Maya's POV.

Chapter 2

Maya’s POV

Six months later,

“Table 3 wants 2 beers and a whiskey, no ice!” My manager barked.

I gave her a dull nod and grabbed the bottles off the shelf. My back ached, and my eyes were red from lack of sleep. I had pulled 3 night shifts this week just to afford rent on a room I shared with two strangers.

This wasn't the life I'd dreamed of, but dreams, as we know, don't matter when you're broken, alone, and trying not to fall apart.

I slid the drinks onto a tray and weaved through the crowd, dodging drunk hands and fake smiles. The bar reeked of sweat and desperation. I hated every minute of being here, but I needed the job.

No one asks where the scholarship girl went. No one even remembered the top student who was once promised Luna's crown by the Alpha's heir. No one remembered me, Maya Sinclair, except maybe Alora.

My phone buzzed in my apron, and I whipped it out.

Alora: “What's up? Thought you'd like to see this. Enjoy. *Wink emoji* *Devil emoji*

A link followed.

Knowing Alora, it was probably a party she attended or the video of her kissing another drunk guy at a bar.

I hesitated for a brief moment before I put on myAirPod and tapped the link in hopes of laughing or feeling a bitlighthearted,d to say the least.

I wasn't.

Instead, I was downright disgusted.

Alora wasn't dancing in the video. She wasn't even in the video. The video was clear. Professional. Probably live streamed. And standing in the middle of a stage was Sebastian, wearing a sharp black suit, the crowd around him cheering. Loretta was in a white dress. Graduation gowns fluttered in the background.

He dropped to one knee. “Loretta, my chosen mate… will you marry me and become my Luna?”

The background noise faded into a roar of applause and whistles.

I couldn't breathe. Fully bloomed Moonshine flowers,the BlackRockk waterfountain, and, red rosescascading fromg the ceiling. This was “Astoria'sGarden,”, the same garden where Sebastian had once told me we'd get married when wegraduated..

My knees buckled. I barely made it to the supply closet before I collapsed on the floor.

My sobs came hard and fast. I clutched mychest,t gasping for air. My handstrembled,d and my vision blurred.

Sebastian had forgotten all about me. He had erased me and given Loretta everything he'd promised me.

I screamed into my fists, rocking back and forth on the cold tile floor.

Why?

Why did I have to be born an orphan?

Why wasn't I enough?

I fumbled for my phone, tears streaming down my face, and started deleting everything. I*******m, F******k, T*****r, Photos. Everything. Gone.

I wanted to be gone.

I wanted to disappear like everyone thought I had.

*****

Later that night, I wiped down the counter in a daze, barely hearing orders or the sound of music.

I was floating in a numb, grey fog when a figure slid into the last stool at the end of the bar.

It was a man, older,probably in hisy late30s.. He was wearing a crisp black suit and a hat that covered his eyes. He looked like a traveler.

“Tequila and lime.” He said, voice smooth and quiet.

I nodded and poured it without a word, then I slid the glass and tray of slices towards him. But he didn't drink it.

“You're Maya Sinclair, aren't you?”

I froze.

I hadn't used that name in months. Most people just called me“Hey,””“Waitress,”” or “Moveit.””

“Do I… knowyou?”$ I asked carefully.

He smiled faintly. “No… but I know you. Maya Sinclai—topp of your class, full scholarship, then… expelled.”

My chest tightened as I stared at him. “Who are you?”

“Someone who sees potential.” He placed a crisp envelope on the counter. “Inside that envelope is a real job offer. Better pay. Better hours. You deserve all that, don'tyou?””

I didn't touch the envelope. “I do… but… what's the catch?”

He leaned forward. “You'll be working with powerful people. One in particular. Your task is simpl::makee him fall in love with you. Make him believe you're his destined mate.”

I blinked. “Is this some kind of sick joke?”

“No joke,” he said smoothly. “This man is desperately looking for someone. You could be that someone, Maya, if you're smart enough.”

I hesitated. “Why me?”

“Because you've beenforgotten,n and that makes you a very dangerous woman.”

My fingers trembled as I reached for the envelope. The paper inside was smooth, expensive even. A photograph slipped out with the offer letter. And when I saw the face in the photo, my heart nearly stopped.

Alpha Dante Blood Moon, Sebastian's father.

My hand clenched around the picture. “You want me to seduce him?”

“Yes,” he nods. “And if you do, your entire life will change completely.”

Sebastian's father was the most ruthless Alpha alive. A notorious womanizer and a man feared by the packs across thecontinents,s and this man wants me to seduce him? There was no way in hell he'd fall for someone like me.

My gaze fell on the picture again, and I made my decision.

I arranged the photo back in the envelope and pushed it back to the stranger. “Thankyou,u but I'd rather decline your offer.”