Prologue

A heavy, calloused fist collided with Calista’s frame, slamming her onto the wooden chair. A sharp groan escaped her lips as she collapsed forward. Standing above her, her father, Jake, watched with a twisted smirk as blood welled from her wounds.

“I love hurting you, do you know that?” he murmured, his voice dripping with malice. “It satisfies me, gives me chills, reminds me of just how much strength I still have left in my system, even at my age.”

Calista glared up at him, her vision blurred and her eyes weak. She tried to snap back, but her throat caught, and she spat a mouthful of blood onto the floor instead.

Jake drew a kitchen knife from his belt, pressing the cold tip directly against her throat. One wrong movement, and her breath would be cut short forever.

“You will act exactly as I command, do you hear me?” he hissed, leaning in. “You will let your sister marry your best friend—your one true love, as you so pathetic call him. You won’t get in their way, and you’ll live. If I catch you speaking to him again, it will be the last time you have a tongue.”

With a brutal twist, he grabbed her by the hair and dragged her across the dirt, yanking her open-mouthed into the pigpen. He threw her into the filth.

“That’s where you belong,” he spat. “With the pigs. Far worse than that, even.”

Left alone in the dark, the suffocating stench of the pen was the only thing keeping Calista grounded, reminding her that she was still breathing. Jake had mocked her, claiming she was lucky to even have a shelter. But as she stared into the muck, she knew the truth, this wasn’t good fortune. It was torture, a living hell worse than death.

Looking up through the wooden slats at the moon high above, Calista whispered a desperate prayer to the Moon Goddess, begging her to take her life away. Death was the only freedom she had left.

Calista Caitlynn had been raised in an Omega family—the lowest of the low, the slaves and outcasts of the werewolf hierarchy. For as long as she could remember, her parents despised her. All their affection, warmth, and protection were reserved exclusively for her younger sister, Amanda.

Growing up in the shadows, Calista’s only sanctuary had been Leo, her best friend. For years, she allowed herself to dream that they were fated mates—that she would one day marry her true love and escape her family's cruelty. But those dreams were shattered the moment she caught Amanda in Leo's bed.

Blinded by heartbreak and betrayal, Calista had lunged at her sister, burying her claws deep into Amanda’s skin. That bloodied scene was exactly what Jake had walked in on.

“Wake up, pig! Come on. Father has a gift for you.”

Amanda’s cruel chuckles woke Calista the following morning. The younger sister stood outside the pen, smirking as she took in the sight of Calista covered 

in filth.

“What do you want…?” Calista managed, her voice a hollow rasp. The blood on her skin had dried into a stiff crust overnight, the metallic scent mixing with the stench of the pen.

“Nothing, sister,” Amanda mocked, pouting with theatrical sadness. “Aside from wanting to inform you that Leo and I are officially engaged, I just wanted to see if you were still breathing.”

“Why? So you can kill me yourself?”

Amanda scoffed. “Aww, look at you, acting like the victim after what you did to me. Just to remind you, sister, I’m the one who almost died by your hands. Don’t try to pass your criminal traits onto me. It’s written in your skin, under your name, and in your blood.”

The words stung with a bitter truth. Calista wasn't biologically one of them. She had been adopted by her mother after the Great War a century ago, brought home to live as their daughter in name, but a servant in practice.

Amanda picked up a heavy stone and hurled it through the slats, striking Calista squarely on the forehead.

“Father is coming,” Amanda whispered with a wicked grin. “And honestly? I’m just glad that you’re finally leaving us alone this time.”

Jake approached the pigpen, a wide, genuine smile stretching across his face. But to Calista, that smile was a harbinger of doom; whenever her father looked happy, something terrible was about to happen to her.

“Stand up!” Jake barked, hauling her to her feet by her hair. Calista groaned, crying out as he dragged her out of the pen.

“You’ve been sold to the Moonlight Throne, Calista,” he said, his voice laced with greed. “You’re going to serve in the palace. Now clean yourself up—they won’t accept a creature covered in filth and smelling like hell.”

Too weak to fight or question him, Calista went limp as Jake carried her to the nearby river and threw her into the rushing water. The biting cold shocked her system, washing away the dried blood and muck.

She lost consciousness in the current, waking hours later to find herself dressed in a clean, decent maiden’s gown. Her mother, Jake, and Amanda stood over her as she blinked against the daylight.

“What am I wearing?” Calista asked, looking directly at her mother, knowing the other two would offer nothing but mockery. But her mother simply looked away, ignoring her completely, pretending she hadn’t heard a thing.

Suddenly, a massive carriage appeared on the horizon, bearing a towering banner that commanded instant respect. It was the crest of the Moonlight Throne—the highest authority in the Wildings Forest, the throne above all thrones.

Calista watched in utter bewilderment. Why would the royal Kingsguard ride into the territory of an Omega family? They were the neglected dregs of the werewolf world. For the elite guard to grace their home meant something monumental was 

happening—whether a blessing or a curse, she didn't know.

Jake stepped forward, bowing low as the commander approached.

“Is that her?” the Kingsguard asked, his sharp eyes locking onto Calista.

“Yes, Sir Braavos,” Jake replied eagerly. “Her name is Calista Caitlynn. Nineteen, a maiden, and a virgin. I am certain the Alpha will find her suitable.”

Sir Braavos signaled his men, and a heavy iron box filled with gold coins was handed over to Jake in exchange for his daughter.

Amanda watched from the steps, her chest swelling with satisfaction. She had waited for this day—expecting Calista to weep, to beg for mercy, to kneel and plead not to be sent away. But Calista did none of it.

Instead, Calista stood tall, stepping toward the Kingsguard with a strange, quiet peace. She knew that whatever lay ahead at the palace, it could never be worse than the inhumane cruelty of the family she was leaving behind. This wasn't a punishment; it was her escape.

“She possesses an extraordinary beauty,” Sir Braavos remarked, examining the paperwork to seal the agreement. “If I didn’t know she was an Omega, I might have mistaken her for a princess.”

“She only possesses such beauty because she comes from us, my lord,” Amanda chimed in, stepping forward with a practiced tilt of her chin.

The Kingsguard turned his gaze to Amanda, a cold indifference in his eyes. “Is this your other daughter, then?”

Jake laughed nervously. “By her grace and elegance, she is, my lord. But she is not for sale. She is to be wed by the next full moon; her heart belongs to another.”

Sir Braavos shook his head, a wry smirk playing on his lips. “I see a face and a body, yes, but I see neither grace nor elegance. Perhaps I should have my eyes examined for a better prescription?”

A wave of suppressed chuckles broke out among the neighboring Omegas watching from the distance. Jake and Amanda’s expressions soured instantly, insulted to be humbled so effortlessly on their own land.

“Just take her and go,” Jake snapped, his demeanor turning harsh as his pride took a hit. “Send our regards to the Alpha King.”

Sir Braavos turned his full attention back to Calista, his voice ringing with formal authority.

“Calista Caitlynn, you no longer belong to this Omega Family. You now belong to the palace, to the Moonlight throne, and to the Alpha of all Alphas. You are to serve as a whore, a highly-ranked whore, higher than the Omegas and slaves, and shall enjoy benefits, decent clothes, well shelter, payment, and good treatment among werewolves below you. Lords from the different ranks, and Alphas from various thrones, their sons and even the heir to the Moonlight Throne—the Alpha Prince—shall have the right to exclusively own you, use you, and enjoy you for your own service. This contract is terminated if the Alpha King says so.”