Chapter 1

“Oh, come on, Olivia, did you really think I wanted you as my mate? You're wolf-less, pathetic, and practically an outcast. You couldn’t even give me the one thing I asked from you, and you complain when I get it from someone else?” Mason's expression was full of disgust. 

I stared at him in disbelief, trying to make sense of the heartless words that were coming out of his mouth. 

‘This can’t be happening.’ 

“Is that why you cheated on me with Kathy? You—” My voice cracked as tears stung my eyes. “You slept with my sister because I refused to give you sex?” My eyes burned, my throat was tight, but I managed to hold his gaze.

“What did you expect when you can’t even satisfy my needs?!”

Oh, right. Because emotional loyalty doesn’t count if you can’t meet a man’s “needs.” How convenient!

“I’m your mate, and we’ve been friends since childhood. Was giving you sex all I meant to you?” I asked, even though the answer was right before me. 

He scoffed. “I wanted to be friends with the alpha’s daughter, but you’re not even the alpha’s real daughter. Is that my fault?”

There it was. The knife I didn’t see coming twisted with precision. I felt my stomach drop. 

“But you promised!” I choked, feeling lower than I already felt.

“Even when I found out I was adopted, you said you’d always choose me. Why give me hope and stab me in the back?”

I didn’t understand anything anymore. Had I been that blind all this time? How did I not see the kind of man he really was?

Before I could piece together the remains of my dignity, he delivered the words that tore my shattered heart to shreds.

“I, Mason Archer, reject you, Olivia Quinn, as my mate.”

The words hit like fire through my veins. Pain tore through me, sharp and merciless. My knees wobbled, but I refused to fall. My eyes stung, tears threatening to spill—but no. He wouldn’t see me cry. Not again.

“There, now I’ve taken back the hope I gave you,” he said coldly before slamming the door in my face.

The last thing I saw was Kathy’s smug little smile as she stared at me with mockery. 

Perfect. Just perfect. 

****** 

“Liv, Liv, wake up! We’re entering the academy’s premises.”

Someone was shaking my shoulder gently. I blinked my eyes open to find Chloe, my new assistant slash chaperone and overly cheerful shadow, peering down at me.

I sighed, realizing I’d fallen asleep. Again. And of course, I’d been dreaming about Mason. Because apparently, my subconscious enjoys torturing me.

It’s been over a month since ‘that day,’ but I still couldn’t erase the image of Mason and Kathy… My mate and best friend since childhood, and my sweet, innocent sister—tangled, naked bodies like some scene from a p**n movie.

My brain clearly missed the memo that we’d moved on.

I sat up and looked out the window. Everything outside looked too… peaceful. Too perfect. 

The van rolled through tall, ornate gates, gliding along a road framed by the kind of scenery that screamed, “Money lives here.”

Celestial Moon Academy. 

Even the trees and plants that marked the trails were greener, full of life, and almost like something out of a fantasy. I swear, even the grass looked richer out of sheer arrogance. 

Compared to the desolate ruins and slums of the Central Plains, which reeked of poverty and famine, where even the alpha’s house didn't look any better, this place looked like heaven… or a very expensive lie.

No wonder Father, no, Alpha Robert, my adopted father, had gone to ridiculous lengths to prepare me for this. 

The van, the uniformed driver, and Chloe all screamed, ‘We’re trying too hard to look noble.’ 

The old me would have gasped in wonder at the sight before me, marveling at its sheer beauty, but after finding out the parents I'd known all my life were not my real parents, followed by Mason's betrayal, the new me rarely blinked, feeling numb. 

I leaned my head against the window, trying not to think about the past three weeks of “crash course in etiquette lessons.” 

Mistress Gwen, a woman I referred to as the Iron Lady behind closed doors, had spent the past three weeks turning me into some kind of walking doll. 

Her favorite pastime? Whipping my calves every time the books stacked on my head fell. My legs still had the whip’s love notes to prove it.

“Keep your back straight and chin up!” She would bark, her whip singing in the air. I learned fast. Pain and fear are wonderful motivators.

Now, after endless hours of walking, balancing, bowing, and smiling like a polite corpse, I apparently looked “refined.” Whatever that meant.

Not that it mattered. My only goal was simple: get married to the Southern Alpha and repay the “money used to raise me.” Luna Irene, my adopted mother, had reminded me of that enough times to burn it into my brain.

Still, I couldn’t help but wonder why the school had chosen me, the wolf-less adopted daughter, instead of Kathy. But it didn’t matter anymore. I was here. I would do my duty. 

“Olivia Quinn, the bride of the Southern Alpha,” the driver said, handing my ID to the gate guards.

I winced. Hearing it out loud made my stomach churn.

The first guard raised a brow, scanning the card. “The bride? You mean a candidate.”

The second guard leaned in, squinting at me through the window. “Are you the one from the Central Plains? The fifth slot?” He let out a short, dry laugh. 

“Good luck, sweetheart. You’re going to need it.”

He signaled the driver to proceed. As the van rolled forward, my heart hammered against my ribs.

“Chloe,” I said, my voice low. “What did he mean? Candidate? Fifth slot?”

Chloe didn’t look up from her nails. She was busy buffing a thumb with a tiny emerald file. “Such gossipy guards,” she drawled lazily. “But I suppose they aren’t wrong.”

“Wrong about what?” I grabbed her wrist to stop the filing. “I was told I was sent here to marry the Southern Alpha. To pay back my debt to my adopted parents. That’s the deal.”

Chloe finally looked at me, giving me a look of pity that I absolutely hated. “Liv, you didn’t think the most powerful Alphas in the world just… ordered wives like a shipment of grain, did you? Especially not from the Central Plains.”

She leaned back, ticking points off on her manicured fingers.

“There are four Cardinal Alphas—North, South, East, and West. Usually, they pick from their own high-ranking noble bloodlines. But your ‘father’ made a very loud, very annoying speech at the Summit about ‘unity.’ So, the Council opened a fifth slot for the Central Plains.”

“A fifth slot,” I repeated, the math clicking in my head. “There are four Alphas. But five girls?”

“Bingo,” Chloe chirped, back to her cheerful self. “It’s a Selection. A competition. You’ll be evaluated on everything—your etiquette, your tactical mind, and your ability to lead a pack. There is a point system. You’ll need to earn points to prove you’re worthy of being a Luna. If you’re at the bottom of the scoreboard? You go home with nothing.”

“What the… Are you saying it is a dating game show?” I whispered, horror dawning on me. “I’m in a supernatural game show.”

“Don’t be crass. It’s a tradition,” Chloe corrected. “And you aren't completely hopeless. The Southern Alpha actually pulled your name for his ‘Temporary Bride’ status. It means you’re under his protection for the first semester.”

“He chose me? Why?”

Chloe shrugged. “Maybe he likes underdogs. Or maybe he felt sorry for the girl from the ruins. Either way, Alpha Robert didn’t tell you because he knew you’d spend the last three weeks hyperventilating instead of learning how to curtsy.”

I sank back into the plush leather seat. My adopted parents hadn't sent me here for marriage; they’d thrown me into a gladiator pit and told me it was a wedding.

“Language, girl,” Chloe warned as a string of curses left my mouth. She smoothed my skirt. 

“Remember: Chin up, heart cold. The competition has officially begun.” 

The van came to a stop. Chloe’s lips curved into a polite, practiced smile as the door slid open and a tall man appeared outside.

I straightened my posture automatically, plastering on the same neutral expression Mistress Gwen had spent weeks drilling into me. Inside, though, I was still screaming: 

Oh gods, why me? Why would I be sent here to fight for something I didn't even want in the first place?