Chapter 1

Elena POV 

The chains around my wrists rattled with every jolt of the carriage. Iron cuffs bit into my skin, leaving bruises that would probably never fade. They weren’t silver, but I was still trapped. Shackled.

The wooden floor shook beneath me as the horses dragged us closer to Crescent Blood Kingdom, the home of the quadruplet alphas. The kings.

My throat tightened. Everyone whispered about them in fear, as if even saying their names might summon them. Four brothers born under the Blood Moon. Four alphas sharing one throne. Together, they ruled the largest werewolf empire in existence.

And tonight, I was being delivered to them.

Not as a guest. Not as a mate.

As a surrogate.

The Luna of my foster pack had smiled when she signed the contract. She’d kissed my cheek like a mother, as though she hadn’t just sold me. “For the good of the pack,” she had said. For the good of herself, I thought bitterly.

I’d been raised under her roof since my parents died, but apparently that bond meant nothing. I wasn’t family. I was a womb to be traded for favors.

My palms sweated as I tugged against the shackles. I wanted to scream, but my voice was gone, stolen by fear. The contract was sealed. My fate written. There was no escape.

The carriage slowed. My chest went tight, my lungs refusing to pull air. Through the cracks of the wooden boards, I saw torchlight flickering against the night.

We’d arrived.

The door creaked open, spilling silver moonlight into the cramped carriage.

“Out,” the guard barked.

I shuffled forward, chains dragging against the floor. My bare feet touched cold stone as I stepped into the night air, and then I froze.

They were there.

Four shadows stood at the palace gates. Four pairs of eyes locked on me.

The first one, Damien had eyes like molten gold, glowing with authority that made my stomach twist. His jaw was sharp, his expression unreadable, but his gaze cut through me like a blade.

Next to him was Aiden, with icy blue eyes colder than winter. He didn’t even try to hide his disgust. His lip curled, as if my very presence offended him.

Lucian stood tall and silent, storm-gray eyes sweeping over me as though I were a problem to be solved, and not a person.

And then Kael, the youngest. His green eyes glowed in the torchlight, venomous and mocking. He tilted his head, studying me like prey.

“You brought us this?” Kael’s voice dripped with disdain. “She doesn’t even smell like a wolf.”

Heat rushed to my cheeks. My shackles rattled as I lowered my gaze, forcing my trembling legs to move.

“I… I was told—”

“We don’t care what you were told,” Damien cut me off, voice low and dangerous. “You’ll do what you were bought for. Nothing else.”

Bought.

The word cut through me like a blade.

The guard shoved me forward. The heavy gates groaned as they opened, revealing the dark palace beyond. I stumbled across the threshold, my heart pounding. The alphas followed, their presence suffocating.

Inside, the air was thick with dominance, with the raw scent of power that made me want to curl into myself. Servants lined the walls, heads bowed. Their whispers scratched at my ears as I passed.

“Human?” one hissed.

“She won’t survive,” another muttered.

I swallowed hard, nails digging into my palms. My legs felt like lead, but I forced myself to keep walking. The chains dragged behind me, echoing across the stone floor.

The palace was vast, marble floors, black stone walls, chandeliers dripping with crystal. It should have been beautiful. But it felt like a cage.

I was led to a chamber, cold, large, and empty. The door shut behind me with a final clank. My breath shuddered out as I sank onto the bed.

Alone.

But not safe.

Because just outside, I heard their voices.

“She’s human,” Kael spat. “This is worthless.”

“She’s fertile,” Damien countered. “That’s all that matters.”

“What if she fails?” Aiden asked, voice colder than ice.

Silence.

And then, Damien’s voice, sharp, merciless.

“Then we’ll kill her. And try again.”

My blood ran cold.

The chains felt heavier. The room darker.

But deep inside my chest… something stirred.

A pulse. Weak but steady. A heartbeat that wasn’t mine.

I clutched my stomach, breath hitching.

And the air around me shifted, electric, alive.