Ruin Me, Alpha Step-Daddy

Chapter One

Hazel’s POV

“I hope that witch is not at home” I whispered beneath my breath.

I shoved the key into the lock, but the damn thing turned too easy which meant the door was unblocked again. The smell hit me before I even pushed the door open, stale cigarettes mixed with that sour, cheap booze my mother loved. My stomach twisted. Another night of this shit.

I stepped inside the tiny studio that felt more like a cage than a home. Peeling paint on the walls, a sagging couch that smelled like regret, and there she was my mother.Her breasts bounced as she rode the old man grinding on some dirty looking haggard old man that looked like she could be her father.

Her dress rode up her thighs, and his hands were everywhere. She didn’t even notice me at first.

“What the fuck?” The words flew out before I could stop them. My voice cracked with anger. “The door wasn’t even locked, Mom. Anyone could’ve walked in. I could’ve been anybody.”

She whipped around, eyes glassy and mean. The old man kept his grip on her waist, smirking like this was entertainment. “Shut your mouth, Hazel,” she snapped, voice sharp as broken glass.

“Stop whining like you always do. I’m out here trying to put food on the table, and all you do is complain. Be useful for once. Use your damn body and bring some money home like a good daughter should or shut up when I’m busy with my guest.”

The old man’s eyes slid over to me, slow and hungry. He licked his lips. “Damn, I’d pay my whole week’s wages for a night with a girl like that. Fresh one, huh?”

My skin crawled. I felt dirty just standing there. My mother didn’t even flinch to protect me. Instead, her face twisted with something ugly, probably jealousy, like I was stealing her spotlight. She grabbed an empty liquor bottle from the table and hurled it at me unprovoked.

I ducked just in time. The bottle smashed against the wall behind me, glass spraying everywhere. My heart pounded so hard I could feel it in my throat. I didn’t yell back.

Didn’t give her the satisfaction. I just turned, pulled the door shut behind me with a quiet click, and pressed my back against it for a second. Eyes closed. Breathing in the hallway stinks of piss and takeout.

Breathe, Hazel. Just breathe.

I walked away without looking back. My legs felt heavy, but I kept moving. That was the only thing I knew how to do.

The strip club was loud even from the back alley. Bass thumped through the walls like a second heartbeat. I pushed through the kitchen door, shoulders tight, apron already tied on.

Nana was at the stove, stirring something that smelled like actual food instead of the grease and desperation out front.

“Good evening, Nana.”

She turned, wiping her hands on her apron. Nana wasn’t tall, but she took up space with her broad shoulders, sharp eyes that had seen too much. She’s a retired rogue wolf. Unofficially, she’d claimed me years ago as her daughter. She looked at me for a long beat, the kind of look that peeled back every layer I tried to hide.

“What’s wrong, baby girl?”

I opened my mouth to say nothing, like always. But the words stuck. My eyes burned. Next thing I knew, hot tears were spilling down my cheeks. I tried to swipe them away, but more came.

Nana pulled me into her arms without a word, her hug solid and warm like the only safe place left in this world.

I cried harder. The memories flooded in, not the full pictures I couldn’t go there but the weight of them. The heavy feeling in my chest that never really left.

Growing up with no dad, just this bitter woman called my mother , an omega who drank away every paycheck and brought home men who looked at me wrong. Things happened when I was young. Things no kid should carry. I lost pieces of myself I’d never get back.

The fear, the shame, the nights I curled up wishing I could disappear. One time , my mom gave me something that made me bleed for 2 weeks straight saying it will make me not get pregnant again. But after enduring that horrible bloody pain.

I feared nothing anymore and I finally fought back with a knife that left me with a scar till date when she brought a fat old man into the house to have his way with me and that was the day I swore no one would touch me again without my say-so. Never.

Mom had given me the ultimatum eventually: bring in money or get out. So I did. Scratched and clawed through jobs after coming back from classes at the Academy.

No place wanted to give me work knowing my mothers terrible history , only the strip clubhouse did because they know my mom as a MILF stripper there. The club was rough with drunk shifters grabbing asses, deals in the back rooms but Nana was always here for me. Nana who snuck me bowls of soup on slow nights.

Nana taught me how to fight and defend myself especially from men and even for her age. She was still a strong Rogue.

“I hate my legs Nana,” I choked out against her shoulder, voice all snot and broken. “For not running. Because… I still love her. She’s the only family I’ve got and I don’t ever want to leave her behind, I hope she changes one day.” I stammered crying

Nana just held me tighter, rubbing my back in slow circles. She let me cry it all out, no rush, no judgment. When the sobs finally slowed, she tilted my chin up.

“You listen to me, Hazel. Be patient. Your mate is out there somewhere. When you find him or when he finds you everything’s gonna shift. The weight, the anger, the loneliness. It’ll make sense.”

“I hope so,” I whispered. My voice cracked, but something steadier flickered behind my eyes. I wiped my face with the back of my hand, smearing mascara probably. Pulled in a deep breath that hurt my ribs.

“Thank you Nana.”

She gave me one last squeeze. “Now get out there before those wolves tear up my kitchen looking for drinks. And eat something later. You’re skin and bones.”

I managed a weak smile and headed to the floor. The night blurred into orders and wandering hands I dodged, fake smiles, and the constant thump of music that matched my headache.

My feet ached like hell by the time I dragged myself back toward the apartment. The streets were quiet in that dangerous way, shadows stretching long under broken streetlights. I kept my head down, keys between my fingers like claws and the small pocket knife I always hide in the pockets of my jeans or my booths sometimes .

I was shocked to see mg mother waiting at the junction, right under the flickering lamp. My mother. Never happened before. She swayed on her feet, drunk as usual, but her face had this weird glow. Messy hair, smeared lipstick, eyes bright with some delusional hope.

“Guess what, Hazel?” she slurred, grabbing my arm too tight. “I’m getting married! I’m getting married to an alpha ,you’re finally gonna have a daddy!”

I stared at her. The words didn’t land right. “A step-daddy. And you’re drunk. Stop talking nonsense and let’s go inside. It’s late and you’re clearly drunk”

She laughed, high and shaky, like she believed every word. “No, baby. This one’s real. Big, strong alpha. Things are gonna change for us. You’ll see.”

I wanted to believe her. Some stupid, buried part of me, the little girl who used to wait by the window ached for it to be true. A real family. Safety. Someone who wouldn’t look at me like meat or a burden.

But she has had like 7 husbands already and we never really stayed up to 3 months with any of them before we get kicked out. She always drinks , smokes and sleeps with men all day.

My stomach knotted as I helped her stumble toward the building. The night air felt heavier, like something was watching. Who the hell was this alpha? And why did every instinct in me scream that this “good news” was about to rip our shitty little world apart?

I swallowed the questions and kept walking back to our shitty room.

“I can’t wait to meet my mate soon, the full blood moon will soon show and that’s my only hope out of this mess now “ I encouraged myself despite the fact that I hate men with passion thanks to my dear mother.