Natalia's Pov:
The desert sand stretched endlessly around me, their sharp edges cutting into my feet through my thin boots. It was cold that night, colder than I'd ever felt. The chill seeped into my skin, making me feel like a ghost wandering this sand, with no sense of belonging .
The Emberclaw pack territory, my home , stretched endlessly around me. A brittle, bare, unforgiving land, is all I had ever known.
The one thing I ever had, despite its oppressiveness , I once saw beauty here until the Sandfang came and took it away from me. Making slaves of my people.
Tonight was supposed to be the start of my new life. My engagement to Lorenzo, son of the Alpha of the Sandfang pack , was set to secure peace and protection for Emberclaw.
I told myself this was a duty, a promise to my people.
The night air was warm, buzzing with sounds of celebration outside the Emberclaw den, the sky was bruised purple , a sign that night would fall soon. I stood alone in the shadows, looking out at the crowd from behind a sandstone pillar.
Dancers twirled around the fire, and I caught a glimpse of Lorenzo in the crowd, his cold gaze scanning over our people as if they were nothing but tools. My stomach churned.
Eventually I lost sight of him......
A quick footstep echoed nearby, and I darted farther into the shadows. I didn't expect anyone in this part of the den tonight; everyone was supposed to be in the main square.
My feets carried me forward , each step light and slow, careful . I was following a sound sticking close to the shadows that had always protected me , just a murmur of voices in the wind , but I had to know what it was.
My ears sharpened on every word as I drew closer, I realized it was Lorenzo's voice. Lorenzo, my supposed betrothed , a man I was promised to for the sake of our pack. But he was speaking to his brother, Alpha John, the Powerful head of the Sandfang pack . With a tone that struck me cold.
"So we'll have her marry you . Once the ceremony is over, You'll own Emberclaw and everything in it." John said, his voice carrying on the wind, low and harsh.
"She doesn't know , does she?"
Lorenzo laughed. "Not a clue, she thinks she's saving her people."
A pause
And then, in a voice as cold as the desert night, he added , "just like her sister thought before she learned the truth . And look what happened to her."
The words cut through me like ice.My breath hitched and I pressed myself against the rocks, covering my mouth with my hands firmly to keep silent.
My sister Angel , dead less than a year , had given herself to Sandfang , believing that marrying into their pack would protect ours. Instead , she died of a mysterious illness . I had suspected treachery, but never thought the betrayal would run this deep .They had taken her, just like they wanted to take me now.
They thought they had stripped me of everything - my family, my freedom , my dignity and possibly my life. They were wrong , I was still here, and I had heard them.
I took a slow, silent step back. They couldn't know I was here. They couldn't.....
A rock crunched under my foot, and I froze in fear, every instinct telling me to run. But I couldn't move, caught in the cold certainty that I was no match for them. I was small and slight, with little of the physical power they valued so highly.
"What was that?" John's head snapped towards the sound.
I held my breath, praying to the moon goddess to shield me. Somehow it worked . After a few tense moments , John gruntled and went back to talking . My heartbeat was so loud I half expected them to hear it . But I stayed there hidden.
After a moment , they turned and walked away, still laughing , still talking as though they hadn't just destroyed everything . I waited until their voices faded before I turned and ran.
The Emberclaw den was dark and empty when I arrived , but Nate was awake and waiting, his usual calm replaced by a flicker of worry as I entered . My twin brother, weaker and smaller than I was , had always been the one I protected . But tonight , he was my only chance.
As soon as I saw him, I shut the door, the words poured out every twisted awful thing I heard, my hands trembling as I clenched them into fists.
"Nate, they're planning to kill us. I heard them, they killed Angel and they want me to go along with this thinking I'll keep Emberclaw safe."
My voice cracked. "But they'll never stop."
He listened in silence ,he reached for my hand squeezing it gently.
"Calm down, Natalia."
His pale face is even paler in the moonlight.
"So that's their plan ," he whispered .
"To trap you in the same chains they used to bind Angel."
I nodded , fighting back the tears that threatened to spill. "I can't go through with it, Nate. I can't let them take me like they took her."
"Then we have to leave," he said, his voice barely whispering . ,"if they find out you know, they'll kill you."
I shook my head. "I can't leave. If I run, they'll crush Emberclaw and no one will be left to fight for them."
Nate's hand clenched on mine. For a moment, Nate was quiet, his mind working. I knew that look, he always thought better when he wasn't talking, always saw things In ways I didn't .
"We'll find a way to stop them. And I think I have an idea."
He disappeared into the storage. Nate had always been drawn to alchemy, spending hours mixing herbs and oil, while I had only ever focused on survival.
He went to a small shelf and pulled down a vial filled with shimmering blue liquid. He held it up, the glow of the liquid catching in his eyes.
"This is the only way," he said, pressing the vial into my hands.
"Take this , If you drink a drop a day , it will change your scent. No one Will know who you are, not even your mate."
I stared at him, my heart pounding
"And then what?"
"Then you'll take my place," he said simply. "You'll go to the Alpha Academy in my place, and you'll learn how to fight. They only allow three wolves from each pack and I'll give up my spot so you can take it. It's the only way you'll be able to fight them."
My mouth opened , but no words came.
I stared at him, stunned. "Me?" But....... they'd know I wasn't you. The second they looked at me they'd see through it."
To take his place , to become stronger ..... It was a mind blowing idea, but as he looked at me I realized it was our only chance.
Nate gripped my hand , eyes fierce. "You can do this , Natalia. They'll never see you coming. And when you're strong enough , you'll come back and you'll fight for us all."
"Trust me. If you drink this, they won't see you as Natalia. They'll see you as me."
He took my hand looking at me with fierce determination.
I looked at him, the fear slowly giving way for something else. Hope.
"What if they find out?" If anyone knows , if they realize......."
"They won't," he said, his voice steady.
"You're strong, Natalia. You've always been stronger than me. And besides....."
He squeezed my hand, a small smile on his lips. "You'll have me helping you even here."
Something inside me steadied, and I felt a strange calm settle over me. Nate was right, I could do this, I would do this.
"Promise me," he said softly, looking at me with fierce determination.
"Promise me you'll come back stronger. Then you'll make them pay."
He clasped his arm around me, his grip desperate . We stayed like that for a long time , saying the things we couldn't put into words. When he pulled away, his face was set with quiet resolve.
"Remember," he said, "drink a drop each morning. The scent masking won't last all day, and if they find out you're....... You , everything we're trying to do will be ruined. They'll know, they'll kill you."
I nodded, my heart heavy with fear and determination. "I'll come back, Nate I promise ."
The truth of his words settled into me. I would go to the Alpha academy . I would learn their ways. And one day , I would return, to take back what was ours.
