Chapter 1- Proposition

*Flashback*

"And what happened to the father bear, Mumma?" eight-year-old Lucy asked, her big blue eyes wide with curiosity.

Her mother, Wilma, chuckled softly and tucked the unicorn blanket around Lucy’s small frame. “Sweetheart, we’ll finish the story tomorrow. It’s way past your bedtime.”

She pressed a kiss to Lucy’s forehead, brushing back her curls with a familiar, gentle hand.

That was the last time Lucy saw her mother alive.

The next morning, she woke up to chaos. Loud voices, heavy footsteps, the air thick with panic.

Still half-asleep, Lucy tiptoed out of her room and froze at the sight in the hallway. A tall man, dressed in black, stood over her mother, stabbing her again and again.

“Mumma!” she screamed, racing toward them. But the man didn’t even glance her way. He slipped out the back door and disappeared.

Lucy dropped to her knees beside her mother’s bleeding body. Wilma’s breaths were shallow, crackling with every second that passed.

Then came the sound of footsteps behind her.

“What the... Wilma!” her father’s voice boomed. He shoved Lucy aside and dropped to his knees beside his mate. His hands were shaking.

And then he turned on Lucy.

“You!” he spat. His eyes were already darkening. “I knew you were cursed. I should’ve ended this the day you were born.”

“Dad, no! It wasn’t...” Lucy tried to speak, but his hand was suddenly around her throat, pinning her to the floor, his rage blinding.

She couldn’t breathe.

She couldn’t move.

Lucy gasped awake, choking on her own breath. Her heart was pounding, her hands shaking. Another nightmare.

They never stopped.

She pulled her blanket tighter around herself, whispering, “Mumma…” Her voice cracked. “I miss you so much.”

All she had left of her mother was a small silver locket. It still smelled faintly like her, rose oil and cinnamon. That scent was the only thing that reminded her she’d once been loved.

Now, she was just the girl who’d been accused of killing her mother.

No one had questioned how an eight-year-old could even do something like that. The dagger had her fingerprints, and no one had seen the killer except her. On top of that, an old witch’s prediction hung over her head like a death sentence: that she was cursed from birth.

Her father believed it. The pack believed it. And the moment Wilma’s body turned cold, Lucy stopped being the beta’s daughter.

She became a servant. An omega. An outcast.

Today was no different. She was on her hands and knees, scrubbing the floor when Gina strutted in, her usual cruel smirk in place.

Without warning, Gina kicked the mop bucket, sending dirty water sloshing across the freshly cleaned tiles.

“I just cleaned that,” Lucy murmured, her head still lowered.

“What was that?” Gina hissed. “You murdering little bitch, are you seriously talking back to me?”

Before Lucy could even flinch, Gina’s foot slammed into her side, knocking the wind out of her. Lucy curled herself, biting back tears.

Gina wasn’t even her real sister. Just the daughter of the woman her father married after Wilma died. But that didn’t stop her from treating Lucy like a dirt or worse….

No one ever stepped in. No one ever asked questions.

Even some of the other omegas took cheap shots when no one was looking. Lucy had learned to stay quiet. Silence was survival.

Gina raised her hand again, ready to strike, when a voice rang out from behind her.

“Miss! The Alpha’s asking for you.”

Gina paused, annoyed. “What?”

Jolene stood a few feet away, arms behind her back, her expression unreadable. “He’s pacing outside the east wing. Looked pretty urgent.”

That did the trick.

Gina blinked, her scowl replaced by a flicker of interest. “Alpha Jayden?”

Jolene nodded once. “I figured you’d want to look your best.”

Gina smirked, immediately smoothing her hair and fixing her top. Without another word, she spun around and strutted off.

Jolene exhaled and crouched beside the trembling girl. “Come on,” she said gently. “Let’s get you out of here.”

“I’ll be fine,” Lucy whispered, trying to stand, but her knees buckled.

“Nice try.” Jolene steadied her and led her down the hall, away from prying eyes.

She glanced down the hall toward the basement steps and paused. She knew exactly what Lucy’s room looked like: cramped, dusty, and probably crawling with things no one should be sleeping next to.

With a quiet sigh, Jolene made a decision.

“Come with me.”

Lucy blinked. “Where?”

“My room,” Jolene said simply. “Just for now.”

"Just stay low. Gina will cool off eventually," Jolene gave her an encouraging smile...

"Here, you can change into these and rest for a while here," Jolene told Lucy...

"I will cover for you in the kitchen, so no rush. “She offered Lucy fresh clothes and even ran a hot shower for her. Lucy changed slowly, still aching from Gina’s kicks, but grateful for the moment of peace.

She didn’t want to take advantage of Jolene’s kindness, so once she was cleaned up, she made her way back toward the kitchen to help out.

She never made it.

Halfway down the corridor, a low growl stopped her in her tracks.

Her heart stuttered.

She turned, and locked eyes with Alpha Jayden.

Those emerald eyes burned through her, and his growl rumbled low in his throat. Everyone around them froze.

“I… I’m sorry, Alpha,” she stammered. “I was just heading to the kitchen….”

“You can’t be my mate,” he said, voice rough with disbelief and disgust.

A hush fell over the corridor.

Lucy blinked. Mate?

She didn’t even have her wolf yet. She was nineteen, sure, but her shift hadn’t come. And even without her wolf, there should’ve been something, a pull, a spark. But all she felt was… nothing.

“What’s going on here?” the former Alpha, Jayden’s father, appeared from behind the crowd.

Jayden didn’t look away from her. “Jase, my wolf, he’s saying she’s our mate.”

Former Alpha Warren raised a brow, studying Lucy. Then his gaze narrowed.

“This can’t be,” Jayden snapped. “She’s a murderer. She can’t be Luna.”

“And I don’t intend to make her one,” he added sharply. “Someone take her away. We’ll deal with this tomorrow. We’ve got more important things tonight.”

Jolene appeared at Lucy’s side just as the crowd began to disperse. Lucy could barely walk.

But before they could leave, Gina stepped into their path.

“Wait a second,” she said, arms folded. “Jo, you said earlier the Alpha asked for me. But he told me he didn’t.”

“I just assumed the Alpha would always be thinking about you. You’re going to be our Luna one day, right?”

That satisfied Gina enough to move aside, preening at the compliment.

Back in their shared room, Lucy broke down.

“I don’t get it,” she sobbed, sinking into a chair. “Why is my life always like this? I just wanted to stay quiet, lay low until I turned twenty-one and could leave this place.”

Jolene crouched in front of her, eyes calm but focused.

“I think I know why this is happening,” she said.

Lucy looked up, confused.

“Because you want out. And so do I,” Jolene said, lowering her voice. “So I have a proposition, one that might just give us both the freedom we’ve been waiting for…”