Chapter 1

The scent hit me before the door even opened.

Rainwater and cedar wood.

It curled around my senses, freezing my feet to the hallway floor. My heart was beating very fast. Today was my twentieth birthday. The day a wolf’s senses fully mature. The day we recognize our mate.

I stared at the dark oak door of the Alpha’s office. I knew exactly who was inside. Juan . The future Alpha of the Silver Pine pack, and the man who had just taken over his father’s duties.

He was also the man my brother owed a debt. A slightly huge amount of money 

"Are you going to stand there all day, Cora?" Juan’s voice bled through the wood. It was smooth, flat, and empty of emotion.

I swallowed the dry lump in my throat and pushed the door open.

Juan  sat behind a wide mahogany desk. He didn’t even look up from the papers in front of him. He wore a crisp white shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his forearms. He looked calm and untouchable 

"Sit," he said.

I didn't move toward the chair. "Where is Liam? You said he would be here."

Juan  finally stopped writing. He slowly lifted his head. His eyes were a piercing, icy gray. The moment his gaze locked onto mine, his nostrils flared. His jaw tightened until the muscle ticked beneath his skin.

He smelled it. He felt the bond.

For one breathless second, hope fluttered in my chest. Mate. The word rang in my mind. Maybe this changed things. Maybe the debt wouldn't matter.

Then, the ice in his eyes returned, colder than before. He leaned back in his chair, folding his arms.

"Your brother is currently sitting in a holding cell in the basement," Juan  said, his tone casual. "He thought it would be a smart idea to steal from the pack funds to pay off his gambling debts."

The hope in my chest shattered. "No. Liam wouldn't do that. He promised me he stopped playing."

"People lie, Cora." Juan  picked up a silver pen, twisting it between his fingers. "He took the money. I caught him. Under pack law, theft from the Alpha is punishable by exile. You know what happens to a lone wolf in this territory. They do not survive the winter."

I started panicking. "Please, Juan. Let me talk to him. I can pay the money back. I will work double shifts at the diner. I will clean houses. Just give me time."

"Time?" Juan let out a dry, humorless laugh. "You make minimum wage. It would take you ten years to pay off what he stole. I am taking over the Alpha title next month. I cannot show weakness. I cannot let a thief walk free."

"He is my only family!" My voice cracked, betraying my desperation. "What do you want from me? There has to be a way to fix this."

Juan  stared at me. The silence stretched between us, thick and suffocating. The mate bond hummed beneath my skin, begging me to step closer to him, to seek comfort from the very man who was threatening my brother's life.

"There is one way," Juan  finally said.

"Anything."

"I need an assistant at the estate," he said, his voice dropping lower. "Someone to manage my schedule, organize the pack events, and be available at all hours. My current assistant is retiring. You will move into the pack house. You will work for me. Every dollar of your salary will go toward Liam's debt."

What? I blinked. Move into the pack house? Be near him every single day? "For how long?"

"Until the debt is paid," Juan  replied coldly. "Three years. Maybe four. During that time, Liam stays in the pack, but he is stripped of his rank. He will work in the borders on patrol. If he steps out of line once, he is gone. If you quit, he is gone."

He was trapping me. He knew exactly what the mate bond was doing to us both right now. It was pulling us together. But he was using it to enslave me to his family's debt.

"You recognize the scent, don't you?" I whispered, unable to hold the question back anymore.

Juan ’s expression did not change. He didn't blink. " I smell a bond."

"And you don't care?"

"A mate bond is a biological reaction, Cora. It is a chemical pull designed for breeding." He stood up, towering over the desk. "I am going to be the Alpha. I need a Luna from a strong, wealthy family to secure alliances. Not a diner waitress with a criminal brother."

The words felt really harsh. I stepped back, my hands trembling.

"I am getting engaged to the daughter of the Redwood pack next week," Juan  continued, his voice void of any pity. "You will help organize the engagement party. That will be your first task."

He didn't just reject me. He was going to make me plan his wedding to another woman.

"Do we have a deal, Cora?" he asked. "Or should I go downstairs and tell Liam to pack his bags?"

I looked at the cold, beautiful man standing in front of me. I hated him. I loved him. The contradiction tore at my soul.

"We have a deal, Alpha," I said, my voice barely a whisper.

"Good. Pack your things. You move in tonight."