Chapter 1

Nova's Pov

The world tilted as I heard the words fall out of the man that is supposed to be my mate.

“I want to redeem you as my concubine.”

My heart slammed against my ribs so hard I thought it might crack them. The air in the Moonlit Rose’s private parlor suddenly felt too thick, too sweet with incense and old perfume. I stared at Riven, at the man I had sold my freedom for, the man whose ritual I had paid for with every humiliating night spent dancing under these dim crescent lights.

He stood there in his new Alpha finery of dark leather coat edged in silver, shoulders broader than I remembered, eyes gleaming with the fresh power he’d stolen from that sacred fire. He looked every inch the conqueror now. And yet the way he said it, casual, like he was buying a new horse, made my stomach twist.

“Concubine?” My voice came out smaller than I wanted. I hated it. I cleared my throat and tried again. “You came back an Alpha. You have a pack now. A title. A future. And that’s what you offer me? Not Luna. Not mate. Concubine.”

Riven’s jaw tightened, but his gaze never wavered. “Nova, be reasonable. You’re still an Omega. Untouched, yes, thanks to Madam Vesper’s… kindness. But you’ve lived here. In a brothel. People talk. The elders would never accept you as Luna. You know that.”

“I lived here because I loved you,” I said, the words tasting like ash. “Because I believed you when you said the ritual was everything. That once you were Alpha, you’d come for me. That we’d rule together. You promised....”

“I promised I’d make us strong.” He stepped closer, boots heavy on the polished wood. “And I did. I’m strong now. Powerful. I can protect you. Keep you safe. Give you a chamber in my pack house, jewels, servants. You’ll want for nothing.”

“Except respect.” My hands curled into fists at my sides. “Except a real bond. Except the right to stand beside you instead of kneeling behind you.”

His expression flickered with something almost like guilt, gone so fast I might have imagined it. “You think I wanted this? You think I enjoy seeing you here, dancing for strangers’ eyes? I did what I had to do. The same as you. Now I’m offering you a way out. A better life than this.”

“A gilded cage is still a cage, Riven.”

He exhaled sharply through his nose, the sound impatient. “You’re being childish. I could have walked away. I could have chosen a highborn she-wolf from one of the allied packs. Someone clean. Untainted. But I came back for you. Doesn’t that mean anything?”

It did. Once. It would have meant the world. Now it felt like a slap wrapped in silk.

I lifted my chin, forcing my voice steady even though my knees trembled. “It means you still see me as something to own. Not someone to love. If you truly wanted me, you would have claimed me the moment you walked through that door. You would have marked me right here, in front of the whole house, and dared anyone to challenge it. Instead you’re haggling like I’m merchandise.”

Riven’s eyes darkened. “I’m trying to be practical.”

“You’re trying to keep your pride and your power without the inconvenience of a tarnished mate.”

Silence stretched between us, sharp as broken glass.

Finally he reached into his coat and pulled out a heavy leather pouch. Coins clinked inside. It's more gold than I’d seen in my entire life. He held it out like an offering.

“This will buy your contract from Madam Vesper. You’ll come with me tonight. No more dancing. No more leering eyes. Just… us.”

I stared at the pouch, then back at his face. The boy I’d once loved was buried somewhere under all that new arrogance, and I wasn’t sure I could dig him out anymore.

Before I could answer, the soft creak of the staircase cut through the tension.

Madam Vesper descended slowly, one gloved hand trailing the banister, her crimson robe whispering against the steps. Her silver-streaked hair caught the lamplight like moonlight on water. She looked every inch the queen of this shadowed kingdom.

She stopped at the bottom, amber eyes flicking from Riven to me, then to the pouch still dangling from his fingers.

“Alpha Riven,” she said, voice calm and cool as river stone. “I see you’ve returned.”

He straightened, offering a tight nod. “Madam. I’ve come to settle Nova’s debt. In full.”

Vesper’s gaze settled on the gold. Then she lifted one elegant brow.

“Generous,” she murmured. “But unnecessary.”

Riven frowned. “Her contract—”

“Is not for sale to you.” Vesper stepped forward, placing herself between us like a shield. “Nova is not a trinket to be bartered, nor a prize to be redeemed for coin. She has been under my protection since the day she arrived. And she will leave under my protection—or not at all.”

Riven’s hand tightened around the pouch. “You would defy an Alpha?”

“I would defy anyone who thinks my girls are property.” Her smile was small, sharp, and utterly unafraid. “Take your gold, Alpha. And take your leave. Nova stays unless she chooses otherwise.”

The room seemed to hold its breath.

Riven looked at me one last time, searching for something. Submission, maybe, or regret. I gave him neither.

He turned on his heel and stalked toward the door, the pouch still clenched in his fist.

The front door slammed behind him.

And just like that, the man I had once called mate walked out of my life.

I let out a shaky breath I hadn’t realized I was holding.

Vesper turned to me, her expression softening. “Child… are you all right?”

I opened my mouth to answer, but no sound came.

Because in that moment, with the echo of Riven’s boots still ringing in my ears, I realized something terrible and freeing all at once.

I was free.

And I had no idea what came next.