PROLOGUE

"You were warned when you took the loan. All this time, we've been letting it slide, giving you time to pay up. But still, you had the guts to try and run away," One of the men thundered. 

His voice sent chills down Sophia's spine. She did not know what to expect when she heard the loud bang earlier, but she certainly did not expect to see two armed, dangerous looking men beating her stepfather to a pulp. 

"Stop!!" Her mother screamed, rushing forward. She quickly got on her knees and placed both palms together. "P–Please stop hitting him," she begged. "He's all I have."

The men, who Sophia now realized were also werewolves, frowned. "Well your husband should have thought about that before taking such ridiculous loans!"

The men did not look like people who would take no for an answer, and Sophia was beginning to fear for her mother. She did not give a fuck what happened to her stepfather. Maybe this was his punishment for all the evil things he had done. 

"Please…just give me a few weeks," her stepfather continued to beg. "I-I promise to pay up I swear…" 

A loud scream escaped him as one of the men sliced through his arm with sharp claws.

The man continued, grabbing her stepfather by the collar. "You have crossed your limit. It's time for you to die." The man raised his arm high, aiming for the neck.

Sophia heard her mother scream, and she shut her eyes, unwilling to look.

"Take my daughter!!"

Immediately, Sophia's eyes flew open. She could not believe what she had just heard. But it was true. Everyone in the room had paused. Horrified, she turned to face her stepfather. 

"P-Please…take my daughter," Her stepfather begged. "She…Sophia…she means a lot to her mother and I," He continued. 

Sophia's eyes widened. She broke out in a cold sweat at her stepfather's words, and she knew exactly where he was going with this. 

"NO!" She yelled, even though she knew that would not stop him. 

One of the men hissed, impatient. "What does your daughter have to do with anything?"

Her stepfather cast a glance at her. "She's our little baby girl. And I assure you, we will not be able to live without her…" He paused to sniff a little. 

Sophia felt her blood boil. Her stepfather did not give a shit about her, he never had. All he did was hit her whenever she did not steal enough to provide for the family. It was clear that he despised her, and he had shown it for years.

So why the hell was he pretending to care? "Stop! What are you doing? Mother, please stop him!" She pleaded. But her mother looked just as confused. 

"I will let you have her to prove to you that I mean what I say. I will have the money ready in two weeks. When I do, I will come for my baby girl. I-I will bring her back home. Just please…please don't harm us."

"Stop lying!" Sophia screamed at the top of her lungs. She could not believe her eyes when she saw a fake tear slide down her stepfather's cheeks. She knew what he was doing. He was not going to come for her. He never would. He was only using her to escape death.

Fear gripping her, Sophia knew she had no other option.

She had to run.

She leaped back in fear and began to run in an attempt to reach the back door. But the men were faster than her. They caught up with her easily and tied her arms behind her back. 

"No, let me go!" She continued to struggle. But they all ignored her cries.

"Agreed," She heard one of the men say. "Your daughter will be your motivation to pay up your debt," He sneered. "You have two weeks. If you don't get the money by then, forget about your little girl." 

"MOM, PLEASE…HELP ME!!" Sophia screamed, tears streaming down her face as she fought back to no avail. Her mother had stood and was now watching everything unfold with tears in her eyes. But did not move an inch. 

"MOM, PLEASE!!" Sophia felt helpless as she began to sob. But still, her mother made no move. And Sophia knew why. 

She was afraid. 

She was still too afraid of her husband. This hurt Sophia more than she could explain.

"Two weeks. I'll have the money ready, I promise," Her stepfather said. 

Sophia glared at him, tears blurring her vision. Just before they put a black bag over her head, she saw her stepfather smirk at her. 

"No!" Sophia continued to scream as they began to drag her away. The last thing she heard before they pulled her out of the door was the sound of her mother sobbing quietly in the living room. 

The men gagged her and dragged her down the steps until they got to a black SUV parked on the street. They dumped her roughly in the backseat, making her wince from the pain. 

The black bag over her head was yanked off. "You think this one will fetch a good price?" One man asked the other. They both turned to look at Sophia. 

Suddenly, she felt self conscious and wary. She shrunk back into the seat and crossed her arms over her chest. 

"Don't be stupid!" One of them slapped her across her face. He pushed her arms out of the way and tore her shirt in one pull. 

Tears streamed down Sophia's face as these strange men observed her naked chest. She had never felt so violated in her life. "P-please…" she whimpered, scared they might try to harm her. 

The men exchanged looks. "Fair enough. I'd say medium sized."

The fact that they were discussing her body made her face burn in humiliation and fear. 

"We're good to go," she heard one of the men say. "We'll see what Alpha Jordan has to say about this one."

With a smirk, they shut the backdoor and got into the car. As they drove off, Sophia felt her stomach churn. What she feared was right.

She was going to be sold.