001

PROLOGUE

"No!" I shrieked, my voice sounding like a thunder in a stormy night.

"Please don't push me in there!" I pleaded, my tone trembling with fear. The shadow didn't budge, instead, it took steady steps to where I stood. I glanced around there was no route for escape, it was just me and the demon.

"Please it's dark, and I'm scared," I begged, this time my eyes misty desperation laced in my tone my heart beating rapidly, hoping against hope that a miracle would happen.

But then, that hand didn't budge; it held me forcefully, pulling me down to a dark attic. She was stronger, I couldn't escape even as I kicked and thrashed around. My voice screaming at its peak.

"This will serve as a lesson for you. Next time you get in my way, you'll remember your time here," the voice spoke so coldly, shoving me into the room and slamming the door behind me.

"No! No! Please!" I screamed, pounding on the door. "I don't want to be in here! I'm scared! I'm scared!"

Only my voice echoed through the room, no response. "I want my mom," I yelled, but of course, there was no response.

 The room was dark and scary for a six-year-old.

"Dad, please do something!" I yelled. 

"Oh, shut it! Not like he's going to choose you over me," the voice replied.

"He is..." I was still trying to talk when something brushed against my skin, light and ticklish. Then, another touch. And another. It felt like tiny legs scuttling over my arms, my chest, my face.

A scream tore from my throat as I realized what it was. Spiders. Hundreds of them, creeping over my body, crawling into my hair, into my ears, down my neck.

"No! No! Get them off me! Get them off me!" I screamed into the darkness.

---

Beads of sweat trickled down my body as I sprang from my bed. It was those nightmares again. I turned my bed lamp on and then stood to my feet as I walked outside.

Memories? They say time heals all wounds, but some memories carve scars too deep for time to erase. They linger, haunting the mind like shadows in the dark, always there, always waiting. My past is filled with them- moments I can't forget, no matter how much I try. Moments that define me, and bind me.

They say you can run from your memories, but what happens when they follow you? What happens when they're the only thing keeping you alive, fueling the fire inside you?

Memories can be cruel, and relentless. But sometimes, they're  all we have left. And mine? They're pushing me towards something inevitable. Toward revenge.

"It happened again?" Nicklaus, my beta, asked, his jaw twitching. Sometimes, I refer to him as my brother because he feels my pain and understands how I feel.

I nodded. "I'll just walk around and jog it off." I made to walk away when I heard him mutter something.

"Her daughter is back. Maybe it's high time you returned too."

Going back to the Pack was my worst nightmare because it held so many memories that'd break me, but maybe not now. Not when I've got a treasure to hunt.

Revenge, they say, is best served cold, and I can't wait to continue from where she stopped.

CHAPTER 1

LILA

"You look like her." His growls sent cold shivers down my spine. I stared at the man before me, my long lashes batting across my vision. He's staring at me, cold brown eyes sizing me up like I was a prey. I should have looked away-any sensible person would have-but my pride wouldn't allow it. Instead, I tilted my chin up, defiant, though I was painfully aware of how his towering frame dwarfed mine.

A shiver creeps under my skin, danger, his aura was dark. His hair long cascading downward just like Jason Momoa, but this wasn't some Aqua man scene. It was real. The shirt he wore, with two buttons undone, clung to his body. His muscles are visible bulging out from the shirt. Hot was one word, sexy another freaking one. But this dude was the full package, and I knew I was in trouble.

"Excuse me?" I blinked, fighting the lump that had formed in my throat. His long, hazy stare sent me reeling backward, and I gave way for him to come in.

With long, confident strides, he marched forward. His height towered above me. That's when it hit me: I had allowed an entire stranger into the house.

Enchanted? Yes, I am. This dude was freaking way handsome. Handsome was just a word, and hot was another.

But who was he? And what was he doing in our house acting like he was in charge of everywhere? I might be enchanted, but my brain still thinks.

"Who are you?" I asked, raising my brows and folding my hands across my chest, tilting my chin up to meet his gaze.

He stared back at me with deep, piercing brown eyes. I couldn't read his expression, but I felt captivated, like I was being drawn into a trance. My heart chose this moment to start its foolish lum-dum beat, loud enough to drown out any sense. His brown eyes were entrancing-like pools of chocolate, I had seen nothing like them before.

"Someone you can't imagine," he snickered, his perfect lips drawing into a frown. Who was this man, so handsome yet dangerous-looking?

I struggled to find words, caught up in his spell. It felt like a dream-a long, intoxicating dream. But reality came crashing back as I heard my mother's voice call out, "Lila, who was at the door?"

I broke away from his gaze, turning to face her. But her expression stopped me in my tracks.

Mom's jaw was slacked, her gaze fixed on the stranger with wide-eyed wonder. "Rafael?" she breathed, barely above a whisper.

A grimace spread across the man's face at her words. "It's Alpha Rafael to you, Linda," he growled, his earlier charm replaced by a steely, dangerous demeanor.

A heavy silence fell over the room. I felt like a stranger in my own home, surrounded by an unknown force that seemed to have brought everything to a standstill. The air was thick with tension, and I could practically feel the anger radiating from Alpha Rafael in waves.

Mom's lips parted slightly, but no words came out. Her eyes were fixed on the alpha, an expression of disbelief mingling with fear flashing across her face.

"You didn't think you'd see me again, did you, Linda?" His Lips curled into a cruel smile, his eyes darkening as he glared at mom.

"You've got quite a replica of yourself here. Is she as good at sucking cock just like you?" My eyes widened in shock, the crude words slicing through the air. 

"No, Rafael... Alpha Rafael," my mom stammered correcting herself when Alpha Rafael's gaze darken with menace.

"Let's not do this in front of her. She-"

"Oh, quite the protective mother, aren't you?" Alpha Rafael sneered, ignoring Mom's warning. "You didn't tell her you were quite the cock sucker?" He sneered, his tone dripping with contempt, utterly ignoring my mom's plea.

My face flushed with embarrassment as Alpha Rafael's vulgar words hit my ears like a slap. I couldn't believe what I was hearing, and I couldn't believe that my own mother was a part of this conversation.

"Lila, you need to go check the pot, it's burning," my mother said, her voice trembling as she tried to wave me away to go to the kitchen.

With one last look at the so-called Alpha Rafael, I headed for the kitchen. I wasn't usually one to lose my cool, but watching him insult my mom like that left me seething.

Who was he to render Linda Cooper speechless? She might be my mother, but her authority could make even an Alpha like him tremble. Switching off the gas, I planned to retreat to my room until Peter Pan here decided to leave.

But then, my mom's scream pierced the air, stopping me in my tracks. I couldn't resist sneaking closer to hear what had her so agitated.

"The pack is mine now, and all the looting you've done while I was absent, we have records of it. You know the consequences," he said, his voice trembling with anger.

I froze, realizing this wasn't just some random visit. There was a power struggle at play, and my mother was right in the middle of it. The accusation of looting meant serious consequences-possibly twenty years in prison for her. My heart raced as I struggled to process the implications of my mother's actions.

"You have no evidence, Rafael!" Mom cried, her voice echoing with disbelief and defiance, as she met Alpha Rafael's vicious gaze with a strength I had never seen in her before.

Alpha Rafael laughed darkly, his eyes flashing with triumph. "I don't need evidence to destroy you, Linda."

 His words were cold and menacing, each syllable a nail in my mother's coffin.

Mom stood her ground, her jaw set in determination. "The pack won't believe you."

Alpha Rafael's confidence didn't waver. He let out a low chuckle, as if he knew a secret she did not. "It's my world against yours now, Linda. I make the rule, and break the rules, and he will not be here to rescue you. Does that sounds familiar?" He sneered, hinting on something I could not place hold on.

Mom's face went white as a sheet. "You can't do this, Rafael. Please, I'm your father's favorite, remember?" she pleaded, her voice tremulous and weak, like a flickering flame in a strong wind.

Alpha Rafael's eyes were icy one minute, and dark with rage the next. "Don't you dare remind me of that title, bitch," he growled, his teeth gritted with anger.

But then his expression shifted, a glint of cruel amusement flashing across his face.

"To save your pathetic ass, I need just one thing from you," 

Mom gasped, her eyes glistening with a desperate hope. "What's that?" she asked, barely daring to believe.

"The apple doesn't fall far from the tree," Alpha Rafael replied, his gaze darkening as it settled on me, hidden in the shadows.

"What do you mean?" Mom growled, as if sensing a trap.

Alpha Rafael's smirk widened, revealing his teeth in a predatory grin. "My wedding with your daughter holds in three days," he said, relishing in the shock that would follow.

"No!" Mom cried out, her voice a ragged cry of anguish. "You can't do this!"