Chapter 1

Freya's POV:

"Freya! Table seven needs their drinks!"

"I'm on it!" I called back, already moving toward the door.

Before I could reach for the knob, my phone buzzed in my pocket.

I sighed, thinking it was my landlord again, but when I glanced at the screen, my steps slowed.

Juliet?

She used to be my roommate while I was still in college, but we stopped talking after I got kicked out. With a deep breath, I hit the green button and pressed the phone to my ear. “Hello?”

“Freya?” Lisa’s voice came through fast, like she’d been waiting all day to speak. “Oh my goodness, thank the moon you picked up! I didn’t think you would.”

I forced a smile that she couldn’t see. “Umh.”

There was a pause, then she exhaled. “How… how have you been?”

I chuckled softly. “Surviving.”

I could feel it before the hesitation and uneasiness, so I asked. “You didn’t call just to ask how I’ve been, right?”

“No.” Her voice dropped. “I didn’t.”

I gripped the edge of my shirt. “Just say it.”

She cleared her throat. “Today was graduation.”

I already knew that.

But I’d tried to ignore the date and forget what I should’ve been doing today. I should've been walking across a stage, getting my degree, and having Kaiden there to pull me into a hug and tell me how proud he was.

Juliet continued. “At the after party… Kaiden proposed to Isabella.”

For a moment, I was silent, and my lips parted slightly, unable to comprehend the words.

“No,” I whispered.

“I thought you should hear it from me.” She said gently. “The pictures are everywhere, Freya. All over the student groups and on the school’s I***a.”

“I don’t believe you…” My voice cracked.

“Since you were removed from all the school groups, I will send you the photos instead.” She said, and with that, the call ended.

I stood there frozen as muffled voices called out for me, but all I could concentrate on was my racing heartbeat.

A minute later, my phone buzzed again. I quickly unlocked it and saw that it was a picture of Kaiden, kneeling in front of Isabella with her hands covering her mouth as he held up a glittering ring.

"Freya!" I heard the bar's manager yell as he pushed the door to the store room open.

“Where the hell have you been?” Simon asked, frowning. “You were supposed to be back from break ten minutes ago.”

“I need some air,” I murmured, my voice barely audible as I tucked the phone back into my pocket.

I pushed past him and made for the exit, ignoring his protests. I walked past the counter, then into the dining area, and then out into the night.

I sucked in air and let it out slowly, trying to stop the shaking in my hands. And for the first time in a long while, I let myself speak the truth out loud to myself.

Five years ago, I lost everything.

My parents died mysteriously, and the only family I had left turned their backs on me. Everyone treated me like I was nothing, but I didn’t give up.

I studied hard, worked three jobs, and found my way into the most prestigious university in the Pack. And then I met Kaiden.

He was the handsome and charming Alpha’s son who made me feel special. We dated for two years, and every month, he never failed to promise me that I would be made his Luna once he became Alpha.

But in our final year, he ripped it all away and chose Isabella, his chosen mate and the perfect daughter of the Dean.

I thought that he had no choice but to be with her because she was his fated Mate, but when I discovered that he’d been cheating on me the whole time, I confronted him.

Unbothered, Kaiden looked me dead in the eyes and said. “You were just something to pass the time, Freya.”

And just like that, I lost everything. My scholarship was revoked the next day, and the Dean, Isabella’s father, made sure that I was expelled, humiliated, and abandoned.

I moved to a small town in the Pack due to the shame. But when it became too unbearable, I moved to Bloodhound Pack, started working at a dive bar, and found myself in a shoebox apartment.

But tonight?

Tonight, Juliet reminded me of everything I’d tried to forget.

Hissing loudly, I pulled out my phone and blocked Juliet. Then I leaned against the brick wall of the bar’s back entrance and cried until my vision blurred.

Suddenly, a honk jerked me out of my thoughts. I opened my eyes to see a shiny black SUV rolling up beside the curb.

I squinted as the passenger window lowered to reveal a middle-aged man. “Miss Vale?” He called. “My boss would like to have a word with you.”

I stopped in my tracks.

Your boss?

“I’m sorry,” I said calmly. “But I’m not really in the mood for whatever this is. I need to get somewhere.”

“We can give you a ride.” He suggested. “You can speak with my boss on the way.”

“I have to go…” I started to say, but paused when the back window rolled down.

I stopped breathing when my eyes locked with the man in the back seat. Before me was none other than Alpha freaking Lucien.

The Alpha of the Bloodhound Pack, the very Pack I lived in. The same man whose face I’d seen on posters every time I caught a bus to the bar.

“Freya Vale, right?” He asked.

I blinked. “Y-Yes.”

His smile widened like he’d just confirmed something significant. “Good. I’ve been looking for you.”

That moved something inside me.

My instincts screamed at me to decline, but my curiosity won as I swallowed hard and walked toward the SUV. My fingers hesitated on the handle for a moment. Then I yanked the door open and slid into the seat beside him.

The suited man up front turned slightly and asked. “Where to?”

“The bus stop,” I said quietly.

He gave a single nod, then gestured to the driver.

Finally, Alpha Lucien cleared his throat. “I’m not going to waste your time, Freya. I have a job offer for you. One I think you’ll be very interested in.”

I turned my head to him slowly. “What kind of job?”

He leaned slightly forward and looked at me, his smile never fading. “A personal one.”

O-kay.

He reached into his coat and pulled out a small envelope. “I want you to make someone fall in love with you.” He said, handing it to me.

I frowned, confused. “I’m sorry, what?”

He gestured toward the envelope in my hands. “Open it.”

I hesitated, then slowly peeled it open and pulled out a glossy photograph. The second I saw the man in it, my heart stopped.

I stared at the photo in disbelief.

My mouth went dry. “You want me to seduce… Kaiden's father?”

“I want you to make him fall in love with you.” Alpha Lucien clarified calmly. “Make him choose you as his Luna, and in return, you’ll be compensated handsomely.”