Aria, a young human girl with a broken destiny, is forced to marry Kael, a feared and domineering Alpha, to replace her runaway sister. But this is no simple arranged marriage-it is a pact of domination, an oath imposed by the ancestral law of the wolves. Kael, Supreme Alpha of the Shadowclan, tolerates neither weakness nor disobedience. At first revolted by her condition, Aria tries to rebel, but each challenge she throws at Kael only fuels his desire to bend her to his will. Between merciless punishments and power plays, an electric tension builds between them, transforming each confrontation into a dangerous dance between submission and passion. But in the shadows, a much more menacing force lurks. Kael's old enemies resurface, and Aria discovers that she is more than just an offering: she is the key to a forgotten prophecy, one that could either destroy the Alpha or make him invincible. In a spiral of intrigue, betrayal, and unspoken desires, Aria must choose between total submission... or becoming the Alpha herself.
Chapter 1 Chapitre 1
### The Offering
The cart jolted along the muddy path, shaking Aria with every rut. Her chained wrists burned from the friction of the iron. The blindfold over her eyes didn't stop the smell of soot and blood from assailing her. Everything in this place reeked of death, violence, beasts.
Her heart pounded against her ribs like a panicked animal caught in a trap. She should have been far away, hidden with her sister, but fate had decided otherwise. She was only a substitute, a lamb sent to the slaughter in place of another.
The wheels squeaked as they sank into the mud. The horse snorted. Someone kicked the door and jerked it open.
- **Come down.**
The voice was dry, devoid of emotion. Aria felt a gloved hand wrap around her arm and pull her out of the cart. Her bare feet met the icy earth. She staggered, lost her balance, fell to her knees. Mud immediately soaked her thin dress.
Snickers erupted around her.
- **She looks like a wet kitten. Do you think she'll survive the first night?**
- **Kael didn't ask for her to be strong. Just for her to be there.**
A heavy silence followed these words. Kael. The Alpha of Shadows. The one feared in all lands. The one who ruled without mercy, who slit throats like one slices bread.
Aria felt a shiver run down her spine. A boot slammed into her back and she collapsed full length.
- **Standing.**
She gritted her teeth and slowly straightened up. Her blindfold was torn off.
The torches illuminated a large circle of warriors, each one more massive and intimidating than the last. Their faces were marked with scars, their eyes gleaming like those of wolves. They were both men and beasts, an unstable balance between savagery and order.
And in the center, there he was.
Kael.
He sat on a rough throne carved out of stone. Far from the kings in their robes of gold and velvet, he wore simple leather pants and a dark tunic that hinted at a torso sculpted by war. His long black hair fell in thick locks around his face with features of icy brutality. Inhuman, steel-gray eyes stared at her with absolute indifference.
He didn't move right away. He looked her over slowly, like one would assess an animal before slaughter.
- **It's not her.**
His tone was calm, but every word sounded like a condemnation.
A man stepped forward, the one who had torn her from her home. A mercenary with a sly look and a predatory smile on his lips.
- **His sister escaped. This is what we found instead.**
Kael stood up. He didn't seem particularly tall, but his mere presence was overwhelming. He didn't need to yell to be heard. He was the kind of man whose anger was in the air before he even spoke.
He stopped in front of Aria.
She refused to look down. Even if her body was shaking, even if her heart was beating too fast, she wouldn't give him that pleasure.
A silence stretched between them. A heavy, oppressive silence, where each second seemed to weigh a ton.
Then, with a quick gesture, he grabbed her chin and forced her head up.
- **You think you can challenge me, kid?**
His voice was a hoarse whisper, a blade grazing skin before cutting.
Aria didn't answer. Her lips were sealed with fear, but also with fierce determination.
Kael released her and took a step back.
- **Never mind.**
He turned to his men.
- **She stays.**
Murmurs of surprise arose, followed by muffled laughter.
- **Seriously?** asked one of the warriors, a blond with a massive build.
- **A deal is a deal. She belongs to the Shadows, whether she's the good sister or the other one.**
His gaze returned to rest on Aria.
- **And she belongs to me.**
She felt the weight of those words crash down on her like a cleaver.
- **Take her. Get her ready for the ceremony.**
She was lifted roughly. Her feet dragged on the floor as she was carried through the corridors of a dark castle, a fortress as unforgiving as its master.
She was thrown into a cell with damp stone walls. An oil lamp flickered in one corner, casting ominous shadows on the walls.
The door closed behind her with an ominous slam.
Aria slid against the wall. She should have cried, screamed, begged. But there was no room for that anymore.
She was alone.
And Kael was going to break everything she was.
But she wasn't going to let him do that.
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