Chapter 1

ALISHA.

I lay on the thin straw mat, arms folded beneath my head as I stared up at the cracked wooden ceiling of the servants’ quarters. The evening breeze slipped through the broken window, a small mercy after the blistering day. My muscles ached from scrubbing floors, hauling firewood, and fetching water from the well. I closed my eyes, willing my mind to drift somewhere—anywhere—farther than this cursed packhouse.

But suddenly, a whip of coldness crashed over me.

“Please stop,” I gasped. My whole body trembled from the icy sting of dirty water soaking my skin, drenching the thin dress and clinging to my frail frame.

“Get up! You filthy omega," a familiar voice sneered. I looked up. It was my step-sister, Jenna, towering over me. Her arms were folded, a cruel smile spreading across her flawless face. Her blonde hair gleamed under the dim light, perfect and untouchable—everything I wasn’t.

I clenched my fist. Another day. Another humiliation. This shitty cycle never ends, does it?

“Jenna, wh… what did I do wrong?” I stammered, pushing myself up on trembling hands.

She laughed. “What did you do wrong? You’re filth, Alisha. And everything about you is wrong. You don’t belong here. Now get up and wash the dishes before mother comes back. Or do you want another bath?” She lifted the bucket threateningly, even though it was already empty.

I clutched my arms around myself, my soaked hair plastered to my cheek. My muscles ached from endless chores. “Please… I’ve been working all day. Can’t I just—”

“Oh, you lazy and entitled brat!” Jenna snapped, kicking the bucket aside. “You’re nothing but a cursed stain on this family. You should count yourself lucky that father hasn't sold you off, yet.”

Her words jabbed a knife into my chest. No matter how hard I worked, it was never enough. Never enough to prove I belonged. Never enough to be seen.

I opened my mouth to protest, but another voice cut through the room.

“Jenna? What’s going on here?”

My heart sank. Marina. My stepmother.

Marina walked into the room, her silk robe trailing behind her. Her sharp brown eyes scanned the room—the drenched mat, the empty bucket, me shivering on the floor. Her lips curled in disgust.

“Oh, Alisha. What a pathetic sight you are.” She chuckled, shaking her head. “Honestly, if your father hadn’t insisted you stay, I would’ve thrown you to the rogues long ago.”

I swallowed hard. “Please, I’m trying… I swear—”

“Trying?” A scoff rippled through her throat. “Don’t make me laugh, Alisha. You’re an embarrassment. The Alpha’s daughter—ha! More like a curse the goddess forgot to erase.”

Jenna giggled beside her, pride glowing on her face. I wanted to scream. To fight back. But I was too tired to even muster a clapback. I wouldn't even dare else, I'd be spending the night in the poultry farm. 

I had grown up in this house, yet I felt like a stranger in my own skin. If only my mom hadn't died in that fire, I'd still be my father's doted princess. But that privilege was no longer mine…

I felt the sting of tears, hot against my cold cheeks. “I’m so tired,” I whispered. “I’ve been up since dawn. Just… just let me rest for a while.”

“Rest?” Jenna’s hand shot out, grabbing a fistful of my hair. “Not until every last plate is spotless, omega.” She yanked me up roughly, making a yelp tear through my throat.

“Enough, Jenna,” Marina said casually. “Don’t pull too hard—we don’t want her passing out before she finishes her chores.”

Jenna loosened her grip and I stumbled to my feet, blinking back tears. My scalp burned where Jenna’s fingers gripped.

Then I heard it— heavy footsteps in the hallway.

“Father,” I breathed, hope fluttering weakly in my chest.

My father, Alpha Conan stepped into the doorway, his broad frame filling the space, his dark eyes sweeping over us. 

Father… please…” My voice cracked. Please see me. Please stop them. For a fleeting second, I thought—maybe this time. Maybe he’ll tell them to stop.

His gaze met mine. Cold. Unyielding.

And then he looked away. Without a word, he walked past us, his footsteps fading down the hall.

The breath left my lungs in a painful rush. Something inside me shattered. The father I had once adored… gone. He doesn't even recognise me as his daughter. Now, I am just a burden he tolerated.

Jenna released my hair with a satisfied smirk. “Guess even Daddy’s tired of looking at you. A little piece of advice? Just die.”

I sank to my knees, my chest heaving as I bit my lip hard, willing myself not to cry. But the tears came anyway. Maybe I should just die. 

“When you're done crying, go and wash those dishes and clean the poultry farm,” Marina spat out. She turned on her heels and Jenna followed her trail.

Their laughter faded as they left, their silhouettes swallowed by the dark hallway.

And once again, I was alone. Utterly, heartbreakingly alone.

“I hate this life,” I whispered, my voice breaking. “I hate this pack. I hate everything.”

I remained kneeling on the wet floor, tears mingling with the dirty water, my fists clenched tight against the cold.

“You hate your life,” a voice rumbled behind me. “Do you also hate me?”

It was a masculine voice. It sounded deep and smooth. 

My breath hitched and I froze. My heart hammered against my ribs like a frantic drum. Slowly, cautiously, I turned.

And there he stood, his delicate features glowing under the moonlight filtering through the broken window. Tall. Broad shoulders. Chiseled jawline. Dark curls framed his face, his hazel eyes glinting like molten amber in the dim light. He looked stunningly handsome— like salvation and ruin in one package.

My throat instantly became parched.

Adolph.

Beta Jordan's eldest son. The strongest warrior in the pack. Every girl’s whispered dream. He is the bane of attraction. And every girl would kill to get a silver of his attention.

But he was here. Talking to… me?

“W-what…?” I croaked, scrambling to wipe my wet cheeks, utterly aware of how pathetic I must look. “Adolph? Why—”

But then I caught it. That scent.

It wasn’t cologne. It wasn’t just his natural musk. It was something else. Sweet. Warm. Addictive. It wrapped around me, tugging at something deep, primal inside. My stomach twisted. My pulse skittered into overdrive.

I knew that scent.

My gaze flicked to his neck. There, glowing softly beneath the skin, was a faint red mark. My breath whooshed out of me.

No. It couldn’t be. 

No, no, no. 

“Oh goddess,” I whispered, stumbling back until my spine hit the wall. “No. This can’t be.”

But it was.

My mate.

The words echoed in my head, spinning wildly, absurdly, like some cruel joke from the heavens. 

Adolph’s gaze softened, his lips quirking into a faint smile as he took a step closer. “I thought you’d be… happier,” he murmured, tilting his head curiously.

Happier? I almost laughed. The sound caught in my throat, half-hysterical. 

“Happier?” I managed, shaking my head. “You’re joking, right? Look at me.” I gestured wildly to my soaked dress, the bucket still rolling near the straw mat. “I’m an omega. A nobody. And you—you’re…” I couldn’t even finish.

His smile deepened. “I know who I am, Alisha.”

“And I know what’s coming. You’ll reject me. Of course you will. Why wouldn’t you? That’s what everyone would expect.” My voice cracked again, softer now. “It’s what I expect.”

Adolph closed the gap between us and crouched, lowering himself until we were eye to eye. His scent enveloped me, dizzying, maddening. His fingers brushed lightly against my damp cheek, tracing the curve of my jaw with a gentleness that undid me.

“Reject you?” he repeated, voice dropping lower. “Funny. That never crossed my mind.”

I stared, confused. Disbelieving. “But… why?”

His lips curled into something softer. Sadder. “Because I’ve waited too long to find you.”

I wanted to believe him. I wanted to let the warmth of his words sink into me. But the years of cruelty, the endless rejection, the scars carved into my soul—they screamed at me not to trust it.

“I’m broken,” I whispered. “I’m not worth this.”

Adolph’s lips curved, but it wasn’t pity I saw there. It wasn’t charity. It was something fierce. Dangerous. “You don’t get to decide that.”

Then, before I could blink, he leaned in.

I felt his breath against my neck, warm and steady. My skin prickled, heart beating erratically.

“Adolph… what are you—”

Before I could finish, I felt a sting. My breath hitched, eyes flying wide as his teeth sank gently but firmly into my neck. A bloom of heat spread from where his fangs pierced my skin, searing straight into my soul.

He’d marked me.

My mate had claimed me.