The villainess

ense, filled with silence as her parents sat across from her, their faces a mask of stoic determination. Outside the window, the landscape had gr

tion to the wild deeper than any other pack. Caroline had never given much credence to those rumors, but now, standing at the edge of their terr

as the footman opened the carriage door. "This is about securing our family's

heavy against her skin, weighed down not by fabric, but by the burden of expectations. H

was built from dark stone, tall and imposing, with gothic arches and heavy iron gates. It looked m

g eyes. Caroline recognized him immediately from the stories-Nathaniel, Kai Alexander's second-in-co

s voice deep and resonant. Then his gaze flicked to Caroline,

but the intensity of his stare m

turning sharply on his heel and l

fierce warrior, their eyes glinting with an otherworldly light. The air was filled with the scent of pine and something else, something

armth did little to ease the chill that settled in Caroline's bones. Her mother and fathe

kable weight of a powerful presence entering the r

Alex

his sharp, angular face. He had the kind of beauty that was both mesmerizing and terrifying, like the edge of a blade. But it was his eyes that held her captive-pale silver, almost trans

He didn't address her parents; his eyes were locked on Caroline, as if she

ke an accusation ra

lied, clearing his throa

umes about his power. He took a step closer to Caroline, so close she could

the sound of her name. He tilted his head,

lt like staring into the heart of a storm. "I'm n

didn't reach his eyes. "A meek little lamb, perhap

She had been taught to be polite, to be accommodating. But there was something in Kai'

teady despite the fear coiling in her stomach, "

parents stared at her in shock, her mother's face a mask of barely concealed horror.

, almost to himself. "

Lockwood directly. "The arrangement is acceptable. We'

n sealed with a single, careless sentence. She felt a wav

ldn't quite place-interest, amusement, or perhaps something darker. "Welcome to the p

n place. The cold realization washed over her-she had just become a pawn in a game she didn

was, she had no i

thaniel, oblivious to the whirlwind of fear and confusion swirling inside her. This was her future now-tied to a

the fire on her back and the icy chill of th

would not be a meek lit

he would find a way to survive. Even if it meant becom

ecoming the villai

shrouded in darkness. But Caroline Lockwood was no longer afraid of t

it was the best