PROLOGUE

SELENA'S POV 

It was supposed to be a happy day. Our eighteenth birthday.

"Selena, dress up. We need to go out to celebrate your birthday." My mother had told us with a strange glow in her eyes. 

I felt puzzled, but before I could question her, Selene had cheered, feeling ecstatic. 

And then, the journey started. 

To celebrate our birthday...

I sat in the back seat of the car with my twin sister’s head resting on my lap. Selene looked so pale again, her chest rising and falling slowly like she was struggling to breathe. She smiled weakly when I brushed a strand of hair away from her face.

“Don’t sleep too much,” I whispered. “We’re eighteen now. You should at least try to enjoy today.”

She hummed but didn’t answer. Typical. Selene was always the quiet one, the sickly one. The one everyone protected.

As for me? I had to be strong, especially since I had my wolf now. She came to me the moment the clock hit midnight. Strong, fierce, and loud in my head. I’d been waiting for this moment my whole life, and I wanted to tell Selene every detail, wanted to make her laugh like we used to when we were kids.

Instead, I just sat there stroking her hair while the car kept moving through the dark road.

Something about the air felt heavy. Our parents sat in the front seats, whispering to each other. Their voices were low and sharp. I thought maybe they were planning some kind of surprise, but the knot in my stomach told me otherwise.

The car slowed. Then it stopped.

“Why are we stopping here?” I asked, frowning. We weren’t anywhere familiar. Just an empty road with trees stretching too far.

“Out,” Father said, his voice cold, with no warmth in it at all.

“What?”

“Get out,” Mother snapped, and before I could react, rough hands yanked the door open.

I gasped when two strange men grabbed me and Selene, pulling us into the night. Selene whimpered, clutching my arm, and I tried to fight, but the grip on my shoulders was like iron.

“Mom? Dad?” My voice broke. “What’s going on?”

No answer.

A cloth bag dropped over my head, cutting off my vision. I thrashed, my heart pounding in panic. All I could hear was muffled voices.

“She’s strong. The other one’s weak.”

“Doesn’t matter. You’ll get a good price for both.”

“They’ll be trained. The Alphas always need more girls.”

My chest froze. Price? Alphas'? Are we getting sold?

We were supposed to be celebrating our birthdays... right?

Was this a prank?

I tried to convince myself, but the unease was overwhelming, and fear gripped my heart. 

“Please!” I screamed inside the bag, struggling against the arms that held me. “Mom! Dad! Don’t do this! Please!”

Silence.

I heard the tires of the car crunching against gravel, leaving us behind like garbage.

When the bag was finally ripped from my head, I was standing in front of a tall, rusted gate. Beyond them was a grim compound, the air thick with the stench of sweat, fear, and blood.

Selene clung to me, eyes wide in horror. “Where are we?”

I didn’t know how to answer.

The men shoved us through the gates. The doors slammed shut behind us finally, like the end of freedom.

Inside, girls moved like dolls across the yard, some limping, some carrying buckets, some with bruises covering their skin. The sound of whips cracked in the air. Screams ringing out. 

My blood ran cold.

“Welcome to your new home. The Training Center.” One of the guards said, sneering at us.

Training center? What the heck was that supposed to be? 

“You’ll learn everything here,” another guard continued as his eyes swept over us, lingering too long. “How to serve, how to obey…and how to keep an Alpha’s bed warm.”

Selene instantly gasped, her thin fingers digging into my arm.

I pulled her close, even though my own knees were weak. “Don’t be scared,” I whispered fiercely, forcing my voice to stay steady. “I won’t let them hurt you. No matter what happens, I’ll protect you.”

But even as I said it, fear clawed at me.

The gates had locked. Our parents were gone. And the future that waited for us was darker than anything I could have ever imagined.