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CHAPTER 6
~Rhiannon's POV~
Kael's gaze didn't flicker, but something unreadable moved behind his eyes. "You're not a dog, Rhiannon. But this isn't freedom either. You want something—we want something. It's that simple. I cannot assure you when I do not know how you will behave."
"Like we said, your behaviour guarantees what you get from us," Draian added, and here I thought he was the more logical one.
I leaned back just a little, enough to make the chains clink again. "Right. Obey like a good girl and maybe I'll get a crumb of mercy."
Lucien let out a quiet breath, whether from annoyance or amusement, I couldn't tell. "You're not wrong," he said, tone dry. "But at least we're honest about it."
Talon grinned. "She's got more spine than most of the pack. I kind of like her pissed."
I shot him a look. "Keep liking it. That's probably all you'll get."
Riven growled low in his throat, clearly not entertained. Kael raised a hand subtly to quiet him.
"I'm asking you to submit, yes," Kael began, "and I'm offering a truce. Temporary. You give us a reason to trust you, and we give you what you want. That's not chains. That's negotiation."
"And what does 'trust' mean to you?" I asked. "I sit quietly in a prettier prison while you plan your breeding schedule?"
Darian's voice was calm as ever. "It means no attempts to escape. No attacks. No manipulation. Be honest with us, and we'll be honest with you."
I gave a hollow laugh. "Honest? From a bunch of alphas who buy people and keep them in shackles?"
Lucien's gaze sharpened. "And yet here you are, alive, unhurt. You're not the only one with questions about this arrangement, girl."
I held his stare, then turned to Kael again. "If I'm to show good faith, then I want more than a shift in tone. I want a much better room, one void of those chains on the wall."
"They will be removed," Lucien stated as if he was giving me the best mercy gift.
"No. A new room. I do not want the reminder. And clothes—ones that aren't meant to remind me I'm owned."
Talon leaned back in his chair, folding his arms. "She drives a hard bargain. Think she wants curtains next?"
"Obviously yes," I shot back, unblinking. "And maybe a door that locks from the inside, too."
Lucien rubbed the bridge of his nose. "She's not going to back down."
"I'm not. It's normal human decency, except you're saying you wolves lack that?"
Kael's eyes hadn't left mine. "Done," he said finally. "A better room. A window. Clothes. But there will be guards."
"Of course," I said coolly. "Wouldn't want your investment wandering off, right?"
Riven's fists clenched, but he said nothing. I could feel his restraint.
Kael pushed his plate slightly aside. "You'll be moved today. One of the east-wing chambers. You'll be allowed time outside, under watch. If anything changes—if you push us—your current accommodations will look generous in comparison."
"Then I guess we'll see how long your patience lasts," I murmured.
Kael's mouth twitched—not quite a smile, but something close. "And we'll see how long yours does."
With that, he stood, signaling the end of the meal, probably because Riven followed, but just before they left, Darian's voice rang out.
"I have to say, I admire your tenacity." I raised my brow. Where was he going with that? "You are a female wolf."
"Alpha born," Lucien added, as a matter of fact.
"And yet, no male werewolf had ever been able to sense you until yesterday. Why?"
Rather than responding, I crossed my hands before my chest and stared him straight in the eye.
"Did it have anything to do with this, perhaps?"
Right before my eyes, Darian lifted something from underneath the table, letting it dangle before our eyes—my very eyes.
As if on cue, I reacted, reaching for it across the table, but he was swift and cunning. My bad, my mistake as he withdrew his hand the very next second while wearing that plastered smirk on his face.
I fucked up.
I should have never reacted and instead acted nonchalantly. That way, they would return my mother's necklace to me.
"I was right," Darian added mischievously as he tucked the necklace into his pocket after inspecting it.
I ignored the several stares burning into my head from the other brothers. "What's that?" Kael asked, now turning to face the dining table.
Riven did not go as well and instead took his seat. "Tell us, Darian. What is that?"
"A protective charm necklace that seemed to have lost its charm the moment she crossed the barrier towards the Moon Forest. That was how she was found."
His explanation was spot on, and I hated him for it.
"Does that mean she had been hiding in the werewolf lands or…?" Riven asked like an idiot.
"Take a wild guess, brother," Darian stated, leaning forward on one elbow, the movement casual but coiled with energy.
His red hair—tied back in a messy knot—spilled over one shoulder as he tilted his head, eyes locked on me.
Bright emerald green, sharp and unblinking, like he was trying to read me without words. Silver piercings along his ears caught the sunlight like sharp warnings.
Riven inhaled slowly, his chest rising with restraint, as if saying the next part was an abomination. "She lived amongst…"
"…the humans," Kael finished for him.
"Bingo." Darian stood up abruptly, making his robe sway around his legs.
He wore his robe open, loose fabric slipping to the sides as he shifted, revealing a bare, muscled torso marked with faint scars.
The black trousers he wore hung low on his hips, effortlessly, unbothered. Everything about him screamed relaxed threat.
He gave me a full view without shame—like modesty was someone else's problem—and his eyes never left mine when I looked up.
"Anyways, it explains why you couldn't be found. Which means, you knew how important and rare you were or your mother…'
"My only question is, how did she remain a purebred?" Talon asked, "Do we have traitors as werewolves or…?"
"It doesn't matter how or what happened. What matters now is that she was found, we got her, and she is our mate. Anything else… isn't as important. I want her watched at all times."
Kael's eyes darted between his brothers before settling on me. "There's no escape from the Bloodfang Pack."