"What about my parents' expectations?" I asked, watching the familiar landscape give way to unfamiliar territory as we drove deeper into the city. "They'll want reports. Updates on my... progress."
Miles's jaw tightened almost imperceptibly. "Your parents' expectations are no longer your concern. Now that you're under our protection, they have no authority over you."
The concept still felt foreign, impossible to fully grasp. "And if they try to interfere?"
"They won't," Miles said with quiet certainty. "Julian can be very persuasive when necessary." He paused for a second before glancing at me once again.
“Besides, we have already ‘paid’ them for you if you want to get technical.” Miles told me and I couldn’t withhold the flitch at his words.
My parents basically sold me like cattle to these Alphas…I know I agreed to this courtship, but it didn’t stop the sting of knowing that my parents would do something like this.
"I'm sorry," Miles said immediately, noticing my reaction. "That was callous of me."
I shook my head, staring out the window at the city taking shape around us. "No point in pretending otherwise, when it’s the truth.”
Miles was quiet for a moment, then shifted slightly in his seat to face me better. "For what it's worth, Julian insisted on the financial arrangement. Your parents wanted ongoing benefits—business partnerships, social connections. He refused, made it a clean break."
"A clean break," I echoed, testing the words. Something about them felt right, like a bone being properly set after being broken.
"One-time transaction," Miles continued. "No lingering obligations. No reason for them to maintain contact unless you want it."
The realization washed over me like cool water. My parents had no leverage left. They'd already gotten what they wanted from the Vale pack—money, prestige, the connection they'd sought—and once I stepped through the Vale pack's door, their part in the transaction would be complete.
"You're saying they have no claim on me any longer," I said, the words feeling strange and weightless.
Miles nodded, his expression serious. "None whatsoever. And Julian made sure they understood that. Whatever relationship you maintain with them moving forward is entirely your choice."
My choice. The phrase kept appearing, a refrain I was still learning to believe.
"What if I don't want any relationship?" I asked, the question slipping out before I could censor it.
Miles's smile was gentle but fierce. "Then you don't have one. Simple as that."
“They made it like they wanted updates…that if things weren’t going well…” I tried to formulate words but they were coming out a jumbled mess instead.
"Hey," Miles said softly, reaching over to touch my hand briefly. "Breathe. Whatever they told you, whatever threats they made—they're empty now. They have no power over you anymore."
I drew in a shaky breath, trying to process what he was telling me. "They said if the courtship didn't work out, if I disappointed you somehow, that I'd be returned to them in disgrace. That no other pack would want me after that."
Miles's expression darkened. "They said what?"
The anger in his voice made me shrink back instinctively, he immediately softened his tone at my movement. "I'm sorry. I'm not angry at you. I'm furious at them for putting that fear in your head."
"Is it true?" I whispered.
"Absolutely not." His voice was firm, certain. "Even if things don't work out between us—which won't happen, but hypothetically—you would never be 'returned' anywhere. You're not a defective product." His fingers tightened briefly on the steering wheel. "If you decided this wasn't what you wanted, we'd help you establish your own life. Complete independence, if that's what you chose."
The concept was so foreign I could barely process it. "You would do that? Even if I rejected your pack?"
"Of course." Miles glanced at me with those earnest green eyes. "Lilianna, we're not trying to trap you. We're offering you choices you've never had before."
I sat back in the leather seat, overwhelmed by the implications. No matter what happened, I would never have to return to that house, to those rules, to being treated like an object to be bartered. The relief was so intense it made me dizzy.
“You know most people looking for packs don’t go through the old traditional ways like this. Most are looking for someone they enjoy and feel a connection to before courting or bonding happens.” Miles spoke up, making my eyes snap back to him at his words.
"Really?" I asked, surprised by this revelation. "I thought traditional arrangements were the norm."
Miles chuckled, the sound warm and genuine. "Maybe fifty years ago. These days, most packs form organically. People meet, connect, decide they're better together than apart." He glanced at me. "Your parents kept you very isolated from modern pack dynamics, didn't they?"
