In that wretched, poverty - stricken year, I, a low - ranking omega with a barren wolf spirit, sold my very essence to Alpha Lucian Thorne for a measly three hundred grand.

My task? To serve as the pathetic stand - in for his one true love.​

His packmates, those sadistic brutes, took pleasure in tormenting me.

They lured me into their twisted drinking games, coercing me to guzzle down foul - tasting, enchanted brews. Each swallow feels like burning like liquid fire.

I drank until my stomach heaved, and blood stained my lips.​

As I lay there, broken and gasping, they exchanged smirks, their eyes glinting with malicious amusement.

One of them elbowed the Alpha, a mocking grin on his face. "You feel bad for her, Lucian?" he sneered.​

The Alpha's gaze fell upon me. "She's nothing but a substitute," he hissed.​

But the true nightmare came when his precious she - wolf was in danger.

To save her, he led me to the edge of a towering cliff.

Without a second thought, he watched as I was pushed over the edge, my body plummeting towards the churning waves below.

I could feel my wolf howling in despair.​

The search teams scoured the waters for days, but they found nothing.

No body, no sign of my existence.

And yet, deep within the Alpha's soul, a seed of doubt was planted. His wolf, once so calm and collected, now howled in anguish.​

For five long years, he searched the world, driven by an obsession he couldn't understand. His pack grew restless, but he refused to give up. And then, fate intervened. I was invited back to a grand event attended by the most powerful werewolf packs in the land.​

As I walked into the ballroom, my senses were immediately overwhelmed by the scent of him.

Our eyes locked across the room, and for a moment, time stood still.

"I knew you weren't dead," he growled, his voice thick with emotion. "I've been looking for you-"​

*****

In Alpha Lucian's crew, I was his so - called "mate," but it was total BS.

I was just the budget version of Vanessa Monroe.

That girl was a total Hollywood bombshell, like a celeb straight outta TMZ.

Everyone worshipped the ground she walked on, and she ate up all the attention like it was free pizza at a frat party.​

Me? I came from the wrong side of the tracks, the kind of place where dreams go to die.

Three hundred grand might as well have been a million bucks to me, and Alpha Lucian knew it.

He flashed that cash, and just like that, he bought my dignity and threw it in the trash.​

The day Vanessa rolled back , her name was blowing up social media.

Instagram, Twitter, TikTok-everywhere you looked, it was all "Vanessa this" and "Vanessa that."

Lucian couldn't wait to play the perfect host.

He was all dressed up in his fancy suit, looking like he was about to hit the red carpet himself.

As he headed out the door to pick her up for some high - society shindig, he didn't even bother to look at me. Just threw over his shoulder, "Don't wait up," like I was some random housekeeper he could brush off.

"Don't wait up for dinner."

I'd barely cracked a book for an hour when my phone buzzed.

"There's a bottle of vintage red in the wine cabinet. Grab it and bring it to the restaurant."

I was just getting into my study groove, but I sighed, hung up, and dug out the bottle. Then I drove it over.

The restaurant's private room was all glitz and glamor, lights glowing, the air thick with extravagance.

Center stage: Vanessa and Alpha Lucian, the golden couple.

She was draped in a shimmering silver gown, leaning into him, all cozy and familiar.

Everyone was hyping her up. "Vanessa's finally back! You have no idea how long Alpha Lucian's been waiting for you."

I walked up and set the bottle in front of Alpha Lucian. "Here's the wine. I checked the label-should be the right one."

The room's vibe, all warm and chummy, froze for a split second when I showed up.

I turned to leave, but Vanessa's voice cut through the air. "Hold up."

"Come back and open the wine. Pour it for us."

I glanced at Alpha Lucian instinctively.

He was slouched in his chair, shirt unbuttoned at the collar, staring at me with that detached look. "You deaf or something?"

"I heard her." I lowered my eyes. "I'll go grab a corkscrew."

The second I stepped out, I caught Vanessa's sharp tone behind me. "This is the kind of she-wolf you're into now?"

Alpha Lucian didn't say a word.

One of his friends jumped in. "Chill, Vanessa. Alpha Lucian's only got eyes for you."

"Yeah, don't sweat it. She's the one who won't let go, clinging to him like a leech."

I poured the wine. Vanessa wasn't done with me.

She was pissed and made me serve her soup, peel her shrimp, then flashed a fake smile. "Where'd you go to school?"

"Tech University."

"Fancy school like that didn't teach you any self-respect?"

Her face darkened, and she suddenly flung most of her bowl of soup at me. It soaked through my shirt, scalding my skin.

"Clinging to Alpha Lucian like a desperate groupie. How pathetic is that? Dying to climb the social ladder?"

The sting of the hot liquid burned, but Alpha Lucian didn't even glance my way. He just took Vanessa's hand, soothing her gently.

"That pink diamond necklace you wanted? I ordered it. You're not mad at me anymore, right?"

One of his buddies, grinning like a jackass, mixed a gross cocktail of red wine, whiskey, and beer, shoving it toward me. "Drink up. Call it an apology to Vanessa."

Another one scoffed. "This expensive stuff? Total waste on her."

In Alpha Lucian's circle, Vanessa was their untouchable queen.

Nobody gave a damn about me. They went out of their way to mess with me, humiliate me.

Alpha Lucian never stopped them.

Especially not with Vanessa watching.

I grabbed the murky glass and downed it in one go.

The alcohol burned like fire, searing from my throat to my gut.

Tears sprang to my eyes.

I doubled over, gripping the table, gagging.

"Enough. You're making us lose our appetite. Get out."

Alpha Lucian tossed the corkscrew at me.

He didn't hold back, and it clipped my forehead, sharp pain exploding as blood trickled down my face.

He froze for a second, then stood, taking a step toward me.

I pressed my hand to the wound, gave a quick bow, and bolted out of there.

Back home, I showered and patched up the cut.

Then I noticed Alpha Lucian was back, too.

He looked pissed.

I put it together. "Vanessa got in a fight with you?"

"Luna Ashvale!"

His voice was a low growl as he stormed over, grabbing my wrist and pinning me against the edge of the bed.

I tried to push him off, but Alpha Lucian's strength was no match for mine.

The lamp flickered, the light stinging my eyes. I squeezed them shut, but tears leaked out anyway.

He paused for a moment, then grabbed my chin, forcing me to look at him. "Crying? Feeling sorry for yourself?"

"Luna Ashvale, didn't you say you loved me? That you'd do anything to stay by my side, no matter what?"

His kiss was brutal, rough enough to draw blood, the metallic taste flooding my mouth.

Alpha Lucian barked, "You forgot everything I taught you? Close your eyes."

"Your eyes-they're the least like hers."

His movements weren't gentle, and the pain intensified.

In a moment of panic, I opened my eyes and caught his gaze-dark, stormy, like he was venting something.

It hit me.

I'd upset Vanessa, and Alpha Lucian was punishing me.

Humiliation swallowed me whole. My mind drifted to the past.

When we met, I was a broke college pup, scraping by.

He was the high-and-mighty Alpha Lucian.

I was working at a bar, and he got plastered, saw my face, and lost it.

"Don't you dare walk around with a face like hers, doing something this low-class!"

Later, when my grandma-the only family I had-got sick, I borrowed from every loan shark I could find. Still came up three hundred grand short.

For that money, I sold myself to Alpha Lucian.

Threw myself at him.

The price? He wouldn't let me keep studying for my master's.

"A stand-in needs to know her place."

His voice was flat, deciding my future in a few words.

"You say you love me, right? Then stay by my side for three years. Don't go anywhere."

Vanessa had left him to study abroad.

Alpha Lucian wasn't about to let that happen again.

From that day, my dream of a career in research became a pipe dream.

Grandma didn't make it through the complications after surgery. She held on for six months, then she was gone.

I was a wreck, sitting at her grave all night.

In the middle of the night, it started drizzling.

An umbrella appeared over my head.

Alpha Lucian.

He looked down at me, his voice softer than usual. "How long you planning to stay out here? I'll wait with you."

We were together three years.

I took care of him like my life depended on it.

In rare moments, there'd be a flicker of warmth between us.

But deep down, I knew Alpha Lucian looked down on me.

Another time, I went to pick him up from a night out with his rich buddies. They blocked me, sizing me up with smirks.

"She does kinda look like Vanessa-heard she's some brainiac from Tech U, even worked on patent projects?"

"No way. Yo, genius, show us how you do your science stuff. Put on a little performance."

I dug my nails into my palms, staring them down. "Science isn't a party trick."

The guy leading the pack sneered. "Oh, please. You talk about research, but you're just here to cash in, aren't you?"

A bottle got shoved in front of me. "Not feeling it? Fine, drink. Finish this, and Alpha Lucian's all yours."

Alpha Lucian just lounged on the couch, twirling his lighter, watching me.

Maybe it was the booze, but his usual cold stare softened, lips curling slightly, eyes lazy.

"Go on, drink. Show 'em what you've got."

I went quiet for a second, then asked, "If Vanessa was standing here, would you make her drink, too?"

That set him off.

He snatched the glass and smashed it against me. "Who the hell are you to compare yourself to her?"

"She's not some sellout who'd trade herself for three hundred grand."

I blinked back stinging tears, picked up the glass rolling on the floor, and muttered, "Fine. I'll drink."

Poor wolves' lives are cheap. Dignity's worth even less.

I took his three hundred grand.

This was my price to pay.

Before Vanessa left the pack, she was already a red-hot A-list actress.

Now, back with an extra layer of Hollywood shine, she was drowning in movie offers.

She called Alpha Lucian one day, saying she'd just returned and needed a solid assistant.

"That Luna Ashvale she-wolf you've got seems like she knows how to play the part."

Alpha Lucian went quiet for a beat.

She let out a soft laugh. "What? Can't bear to let her go?"

"Nah."

His voice was flat. "If you need her, I'll send her over."

So, I ended up trailing Vanessa on a film set.

During a break, the supporting actress, Lilith, strolled over to stir the pot. "Vanessa, your assistant's got a vibe kinda like yours."

"Except for the eyes. That little mole under hers? Makes her look, I dunno, almost classier than you."

Lilith was supposed to be the lead in this flick until Vanessa swooped in and snatched the role.

She was salty about it.

Saying that was just her way of getting under Vanessa's skin.

Sure enough, Vanessa's face twisted, her glare at me dripping with barely veiled hate.

After wrap that afternoon, she claimed her ring was missing.

"It was on during that lakeside scene. Must've slipped off in the water."

Her eyes scanned the room before landing on me. "Luna Ashvale, go fish it out of the lake."

The man-made lake wasn't deep, just up to my waist.

I waded in, bending over, sifting through the slimy muck at the bottom.

The sunset bled red across the horizon.

As night crept in, the light faded inch by inch.

Everyone knew Vanessa was screwing with me. They all stood on the shore, watching, not saying a word.

Nobody was gonna stick up for some no-name assistant.

My fingers, pruned and pale from the icy water, came up caked in mud that slid off in clumps.

Suddenly, I was back in college, holed up in the lab, working on my senior project.

Hands clean and dry, handling test tubes, petri dishes, slides. Observing results, jotting down data.

My advisor and senior lab partner always said I had a gift, that I'd go far in research.

But life doesn't give regular wolves like me a break.

One little ripple can wipe out everything.

Three years had passed, but that life felt like it belonged to someone else.

Finally, when it was pitch dark, the stylist piped up. "Vanessa, found your ring. It was on the makeup table."

"Guess I left it there by mistake."

Vanessa took the ring and tossed it into her Hermès bag without a second thought.

"Come on up, Luna Ashvale. Get yourself cleaned up. Don't make it look like I'm picking on you."

After wrap, Alpha Lucian was coming to pick her up.

I sat, soaked to the bone, under a few pear trees just off the set.

No idea how long I was there before that sleek black Rolls-Royce pulled back around.

Alpha Lucian got out and walked over. "Go home and change."

I didn't look up.

His tone softened a touch. "Don't be mad at Vanessa. She's just in a mood. She'll get over it."

When I didn't answer, his patience ran dry. "That's enough, Luna Ashvale. Who're you sulking at?"

I sniffed, choking back tears, and tilted my head to meet his eyes.

"Alpha Lucian, it's been three years. Vanessa's back now."

"Let me go."

His expression shifted. "Go where?"

I grabbed my canvas bag and pulled out a document.

"I applied to a top grad school abroad for science. They sent me an acceptance letter."

Before I could finish, Alpha Lucian snatched the papers and tore them to shreds.

He grabbed my dripping wrist and shoved me into the car.

His warm hand pressed against my freezing arm, heat seeping through.

In the dim glow of the car's interior, his stare was ice-cold.

"Don't even think about it. You're not going anywhere."

"Luna Ashvale, you're my mate."