Page 2 of Unbelievable Faith
Instead, he’d murdered her father in cold blood. Sure, he’d made it appear legal because of the challenge he’d issued to the reigning Pack Alpha but everyone knew her father had been ill. No self-respecting wolf challenged a Pack Alpha when he was weak but Maddox had and he’d won. He’d broken her father’s neck. He’d killed him while she screamed and cried and clawed to getfree.
When the pack gathered around the fire to watch the challenge had begun to rumble about the way Maddox had seized power, he hadn’t hesitated. He’d ordered his allies to detain every one of her siblings and imprison anyone that spoke out against him. He’d initiated martial law with himself as judge, jury and executioner. She didn’t know how many of her loyal friends had been killed that night, or in the days and weeks since. All she knew for certain was that Maddox had her sisters, Maya and Nova, and she could only hope, pray, and believe that Leo had been strong enough, fast enough, to get off Crescent land before they trapped and killed himtoo.
She’d clung to that belief for months as Maddox held her captive. Clung to hope that Leo would come back for them even as she prayed he wouldn’t risk his own life for hers. Leo was the natural heir as the eldest male and born Alpha. Maddox would kill him on sight and she didn’t want that. She’d rather Leo run and find a new pack for himself, forget all about them, than die trying to save them. She’d thought that given enough time she could figure a way out of that basement and a way to save her sisters, but just last night Maddox had come downstairs and told her that her time wasup.
Either Luna agreed to mate with him and help rebuild the Crescent pack he’d shattered with his cruel upheaval, or he would kill Maya and wait for Nova to come of age to claim herinstead.
Just thinking about his kind of evil near her little sister, made Luna nauseous. Sweet, sheltered, hopeful Nova wouldn’t stand a chance against a monster like Maddox. The only reason he hadn’t hurt her already was because of her gift. A Seer was a powerful being in a pack and hurting Nova would destroy what little credibility he had. And Maya, her sister who was too strong, too proud and too stubborn to ever give in to him, would be the one killed just to prove a point. As fiery as her temper could be, Luna worried every waking moment that Maya was digging herself further into whatever hole he’d tossed her in. She wondered how many chances Maddox would give her before he snapped and hurt her or if he alreadyhad.
Which meant Luna had to protect them since they couldn’t protect themselves. She was the big sister. She was the one he wanted. She was the one that could save them and there was only one way to dothat.
Give in. Give him what he wanted. Agree to mate him. To go against every belief she’d ever held and every bit of self-preservation she had left. It was the only way out of that basement. The only way to earn her freedom and that of her sisters. And she told herself that once she had that, once he was convinced she was broken and docile, she would have her chance to rip his heart out the same way he’d ripped outhers.
She was going to marry Maddox Clary, tonight, in the traditional ceremony. She was going to mate with him. She was going to keep her chin held high and her back straight and her eyes on the prize. She was going to smile and play along like she was the good, little, submissive wolf that he wanted her to be. And then, when he least expected it… she was going to killhim.
