CHAPTER TWELVE
The evening air is thick with the scent of pine and damp earth as I sit across from my parents in their small cabin, the embers of the day’s fire dying in the hearth. My fingers fidget with the hem of my sweater, honey blonde strands falling like a curtain around my anxious face. They don't seem to understand that being chosen as Mark's mate isn't the dream it seems.
"Mom, Dad," I start, voice barely above a whisper, "I feel... lost, like I'm not really part of the pack, even now."
My mother's eyes narrow slightly, the corners of her mouth turning down. "Isla, you’re the Alpha's bride. It's an honor most girls would kill for." Her tone is flat, dismissive, as if she's scolding a child for not appreciating a precious gift.
"Your mother's right," my father adds, his deep v
