CHAPTER 1

"Get out, Brooke. Now."

Madison didn’t even look up from the bed. She remained draped over Jason Miller like a trophy, her legs tangled with his under the rumpled sheets of the Lawson Estate’s guest wing. The air in the room was thick—sour with the scent of spent heat and the musk of a Beta in rut.

"You heard her." Jason’s voice was a raspy edge. He didn't look at me either. He just gripped Madison’s waist, his fingers digging into her skin, and pulled her back against his chest.

The Bayview Medical Center ID badge clipped to my belt felt like a lead weight. I’d just come from Ruth’s bedside. She was dying—her organs failing because her wolf was too weak to sustain her—and my mate was busy knotting into my sister.

"He's a Beta, Madison," I said, my voice cracking like dry parchment. "He’s my transition-partner. My mate."

"He was your boyfriend, Brooke. Keep the terminology straight." Madison let out a sharp, jagged laugh and arched her back, rubbing her scent all over the pillows. "But he’s a Lawson dog now. And honestly? He’s much better at following orders than you are."

Jason groaned, his head tilting back as Madison’s hand drifted downward beneath the duvet. "Brooke, just... leave. We’re busy."

"Busy?" I took a step forward, my claws itching to break the skin of my palms. "Ruth needs the marrow transplant. The healers said if we don’t pay the tribute to the Citadel by morning—"

"Go beg elsewhere, wolfless bitch!" Madison snapped. She sat up, the quilt sliding down to reveal the fresh, angry red marks on her collarbone. "This is a private room. Get. Out."

The door behind me slammed open. My father, Richard, stood there, his Alpha presence flooding the room like a physical blow to the gut. Evelyn was right behind him, her eyes cold, taking in the scene with a calculated sneer.

"What is this stench?" Richard roared.

"Dad!" Madison shifted into a practiced pout, pulling the sheets to her chin. "Brooke just burst in! She’s trying to ruin everything because Jason chose me. She’s jealous!"

Richard’s gaze swung to me. He didn’t see a daughter. He saw a defect. A Lawson born without a scent, a girl who couldn't shift, a stain on his lineage.

"You’re harassing your sister over a discarded Beta?" Richard’s lip curled. "Pathetic."

"Jason was supposed to help me pay for Ruth’s treatment," I whispered. "He promised."

"Ruth is a servant, Brooke," Evelyn stepped forward, her silk robe trailing like a serpent's tail. "And Jason is staying here. With Madison. She’s pregnant with a True-Blood heir. We aren't wasting a single coin on a dying foster-nurse."

The world tilted. Pregnant? Jason’s eyes darted to the floor. The betrayal wasn't just a sting; it was a Hunt. And I was the prey.

"She can't be pregnant with his child," I said, my heart hammering. "The laws... she’s betrothed to the Pierce Alpha. The 'Gaston' outcast."

"I am NOT marrying that freak!" Madison screamed, throwing a pillow at the wall. "He’s a monster! They say he lives in the ruins like a rogue! I’d rather die!"

"Quiet!" Richard snapped. He looked at me, his eyes narrowing as a dark, predatory light flickered in them. "Evelyn is right. You want the money for the old woman’s surgery?"

I froze. "What?"

"The Pierce Compound expects a bride tomorrow at dawn," Richard said, his voice dropping to a low, dangerous rumble. "They want a Lawson daughter to seal the border treaty. They don't care which one. They just want the bloodline."

"No," I breathed. "You’re asking me to go to the Citadel? To Logan Pierce? He kills his omegas. Everyone knows—"

"He’s a failure," Evelyn interrupted, her voice a soothing poison. "An Alpha stripped of his pack. You’re wolfless. You’re both broken. It’s a perfect match. You sign the mating contract, we transfer the credits to Bayview Medical. Ruth lives. You go to the Harbor View ruins."

"She’ll be a snack for the rogues within a week," Madison giggled, snuggling back into Jason’s side. "It’s perfect. Do it, Brooke. Save your little 'mommy' and go play house with the beast."

The silence in the room was suffocating. I could smell Jason’s sweat, Madison’s triumph, and the cold, metallic scent of my father’s ambition.

I thought of Ruth. Her pale face. The way she’d held my hand when the other kids at the foster den bit me for being "hollow."

"The full amount?" I asked, my voice barely a ghost. "The transplant and the recovery?"

"Every cent," Richard said.

I looked at Jason. He wouldn't even meet my eyes. He just squeezed Madison’s thigh, his claim solidified.

"Fine," I said, swallowing the bile in my throat. "I’ll go to the Pierce Compound. Get the paperwork."

Madison’s laugh followed me as I turned toward the hall. "Have fun in the dark, sister! Try not to get eaten on the first night!"