Two

The walk felt like miles even though it was only a few rows of chairs. My legs moved on autopilot while my brain screamed at me to stop. To find any other solution.

But there wasn't another solution. Not one that would work fast enough.

I felt every pair of eyes on me. Sasha remained standing, horrified. I didn't look back. If I did, I'd lose my nerve.

Alpha Marcus's eyes found me as I reached the front. Luna Catherine recognized me instantly. I'd worked as her personal shopper for three years.

I stopped at the base of the platform, my hands shaking so badly I had to clasp them together.

"I'll volunteer," I said, swallowing the tremor in my voice.

Surprised murmurs rippled through the crowd. 

"Lisa Hartwell?" Luna Catherine said carefully. "Do you understand what you're volunteering for?"

"Yes, Luna. I understand I'd be entering a one-year contract to carry Alpha Cameron's child and deliver it to him at the end."

The words felt strange in my mouth. Like I was describing someone else's life.

"This isn't a love match," Alpha Marcus said. "This is a binding contract with a Lycan Alpha. Once the agreement is made, there is no backing out."

"I understand."

Luna Catherine leaned forward. "You'd be required to relocate to Silver Creek for the duration of the pregnancy. You'd live in Alpha Cameron's territory, under his authority, away from your family and friends."

My chest tightened, but I nodded. "I understand."

"And you're prepared for what pregnancy entails?" Her voice stayed gentle but firm. "You'd need to be intimate with Alpha Cameron until pregnancy is confirmed."

My face burned, but I kept my voice steady. "I understand the terms."

Another girl stood from the middle section. Brianna, Beta Castillian’s daughter. 

After a pause, another followed. Then a few more. By the time the room settled, eight of us were standing.

"Are there specific requirements Alpha Cameron is looking for?" Brianna asked, her voice confident.

Luna Catherine answered. "Alpha Cameron will assess each candidate personally. Bloodline matters, as does health, temperament, and the ability to fulfill the contract terms without complications."

Brianna's smile stayed fixed, but her eyes scanned us, like she was sizing up her competition.

Luna Catherine continued. "Those of you who have indicated interest will undergo medical screening tomorrow. Alpha Cameron will arrive in three days to conduct personal interviews and make his final selection. I suggest you prepare yourselves mentally and physically, for what this contract would require."

She looked directly at me when she said it.

My gut screamed this wasn't what I wanted. That there had to be another way. But I'd seen the texts on Dad's phone. Seen his plan to erase us. Heard Mom's voice breaking as she realized she had nothing.

What good would a love match do me anyway? Mom had loved Dad, and now she was about to lose everything. At least with this contract, I knew exactly what I was getting. Money. Security. A way forward.

Even if it meant giving up a part of myself I couldn't get back.

The meeting ended. Girls filed out in clusters, whispering. I heard Brianna telling someone she was the obvious choice.

Maybe she was right. Maybe Alpha Cameron would take one look at me and choose someone else.

Sasha caught up with me in the parking lot, grabbing my arm before I could reach my car.

"What the hell was that, Lisa?"

"I volunteered."

"I can see that." Her voice sharpened with worry. "But do you have any idea what you just signed up for? You'd have to have sex with a stranger. Get pregnant. Stay pregnant for nine months. Give birth. Then hand that baby over and walk away like it never happened."

"I know what I signed up for."

"Do you?"

I pulled out her phone and played Mom's voice message. When it ended, her face crumpled.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly. "About your mom. About all of it. But Lisa—"

"This is the only option I have." I showed her the screenshots from Dad's phone. 

Sasha read them, her expression darkening with each line.

"That ugly bastard," she hissed.

"He's leaving us with nothing. We'll end up in pack welfare housing if I don't do something." 

I took the phone back. "This contract money is enough to prove we're not charity cases."

Sasha's voice cracked. "Lisa, that's going to destroy you."

I opened my car door. "Maybe. But at least my family will be okay."

She stood there, staring at me like she didn't recognize me anymore.

"He'd be insane not to pick Brianna. She's—"

"Perfect," I finished. "I know. So maybe he'll pick her, and I won't have to do any of it."

Sasha didn't argue. She pulled me into a hug instead. When she pulled back, her eyes were wet.

"If you do this, I'm here. For all of it. Okay?"

"Okay."

"And if it gets too hard—"

"I know." I got into my car. "I'll call you."

———

I pulled into the driveway. Dad's car was gone. The house was dark except for the kitchen light.

My mother sat at the table, squinting at papers she couldn't quite read. Divorce papers, probably. James was upstairs. I could hear his music through the ceiling.

Everything was falling apart.

"Lisa, is that you?" Mom's voice was hoarse from crying.

"Yeah, it's me."

She appeared in the doorway, face puffy and red. Trying to act normal, like pretending everything was fine could make it so.

"How was the meeting?" she asked.

"Fine. Just pack business."

She tried to smile and failed. "Are you hungry? I made pasta, but nobody really ate it."

"I'm good, Mom."

She nodded and headed back to the table.

“Go talk to your brother.”

I did. I knocked on his door and when he finally opened it, he turned away and headed inside the bedroom without a word.

"Hey," I called after him. "You okay?"

"Does it matter?" he mumbled.

"Of course it matters."

He looked at me for a long moment. "He's coming tomorrow to get his stuff. Said he'd 'explain everything' then." His voice dripped with bitterness.

"James..."

"I don't want to talk about it."

I sighed and headed out. He shut the door.

I sat on the bottom step, head in my hands. This was real. In three days, I'd stand before a Lycan Alpha and hope he chose me to carry his child.

My phone buzzed—a text from an unknown number.

Tomorrow, 8 AM sharp. Medical screening and preparation briefing. Don't be late. - Luna Catherine

I stared at it before typing back. I'll be there.

Upstairs, I passed Mom in the hallway. She'd been crying again, her eyes red and swollen.

"We'll be fine, Mom," I said, taking her hands. "You have me and James. We'll be fine."

She pulled me into a hug. "You're so strong, sweetheart. So much stronger than me."

"Good night, Mom."

"Good night."

I closed my bedroom door and sat on the edge of the bed, staring at nothing. I'd volunteered to carry a Lycan Alpha's child. Leave my pack, my family, my life for a year. Get pregnant by a stranger. Give birth. Hand over the baby and walk away.

I pulled out my phone and googled Alpha Cameron Silver Creek. A few articles about pack alliances, territorial disputes, business dealings. No photos. No personality. Just descriptions: ruthless, cold, powerful, demanding.

Why would someone like that need a surrogate?

I turned off my phone and lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling.