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He rolls his eyes and sighs. “Yelena? Is that who you think your match is? Son, you lost your chance with her. She left. Sylvie is your best choice now.”

“We are destined to be together, and she’s back now. She’s the one I want,” I protest.

My father sighs.

“Austin, man-to-man, you should reconsider this. Love matches are rare, but Sylvie has the skills to help you. She may need a little more training on the protocols of our pack versus the one she grew up in, but she’s a solid choice. And with her, comes peace.”

I shake my head.

“I’ve made my choice, father. As a man and as Alpha.”

I can tell the words rankle my father. I haven’t even been Alpha for an hour, and I’m using it against him. He wants to argue, but—he stops himself, gritting his teeth instead.

“You’ll bring destruction upon us,” he growls before storming out of the kitchen.

“Baby, where did you go?” Sylvie calls out. Even the sound of her voice makes me want to rip my ears out.

I stalk back into the living room, determined.

“We need to talk,” I say bluntly.

Sylvie is stretched out on the couch, her shirt unbuttoned to reveal a glimpse of her cleavage. Her skirt is pulled up, exposing the smooth length of her leg. I avert my gaze toward the wall and signal for her to make herself decent again.

“What the fuck is your problem?” she bites out, covering her legs with the blanket and buttoning up her shirt.

“You,” I answer sharply. “But thankfully, that will be resolved very soon.”

Her gaze sharpens, and she folds her arms across her chest.

“The contracts have already been finalized. Breaking them will mean war,” she warns through gritted teeth.

“We deserve a better fate than to be paired together like this,” I tell her. My tone is firm, but not unkind. “You dislike me, I dislike you. Can’t we just agree on that?”

“You dislike me?” she scoffs. “That’s rich, coming from you.”

I shrug and cross my arms.

“I’ve been nothing but pleasant since the moment I got dropped in this god-forsaken trash heap that you call a pack. I’ve donemy duty because Ideserveto be Luna. You don’t get to take that away from me now,” she hisses.

“That right there is part of the problem,” I counter. “That superficial facade you put on doesn’t hide the ugliness beneath it. Not anymore. We are fundamentally incompatible, and I don’t choose you as Luna for my pack.”

She gasps. For a moment, she looks taken aback—even vulnerable. But then her expression hardens.

“Do you care so little for your pack?” she spits. “If you think my father will take kindly to this, think again.”

“I’m aware of the risks. They are more acceptable to me than a future with you. You only think of yourself. You are petty and selfish. You are not the Luna our pack needs,” I reply.

Her face contorts in anger.

“You’ll regret this,” she growls. “I’ll make sure you do.”

I open my mouth to say something else, but I hear a soft knock on the door. Someone pushes it open.

“Austin?” a soft voice calls out.

My entire body snaps to attention.Yelena.

Sylvie’s eyes narrow to tiny, beady little slits. “Is this your whore?” she asks, snidely. “You’re throwing me over for what? A human-loving little freak whoalready ran away from you?”