Chapter 3

~EMILIA MONROE~

My hands wouldn’t stop trembling.

Even after I woke, even after I scrubbed hard at my skin, I could still feel the rough hands of Jackson's friends clutching me, their foul laughter in my ears, their weight pressing me to the ground. And then the wolf. The big black wolf with eyes like burning coals. Its snarl still echoed in my mind.

I pulled my knees tighter against my chest, curling in the corner of my small bed. I hadn’t slept properly, not since the attack. Every time I shut my eyes, I saw the its fangs, felt the brush of death against my throat. Yet somehow, I was alive. Alive because… because the wolf spared me.

Why?

The thought gnawed at me as the first light of dawn slipped through my window, painting the worn walls of my room. I barely had time to gather myself before Adrielle's voice rang out.

“Emilia!” She yelled. “Are you deaf? Everyone is waiting. Breakfast!”

I flinched. My body moved before my mind caught up. I had gotten too caught up in the events of the past night that I forgot I was my family's slave. The one who prepared their breakfast and did all their bidding just so I can survive.

By the time I reached the dining hall, the air was heavy with the smell of roasted meat, butter, and fresh bread. My stomach twisted in hunger. They had gotten food outside. It was rare for them to. Perharps there was an occasion, I thought. Still, I felt relieved that I didn't have to prepare breakfast that morning.

They were already seated. My father at the head, his dark hair streaked with gray, his mouth set in the familiar hard line that meant trouble. Beside him, my stepmother, Serena, a thin smile plastered across her face. And Adrielle, draped in silk, tossing her hair like around as she checked her phone.

I set the dishes down quickly, hands steady despite the storm inside me. But my chest tightened when I caught their words.

“…it was the Alpha.” Serena was saying. “The black wolf that slaughtered those men was him. The new Alpha.”

My breath hitched. My mind spun back to last night, to the beast that almost murdered me in cold blood.

It was the new alpha?

I nearly dropped the platter.

Serena’s gaze shifted to me. “Emilia. Were you with Jackson before or after the attack on his friends?”

The question threw me off balance but I managed to find my composure. “I… I was there,” I whispered. “I barely escaped.”

Silence ensued after my response. I waited... hoped for shock or concern. But none came.

My father only scowled. “And you failed to apologize properly, I assume.”

Adrielle scoffed, twirling a strand of hair around her finger. “Not that it matters. Jackson called me back last night.” She smirked, eyes glittering with triumph. “He begged, actually.”

My chest burned. I had risked myself for her, for a sister who would gladly see me die and none of them cared.

“Enough.” My father said, his tone clipped. He set his cup down with a thud. “Jackson is no longer relevant, Adrielle. You will cut ties with him immediately.”

Adrielle blinked, startled. “What? Why?”

“Because,” my father said, straightening, “The Alpha has declared a contest. A search for his Luna. It will be open to eligible women of standing. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, Adrielle. You will enter.”

For a moment, my stepsister looked unimpressed, her lips pursed. But then the meaning settled in. Her eyes widened, a greedy light sparking there. “A Luna contest?” She sat straighter, a smile curving across her face. “Of course I’ll enter. Imagine me, Luna of the Silver Crest Pack. The entire pack bowing at my feet.”

My father smiled faintly, his rare, thin approval reserved only for her. Serena clasped Adrielle’s hand, beaming with pride.

No one looked at me. Not once.

I stood frozen at the edge of the table, invisible, until the others finished their meal and drifted away, their laughter echoing down the hall. Only my father remained, sipping his drink.

Gathering my courage, I stepped closer. “Father…” My voice was small. Too small. I swallowed and tried again. “Father, I want to speak with you.”

His eyes lifted, cold and sharp. “Make it quick.”

“I…” My hands twisted in my apron. “I’d like to continue my education. To go to college. If you allow it, I can leave this place, relieve you of—”

“No.” The word cracked like a whip.

I flinched. “But—”

His palm slammed onto the table. “No, Emilia. You will not go to college. You will not leave. You will remain where you are told.”

The sting of rejection cut deep, but I forced the words out. “Why, Father? Why do you despise me so much? Is it because of Mother? Because she died giving birth to me?”

For a moment, I thought I saw something flicker in his eyes. But it wasn’t grief. It was loathing.

“You killed her.” He hissed. “And you’ve been a burden ever since. Do you know what you are to me, Emilia? An embarrassment. A stain on this family. You cannot shift, cannot fight. You will never be more than a shadow trailing after those who matter.”

His words shattered me whole. I bit down hard to keep the tears from spilling.

“You will accompany Adrielle to the Alpha’s residence.” He continued, voice harsh. “Not as a contestant, of course. You will serve her there. You will be her maid. That is your place.”

Something inside me cracked, but I forced myself to bow my head. “Yes, Father.”

**************************

The Alpha’s residence was nothing like I’d imagined. I had never wandered far enough to see it before until the day of the choosing for the contest. My stepsister chattered excitedly, Serena fussed over her hair and attire, while I trailed behind, carrying their things like the servant they claimed me to be.

But when the estate came into view, even my breath caught. Mansions stretched high, their stone walls gleaming under the sun. Banners bearing the crest of the Alpha snapped in the wind and guards stood rigid along the perimeter.

Inside was even more fascinating. Marble floors gleamed like mirrors, chandeliers spilled light like molten gold, and the hallways seemed endless. Everything screamed of power, wealth, history and blood.

I trailed behind Adrielle and Serena inside and into the crowd that awaited in a large room. Betas, other prominent members and girls whom I guessed to be the contestants.

And then he appeared.

The Alpha whose name was Killian Thane.

The air shifted the moment he entered, heavy and suffocating, like the room itself bowed to his presence. He was tall and his broad shoulders were draped in dark robes. His face was as though it was carved from stone—sharp jaw, high cheekbones and lips pressed into a cold line.

However, it was his eyes that froze me in place. Blue, a shade I hadn't seen on any other. They showed no glint of warmth at all. Only coldness and primality.

The Alpha. The wolf that had spared me.

My pulse quickened, my breath caught, as something strange twisted in my chest.

He was handsome, yes. But not the kind that brought comfort. His beauty was sharp and dangerous, like a blade pointed at your throat.

And when his gaze swept across the room, it caught mine.

The world tilted.

Something slammed into me, deep in my chest, stealing my breath. Heat coiled low in my belly, unfamiliar and frightening. I’d heard of it many times before amongst others when they described this feeling. They called it the pull of the bond. The mate connection that bound two souls together. But it couldn’t be. Not with him.

I was addressed as a nobody. An unshifted. My father's embarrassment. And he… he was the Alpha.

I tore my gaze away, heart pounding, convincing myself it was my imagination. A trick. Delusion born from exhaustion. There was no way I felt the mate pull for the infamous new alpha. Perharps the other night was still taking its toll on me.

The introductions began.

“Adrielle Monroe.” The man in charge of the introductions, announced. My stepsister stepped forward, smiling radiantly and curtsying low. Killian’s gaze flicked over her briefly, then moved on. There was no telling what he thought from his expressions.

“Selene Cartwright.” Another girl was called. Tall, elegant, with blonde hair. She batted her lashes, practically glowing under the Alpha’s stare. He remained unmoved.

One by one, the names were read. Fourteen girls in total, each aching for his attention, each desperate for the crown of Luna.

And then… silence.

I realized I was standing alone at the section of the group that were called. I had followed Adrielle and remained at her side until they called her and I totally forgot to move away. I noticed eyes on me then. The Alpha’s gaze fell on me again, sharper and colder this time, as though he could see straight through me.

“Who is she?” Killian’s voice was low, dangerous, cutting through the hall.

Before I could speak, Adrielle stepped forward, her laugh high and sweet. “Oh, her? That’s just Emilia. She’s no contestant, only my help.”

But another voice interrupted. One of the council elders. His gaze flicked to me, disapproving. “That is Emilia Monroe. The unturned.”

A murmur rippled through the crowd. My cheeks burned, humiliation immediately wrapping around me like chains.

Killian’s expression gave nothing away. He only stood, his towering frame casting shadows over us all. “Do what needs to be done.” He said coldly, his voice echoing in the vast chamber.

The council bowed. The contestants fawned, their eyes glued to him as he swept past. But as he strode by, I felt it again. The same pull of earlier.

And just before he vanished from the hall, his eyes slid back to mine. One last glance. Cold. Calculating.

Yet enough to steal the breath from my lungs.