Chapter 2 Two

• Evana’s POV
• The walk back to my cabin feels longer than usual. The moment I step away from the bonfire, the murmurs behind me grow louder no longer masked by caution.
• “She actually thinks she’s worth something.”
• “The twins will probably kill her on sight.”
• “Good riddance.”
• I inhale deeply, forcing my steps to remain steady. Their words shouldn’t matter. They never have before but something about tonight makes every sneer, every insult feel like a knife pressing into my ribs.
• When I reach my cabin, I slam the door shut behind me pressing my forehead against the rough wood. I will not cry.
• Not for them.
• Not for a pack that never wanted me.
• A sharp knock on the door makes my shoulders stiffen. For a moment, I consider ignoring it but the second knock is harder, more insistent.
• “Evana”I exhale sharply when I heard her voice.
• Clara.
• The only one who ever showed me kindness even her kindness is distant, held back by fear of what it might cost her.
• I turn and open the door finding her standing there with a hesitant expression. Her dark brown eyes flicker with something that almost looks like guilt.
• “Are you okay?” she asks softly.
• I let out a dry laugh.
• “You mean am I okay with being handed over to the most feared alphas in existence like a sacrificial lamb? Sure. Perfectly fine.”
• Clara flinches at the tone of my voice.
• “Evana…” she calls and I shake my head.
• “What do you want, Clara? To reassure me that this is what’s best for the pack?”Her lips part but she doesn’t deny it. My chest tightens. I don’t know why I expected anything more. She shifts on her feet like she was thinking of what to say to me.
• “They’ll take care of you” she murmurs and I let out another humorless laugh.
• “Take care of me? Clara, the Caballo twins are monsters. Their pack is ruthless. They’ll either kill me, lock me in a dungeon, or…”my voice breaks as I hold back my next words without saying it outloud.
• Or worse abuse me.
• Clara’s expression wavers. She knows it too yet she still whispers, “Maybe it’s for the best.” she choose to say instead and my body goes cold.The best? The best thing for me is to be sent away. To be abandoned.
• I nod slowly, stepping back. Now I know that I am truly alone.
• “You should go" Her face twists like she wants to say something else when I say so but in the end, she doesn’t. She simply leaves.
• The moment the door closes behind her, the last sliver of hope I didn’t realize I was still clinging to dies as I let out soft so. That night I couldn't sleep.
• How can I?
• By dawn, I will no longer belong to this place. Not that I ever truly did. As soon as it was dawn, I start to pack the few belongings I have which I fit into a single bag—some worn out clothes, an old book that once belonged to my mother and a silver pendant that belonged to my father. It’s nothing, really. Just scraps of a life that ended long before tonight.
• I sit on the edge of my bed, staring at the pendant in my palm. The metal is cool against my skin, the engraving on the back slightly faded.
• For strength for courage are the words inscribe on the pendant and I trace the words with my thumb.
• I used to believe in them but not anymore.
• Then the first rays of sunlight creep through the window. It’s time. I pick up my bag and trail to the pack borders only to meet the pack members gathers at the border, watching as I stand beside Alpha Mikhail waiting for my new owners.
• No one says goodbye.
• Not a single person.
• The Caballo twins arrive just as the sun fully rises, their presence like a storm rolling in. The moment they step into view, the crowd falls silent.
• Two figures emerge from the trees, moving with an ease that’s almost inhuman.
• Luciano and Sebastian Caballo.
• The Twin Alphas.
• I’ve heard the stories. Everyone has.
• Luciano, the elderest is a force of immense power, his presence commanding without needing to say a word. His black hair is cropped short, his sharp jawline set in a way that speaks of authority.
• Sebastian, the youngest is something else entirely—wild, dangerous like a storm barely held in check. He stands slightly behind his brother, his piercing blue eyes flicking over me like I’m nothing more than a minor curiosity.
• They are beautiful And terrifying at the same time.
• Luciano’s gaze flickers to Alpha Mikhail “Is this her?”His voice is deep, steady.
• Alpha Mikhail steps forward and mentions my full name. “That's Evana Stanford the outcast. Daughter of the rebel Alpha Grant Stanford”
• Luciano’s eyes shift to me, scanning me from head to toe with a look I can’t quite decipher. Disappointment? Amusement? While Sebastian tilts his head.
• “She’s smaller than I expected”he said in a cocky tone and I bristle. I am standing right here. Luciano’s expression remains unreadable as he speaks again.
• “She is ours now” he declares while a chill runs down my spine while Alpha Mikhail nods slowly with eyes darting to me “As promised”
• Luciano’s gaze holds mine. “Do you accept this?”
• His question catches me off guard. It wasn’t asked out of kindness. No, it’s a test.
• I straighten my spine. “Does it matter?”
• Sebastian smirks. “She is feisty”
• Luciano doesn’t react before he says the next words “Then let’s go.”
• No hesitation. No formalities.
• Just like that, my life as I knew it is over. I exhale slowly, forcing my expression into something neutral. If I am to survive this, I will not break.
• I refuse to break but as I step forward, something happens.
• A shift in the air A scent.
• It hits all three of us at once.
• Luciano stiffens.
• Sebastian’s smirk disappears.
• And I?
• My entire world shatters because the moment I inhale my body reacts.
• Mate.
• My pulse slams against my ribs.
• No.
• Luciano’s gaze darkens, his jaw clenching as his nostrils flare.
• Sebastian curses under his breath, his silver eyes flashing with something dangerous. A chill races down my spine. This cannot be happening.
• But it is.
• The Caballo twins.
• The Alphas of my enemy pack.
• The men who were supposed to own me.
• Are my mates.