Talia’s POV
Sleep had abandoned me completely through the endless night.
How could rest find me in such circumstances?
The bitter cold greeted me as consciousness returned, penetrating deep into my bones and wrapping around my flesh like a suffocating shroud.
The rough wooden planks beneath my body offered no mercy, leaving my muscles screaming from the contorted position I had maintained for hours.
Hunger gnawed at my insides with relentless intensity.
Yet all of this paled against the throbbing agony radiating from my swollen cheek, where crusted blood clung to my split lip as a testament to my father’s brutal hand the night before.
I drew a shuddering breath and forced my battered frame upright.
Weak rays of dawn barely penetrated the gaps between the rotting shed walls, creating twisted shadows that danced mockingly around me.
Particles of dust floated through the stagnant air while the overwhelming stench of moldy straw and ancient bird waste invaded my nostrils.
Each movement sent lightning bolts of pain through my bruised ribs, forcing me to breathe in careful, measured gasps.
This wretched shelter had been my prison for the night, though calling it shelter was generous.
I had been thrown inside like refuse and forgotten.
My mouth twisted into a bitter smile.
Though the structure no longer housed any birds, the putrid smell of accumulated droppings and decay saturated every surface, searing the inside of my throat.
My garments had stiffened into a repulsive shell, coated with dried blood, perspiration, and grime.
Terror shot down my backbone.
Footsteps echoed outside, measured and threatening.
Every fiber of my being went rigid with dread.
Someone approached.
Fear seized my windpipe in an iron grip.
I had to stand, had to prepare myself.
But my limbs felt like lead, unresponsive and trembling.
Before I could fully orient myself, the shed door exploded inward with enough violence to make the entire structure shudder.
Air rushed from my lungs.
A massive silhouette dominated the entrance, his wide frame blocking out the pale morning light completely.
Shadow concealed his features, but his fury radiated outward like heat from a forge, dense enough to choke on.
Maddox.
His dark eyes blazed with undisguised loathing, his jaw clenched so tightly the muscles jumped beneath his skin.
He observed me as though I were vermin that had crawled from beneath a rock.
“Stand up.” The words cracked like a whip.
My brother’s rage was palpable, though I couldn’t fathom what had triggered it this time.
I had only just awakened.
I swallowed hard against the questions burning in my throat.
Instead, I kept my eyes downcast, refusing to meet his scorching glare, and fought to lift myself from the filthy floor.
A involuntary whimper escaped as my damaged ribs protested every movement, but I pushed through the agony.
My efforts were too slow for Maddox’s volatile temper.
In the next heartbeat, he surged forward and seized my arm with crushing force, hauling me toward the exit.
“Move, you worthless creature,” he snarled, yanking me into the livestock building’s main corridor.
His harsh tone sent fresh waves of anxiety cascading through my system.
Multiple servants had already begun their dawn routines, mopping floors and caring for the animals, though none dared glance in our direction.
“You possess incredible audacity, sleeping so late after the chaos you brought upon our entire pack!” Maddox raged.
Bewilderment flickered through my thoughts.
What chaos?
I had committed no transgression that I could recall.
But questioning him would only fuel his anger further.
I stumbled to match his relentless pace as he dragged me outside, my bare soles scraping across the harsh ground.
The frigid morning atmosphere sliced through my skin, though I barely registered the sensation.
Maddox’s fingers dug deeper into my flesh.
“Bringing shame to our bloodline with your complete inadequacy wasn’t sufficient,” he hissed through clenched teeth.
“You had to attract his notice as well.
Alpha Caspian himself!
Father should have disposed of you as chattel or executed you the instant the moon goddess marked you with her curse!”
My entire body went stiff, not from my brother’s death wish.
Such cruelty had become routine.
It was the name that sent electricity coursing through my veins.
Alpha Caspian.
A fresh knot of dread formed in my stomach.
He had promised to claim me, but I had dismissed his words as empty threats.
I had been crystal clear at the Astral Ball.
What could he possibly want with me now?
This made no logical sense.
My father would never surrender me willingly.
He preferred keeping me trapped here, using me as his scapegoat for every misfortune.
I would rather endure that than fall into the clutches of some stranger whose motivations remained a complete mystery.
The moon goddess had abandoned me seven years ago.
Even my destined mate had rejected me with public humiliation before hundreds of influential wolves just last night.
Who would dare claim a cursed, rejected, wolfless aberration like Talia Blackwood?
Unless they were an angel, but our world knew only demons.
So why?
Dread settled like poison in my gut.
Before I could unravel the puzzle, we arrived at the main house entrance.
My father stood waiting.
His posture was rigid, hands locked behind his spine, his expression carved from stone.
Distant.
Emotionless.
My mother flanked him.
Our eyes connected for one fleeting instant before she pivoted away with obvious disgust, as if my presence physically offended her.
My sisters waited near the front steps with my travel bag resting at their feet.
They remained silent.
No cruel taunts.
No verbal attacks.
Just oppressive quiet.
A violent shove sent me lurching forward.
A cry tore from my throat as I prepared for the brutal impact with the earth.
But instead, a powerful arm encircled my waist, stopping my fall.
The atmosphere around me transformed, becoming dense and electric.
I lifted my gaze, my breathing catching.
He seemed even more imposing than before.
Massive, draped in black, with eyes like molten gold.
A presence so commanding it made the very air feel oppressive.
Alpha Caspian.
His hold was secure, unwavering.
Those penetrating eyes studied mine, his expression impossible to read, yet something stirred in their depths.
I wrenched myself from his grasp, staggering backward only to collide with an unyielding barrier.
Maddox had positioned himself behind me, preventing any escape.
Alpha Caspian’s attention shifted briefly to my father.
His voice carried absolute authority despite its calm delivery.
“Beta Lukas, I observe you confined my intended bride in livestock quarters through the night.
I won’t demand explanations.
I’m claiming her.
Immediately.”
His declaration sent terror crashing over me like a tidal wave.
Bride?
Impossible.
No, no, no.
My head whipped toward my father, my pulse hammering against my ribs.
But he refused to acknowledge me as he responded, “Take her and depart from my territory.” His words carried no trace of emotion.
I nearly collapsed, my head shaking frantically.
Something was fundamentally wrong!
My father would never surrender me.
What had transpired during my absence?
Alpha Caspian’s golden gaze returned to me.
“We’re leaving.”
“Never!” My voice shattered.
“I refuse to go anywhere with you!”
His mouth curved slightly, as if my defiance amused him.
He must have viewed me as entertainment.
Without hesitation, he gestured to his Beta.
“Collect her belongings.”
Pure panic flooded my system.
I twisted away from Maddox, making a desperate sprint toward my father.
“Father!” My voice was hoarse.
Pleading.
“Please!
Don’t abandon me!
I’ll do whatever you demand!”
He finally acknowledged me.
For one heart-stopping moment.
What I witnessed in his gaze destroyed something fundamental within me.
Hatred.
Absolute, consuming hatred.
“You are both disgrace and error,” he declared, his voice booming with finality.
“No daughter of mine exists.
From this day forward, you hold no place in the Moonstone Pack.”
Before I could process the full weight of his pronouncement, his final words fell like an executioner’s blade.
“Leave.
And never return!”