look.

“Don’t you want to be my mistress?” he asked. But I doubt he wanted an answer, because immediately it left his mouth, he turned to Brooke asking him to send in the bride.

“Shouldn’t you wait until your wedding,” Brooke said, trying to suggest to Pierce not to rush it.

“But I don’t trust you. And there won’t be no wedding!” my heart jumped at that last statement. But what I don’t know is the reason; was it from disappointment, or excitement.

“How dare you!” Brooke snarled at Pierce, ready to start a fight. But it was Pierce who attacked first. He was swift, pinning Brooke against the wall; I was forced to defend Alpha Brooke out of loyalty for the pack, darting towards Pierce who had Alpha Brooke in his hand.

“It doesn’t have to be like this little doll,” he said before grabbing me by the neck, his hand felt so strong. I would not be able to easily overpower him if we were to have a brawl. How come he was able to hide his strength so well when I attacked him.

He pulled me closer to himself, almost lifting me off the ground with one hand while sniffing around my body. His eyes seemed to have a sudden spark in it. His other hand made for my wounded shoulder, and without warning, he licked my wound.

In my head I screamed “freak”, but I could barely speak out since I was struggling to breathe and free myself from Pierces clutch.

“You already have her in your arms Pierce. If you kill her, it will ruin the peace treaty even before it is signed,” Brooke said. Pierce turned back to look at him questioningly.

“She’s my adopted daughter, Grace Howell,” Brooke said. For the first time, he looked like he cared, but I knew it wasn’t me he cares for. He would rather have me face Pierce alone than lose the one reason to make Pierce stand down from ruining Blue moon pack.

“And how did she get hurt?” he sounded cold, and fierce.

For the first time in my life, I saw Brooke go down on one knee for someone.

“If I knew you’d be coming today itself, I would have stopped her from going to the training ground!” Brooke said, trying to cover up the truth. I was disgusted by his attitude. But I knew I needed to play along, at least, for my mother’s sake, whose whereabouts only Brooke is aware of.

“I..I make my trainees fight har-d,” I managed to say, my lungs felt contracted.

Pierce let me down, his hand immediately grabbing my waist instead; his eyes stayed on me for a while, giving me the cringe.

“If you’re going to be my wife, then you can’t get hurt,” he said.

Does that mean I’m not qualified for the position? I could not help the questions that were running wild in my mind.

“You have to be the strongest she-wolf alive ” he said and morale immediately dropped at that point. Why does he sound so obsessed with power?

Just then, some men rushed in; none of them was from our pack. They stood behind us, Pierce shifted his eyes to the side as if watching them, then he looked up at Brooke who stood helpless before him.

“There will be no wedding until I say so. Which means, there’ll be no peace treaty,” Pierce said. I immediately pulled away from him.

“What do you mean?” I asked, wondering what was going through his head.

“You will be my mistress until you prove yourself worthy of being my bride,” he said with a cocky smirk on his face. I hated it, it made me want to slap it off.

“But that’s not what we agreed on,” Brooke snarled.

“As long as you don’t act foolishly, I won’t touch your pack,” Pierce said. He looked like he had Brooke in his palms, and could squash him anytime.

“How can I trust your word?” Brooke asked. Pierce scoffed.

“I shall be leaving this men in your care, if they stay alive, your pack stays safe; but if they die, she dies, and so does everyone in Blue moon pack,”

He said it like it was an easy task, he could accomplish with just the snap of his fingers.

“And what if your men make trouble?” I shipped in. “Then I’ll kill them myself,” his words seemed final. He pulled me with him, taking me out of the pack house.

Just then, Brooke’s voice got into my head, and he ordered “Find an opportunity, kill him. Remember I have your mother.”