Chapter 1

Rose’s POV

I was headed to the Alpha's chamber to send him food as requested by Dorothy.

She had begged me earlier to help her send the food to him as she needed to attend to something urgently.

Even though I was bone-tired, I couldn’t refuse her. I loved Dorothy dearly. She had helped me settle into the Pack when I first arrived, guided me through the rules, and stood by me whenever I found myself in trouble.

Since arriving at the Black Moon Pack, I had never seen Alpha Jackson up close. I had seen Diva, his betrothed, a couple of times and she was a pain in the neck, always nagging and complaining. She always stepped on my toes. I never knew why she hated me so much, maybe because I was an omega.

The only time I’d caught a glimpse of him was from afar during a morning run, and even then, it wasn’t very clear. But I’d heard the stories. . . so many stories.

They said he was brutal, cold, and terrifyingly powerful. That he once stabbed a slave three times for refusing to sleep with him. That he killed his own guard for leaving the palace to check on his ailing mate without permission. And yet, despite the rumors, countless she-wolves would kill for a chance with him. Because he was dangerously handsome.

Just thinking about him made a chill run down my spine. The idea of entering his room, of being alone with him, had my heart pounding. What if he killed me? What if he forced himself on me?

Why did Dorothy have to send me? I never wanted to be in a situation like this.

As I trudged down the corridor, my stomach was roaring. I hadn’t eaten all day. I could literally finish a whole bowl of porridge.

It had been a long, draining day at the Pack. A group of visitors from the neighboring Pack had come to mine crude oil, and after they left, we spent hours cleaning up after them. I had just finished my palace chores and all I wanted was a hot meal and a soft bed before I collapsed.

My mind spiraled with awful possibilities as I approached his door. That was when I noticed a scent in the air, sweet vanilla mixed with chocolate. Enticing, addictive. The closer I got, the stronger it became. I could stay like that forever.

I knocked softly.

No response.

I knocked again. Still nothing.

“I think you should just go in and drop the juice,” Rhea, my wolf, suggested. “He’s probably out handling Pack business. You’ll be in and out.”

Wanting to be done with it as quickly as possible and get some rest, I sighed and turned the knob.

The sitting room was empty. But I could hear something, moaning. Cries. The scent of vanilla and chocolate still lingered thick in the air. The sounds grew louder the deeper I went.

A she-wolf’s voice, ragged and desperate: “Alph… Please… take it easy…”

“Shut up!” came the harsh retort.

My blood ran cold.

Was she in trouble?

My instincts kicked in. If someone needed help, I wouldn’t stand by. I was ready to shift, ready to fight to protect her if I had to. My feet moved on their own, carrying me deeper into the room, toward the noise.

Then I saw it.

Or them, as the case is.

My hands began to tremble. The tray slipped from my fingers and crashed to the floor, glass shattering, juice splashing everywhere.

He was having sex, aggressively, violently, with a maid. Using every ounce of his Alpha strength.

Alpha Jackson’s head snapped toward me, rage flashing in his eyes. “How dare you!” he growled.

The she-wolf beneath him gasped for air. Her sweat-soaked body trembled before she went limp, passing out cold. He adjusted his trousers hastily.

I stood there, frozen, barely breathing. My heart pounded in my chest like it was trying to escape. And then it hit me, that scent. The vanilla and chocolate. It wasn’t just his. It was ours.

He was my mate.

My mate.

Was this a dream?

What twisted joke was the Moon Goddess playing?

His eyes narrowed.

“On whose orders did you enter my room?” he snarled, fists clenched, his entire frame radiating fury.

My lips quivered. “I… I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to. . . ”

SLAP!

His palm collided with my cheek, sharp and brutal. My head snapped to the side. I crashed to the ground, clutching my face as pain exploded across it. A high-pitched ringing filled my ears.

Tears sprang to my eyes before I could stop them. My chest heaved, trying to hold back the sobs. But they fell anyway, fast and hot.

He laughed. Cold, cruel and mocking.

“You? My mate? You?! It can’t be possible.”

I wept silently, my face pressed to the floor.

Alpha Jackson stepped closer and knelt, lifting my chin with one finger.

“I could never, ever be mated to a lowlife, wretched slave like you. The Moon Goddess must have made a mistake.”

His words cut deeper than his slap ever could, breaking me.

He kept scoffing. “You should know better. You and I? We’re worlds apart. I can smell the weakness on you. You’re an Omega. A servant. I would never stoop so low as to claim you.”

He leaned closer, his voice full of venom.

“You’re a nonentity. And that’s all you’ll ever be until the day you die.”

Then came the words that shattered everything.

“I, Alpha Jackson Caesar of the Black moon Pack, reject you as my mate.”

My heart cracked into pieces.

I’d been insulted, degraded, and now, rejected.

Was it a crime to be born? Was I paying for some sin from a past life? The pain and the humiliation overwhelmed me. Tears blurred my vision. My body trembled as I tried to breathe through it.

“Get lo. . .” he started again.

But I didn’t wait to hear the rest.

Clutching the hem of my dress, I scrambled to my feet and ran. Ran faster than I ever had in my life, my tears blinding me. I didn’t know where I was going, and I didn’t care.

I just knew I had to get away from that beast.