0002

Rhea POV – 8 years old

“Here,” Mom said, handing me my plastic doll, the one I had begged for for weeks and she’d saved up to get, as she shoved me into a storage room. “Stay here, don’t wander off. I’ll be back in a few hours.”

Aside from her work at home, my mom sometimes worked as a maid at the pack estate. After all, she was just an omega, a single mother desperate to make ends meet.

She wanted the best for me. So even though we were poor, I went to a private school while she worked herself half to death.

Usually I stayed at Kenzie’s place whenever she had to work here, but Kenzie wasn’t home today.

Mama placed my water bottle beside a stool in the corner, planted a quick kiss on my forehead, then slipped out and shut the door behind her.

I was alone for hours, trying to distract myself by playing with my doll. But as the minutes passed, I got bored. The place smelled musty and my stomach wouldn’t stop growling, reminding me I hadn’t had lunch.

Desperate, I left the storage room in search of Mom. I didn’t even know where I was going, and no one seemed to notice me.

The estate was beautiful, just like Kenzie always said. She had been there a few times since her mom was a private tutor for the pups of the higher-ranked officials. With shiny floors and chandeliers that sparkled like frozen rain.

But Mama always said Kenzie had an omega’s imagination, too quick to see beauty where there was none.

And today, I understood what she meant as the floor only shined because omegas like my mother scrubbed them raw on their hands and knees until their fingers bled.

I wandered aimlessly for what felt like forever. Weak from hunger, I didn’t pay much attention. I stepped on a loose floorboard, lost my balance, and fell hard to the ground, scraping my knee.

“Ah—ow!” I whimpered, holding my now bleeding knee.

My doll slipped from my hand, landing across the hallway. I sniffled, trying to hold in my tears as I forced myself back up and began limping toward it, only to stop when I heard loud voices.

I peeked around the corner, and my eyes widened when I saw it was the Alpha Ragnar himself, the alpha of the Blackmoon pack.

Even at eight, I knew his name was whispered like a curse. People said he was the cruelest Alpha alive and he became even worse after the Luna died, which was before I was born.

He took women like they were collectibles. You would be surprised how many women were willing to get pregnant for him, even though he already had a son. They all hoped they’d get some kind of status from carrying the Alpha’s child, but none of them ever did.

“You are a disgrace,” he said coldly to an older boy, nearly as tall as him. “You will leave and don’t you dare return until you learn your lesson.”

That was all I heard before he turned around and slammed the door behind him.

The boy clench his fists tightly, then exhale. Just as he was about to turn, I quickly ducked behind the corner.

There was a long moment of silence before I heard footsteps coming closer. My heart pounded in my chest as they grew louder. Then I saw a pair of black boots in front of me.

I looked up, meeting his grey eyes, and squirmed, pulling my legs together.

He was the Alpha’s son. Dorian.

Like his father, he had a terrible reputation, if not worse. Everyone knew stories about him. How he shifted at just 11 years old, something no one had ever done. How he beheaded a man for mocking his dead mother.

He had just turned 18 years old and was already feared by the entire pack.

He was a nightmare to kids my age.

And now he was standing right in front of me.

Thankfully, it was just a glance. He probably realized I wasn’t worth his time.

He began walking past me but then stopped at my doll. My fingers itched for it, but to my horror, he stepped on it, crushing it beneath his feet, and simply walked away.

Tears filled my eyes as I reached for the completely destroyed doll, and before I knew it, I was sobbing quietly.

“Why are you crying?” a new voice said from behind me. Softer this time, almost hesitant.

I turned around quickly, wiping my eyes with the back of my hand.

A boy stood a few feet away. He looked my age, maybe a little older. He had soft blonde hair and bright blue eyes.

He wasn’t dressed like the maids’ children. Even though he wore a simple grey sweater and black pants, they were clearly of good quality.

He glanced down at the broken pieces of my doll on the floor, and something in his face changed. Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of chocolate.

“For you,” he said, holding it out while I stared at it, confused.

“It’s not poisoned or anything,” he added quickly, then looked embarrassed. “I mean… I didn’t bite it yet or lick it or anything.”

Not knowing what else to do, I awkwardly reached for it, unwrapped it, and placed it gently in my mouth.

It was sweet. Really sweet. The kind of sweet that made my cheeks hurt a little.

I hadn’t tasted anything like this before.

“Hmm… it tastes so good. Thank you,” I said excitedly, forgetting I was crying just a second ago. His eyes widened, and his face turned a shade of pink before he quickly looked away.

“I have too many toys. If you want, I can give you one. I won’t tell anyone,” he said.

“Really?” My eyes sparkled, and he nodded.

“I don’t like most of them anyway. They just take up space,” he mumbled, staring down at his feet and shifting awkwardly. Then he paused. “You’re bleeding.”

My gaze dropped to my knee. The blood had dried a little, but it still hurt.

He frowned. “Come on, I’ve got bandages in my room. We can fix your knee there, and I’ll grab that toy I promised.”

My eyes widened. “Really?”

He nodded with a little smile. “Yeah. Just don’t tell anyone I brought you, okay? My mother wouldn’t like that.”

I nodded and quickly gathered the broken pieces of my doll, limping a little as I followed him.

“You live here?” I asked.

“Not always,” he replied. “I just have a room here since my father is the Beta.”

I froze, my mouth falling open. Beta. I was talking to the Beta’s son. A real ranked pup.

I wanted to turn around and run back to my mom, scared I’d get in trouble or worse, get her in trouble, but he suddenly grabbed my hand.

“You don’t have to be scared. Do I look scary?” he asked.

I stared at him for a while. He didn’t look scary, so I shook my head.

That made him smile. “My name is Kale. What’s yours?”

“Rhea,” I whispered.

“I like you, Rhea. Let’s be friends,” he said.

I hesitated again. He would be my first high-ranked pup as a friend. “Okay,” I whispered back. “Let’s be friends.”