Ch.001

Arley

On the night my stepsister Risa was set to be engaged to my fiancé, I was forced to marry an old Beta in exchange for a portion of his pack’s treasury.

If I walk out of this room, my father will kill me. If I stay… I’m not even sure I’ll survive this man.

Anyway now, here I am, meeting my so-called husband for the first time. Sparse gray hair clings to his scalp, and his wrinkled, cold hands lazily trail along my arm. My back stiffens at his touch. My glass has been empty for minutes, leaving me to endure this torment with a painfully clear mind.

Or so I thought.

A faint fog begins to creep into my head. My body heats up, suddenly hypersensitive to every brush of his hand.

The heavy music from the hall above echoes in my ears. Risa must be happy right now, her pretty smile curving along her lips as she meets the man of her dreams—more importantly, the man who was supposed to be my fiancé, the very reason my father hosted the Moon Gala in our pack.

Alpha Janus Beyhos.

The youngest, wealthiest, and every woman's dream man... except I have never laid my eyes on him. But that's what they say.

How could my father do all that for Risa, while I'm tossed to a creepy freaking old Beta from a distant pack? I have dreams too, but whatever I wanted has never mattered to my family.

Sometimes I wonder if I am just a stray my family picked up one day.

After my mother passed when I was six, the loving father who used to throw me up in the sky and catch me with the brightest smile disappeared. I was no longer his little princess, and one day he came back home with a blonde-haired woman and a little girl three years younger than me.

They looked like the perfect family, even as the Alpha's first daughter… I was treated as a mere maid, locked away with no food sometimes if I dared to rebel. I have always been restricted in my movements until tonight.

I raise my head to stare at the roof as if I will see just how much Risa is shining in there, ignoring the faint voice of Beta Vinton slurring in my head.

“Tomorrow, we will be going back together,” Vinton whispers, leaning forward… his lips pressing a gentle kiss on my cheek.

Ugh… I hate this feeling, the heat between my legs won't stop. I squeeze the glass too tight and it shatters… a shard cutting through my palm, but I feel it heal almost immediately.

No, what… what’s happening to me?

I try to keep my eyes open as my body heats up, his cold hand brushes my thighs, slipping slightly between my legs.

“Hngh..” I let out a weak groan.

“You're so sensitive… your scent is so alluring, and you look so beautiful.” Vinton closes the distance between us, raising the too-skimpy red dress Risa's mother forced me into.

My muscles won't move, I borrow Kydra, my wolf's strength… pushing him hard, he flies from the chair, his back hitting the brick wall behind him.

“Fuck, you wench,” he growls, his eyes flashing red, anger twisting his old wrinkled forehead.

“S..stay away from me,” I manage to scream, but it comes out as a whispered breath. My body trembles from the heat rushing through me.

“Right…” he drags his body off the floor, his hand rubbing the back of his head. “This was why Mrs. Sherwood suggested we give you some of those heat inducers, but how are you still so strong and awake?” he murmurs.

My heart drops to my stomach.

So, it was their plan all the while… my… my drink was laced with heat inducers? The realization washes over me, my eyes widening.

Shit, I need to leave this room.

I push off the chair before he can take a step… my hand desperately reaching for the door handle. I twist hard, but it won't budge.

Dear goddess… please… open.

Damn it!

“Oh, don't bother,” he grins, taking slow, calculated steps forward. “I have the keys, you can't go anywhere… Arley.”

He slips his hand into his pocket, pulling out the single key… my only escape held tight between his fingers. Hope completely disappears.

But I won't give him the satisfaction, as he steps closer… my leg hits his chest, the key falls from his hand. I can't feel Kydra, she's panting weakly… I manage the last of my strength, rushing to the key and quickly inserting it into the hole, my hold on it tight, trying to prevent myself from letting go even though my hands are shaking so badly.

I don't bother to turn to see if Vinton has gotten up. I bolt out the door. The freezing night air brushes against my skin, yet it doesn't calm the heat.

My breath coils into the air as I gasp for air, breathing heavily, not caring where I go. I need to hide from them… all of them until the effects of the drug wear off.

Tall trees loom around me, their branches snagging at my dress as I run.

My leg catches on something and I stumble, crashing hard into the ground. I try to get up, but my bones feel like melted rubber.

“Kydra?” I try to summon my wolf even though I know she won't respond. She's been weak… not just weak, she's in the last stage of disappearing. After years of suppression by my family, she's been slowly fading away, and I just used up the last bit of strength she had.

My hands slip through my pants, my middle finger brushing lightly against my clit. A soft whimper escapes my mouth, my breathing too shallow.

It throbs, a needy ache that won't go away.

Suddenly, I hear heavy panting, followed by a sweet mix of leather and heated musk. My breath catches.

The forest shouldn’t smell this sweet. Or maybe the inducer has finally ruined my mind.

The silhouette drags closer…

Who is it?

Did they find me already?

I have never prayed this desperately, but soon the person's groans muffle out, he sounds like he's in so much pain too. His hair falls roughly on his face. His footsteps falter, is he drunk?

He finally closes the distance between us, the smell from earlier clinging to him, as if drawn to each other—

“Mate,” he growls, the vibration in his voice sending heated waves between my legs.

This feeling, I can’t understand it… before I know it, he lunges into me, my back hitting the tree as he grabs my wrists and pins them above my head, leaning into my nape.