Three

I tossed and turned all night, finally managing sleep in the early morning hours. When my alarm went off at 6 AM, I felt like I'd been hit by a truck.

Mom had been up even earlier. I could hear her in the upstairs living room, the TV on low. Our family's favorite sitcom, the one we used to watch together every Sunday. Now she was watching it alone at dawn because she couldn't sleep either.

I hid in my room, not ready for that conversation yet. We hadn't talked about what I'd done, about what I'd volunteered for. I didn't know how to explain it to her when I barely understood it myself.

At 6:30, I showered and dressed in simple clothes—jeans and a sweater. Medical screening didn't require anything fancy.

I drove to the pack house, my hands tight on the steering wheel. When I walked through the foyer, I found out that most of the girls had withdrawn overnight. Of the ten who'd volunteered, only four remained.

Brianna stood in the main hall, perfectly put together in a cream-colored pantsuit and red lipstick. She barely glanced at me before returning to her conversation with Melissa and Natasha.

More girls had backed out. They must have heard the full terms, gone home and thought about what it really meant and decided they couldn't do it.

Luna Catherine appeared from a side hallway, clipboard in hand. She looked at the four remaining girls and nodded in approval.

"Medical screening first," she said. "You'll each be seen privately. After that, we'll discuss what the next three days will entail."

She called names one by one. When it was my turn, she gestured for me to follow to a small office off the main hallway. Inside, she closed the door and sat behind the desk.

There was a small silence before she said, "I'm going to be direct with you, Lisa. You are at a significant disadvantage here."

I looked up. "I know."

"Do you?" She leaned forward. "Brianna has been trained in diplomacy since she was a child. Her family has direct Lycan connections. Melissa speaks three languages and has studied Lycan customs for years. Natasha's mother was a healer—she has medical training that would make her pregnancy safer."

She paused, letting that sink in.

"You have none of that. Your father is Beta, yes, but your mother has Omega blood. No offense, but that's a mark against you in traditional circles. You have no special training, no connections, no advantages."

I remained silent. 

“But you have something the others don't." Luna Catherine's expression softened. "Three years of working closely with me. Three years of learning when to speak and when to stay silent. When to push and when to step back. You understand discretion. You understand your place without needing to be reminded."

She pulled a file from her desk.

"Alpha Cameron needs someone who understands this arrangement is purely transactional. Someone who won't mistake duty for affection. Someone who can carry his child, hand it over, and walk away without drama or emotional complications." 

She looked at me. 

"Can you do that? Even if it's difficult? Even if people judge you? Even if you're isolated in a territory where you know no one and the Alpha himself is cold to you?"

The questions made it real in a way it hadn't been before.

"Yes," I said.

"You're certain?"

I nodded. 

Luna Catherine studied me for another long moment, then nodded. "Medical screening is in room three. After that, come back here."

---

The medical exam was thorough. They checked everything—fertility markers, reproductive health, genetic screening for inherited conditions. I felt like livestock being evaluated for breeding.

When it was over, I returned to Luna Catherine's office. Brianna was just leaving, looking smug.

"How did it go?" I asked, trying to be friendly.

She looked me up and down. "Fine. Though I'm sure the doctors found what they needed from all of us." 

Luna Catherine called me back in.

"Your screening came back clear," she said. "You're healthy, fertile, no genetic concerns. Medically, you're a viable candidate."

Relief flooded through me.

"The next three days will be preparation," she continued. "Alpha Cameron's pack is complicated. His position is not as secure as it should be, which is why he needs an heir so urgently."

"What do you mean?"

"That's not my story to tell. But you should know that if you're chosen, you won't just be carrying a child. You'll be carrying the future of his pack. There will be pressure. Scrutiny. People hoping you fail."

My stomach twisted. "That's a lot of weight to put on a pregnancy."

"It is. Which is why he needs someone strong enough to handle it." She leaned back. "Cameron is not warm. He's not kind. He's doing this out of duty, not desire. If you're chosen, don't expect gentleness or consideration. Expect efficiency."

I nodded. 

"I understand.”

Over the next two days, Luna Catherine drilled us relentlessly on Lycan customs. How to navigate pack hierarchy without offending anyone. What topics were safe and which ones were landmines.

“Don't try to be anything other than what you are. Lycans can smell deception and desperation. If you're honest and straightforward, you'll earn more respect than if you try to play games."

I picked up my best dress from the cleaners. Dark green, fitted but not tight, with long sleeves. I tried it on that night and stared at myself in the mirror.

I looked older somehow. Like someone who could handle what was coming.

But underneath, I was still just me. Still the girl whose family was falling apart. Still terrified of what I'd signed up for.

On the third morning, I woke to my phone buzzing relentlessly.

Cameron's convoy just arrived. Be at the pack house in one hour. - Luna Catherine

My hands shook so badly I could barely type a response.

I got dressed, forcing myself to breathe slowly. I was doing my hair when Mom knocked and walked in. 

"You look beautiful, sweetheart. What's the occasion?"

I turned. She'd stopped crying. Now she just looked tired. Like she'd accepted that everything was falling apart and there was nothing she could do about it.

"Where are you going? You've been disappearing for days." She paused. "I know you're dealing with what happened with your father in your own way, but we should talk."

"Mom, please. Not now." I grabbed her hands. "There's this opportunity with the pack. A temporary arrangement that could help us financially. Real help. Enough to buy a house, pay for James's school, take care of your medical bills."

Her forehead creased. "What kind of arrangement?"

I explained as carefully as I could. The alliance with the Lycans. The need for an heir. The one-year contract. The money. I didn't sugarcoat it—I told her I'd have to get pregnant, carry the baby, give it up.

"Lisa! No! I can't let you do this.”

"I want to." I squeezed her hands. "Mom, you can barely see anymore. Dad's planning to sell the house and move us into charity housing. If Alpha Cameron chooses me, this could change everything. You'd have security. James could go to college. We'd be okay."

Her eyes filled with tears. "Honey, I don't want you sacrificing yourself for my mistakes and my condition." She touched her face. "I should have fought harder. Should have kept my nursing license. Should have—"

"You did nothing wrong. Dad did." I pulled her into a hug. "Trust me, please. This is my choice."

She held on like she was afraid to let go.

James stood outside the door when we pulled apart. He looked so much older than seventeen at that moment.

"First Dad leaves. Now you might leave too. What am I supposed to do?"

"James..."

"Do you even care how this affects us? Or is it all about the money?"

The words stung. "You're supposed to finish school and stop being such a pain in the ass. I'll be back in a year."

He scoffed. "That's what Dad said about his business trips. That he'd always come back."

"I'm not Dad," I said firmly. "I'm not abandoning you. I'm trying to keep us from losing everything."

He turned away and went back upstairs.

My heart ached, but there wasn't time to fix it. I had thirty minutes to get to the pack house.