"No!" Nineteen-year-old Dani denied. Her voice came out strong, with none of the heartbreak that seemed to be clogging her throat. Her heart beat faster than normal, her breath coming in fast as if she had been in a race though nothing even remotely close was happening.

He smiled, a smile that was a caricature of the expression, one that lacked anything resembling warmth. It was such a departure from the smile he'd graced her with since they'd met. His eyes, the same silvery blue, now looked colder than the heart of ice as they looked at her without any warmth.

"One way or another, this will happen." He stated with chilling assurance. "It can be pleasant, or unpleasant that is up to you."

She held her head high and looked around at the warriors that stood behind the man who should've cared for her above any other. Yet here he was, humiliating her in the worst possible way. Where was the love that was supposed to blossom between mates from the first glance? Dani had been foolish enough to believe they had it and had condemned herself.

His pack was higher up in the mountains than hers, a place that was difficult to get to or leave. She was trapped here and he knew it, revelled in it. Dani though had never been a quitter and there was no power on earth that was ever going to submit to his plans. She was beta blood, he might think less of her just because her mother was from the Sioux nation but she knew her worth.

Even as it drove a spike through her heart, she wouldn't allow his opinion to define her. She'd hold on to who she was regardless of what he might do to her and she would find a way to free herself of his intended captivity.

As if knowing what she was thinking he gave her another cold smile. "Do you think you're the first Daniella?" He mocked. "My family has been keeping their blood pure for generations so we've mastered the art. I will not be the first to taint my heir, especially with a mixed mongrel like you. You'll never be able to tell anyone what you really are to me, not even your beloved family."

She held her head high and steady even as her heart shattered into a million pieces. He was supposed to be her soulmate, the man she'd anticipated and given her heart, body and soul to. Yet now he treated them as if they were worthless.

He seemed to hate that her family loved her, that they'd made him promise to see her as regularly as possible. It was as if just knowing she was loved was a challenge he knew he could never win. But from the look on his face, Dani knew he'd do his best to erode her memory of her worth, even to her family.