CH. 1 BETRAYED

NORA’S POV

I vividly remembered that night, when I…I was drugged and did something terrible.

My head was pounding as I opened my eyes. I couldn’t recognize my surroundings. Where was I? What had I done?

I turned on the bed and noticed Alpha George, the soon-to-be alpha of the Darkfire pack, sleeping next to me. His chest was rising and falling with his breath. His arm was draped over my waist. His scent was all over me.

A high-pitched scream escaped from my throat. The scream was louder than I expected. I was hoping to wake up from this nightmare. But it was—it was real. And my scream.

Woke.

Him.

Up.

He stared at me with shock. His eyes were wide, and his mouth was open. He looked like he couldn’t believe what he saw.

“Did we have sex?” he asked in a low voice. “What the hell are you doing in my room, woman? And who even are you? Did you seduce me? Are you a whore?” He tried to sound composed, but I could hear the panic in his tone.

My entire body tensed, but no amount of steeling myself could blunt the impact of his words. I wrapped the blanket around myself and tried to explain, but no words came out of my mouth. Guilt and shame tugged at my gut. How could I have done this to myself?

“Speak! Cat got your tongue?” He growled like a bulldog.

“I… I didn’t mean to—”

A loud bang startled me, and I turned my head to see Leo storming into the room with a gun in his hand. He looked furious and shocked at the same time. He froze in his tracks, and his mouth dropped open at the sight before him.

“Leo, don’t say a word about what happened here to my fiancée,” Alpha George said quickly, as if he was trying to save his skin. “She doesn’t need to know. It was just a one-time thing. Nothing more.” A metaphorical fist punched me in the stomach. Those words struck me harder than they should have.

“Cuz, I can’t believe you would do such a thing to me, she is my girlfriend for fuck’s sake!” Leo said, his voice growing stronger and angrier. He looked at him in disbelief and anger. He clenched his jaw and tightened his grip on the gun. It was as if he was about to pull the trigger and end his misery.

But then he glanced at me, and his expression softened. “…Alright Cuz, I will let you have this one,” he said. “I won’t tell your fiancée about what happened here, but you owe me one.”

Leo took a step towards me, reaching out his hand. My insides did a curious twist, I had no idea why he was acting like I was really his girlfriend. But I pushed that feeling away. The most important thing was how Alpha George saw me.

I wanted to tell him that I was a she-wolf hired to have his baby. But I couldn’t tell him, I wasn’t allowed to.

So, I did the only thing I could do. I got off the bed and ran out of the room. I ran as fast as I could, completely naked, hoping to escape from the mess I had unknowingly created.

“Nora! Nora!!” Leo was calling after me, but I didn’t stop. I didn’t look back.

My heart took off like a kite in a windstorm as I ran down the hallway. Hot tears were streaming down my face. I felt like I was nothing more than a mistake to him. A mistake that I would never be able to fix.

****

One month earlier,

My heart raced with anticipation as I drove towards my boyfriend Thomas's apartment. The wind rushed through my chestnut brown hair, whipping my face with excitement. I couldn't wait to surprise him tonight. For months now, his friends had been whispering to me and telling me how he was planning to propose to me. After seeing the receipt for a wedding ring in his drawer, I couldn't wait any longer.

I fished out my phone from my pocket with one hand on the steering wheel and texted my friend Madison.

"I'm surprising my Tommy at his place tonight. Can't wait for him to ask me to marry him. If he doesn't ask now, I'm going to ask myself!" I hit send and focused on the road ahead, my smile growing wider with every passing second.

My phone chimed, and I couldn't help but look at the message. "Oh my God, girl, don't do that. Don't ask him. You don't want to look too desperate, do you? If a man wants to propose, he doesn't need to be reminded; he'll do it when the time is right," she replied. I scoffed at the message and tossed my phone onto the seat of my car, increasing the speed of the car.

I parked my car in front of his shabby apartment and smiled as I saw that the lights were still on. I got out of my car and strolled to the front porch. Instead of knocking, I ignored the doorbell and pushed open the door. My smile froze on my face as I stepped into the living room and saw Thomas, on one knee, holding a ring box. But it was—it was who he was asking the question that made my world shatter.

"Will you marry me?" he whispered, his voice as smooth as velvet. His gaze was directed at my younger sister, Gina, who stood in front of him in the dimly lit living room, decorated with flowers and lavender-scented candles. She held her hand over her mouth in surprise.

My body froze, my feet refusing to take another step forward. I couldn't tear my eyes away from them. A silent scream clawed at my throat, threatening to burst forth, but I fought to contain it.

"Ye..." Before Gina could finish her speech, I rushed towards them, stepping over the shitty flowers strewn across the floor. My hands instinctively balled into fists, and I couldn't contain my anger, feeling a mix of emotions—anger, sadness, and betrayal. I knocked the ring box from his hand, and my fists connected with his chest as my voice erupted like a volcano.

"You fucking bastard!" I yelled, my voice trembling. "How could you do this to me? I gave you my all, and this is how you repay me?"

He stumbled to the floor, quickly picking up the ring box and dusting the ring like his life depended on it. He got up and looked me in the eyes. "Babe, I'm sorry. It's not what you think. I didn't mean to hurt you."

"Oh, spare me your pathetic excuses," I snapped, fighting back the tears that threatened to spill.

"I'm sorry, but you are not my mate. Gina is, and I want to marry her. I can't ignore the mate's bond," he said, his words piercing my heart like a sharp knife.

"You're telling me I'm not your mate? That my sister is? After three years of dating, you suddenly decide to honor the mate's bond? What about the promises you made to me? All that bullshit about choosing me over your mate?!" I shouted.

"I lied, okay?!" he shouted back. "At first, I meant what I said, but that was in the past. I thought I could ignore my mate because I was in love with you, but I can't. I can't ignore the life partner the moon goddess has chosen for me. And to top it all off, you're not even fertile! You can't even find your mate; you're fucking wolfless, practically a human!" For us werewolves, being wolfless was a disgrace, and pack members who knew it made me feel human every single day, constantly reminding me and bullying me in the process.

Tears streamed down my face, my vision blurring as I struggled to find my voice. "I'm not fertile? I haven't gotten pregnant because I take birth control pills, all because of you, you fucking asshole! We weren't ready for a child, but you couldn't even consider that, could you?"

I turned to Gina, my voice choked with pain. "Do you want to marry him? Is this what you've always wanted?"

She looked down, avoiding my gaze. "Ye-ye-yes," she stuttered. "I'm sorry, sis. I love him."

My heart shattered into a thousand pieces, the pain radiating through my entire being. I stepped back a little, away from them, and stared at their shameless faces. I turned my back on them and ran out of the house as fast as I could. My head was a jumbled mess as I ran to my car and almost fell to the ground.

I stumbled into my car with hot tears streaming down my face, burning my eyes. My world crumbled around me, leaving me stranded and broken, unable to think straight.

***

I stumbled through the door of my cramped apartment, which I shared with my mother and sister. I kicked off my worn-out shoes and angrily dashed into Gina's room. I yanked open the door of her closet and started pulling out all her clothes, tossing them to the floor.

"God damn it, Gina!" I muttered under my breath. "I don't want you and your shit in my apartment any longer!"

As I emptied the closet, a loud thud resonated from my mother's room, piercing the air and causing my heart to leap in my chest. I ran out as quickly as I could and dashed into her room. My heart clenched at the sight before me—my mom, usually strong and resilient, writhing on the floor, her face contorted with pain.

"Shit, Mom!" I shouted. "What the heck is happening?"

Without wasting a second, I looked around her room for her phone, my hands shaking uncontrollably.

"Come on, come on!" I cursed. "Where the fuck is it?" I paused as I spotted it on the nightstand and grabbed it. I dialed 911, my hand shaking.

"I-I need an ambulance! My mom...she is...she is in fucking dying!" I stuttered, breaking heavily.

I dropped the phone and went to her on the floor, tapping her face continuously. "Mom...please stay with me. Stay with me," I pleaded, stroking her hand.

The faint sounds of sirens grew louder, their wailing grip on my heart tightening with every second. Then the paramedics burst through the front door, their footsteps thundering in my ears as I desperately tried to hold onto my crumbling sense of control.

"Please, you have to help her! Keep her awake!" I pleaded.

The paramedics worked quickly, their movements practiced and efficient. They gently placed my mom on a stretcher, securing her in place as I ran alongside them, my heart pounding hard in my chest.

They rushed her out of the apartment with me trailing behind them. The outside world seemed to blur as they loaded her into their ambulance. I climbed onto the back of the vehicle, gripping my mother's cold hand tightly as fear and panic threatened to consume me.

"Stay with me, Mom. Please," I whispered.