Chapter 1

Irina pov

Has anyone ever wondered what it’s like to live in a beautiful castle? The kind from storybooks, with towering spires, vast ballrooms, and gardens that stretch on for miles? I suppose the answer depends entirely on who you are. If you’re a prince or a princess, it’s probably a dream. But if you’re the one scrubbing the floors of the ballroom and polishing the silver in the vast, empty dining halls? Well, that’s a different kind of story.

My name is Irina Rosevelt, and I’m twenty-three years old. I’m not the jovial kind of girl. People here in the castle at Redmoon Park— which is technically my pack’s name, though it’s never felt like home—say I work like a machine. They whisper it when they think I can’t hear what they’re saying.

“Look at her go, never stops, never smiles. Like a little robot.”

They’re not entirely wrong. But what they don’t see is that the machine-like focus is the only thing holding me together. It’s a tough front, a suit of armor I welded together myself to keep them from seeing me break. If they saw a crack, they would pry it open and pour all their bitterness inside. I’ve learned that much.

I’ve been a maid in this castle since I was a pup, barely old enough to hold a dustpan properly. What else could I do? Not that I have much of a family to speak of, but the suffering, the struggle… that’s been my only inheritance. I thought if I worked hard enough, kept my head down and my hands busy, I could make a change. I could carve out a small, safe corner of the world just for me. I hoped so, anyway.

I can almost hear you wondering. A twenty-three years old lady in a pack, suffering all alone? Where was her mate? Why wasn’t he there to support her, to protect her from the whispers and the endless work? That’s the crux of it, isn’t it? The part of my story that everyone knows nothing of. To explain that, I have to take you back. Back five years, to the day I turned eighteen. The day my life was supposed to begin.

Five Years Ago

My eighteenth birthday. The day I’ve been waiting for my whole life. The day I finally had to meet my mate, the one person in the entire world who was made just for me. The idea was so pleasant.

“Happy birthday, Irina!” my best friend, Lindsey, chirped, bumping her hip against mine as we carried a heavy silver tray laden with fresh bread and cured meats towards the family dining room. We were tasked with serving the Alpha’s son his breakfast. A simple job.

“Thanks, Lin,” I whispered back, a genuine smile finally touching my lips. My wolf, usually so quiet and subdued, was stirring inside me, restless with anticipation. She could feel it. Today was the day.

We set the table in silence, the aroma of the food making my stomach rumble. I was a bit of a foodie, always had been. In a world of bland porridge and stale bread, the scents from the Alpha’s kitchen were pure magic.

And then, another scent hit me. It cut through the smell of smoked meat and fresh bread like a ray of pure sunlight piercing through clouds. It was the most delicious thing I ever inhaled. Warm, like sandalwood and honey, with an undercurrent of raw power that made my wolf sit up and howl with joy. It was him.

I turned, my movements clumsy with sudden, overwhelming hope. He stood in the doorway, silhouetted against the morning light. Crown Prince Ian. He was in a simple black trouser and a crisp white polo shirt, looking less like a prince and more like the handsome, unattainable boy I secretly admired from afar for years. But he wasn’t unattainable anymore. He was mine.

“Mate,” I breathed, the word a sacred, joyous whisper meant only for him. My heart hammered against my ribs with pure happiness. I imagined him rushing to me, taking my hands, his eyes full of the same wonder I felt. This was it. The golden light in my chest was about to blaze into a sun.

But he didn't rush to me. He didn't even look at me with recognition.

Instead, his handsome face twisted. It was a subtle thing, a slight curl of his lip, a flash of disgust in his eyes so fast I almost missed it. But I didn’t. I saw it. And before my heart could even begin to process the hurt, he walked right past me.

He walked right past me and wrapped his arm around Lindsey’s waist.

My world tilted on its axis. The delicious scent of my mate was now mingled with Lindsey’s familiar, flowery perfume. They were together? This wasn’t just a casual thing. Lindsey tipped up on her toes, her eyes sparkling with adoration, and kissed him. A slow, possessive kiss that spoke of familiarity and intimacy.

A cold, hard fist clenched around my heart. She was my best friend. I told her everything, including how I secretly liked Ian, how I dreamed of my mate being someone kind and strong. She would always teased me, acting excited with me, feeding my little fantasy.

“I miss you, baby,” I heard Lindsey murmur against his lips, and he chuckled, his voice low and seductive. A sound that should have been for me.

So, they were really together. The golden light in my chest didn’t just dim; it shattered into a million sharp, icy pieces. My body felt foreign, numb and trembling at the same time. I should have cried. I should have screamed. I should have demanded an explanation. But some primal part of me, some deep well of pride I never knew I possessed, kicked in. It wouldn’t let me break in front of them. It wouldn’t let me give them that satisfaction.

I watched them kiss and nuzzle, their happiness a stark, brutal contrast to the devastation blooming in my chest. Finally, Ian pulled back from Lindsey. He finally turned his gaze on me. There was no warmth, no regret, no apology. Just that same look of utter disgust, as if I were something foul that had wandered into his pristine world.

“And you,” he said, his voice flat and cold. “I reject you, Irina Rosevelt, as my mate.”

The words hit me like an unexpected earthquake. I reject you. They weren’t just words, they were magic, a vile, searing power that ripped through me. It felt like a dozen red-hot daggers were stabbing my chest all at once, twisting and tearing. An agonized whimper escaped from me before I could stifle it. My body went weak, my legs threatening to buckle. I staggered, my hand shooting out to grip the edge of the heavy oak table for support.

So he even knew my name. The lowly maid who served his family. And he had rejected me without a second thought.

Ian didn’t move an inch. He just watched me struggle, his arm still possessively around Lindsey even when I knew he also felt the same pain. He was willing to go through it just to be with Lindsey. It was like I tasted blood in my mouth, the metallic tang of a wound that wasn’t physical. So this was it. This was the feeling people talked about. About them feeling their heart in their mouth, and the world collapsing around you. It wasn’t an exaggeration.

Lindsey watched me, her eyes wide, but not with pity. It was a cold satisfaction, like a scientist observing a specimen. My best friend.

I swallowed the pain, the bile, the scream. I forced my spine to straighten, my grip on the table to loosen. I lifted my chin and met Ian’s cold, dismissive gaze. I gave him a smile. It was weak, it was painful, and it probably looked more like a grimace. But I was willing to put up a tough front. No way was I going to let them see the puddle of misery they just made of me.

“I accept your rejection, Crown Prince Ian.”

The words were calm. Steady. The moment I spoke them, the tearing pain lessened, just a fraction. It was still there, but reciprocating the rejection gave me back a sliver of power, a tiny piece of my shattered soul to hold onto. His eyes flickered with the barest hint of surprise, then returned to their usual cold indifference. He had gotten what he wanted. I was no longer a problem, no longer a potential scandal. I was just the maid again.

He turned back to Lindsey, and they walked out of the dining room together, leaving me alone with the silver tray and the scent of my rejected bond.

I had no one to turn to after that. No parents to run to for comfort. I don’t know who they are. The only thing I know of my origin is what the other servants whisper: that I was brought here as a tiny pup by a powerful vampire king. A stray, left on the castle’s doorstep. That’s all I am. A stray.

But a stray who learned a very important lesson that day: the only person you can ever truly rely on is yourself. And that’s exactly what I’ve been doing for the last five years. Working like a machine, one day at a time.