Chapter 1 What Did You See?

Ilaria's POV 

The slap landed before I even knew she was there.

My head snapped sideways, a sharp burn spreading across my cheek. My ears rang.

Calista stood in front of me, lips curling. “What did you see?”

“I… was cleaning.”

Her eyes narrowed. “And?”

“Nothing.” 

I saw her pour something into a cup.That wasn't what she wanted to drink.

She was clearly planning something. 

But I didn’t dare speak up about what I’d just seen—afraid it would bring a brutal beating.

She stepped closer, her breath brushing my face. “That’s all?”

“Yes.” 

Her smile was venom. She pulled a torn sleeve from her pocket, its edges crumpled and stained, the label half-scratched away. Whatever it once held, didn't look innocent. She dangled it between two fingers.

“You know what this is,” she said, her voice low and cutting. “Your Omega mother used this drug to my Alpha father, and you little bi*tch, were born!”

Calista and I were half-sisters. But she never saw it that way, her mother was the noble Luna and mine was just an Omega. 

Calista has always taken pleasure in abusing me.

I've tried to resist, but because I don't have a wolf. 

Resistance tended to harder abuse.

“No wolf. No power. No voice,” she said, looking down at me like filth.

I'm used to being abused, but I can't stand that Calista is insulting my mother! 

"At least don't say that about my mother..." I whispered.

“Why not?” Her voice sharpened. “Your mother was nothing. An Omega who spread her legs for the wrong man.”

My fists clenched. “You know that's not true.”

My mom didn't seduce Alpha. It was Alpha who forced her.

Her eyes gleamed. “I’ll talk about her however I want.” She grabbed my wrist and twisted until I gasped. “You don’t tell me what to do.”

I tried to pull free. She shoved me back, the counter edge digging into my spine.

She shoved me to my knees. My skirt soaked up water from the tipped bucket.

I pushed myself up, but she slammed me into the fridge. My vision flashed white.

Her knee caught my thigh. I stumbled. Another slap.

Without time to plead,her hand shoved my head down into the sink.

Cold water flooded my nose and mouth. I thrashed, coughing, until she yanked me up again. Air tore into my lungs, my lip split and bleeding.

“No one will help you,” she sneered, fingers digging into my neck before shoving me back against the counter. “You’re nothing but a stain in this house.”

Calista was right.

She had the freedom, the praise, the father’s love I’d never known. Bill Wynn’s precious daughter.

I was the mistake, born from the woman he had kidnapped and broken. My mother, once an Omega with a kind smile, was dragged into this pack and forced to carry me, then left behind when he decided she wasn’t worth keeping.

Calista’s mother hated her for it. Hated us both. She’d fed that hate to her daughter like a poison until it filled her bones. Now, all grown and cruel, Calista held my past over my head.

She let go, and I collapsed onto the floor, choking for breath. Straightening her blouse, she lifted the cup from the counter like it was precious.

“Take this outside,” she ordered. “Alpha Reed will be here any minute. Serve it to him the moment he sits down. Make sure he drinks it.” 

“I won’t be part of this,” I protested softly.

“If you mess this up, I’ll release that little video. Remember?” Her voice dropped to a whisper that chilled me more than her blows. “The night you were stripped by those men. Crying. Screaming. And no one came.”

My blood turned to ice.

She wasn’t lying. She never had to. For as long as I could remember, she’d had my life in her hands. Squeezing when she was bored, twisting when she wanted to see me break.

I stared at the cup. My hands itched to smash it against the wall, but fear was a heavy chain.

“You’ll do it,” she said. It wasn’t a request.

My silence was answer enough.

She set the cup on the counter and smoothed her hair in the microwave’s reflection. “Good girl. Don’t spill it. And remember, smile for the Alpha.”

Then she left, her heels clicking down the hall.

I stood in the quiet kitchen, staring at the steam curling from the drink. The ceramic was warm in my grip, my pulse loud in my ears. I didn’t know what she’d put in it. But I had no choice. The memory of her threat clung to me like smoke.

Each step toward the front room made the cup feel heavier, as if it knew what it carried. My fingers tightened around the handle until they ached. I hated myself for holding it, and for not letting it fall.

As if things couldn't get any worse. From the front hall came the murmur of voices and the shuffle of hurried footsteps. The atmosphere in the Pack house shifted. Servants straightening their clothes and standing a little taller.

Then the maid appeared in the doorway, her eyes bright with excitement. “Alpha Reed has arrived.”

My stomach sank.

I’d heard of him all my life, owner of the largest Pack in North America, the most promising Alpha candidate in the election. People whispered about his family’s cruelty, their ruthless power, their dealings with dark witches. But wealth like his made people forget anything ugly. Some even called him a prize.

And now Calista wanted me to hand him a tainted drink.

I stared at the cup in my hand, my pulse hammering. 

From the doorway, I saw him, tall, broad-shouldered, the black of his suit sharp against his frame. His face was striking, handsome in a way that unsettled me because it didn’t match the rumors. His eyes were sharp, captivating, but not cold.

The maid nudged me forward. “Take the coffee in.”

I steadied my grip on the tray and stepped into the room.

My Alpha Father Bill and Calista are already in the reception area with Reid.

Calista looked at me warningly. 

I stared at the cup in my hand, my pulse hammering. I didn’t understand why she needed this, why she would risk something so dangerous. But if I refused, she would make sure whatever little peace I had left was gone.

Fear curled low in my stomach. I didn’t want to do this but I had no choice.