Chapter 1

~~FREYA ASHWOOD~~

“No one wants a failure like you, Freya. The only reason this pack hasn’t thrown you out is because I allow you to stay. Now get back to work before I make you."

I flinched, the words dying in my throat, but my face must have betrayed my thoughts.

"Oh, come on," she sneered, finally meeting my eyes. "You don’t actually expect me to sing for you? To shower you with praises because today is a reminder of the unfortunate day you were born?"

I choked on the air, the truth locking my throat. "It's my birthday," I managed to whisper. "I’m eighteen."

In a blur, she was across the room. Her fingers clamped onto my earlobes, dragging me toward the sink by the sensitive flesh. "I warned you never to call me mother!" she hissed, emphasizing the fact I’d tried so hard to forget since I was fostered at six. "I am not your mother."

I bit my lip, refusing to give her the satisfaction of a cry.

"You turn eighteen today," she continued, her voice dropping to a dangerous low. "That means the Law applies. If you don't find a mate to claim you by midnight, you’re being shipped to the Crescent Pack at dawn."

Panic seized my chest. "Please," I gasped. "Anywhere but there."

"Shut up!"

I’d endure double the torture in this house before stepping foot back in the Crescent Pack, the place my father ruled over. He had rejected me at six years old, blaming me for the death of the only woman he ever loved.

Beatrice released me, my ears stinging fiercely. "Scrub the floors. Do the dishes. Then get to the Town Hall. Your cleaning services have been paid for. Do you understand?"

"Yes," I whispered, staring at the floor. "I understand."

"Mother! Mother!" Brianna’s voice chirped as she bounded into the kitchen.

I watched the tightness in my chest grow as Beatrice’s face transformed, a genuine smile spreading across her lips for her biological daughter. We were the same age, born months apart, but worlds away in worth.

"There’s a banquet at the Town Hall," Brianna announced, her eyes dancing. "Alphas and Betas from every direction will be there. Even the Alpha of the Crescent Pack is coming with his three sons."

My heart stopped. "How do you know that?"

She rolled her eyes. "Because I have an invite, Freya. Plus, I’m friends with our Alpha’s son. You should be excited, you’ll finally see your 'family' again before they drag you home."

That morning went by in a blur. When I arrived at the Town Hall, I expected a crew of teenagers to help with the pre-banquet scrub.

The hall was empty.

I realized then that Beatrice had pocketed the pay for six workers and volunteered me to do the work of a dozen. But as I gripped the scrubbing brush, a spark of hope flickered.

The banquet.

If Alphas and Betas from the West, East, and Riverside were coming, my mate might be among them. If I could just stay hidden, do my work, and keep my senses open, I might find the one person capable of saving me.

***

I rummaged through my work out box, searching for the prettiest dress I own.

Nothing.

The closest I could find was the one my mother gifted me on my sixth birthday before her demise. It’d been twelve years since then. The dress wouldn’t fit

I settled for my only "nice" things: black skinny jeans faded to grey, a long-sleeved blue shirt, and the sneakers I’d spent two years saving for.

Finally, I tucked a small, handmade bracelet into my pocket.

“A gift shows someone how much you appreciate them,” my mother used to say. If I found him tonight, I wanted him to know I’d been waiting.

I reached the back door just as Brianna appeared. She looked like a princess in silk, her mask of disdain firmly in place. "Are you really going out like that, Freya? You look like the dust you’re meant to be cleaning. No one finds a mate in rags."

I clutched the gift in my pocket, my resolve trembling. "I’m going there to work."

"Of course you are," she scoffed, stepping toward the waiting car. "And by tomorrow, you’ll be gone. Good riddance, if you ask me."