C2

===== Freya Holloway POV =====

"Sommy, listen. Marriage is for your whole life. I will not let you throw yours away for this," Martha said, looking at me with sad, tired eyes.

I put the food down on the nightstand. "I am not marrying a stranger. Is he not your old friend’s boy?"

"She is gone, Freya. I do not even know her son. You should find a man you actually like. You are not a trade-off. I would rather stay here in this shack forever."

A man I like? I laughed inside. I was not that kind of girl. My looks, my size—they did not matter. What mattered was getting back the pack lands they stole from my mother.

We went back to our home territory the next day. Graham did not let us stay at Holloway Manor. He put us in a small, run-down rental. He told me I had to go to the Bennett Silverclaw Citadel to meet the family. I hated it. I did not want my mother to see the woman who stole her husband, but I had to go.

It was quiet at home. Martha was shaking, her hands restless. "Freya, this is a bad idea. A marriage like this... it is not right. Please."

"Mom, just eat," I said, pushing the bowl toward her. My heart hurt. I was so tired. I felt sick to my stomach every time I smelled food.

"Are you okay?" she asked, reaching for my hand.

"Just jetlag," I lied. I ran to my room and locked the door. I leaned my back against the wood, sliding down until I hit the floor.

I was six weeks pregnant. The doctor’s words were stuck in my head like a bad dream. I touched my belly. My heart felt heavy, but also weirdly happy. I was going to be a mother. I had to keep this safe. I hid the doctor’s paper deep in my drawer.

Suddenly, the door banged open. Graham stood there, looking mad. "Change your clothes. Now."

"Why?" I asked, standing up.

"You are meeting the Bennett family. And Miky. Do you want to make me look like a fool in front of the Alpha Council?"

He did not care about me. He never did. If he had given me money back then, my brother would still be alive. I clenched my fists so hard my knuckles turned white.

"Hurry up," he barked.

We drove to a fancy shop. He pushed me inside. "Get her something that does not look like rags."

A worker pointed me toward a blue dress. I walked to the back. As I passed a room, I heard voices through the crack in the wall.

"Lucien, you don't have to marry that girl. Please, just stay with me," a woman whispered.

I stopped. I knew that voice.

"I have no choice," the man named Lucien said. "It is a pack law. My mother made the deal."

He sounded strong, like a real Alpha.

"Does it hurt? That night?" he asked her.

I froze. They were talking about a woman. A virgin. I remembered the night I sold myself. The pain. The blood. The way he growled into my neck.

"It hurt, but I don't care," the woman lied, purring against his chest.

I felt like I was going to throw up. She was stealing the credit for what I went through. I wanted to scream.

"If you like these clothes, buy them all," Lucien said, kissing her head.

The shop girl poked my arm. "The VIP room is that way. Turn right."

I turned. I walked into the room. I felt sick. My head spun. The man who ruined my life was just a few feet away, and he did not even know who I was. I clutched the blue dress to my chest and stared at the wall. Was he the one? Was this really happening?