Page 4 of Brutal Alpha’s Sold Mate (Starfire Hollow Alphas #4)

He doesn’t react to my little show of defiance. His focus is on the road ahead as he starts the engine.

“Seatbelt,” he commands without looking at me.

“Excuse me?” I shoot back.

He finally glances over with one dark brow arched. “Seatbelt.”

I glare at him but reach for the seatbelt, snapping it into place with more force than necessary. “Happy?”

“Ecstatic,” he deadpans, turning his attention back to the road.

We pull out of the clearing and onto a narrow dirt path, the tires kicking up dust as the trees close in around us. The interior of the SUV is uncomfortably quiet, the only sound the steady grinding of the engine and the faint rustle of branches brushing against the windows.

“So, what’s the plan?” I ask after a few minutes. “Are you taking me back to your secret lair? Or do you just drive around abducting people for fun?”

His lips twitch, but he doesn’t look at me. “You’re not my prisoner, Kai.”

“Could’ve fooled me.”

He sighs, and the sound is heavy with exasperation. “We’re going to my pack’s territory. It’s safe there.”

“Safe for who?”

“For you. And for me, if you stop trying to claw my face off long enough to listen.”

I scoff, turning my gaze to the window. The trees blur together in a tangle of green and brown, and for a moment, I let myself focus on that instead of the growing weight in my chest. Safe .

The word feels foreign, almost laughable after everything I’ve been through.

But part of me wants to believe him, and that’s the part I hate most.

“You think you’re some kind of savior, don’t you?” I snap, keeping my eyes on the window. “Some noble alpha swooping in to rescue the damsel in distress.”

For a moment, I think he’s going to ignore me entirely, but then his voice cuts through the silence. “I don’t think I’m a savior. I think I’m someone who needs your help as much as you need mine.”

That gets my attention. My gaze snaps to him and narrows. “Like I said, I don’t need your help.”

“Don’t you?” he counters, glancing at me briefly before turning back to the road. “You’re sitting in my car, running on fumes because Malcolm and Wiley decided to dose you with something strong enough to knock out your wolf. I’d say that’s a pretty dire situation.”

I bristle, crossing my arms. “That doesn’t mean I need you.”

“Maybe not,” he concedes. “But you need options. And I’m the only one offering one.”

“What’s your angle, then? What do you want from me?”

“It’s not just about what I want. It’s about what we both stand to gain.”

“Spare me the cryptic bullshit,” I bite out. “Just say whatever it is you’re trying to say.”

He lets out a sharp exhale. His patience is visibly thinning, but when he speaks again, his voice remains calm. “My father is dead. He was the alpha of the Black Cauldron pack. Maybe you’ve heard of us.”

The name sends a jolt through me, but I keep my face neutral, unwilling to give him the satisfaction of knowing he’s struck a chord. “I’ve heard rumors,” I say carefully. “Whispers about a secretive pack that doesn’t like outsiders.”

He nods. “That’s us. My father ruled with a closed fist, keeping the pack isolated and out of everyone else’s business. It worked for a while, but it also bred resentment. Between my brothers and me.”

“Let me guess… Daddy dearest left you all fighting over who gets to sit on his throne?”

“Something like that,” he replies. “He left the territory divided between the three of us, with the understanding that whoever proves themselves as the strongest leader will claim the alpha position. But here’s the catch: if I want to take the title and appear like a fresh new ruler instead of a carbon copy of my father, I need a mate. ”

I stare at him, incredulous. “What does that have to do with me?”

“I need a mate. And you need a way out of this mess. I’m offering you a deal.”

My laugh is sharp and humorless. “A deal? You’re seriously offering me a deal after you just bought me like I was cattle?”

“I’m offering you your freedom once I’ve secured the alpha position. That’s the deal.”

“You expect me to believe you’re doing this out of the goodness of your heart?”

“No,” he says simply. “I’m doing this because it’s mutually beneficial. You need protection until you’re strong enough to handle yourself again, and I need someone the pack can see as my equal. Someone strong enough to help me hold the territory together.”

I don’t answer right away. The Black Cauldron pack.

My brother Quincey, the beta of the East Hills pack— my home —mentioned it once in passing, after hearing rumors about their leader’s death.

But even he didn’t know much, only that the pack kept to themselves and rarely ventured beyond their borders.

And now, one of their sons—the eldest, I’m guessing, since he’s in line for alpha—is sitting next to me, offering me a deal I can’t quite wrap my head around.

“You’re asking me to lie,” I blurt out. “To pretend to be your mate so you can play king.”

“I’m asking you to survive,” he corrects. “To stay alive long enough to figure out your next move. Because whether you like it or not, you’re not going to make it on your own in this state.”

The words sting, but I can’t deny the truth in them. My body feels like it’s been put through a blender. My wolf’s presence has muted to the point of being nonexistent. I couldn’t fight my way out of a paper bag right now, let alone take on someone like him.

“And if I say no?” I ask, just for the sake of it, really.

He shrugs. “Then you’re free to go. I know those goons said I have the ability to command you, but I give you my word that I will never yield that power.

It’s just not right. Nobody should have that kind of control over another.

That said, I doubt you’ll make it far before someone else decides to take advantage of the situation Malcolm and Wiley left you in. ”

The bluntness of his reply makes all my blood drain to my toes. I hate him for putting me in this position, for making me feel like I don’t have a choice. But more than that, I hate that he’s right.

I swallow hard. “You’ll really let me go? Once you get what you want?”

“Yes,” he says firmly. “Once I’ve secured the alpha position and you’ve regained your strength, you’re free to go wherever you want.”

“And if your brothers don’t back down? If this whole plan of yours falls apart?” I squint at him, searching for cracks in his calm exterior. “What happens then?”

“Then we deal with it.”

I snort, shaking my head. “You make it sound so simple.”

“It doesn’t have to be complicated. You help me. I help you. That’s it.”

My wolf stirs faintly in the back of my mind, restless but still too weak to communicate whatever she’s trying to say.

This isn’t how I wanted things to go. I had a plan, a purpose.

I was supposed to help my brother and my own alpha keep East Hills safe, and now it feels like everything has been ripped out from under me.

But he’s right about one thing: I need options. And right now, he’s the only one offering me any.

“Fine,” I say. “I’ll play your game. But don’t think for a second that I’m doing this for you.”

“Noted,” he replies with a curt nod. “Welcome to the Black Cauldron pack, Kai.”