One

I’ve lived two lives in this palace. One as the daughter of the Alpha. The other as a slave. Six years ago, my father was murdered in this very place. Now, I slave away for the people who killed him.

Gone are the days when people bowed to my presence and respected me as the Alpha’s daughter. Now, they mock me and force me to do the grimiest chores.

I was on my hands and knees, scrubbing a floor that didn’t need cleaning, when a cold splash hit my thigh, soaking through the thin cotton of my dress.

“Oops,” came a voice behind me, thick with mockery. “Clumsy rat. You just wasted a whole bucket of soap. Do you know how expensive that is?”

I didn’t have to look to know it was one of the servant girls from the enemy pack who never missed a chance to be cruel.

Her accomplice giggled. “She wouldn’t know. Rats don’t bathe.”

They always struck when the Head Maid wasn’t watching. I pressed the brush harder, scrubbing one tile like it had cursed me. My silence was my shield. Let them think I was too broken to bite back.

“Oh, Princess Vanessa,” the bully said, crouching beside me. I could smell the stale powder on her uniform and feel her breath on my ear. “Are those tears, sweetheart? Still crying for Daddy?”

I blinked, refusing to let them see the sharp heat burning in my chest.

Think of the plan. Don’t rise. Don’t react.

Her boot knocked over the bucket. Water rushed across the floor.

“You rude little witch,” she snapped.

I sat back on my heels. My knees ached from hours on the stone floor. When I finally spoke, my voice was calm.

“Please. Stop. I don't want trouble.”

Her friend folded her arms. “It’s too late for that. You bring bad luck. Trouble follows you like fleas on a stray dog. If I were Alpha, I’d feed you to the rogues and watch.”

Then, a roar exploded outside—cheering voices, drums, feet stomping. A pack celebration. My stomach turned.

“Long live Alpha Alec! Long live the Alpha!”

A shiver ran through me.

Alec Blackthorn.

The boy who vanished north and returned a beast. The son of the man who slit my father’s throat. My target.

I tuned out the servant girls and focused on the sound. Today marked the beginning of Alpha Alec’s reign. His father had conquered my pack, killed hundreds of Alpha and Beta wolves, and enslaved the Omegas.

Rumor had it Alec was so strong he could kill a rogue with one hand. I shivered at the thought, but I had one burning goal.

Revenge.

I didn’t know how yet, but I had planned for years.

---

“What is this mess?”

The Head Maid’s voice cracked like thunder, snapping me out of my thoughts. She stepped into view, back straight, lips pursed. She never touched me, but she let others do it for her.

“Clean this up. Then go upstairs. The master suite needs to sparkle. I want to see my face on every surface. Go.”

I nodded.

The bullies vanished with self-satisfied smirks.

I sighed.

I hadn’t stepped foot in the master suite since the night my father died.

I walked there slowly, a bucket sloshing beside me. The closer I got to the Alpha’s territory, the more the hallway changed.

When I opened the door, the smell of expensive oil burning low in the corner hit me. The room had changed—new drapes and darker tones—but the bones of the past were still buried beneath the fresh paint.

I stepped inside. The silence was heavy.

I shoved the memory down and began to clean. I wiped glass and wood, polished furniture, and tried not to think.

Then, I heard footsteps.

Not them again. Please, not again.

A strong scent hit me. Cedar. Pine. Earth after rain.

My blood turned hot.

My wolf, Ellie, stirred—her tail thumping inside me.

Mate! That’s our mate!

Ellie’s warmth surged through my skin. My mind spun, stunned.

A mate was the last thing I needed. Not now. Not when I was this close to revenge.

I stood, dizzy, as the door creaked open.

I stepped back too quickly. I would’ve fallen, but a hand caught me.

I knew who it was before I looked.

Alec Blackthorn.

My heart dropped. I couldn’t breathe—part panic, part rage at whatever cosmic joke thought this was a good idea. Whoever was behind these pairings must’ve skipped basic logic. Even the hairs on my neck stood up, trying to flee from the disaster looming in front of me.

Alec was taller than I remembered and broader. His royal robe hung open, revealing the hard lines of his chest. His face had sharpened, his jaw harder, the scar on his forehead less defined, and those golden-brown eyes still carried a storm.

His grip didn’t loosen.

“Who are you?” he asked softly, like he didn’t want to scare me.

I couldn’t breathe.

He didn’t recognize me.

“I won’t hurt you,” he said, brushing a strand of damp hair from my face. “Tell me your name.”

I stared at him. Every part of me wanted to lie—or disappear.

But the truth would find me eventually.

“Vanessa,” I whispered. “Vanessa Hunter.”

He froze.

Then: “Hunter?” His voice dropped. “Valen Hunter’s daughter?”

I nodded.

The change in him was instant. The warmth vanished from his eyes. His hand fell away like I’d burned him.

“Who let you in here?” he barked. “Why are you still alive?”

I didn’t flinch.

“I’ve been here the whole time. As a servant.”

He cursed under his breath and began pacing. I could feel his rage building. It matched mine.

My wolf whimpered. He’s hurting, she said.

I shut her out. He is the enemy. He killed what we loved.

He turned back. His eyes lingered on my lips. He stepped closer again.

I backed up, but the wall caught me.

He leaned in.

“Why you?” he whispered. “Of all wolves…”

A knock broke the silence.

“Alpha Alec? Are you in there?”

He stepped back, fury taking over again.

“Get out.”

I didn’t move.

“I said—get out.”

I obeyed.

The hallway was too quiet. I ran past the Head Maid and didn’t stop until I reached the bottom of the stairs.

A woman stood there, unaware of me. Perfect posture. Glass-like skin. Dressed in silk. One hand resting on her pregnant belly.

Maya. Alec’s fiancée.

I brushed past her and stepped into the cold, hungry night.

And still, I could feel him.

His hand.

His scent.

His rage.

My mate.

My enemy.

The one I was supposed to destroy.