Chapter 1

The crack of bone against concrete echoed through the abandoned warehouse, followed by my scream.

I tried to crawl away, but rough hands grabbed my ankle and dragged me back across the floor. Blood from my split lip dripped onto the grimy cement as I twisted, trying to break free.

"Please," I gasped, my voice raw. "I don't know anything about my father's debts."

The man holding me laughed, a cruel sound that made my skin crawl. "Your daddy owes the Abbot Pack three million dollars, little girl. And since he's nowhere to be found, you're going to pay it back."

My wolf, Luna, snarled inside my head, but we were both too weak to shift. They'd injected me with wolfsbane when they'd grabbed me outside my apartment building three hours ago. Three hours of questions I couldn't answer and beatings that left me barely conscious.

"Kill me then," I spat blood onto his shoes. "I work at a bookstore. I make twelve dollars an hour. How exactly am I supposed to pay back three million?"

Another laugh from behind me. "Oh, we're not going to kill you. The Alpha has other plans."

The warehouse door slammed open with enough force to shake the walls. Every head in the room turned toward the entrance, and the temperature seemed to drop ten degrees.

A man stood silhouetted in the doorway, and even from across the warehouse, I could feel the raw power radiating from him. He stepped into the light, and my breath caught in my throat.

Brian Abbot looked like he'd been carved from marble by someone with a very specific fantasy. Six foot four, shoulders that could fill a doorframe, and a face that belonged on magazine covers if those magazines catered to people who liked their models dangerous. His suit probably cost more than I made in a year, custom-tailored to his muscular frame.

But it was his eyes that made me forget how to breathe. Ice blue, cold as a glacier, and focused directly on me.

"Marco," his voice was deceptively quiet, but it carried through the warehouse like thunder. "I told you to bring her to my office. Not beat her in a warehouse like we're common thugs."

The man holding my ankle—Marco, apparently—released me immediately. "Alpha, she was being difficult. We thought—"

"You thought?" Brian took a step forward, and Marco actually whimpered. "I don't pay you to think. I pay you to follow orders."

He crossed the warehouse in long strides, his Italian leather shoes clicking against the concrete. When he reached us, he crouched down in front of me, those arctic eyes scanning my injuries.

"Can you stand?" His voice was softer now, but still held an edge that made my pulse race.

I tried to push myself up, but my arms gave out. The wolfsbane was still wreaking havoc on my system. Before I could hit the ground again, strong arms scooped me up like I weighed nothing.

I should have protested. Should have fought. But something about his scent—pine and expensive cologne with an undertone of something wild—made Luna purr in my mind despite our situation.

"You smell like fear and blood," he murmured, his breath warm against my ear. "But underneath that..." He inhaled deeply, and I felt his arms tighten around me. "Interesting."

"Let me go," I managed to whisper, though my body betrayed me by relaxing into his warmth.

"No." Simple. Final. He started walking toward the door, still carrying me. "Your father took something from me, Aggie Wiggs. And until I get it back, you belong to me."

"I'm not property," I snarled, finding some strength in my anger.

He looked down at me, and for the first time, his lips curved into something that might have been a smile if it wasn't so predatory. "No. You're collateral."

The cool night air hit my face as we exited the warehouse. A line of luxury cars waited outside—Lamborghinis, Ferraris, a Rolls Royce. Because apparently, the Abbot Pack didn't just run the city's supernatural underground. They owned it.

Brian carried me to the Rolls, settling me in the backseat before sliding in beside me. The leather was soft as butter, and I hated how good it felt against my bruised skin.

"Drive," he ordered the man behind the wheel, then pressed a button that raised a privacy partition.

We sat in silence for a moment before I found my voice again. "My father's dead."

"No, he's not." Brian loosened his tie with one hand, the movement surprisingly casual for someone who'd just orchestrated my kidnapping. "He faked his death three weeks ago. Rather convincingly, I'll admit. But I have resources your father couldn't imagine."

My world tilted. "That's impossible. I saw his body. I went to his funeral."

"You saw what he wanted you to see." Brian pulled out his phone, swiped through something, then showed me the screen. Security footage from an airport, timestamp from five days ago. The man buying coffee was definitely my father, very much alive.

The betrayal hit worse than any physical blow. "He left me. He knew you'd come for him and he just... left me."

"Now you're beginning to understand." Brian pocketed his phone. "Your father is a coward, Aggie. But he's also smart. He knew I wouldn't hurt an innocent to get to him. Not directly, anyway."

"So what happens to me?"

His eyes found mine in the dim light of the car. "That depends entirely on you. You can fight me, and spend your time locked in a cell until your father resurfaces. Or..."

"Or?"

"You can work for me. Pay off his debt over time. I run several legitimate businesses alongside my... other interests. You'd be protected, comfortable even. But make no mistake—you wouldn't be free."

"That's not a choice. That's just two different cages."

"Everything's a cage, little wolf." His hand moved to my face, thumb brushing over my split lip with surprising gentleness. "The only choice is whether the bars are gold or iron."

The car pulled through massive gates into a compound that looked more like a fortress than a home. Modern architecture mixed with military-grade security. As we stopped in front of the main building, I made my decision.

"I want to see the contract."

Brian's smile was sharp as glass. "Smart girl."

He helped me out of the car, and I tried not to lean on him as we walked inside. The foyer was all marble and crystal, money dripping from every surface. But underneath the luxury, I could smell it—wolf. Lots of them.

"Welcome to the Abbot compound," Brian said, his hand on my lower back guiding me toward an elevator. "Your new home."

"My prison, you mean."

"If that's how you choose to see it." The elevator doors opened to reveal a penthouse office that probably cost more to decorate than most people's entire homes. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the city, and the desk was a massive piece of dark wood that screamed authority.

Brian moved behind the desk, pulling out a folder. "Three years of service. You'll work in my legal operations—I understand you have a degree in accounting you never used. Room, board, and a generous salary that will go toward your father's debt. After three years, if the debt isn't paid, we renegotiate."

"And if I try to run?"

His eyes flashed gold, his wolf rising to the surface. "Then I stop being nice."

I took the contract with shaking hands, scanning the terms. It was exactly what he'd said, though the salary was more than generous—it was insane.

"Why?" I asked, looking up at him. "Why not just kill me and be done with it?"

Brian stood, moving around the desk with predatory grace. He stopped inches from me, close enough that his body heat made me dizzy.

"Because the moment I saw you on that warehouse floor, bloodied but unbroken, my wolf decided something." His hand cupped my face, forcing me to meet his eyes. "You're mine, Aggie. The debt is just an excuse to keep you here until you figure that out too."

"I'm not—" I started, but he pressed his thumb to my lips.

"Sign the contract. We'll discuss the rest later."

I should have run. Should have fought. Should have done anything other than pick up that pen. But something in his eyes, something in the way Luna was practically purring despite everything, made me sign my name on the dotted line.

"Good girl," Brian murmured, and I hated the way those two words made heat pool in my stomach. "Dmitri will show you to your room. We'll discuss your duties in the morning."

"That's it?"

"Did you expect chains and a dungeon?" He moved back to his desk, already dismissing me. "You'll find I'm many things, Aggie, but unnecessarily cruel isn't one of them. As long as you behave."

A knock on the door interrupted whatever response I might have made. A massive man entered—Dmitri, I assumed—and gestured for me to follow him.

As I reached the door, Brian's voice stopped me. "Aggie? Your father stole more than just money from me. When I find him, and I will find him, things are going to get complicated. Choose your loyalties carefully."

I didn't answer, following Dmitri down a hallway that seemed to go on forever. He stopped at a door, producing a key.

"Your room," he said in heavily accented English. Russian, maybe. "You're not locked in, but the compound is monitored. Any attempt to leave without permission will be... noticed."

The room was gorgeous. A suite, really. Living area, bedroom, full bathroom with a tub I could swim in. All decorated in soft grays and blues that probably cost a fortune.

"Mr. Abbot will send clothes," Dmitri continued. "Dinner is at eight in the main dining room. Attendance is mandatory."

Then he was gone, leaving me alone in my gilded cage.

I collapsed on the bed, finally letting the tears fall. My father was alive but had abandoned me. I was trapped in a werewolf mafia compound. And worst of all, my wolf was already half in love with the man who owned me.

A phone buzzed on the nightstand—one I definitely hadn't put there. A text from an unknown number lit up the screen.

"Stop crying, little wolf. It doesn't suit you. - B"

I looked around the room and spotted the camera in the corner, its red light blinking steadily. Of course he was watching.

Another text: "Wear something red to dinner. It'll bring out the fire in your eyes when you glare at me."

Despite everything, I felt my lips twitch toward a smile before I caught myself. This was insane. He was insane.

But as I headed toward the bathroom to clean up, Luna whispered the truth I didn't want to acknowledge.

We were already his. We just didn't know it yet.