Chapter 2

ANTALYA'S POV

My heart hammered against my ribcage as the taxi pulled up to our modest family home. The twelve-hour flight from California had left me exhausted, but adrenaline coursed through my veins, pushing all fatigue aside. My mother's hysterical phone call still echoed in my ears—Dad had been in a terrible accident. Critical condition. Come home immediately.

I stumbled out of the taxi, barely remembering to grab my luggage before rushing toward the front door.

"Mom! Dad!" I called out, bursting inside.

The sight that greeted me stopped me cold. My father sat at our kitchen table, looking perfectly healthy aside from what appeared to be a fresh bruise on his face. No hospital bed. No critical injuries. Just him, drinking coffee with a haunted expression, while my mother wrung her hands nearby.

"What the hell is going on?" My voice came out as a strangled whisper. "You said Dad was dying!"

Mom stepped forward, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Antalya, sweetheart—"

"No!" I shouted, dropping my bags with a thud. "You lied to me! Do you have any idea what I went through? I thought Dad was going to die before I could get here!"

Dad wouldn't meet my eyes, staring down at his coffee mug like it held the secrets of the universe.

"I canceled my finals, bought an emergency plane ticket that cost three thousand dollars I don't have, and nearly had a panic attack on the flight!" My chest heaved with each ragged breath. "Why would you do this to me?"

"We had no choice," Mom whispered. "Please, just sit down."

I remained standing, crossing my arms. "Not until someone explains what's going on."

Dad finally looked up, and the defeated expression in his eyes sent a chill down my spine. Something was very wrong.

"Your father's leg is broken," Mom said softly. "But that's not why we called you home."

I narrowed my eyes, noticing for the first time the cast peeking out beneath the kitchen table. "What happened? And why lie about it being worse?"

My parents exchanged a look laden with dread.

"We've arranged your marriage," Dad said finally, his voice barely audible.

The room seemed to tilt around me. "You've what?"

"It's to the Alpha Alfonso's family," Mom rushed to explain, as if that somehow made it better. "To Alpha Dominic specifically. It's... it's payment."

"Payment?" I repeated incredulously. "Payment for what?"

Dad's face crumpled. "I borrowed money. For the restaurant. We were going to lose everything, and I thought I could turn things around."

"From who? The mob?" I laughed bitterly, but their expressions confirmed my worst fears. "Oh my god, you actually borrowed from criminals?"

"The Blackwood family," Mom whispered. "Alpha Dominic came yesterday to collect."

My knees weakened, forcing me to grip the back of a chair for support. Everyone knew about the Blackwoods—the most powerful werewolf family in the region, ruthless in business and worse in their personal dealings.

"This is insane," I hissed. "You can't just trade me like I'm property! I have rights. I have a life, a future—"

"You have a responsibility to your family," Dad cut in, a flash of anger briefly overtaking his shame. "This is the only way."

My mind raced, desperately searching for a way out of this nightmare. "I have a boyfriend! Vaiker and I have been together for eight months. He could be my mate!"

Mom scoffed, actually scoffed at my pain. "A human boy from your university? Don't be ridiculous, Antalya. This isn't some fairy tale where you get to choose. Alpha Dominic has chosen you."

"He doesn't even know me!" I shouted.

"He saw your picture," Dad said quietly. "And he... he decided then and there. It was you or our lives, sweetheart."

The implications of his words crashed over me like a tidal wave. This wasn't just an arranged marriage—it was coercion, extortion. My stomach churned violently.

"So you decided my life was an acceptable sacrifice?" My voice had gone deadly quiet. "Without even calling me first? Without giving me any choice at all?"

"What choice do any of us have?" Mom cried. "He broke your father's leg just for trying to negotiate! What do you think he would do to all of us if we refused?"

The walls seemed to be closing in around me, suffocating any hope of escape. My breathing came in short, painful gasps.

"I won't do it," I declared. "I would rather die than be forced to mate with some monster."

Dad slammed his hand on the table. "Don't talk like that!"

"Why not? If you're going to sell me off to save yourselves, then I might as well speak the truth!" Tears burned behind my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. "If you try to force this marriage, I swear I'll drink wolfsbane. Then what will you tell your precious Alpha Dominic?"

The color drained from both their faces.

"You don't mean that," Mom whispered.

"Try me." The words came out as a growl, my wolf rising to the surface in my distress. "I will never be his."

Hours later, I paced the confines of my childhood bedroom, now transformed into my prison. They'd taken everything—my phone, my passport, even my laptop. The door was locked from the outside, and my window had been nailed shut.

I pressed my forehead against the cool glass, staring out at the night sky. Somewhere out there was freedom, was Vaiker, was the life I'd been building for myself far away from pack politics and archaic traditions.

My fingers curled into fists as determination hardened in my chest. I wouldn't be a pawn in this game. I wouldn't be traded like cattle to pay my father's debts.

"I am not property," I whispered to my reflection. "And I will not be claimed."

I had until tomorrow to find a way out. Tomorrow, when the monster would come to collect what he believed was rightfully his. The thought of meeting Alpha Dominic—the man who had hurt my father, who had threatened my family, who now sought to own me—made my blood run cold.

I need to find a way to escape before the monster comes to take me.