novelraw Chapter 126: The Agreement
Chapter 126: The Agreement
Leo’s POV
"I would rather die than be tied to you forever," I snapped, the words sharp with pure hatred.
The anger in my voice made her jump. "The Wolfsbane will put our wolves to sleep. They won’t be able to claim you. The bite will just be a hickey. No magic. No link. No soul connection."
"And the pack?" Camilla asked. "They will want to smell the bond. Everyone knows an Alpha’s mark carries a distinct scent."
"The ink has a very strong smell," I explained, already calculating my plan. "When it reacts with the air, it mimics the scent of a fresh bond. It will be strong enough to fool our fathers and the people. By the time the smell goes away, the wedding will be over."
Liam stood up from the couch and nodded. "Good job, Leo..."
I looked at the sisters, my eyes full of hate. "This is the deal. You take the fake mark. You tell your father the bond is real. You take your titles and be our Lunas only in title. But if you ever try to take those patches off or mess with our poison... if you try to expose our plan to anyone, the deal is over. And I will personally throw you back to your father’s land in pieces."
Camilla fixed her robe. She didn’t want love; she wanted power, and this gave it to her.
"Fine," she said. "We agree. We will act like happy brides and mates. Just make sure your plan doesn’t kill you before we say ’I do,’ Leo. It It would be unfortunate to become a widow so quickly."
I didn’t say anything. I just walked to the door and unlocked it.
"Get out," I ordered. "Tell our fathers the ’good news.’ Tell them we changed our minds."
They smiled and made their way to leave.
"There is one more thing," I added, stopping them before they could reach the door. "Those patches are only for the ceremony."
The sisters turned back, looking confused.
"If the patches stay on too long, someone might realize they aren’t real skin." I explained. "So, the day after the wedding, we are flying you to India. I know a specialist there who works with permanent ink. You will each get a tattoo on your neck that looks exactly like our Alpha marks."
I stepped closer to Camilla, making sure she understood exactly what I meant. "The tattoo will look real to anyone who sees you in the halls or at meetings. It will never fade. But since it’s just ink and not a bite from our fangs, there will still be no bond. No soul-connection. No way for you to feel our emotions or track our thoughts."
"India?" Bianca whispered, her eyes wide.
"Yes. It’s far away from the prying eyes of the North," Liam added, his voice cold. "Our fathers will think we are taking you on a quick honeymoon trip. In reality, we are just making the lie permanent. You get a tattoo that marks you as ours in public, and in return, you leave our souls alone."
Camilla touched her neck, right over her scent gland, imagining the needle. She didn’t look bothered by the pain; she looked satisfied that the "mark" would be permanent for the world to see.
"Fine," Camilla said with a sharp nod. "A tattoo is a small price to pay for the crown. We will fly to India, get the ink, and return as your ’marked’ Lunas."
"Good," I spat. "Now get out of my sight."
They walked out with their heads held high, already practicing their fake smiles. When the door shut, the room felt heavy. I looked at Liam and Leon. We had just planned to poison ourselves to save a pack that was currently cheering for our lives to be ruined.
"I hope the Wolfsbane works," Leon whispered, looking at his shaking hands. "Because if my wolf wakes up and sees what I’m doing... he might kill everyone in this house."
I let out a deep breath.... what we were doing was risky, but it was the only way.
"Let’s tell the pack what they want to hear." I went for the door, my hand on the handle, but Leon’s voice stopped me.
"Wait," he said. I turned around. Leon was standing by the mantel, his eyes fixed on the floor. "There is one more thing we need to agree on. We aren’t doing this forever."
Liam and I both looked at him.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"The treaty only says we have to marry them to stop the war," Leon said, his voice regaining a bit of its strength. "It doesn’t say we have to stay married until we die. We give the pack peace. We create the alliance. But once the dust settles—maybe a year, maybe two—we find a way out. We divorce them."
A small spark of hope, cold as it was, flickered in my chest. A divorce. It was almost unheard of for Alphas, especially after a marking, but since our marks would be fake, there would be no soul-bond to tear apart.
"A year or two," Liam repeated, weighing the words. "Long enough for the Silver Lake Pack to find a new enemy or for the alliance to become old news. We tell the pack it didn’t work out. We tell our fathers we tried."
"Exactly," Leon nodded.
I took a deep breath. Having an end date—even one two years away—made the weight on my shoulders feel just a tiny bit lighter. We weren’t walking into a life sentence; we were walking into a long, painful prison term.
"Fine," I said, looking at both of them. "Let’s go," I said, my voice sounding like it was coming from a stranger. "Let’s tell them what they want to hear."
My brothers and I walked out of the study. Our footsteps felt heavy. We made our way back to the balcony. The cold wind hit my face, but I didn’t feel it. I felt numb.
I stepped up to the railing and looked down. The square was still packed with people sitting on the grass, their faces pale. The silence was heavy, broken only by the shivering of the crowd and the occasional soft whimper of a baby.
I swallowed hard before clearing my throat, and my voice boomed across the square, amplified by my Alpha power.
"People of the Full Moon Pack!" I shouted. "We have heard your cries. We have seen your fear. As your Alphas, your safety is our first priority. We will not let this war happen. We will not let our warriors die. We have agreed to marry the daughters of the Silver Lake Pack."
For a heartbeat, there was total silence. Then, like a dam breaking, the square erupted.
It was instant jubilation. People jumped to their feet, hugging each other and screaming with joy. It was like magic—the children stopped crying immediately, and the newborns fell quiet as if they knew the danger had passed. Cheers and whistles filled the night air.
I looked down at them, watching the mothers lead their families back toward their warm homes, laughing and talking about the upcoming wedding. They were celebrating their "heroes." They truly thought we had found happiness, that we had finally chosen our Lunas and found peace.
They had no idea.
They didn’t know about the Wolfsbane we would have to swallow. They didn’t know about the fake patches or the tattoos in India. They didn’t know that every cheer they gave was a nail in the coffin of our souls.
"I feel like I’m stepping into a grave," Leon muttered behind me. He wasn’t looking at the happy crowd; he was looking at his hands, which were still shaking.
"We are," I replied, my eyes fixed on the distant horizon. The enemy was probably celebrating too. "But at least the pack will live to see tomorrow. Even if we have to die inside to make it happen."
I turned away from the cheering crowd. I couldn’t look at their happy faces anymore. It hurt too much to see them celebrate the very thing that was destroying us.
"Get some rest," I told my brothers as we walked back inside. "The wedding is in three days. We have a lot of lies to prepare."