Chapter 1

OCTAVIA.

My back hit the ground hard. The packed dirt dug into my spine and knocked the air right out of my lungs. I didn’t even get a second to breathe before a boot came flying at my face.

I rolled fast, more instinct than thought, and swept the man's legs out from under him. He hit the ground with a grunt, and I was already on my feet before he could finish groaning.

“Again!” the guard barked.

I clenched my jaw, breathing hard. Everything hurt. But that was nothing new.

The pit was always the same. Cold, damp and reeking of old blood. Some of it was mine. Some was not. But it fidn't matter. What mattered was surviving whatever they threw at me. Training, fighting, spying, stealing. Whatever Alpha Maeron wanted, I had to do it.

I was his weapon. His property.

But someday, I’d kill him. That much I promised myself.

Today, though... this wasn’t training. It felt different. Like punishment.

I ducked a punch and slammed my elbow into someone’s ribs. I heard the crunch as he dropped , groaning in pain. Two more guards rushed at me and I frowned. That wasn’t normal. They never sent two at once unless Maeron told them to.

“What the hell is this?” I growled, dodging a blow and cracking someone across the jaw. “Why are you going so hard?!”

“Alpha’s orders,” one grunted and I rolled my eyes.

Of course it was.

I spat to the side and wiped the sweat from my face. My black tank top was soaked. Blood, sweat, whatever. It was all the same.

He was planning something. I could feel it.

Before I could ask more, his voice cut through the pit.

“Enough!”

The guards stopped immediately and backed off.

I turned and saw him. Alpha Maeron. He walked in like he owned the place. Like he always did. I wanted nothing more than to smash his face into the wall.

“Out,” he ordered.

The guards rushed out, leaving just me and him.

I stood there, breathing heavily with my fists aching. “What is going on?”

He smirked. That same smug smirk I hated since the day he ruined my life.

“Feisty as ever,” he said.

“You said last time was the last,” I snapped. “You said Dory would be free. I’ve done everything you asked. I’ve bled, I’ve killed, I’ve stolen, everything. Yet she’s still chained up like a dog. Why?”

He narrowed his eyes. “You forget your place, Octavia. You work for me. You breathe because I let you. Don't question me. Ever.”

I stepped closer, fury raking over me. I could kill him. Right here. Right now. But Dory...

“You want me to beg?” I hissed. “You want me to crawl and kiss your boots? Is that it?”

He laughed darkly.

“No,” he said. “I want to give you a proposal.”

My eyes narrowed. “What kind of proposal?”

“One last assignment,” he said.

I folded my arms. “You’ve said that before.”

“This time I mean it,” he said, walking in a slow circle around me. “Finish this one job... and I’ll let Dory go. As a matter of fact, I’ll let you go.”

I froze.

Set me free?

He never said that before. Only Dory. Never both of us.

I searched his face, looking for the lie. The trap. He was good at hiding it, though. Too good.

“You think I believe you?” I said.

“I’m offering you freedom,” he repeated.

“Why now?” I asked. “What’s the catch?”

He stopped in front of me, his voice colder than ever. “There’s someone I want taken down. A problem I haven’t been able to solve for years.”

I crossed my arms tighter. “Who?”

“An alpha from another pack. Far away. He’s a pain in the ass. Tried everything nothing works. So now I’m making him your problem.”

I sighed, already tired of this. “You want me to kill him?”

But Maeron shook his head. He was smiling again. That twisted kind of smile that made your skin crawl.

“No. I want you to lure him in. Bring him to me.”

I frowned. “So you can kill him?”

“No,” he said. “So I can capture him.”

Something twisted in my gut. This was different. This wasn’t like the missions I’d done before. This one felt... wrong. Trapping someone? It wasn’t my style. It wasn’t what I did.

“Who is he?” I asked.

Maeron gave a slow, satisfied smile. “Dorian Lysander.”

The name hit like a punch and my mouth opened before I could stop it.

“You mean the Alpha of Shadow Crescent?”

He nodded. “That’s the one.”

I stared at him in pure shock.

Everyone knew the stories. Dorian Lysander wasn’t just an alpha. He was a legend. A warning. A nightmare. People said he fed on his enemies. Said he wore their bones. No one crossed him and lived to tell the story.

This wasn’t a mission. It was suicide.

My fists clenched in anger. “You want me to bait the Beast of Shadow Crescent?! Are you out of your mind?!” I yelled, looking at him in disbelief.

He smirked again. “I want you to prove your loyalty, Octavia. Show me how badly you want your freedom and I might just keep to my promise and let you go. And of course, the other girl. Prove it.”

“Prove it?” I repeated, shaking my head. “You’re not even promising. You said might. You MIGHT let us go. That’s not good enough, Maeron. That's not a deal. That’s a gamble.”

But even as I spoke I knew I didn't have much choice.

So this was it.

The offer I had dreamed of and fought for all those years.

I never thought it would look like this.

This wasn't what I had in mind.

I didn't bargain for this.