That was when I realised the source of the pain I had been feeling in the past month. Why didn't I even think in his direction?

I pushed the room door open and Trevor and Alina, my best friend pulled apart. They both lie underneath the blanket, their underwear laid out on the ground everywhere in the room. My hands clenched in fist in anger and my wolf snarled within me, scratching to come out and tear the both of them apart.

Trevor flailed, holding his briefs before him like a shield to ward off shame.

"Lena, baby, listen to me, it's not what it looks like." he stepped closer to me.

"Don't even dare touch me with those filthy hands," I interrupted him, moving away from him. "Go on, Trevor. Let's hear the grand explanation you have for this."

Alina crossed her eyes and sat up, the blanket wrinkle-fresh in her lap. "Oh, please, Lena. You're so miserable. You knew you weren't good enough for him."

My eyes stretched into hers. The girl who was like my sister. The girl I trusted above all.

"You? You of all people?" I spit, not with fear, but fury for having been so betrayed. "You were my best friend, Alina. I fought for you, trusted you. And this is what you choose to be? A cunting backstabber?"

She's smiling hesitantly. "Whatever. He wanted me. Not my fault.".

Trevor stepped closer to me, palms raised in pacification mode as if to placate me. "Lena, It's complicated. I didn't intend for things to get to this point. It just.happened."

I forced myself to calm down and laughed. "That just happened? Did you trip and fall into bed with her? You sound so pathetic right now."

He flinched and his eyes widened in shock. "You know what? I'm tired of pretending. Alina and I have been together for a year. We are in a serious relationship and you were nothing but the other woman, Lena. you should be lucky i'm even keeping you around."

The words slammed into my face, but I wasn't going to let him see that his words had an effect on me. My wolf snarled underneath me to rip him limb from limb, to rip him apart for shame. But I wasn't going to give him that satisfaction.

I gritted, fighting the tears in the corners of my eyes from falling.

"You're going to pay for this, the both of you." I glared at Alina with seething anger, and she averted her eyes from me. "The two of you are clearly a perfect fit for each other."

"You're making a big-" Trevor started but I cut him off.

"No." I held my head up high and tried to sound authoritative. "I'm done."

My eyes bored into his as I said, "I, Lena Petrakis, reject you, Trevor Hale as my mate."

The room turned chilly and Trevor stared at me in shock. Alina looked back and forth between us, awaiting Trevor's action.

"You are joking, right?" he laughed as he stepped closer, reaching for my arm.

"Does it look like I am?" I raised an eyebrow at him.

His laughter turned to rage. "Do you think you can survive without me? I'm the only one that can help you save your dying mother."

I knew I was throwing away the last option I had to save my mother but I couldn't take the insult and betrayal from them any longer.

"I'd rather die than accept any of your dirt money." I spat in his face.

"Lena!" Trevor yelled at me.

I glared at Alina, whose face had gone white as a ghost.

"Fuck you, Alina," I spat at her. "You will need a lot of luck if this is the kind of life you choose." I moved closer to the bed where she was still sitting with my lip curled in disgust. "Slut is a great name for you. You'll be a good one."

I turned on my heel and walked away.

The moment I exited the compound, onto the sidewalk, raw reality was kicking my gut. My legs turned jelly when I registered what just happened. I squatted on the sidewalk and cried my eyes out as the rain poured heavily on me.

"How could they do this to me?" I breathed, rain and tears shimmering in the air all around me. "What did I do to deserve all this?" I yelled toward the sky, hoping that the moon goddess would give me a reply.

I was tired. I wanted to give up. I craved the warmth and comfort that I had been deprived of since our perfect family fell apart. But giving up was the one thing I could not do. I had a mom to rescue.

Pushing myself up, I dragged my feet in the rain under the dark sky and made my way home.

I stumbled into my one-bedroom apartment, dripping and defeated. I took off my wet sneakers, stripped out of my soggy tee shirt, wrapped myself up in a large shirt, and fell onto my bed.

My brain would not settle.

"Ninety-nine thousand," I said, glaring at the ceiling. That's what I needed to save my mother but all I could gather from all my savings and jobs was three hundred thousand. Where was I supposed to get the remaining money? I had no one I could turn to for help anymore. Trevor was my last option.

I shut my eyelids close tight, trying to hold back the tears.

"There's gotta be another way. There has to be. My mom can't die like this."

I rolled back and thought it all through in my head, maybe I could sell some of my belongings like some of the few expensive jewelry i had, the small plot of land my mother left me back home. It would never quite be enough, though it would still add little to the amount I needed.

I didn't know when I fell asleep but I woke up the next morning to my phone ringing on the nightstand beside me. Grabbing the phone with sleepy eyes, I squinted my eyes at the screen to see who was calling.

It was a hospital.

I jolted and sat up on the bed with my heart thudding in my chest.

With trembling hands, I answered the call, "Hello."

"Miss Pretakis, you have to come to the hospital immediately. It's about your mother."

"Three days?" I raised my voice at Dr. Reynolds as my eyes widened in shock.

He was a pleasant fellow, but he was strict when it came to his job.

"Lena, we've done everything, and the hospital board won't cover more treatment unless you clear your pending payment. Sorry."

I gritted my jaws together and swallowed repeatedly, hoping to push the ball back down my throat. "I see. Thank you, Doctor."

Three days. These were the only three days that I had in which to get through to save my mother.

I exited his office, his words binding me. Three days to make six hundred thousand. My heart was racing and fear churned in my gut, but I could not surrender.

I had to work. I had to think of something, fast.

"Breathe, Lena," I instructed myself, re-ponying my hair, putting on scrubs and getting ready for my morning shift at the hospital.

The Moonlit hospital in the Shadow pack was a hospital donated by the Moonlit pack as a peace offering to my pack, the shadow pack decades ago.The elders of the pack decided to name it after the moonlit pack because the hospital had saved a lot of lives and created employment opportunities for people.

I moved the hospital halls with a knife stuck in my chest. With each beep of the monitor machine, each groan of each patient, each panicked flurrying of the nurse's feet, I was reminded of what rode. I could not focus as I moved ward by ward, reading charts, reassuring patients, weighted with IV drip tubes.

I'd been passing by and heard the sound of a familiar voice across the hall.

"Lucas, for Pete's sake, you're not getting any younger and I'm getting older. I need to see my great grandkids before I die." I heard Luna Flora nagged

Luna Flora was the Moonlit Alpha's mother and she was popular in the hospital because she was an indigene of the Shadow pack and was the real influence behind the peace in the two packs.

I heard she has always visited the Moonlit hospital anytime she was sick because she believed being in her hometown would make her heal faster.

"We've talked about it, Grandma," came a short, but direct response. "I'll get married when I'm ready. Besides, the doctor said you are okay, stop exaggerating your condition just to blackmail me into getting married."

"For God's sake, Lucas. You're the Alpha son.. You need your Luna by your side when you take over your father's position. I'm not going to give up.I will set you up on a thousand of blind dates if I have to."

He responded immediately. "No blind dates. On any terms."

The rumour of the Moonlit pack heir being unable to find his mate was indeed true.

There was silence in the room

"Ahh!" she started after a pause. "My chest hurts, Lucas. I think I'm going to die soon."

"Fine, I'll think about it."

I clenched my teeth so I would not laugh. Everyone was accustomed to Luna Flora overreacting just to get whatever she wanted.

Their conversation stirred something in me. My heart pounded faster, no longer shrinking, but in something else-desperation? Hope? Or maybe both.

I made my way into her room to administer her description. She smiled at me as soon as I walked in.

"Lena, sweetie. My favorite Doctor," she said, smiling and stroking my hand softly as I was giving her pills. "Lena, meet Lucas, my grandson." She smiled at me widely. "Is he not handsome?"

"He is." I turned to the handsome man in front of me and bowed in respect.

I had seen Lucas Anderson on Tv and social media but he looks so much better in person. But the way he stared at me intimidated me. Was it his Alpha Aura? Or something else entirely?

Shifting uncomfortable, I turned my attention back to Luna Flora.

"You're single, right? He's single too and he's a good husband material," she continued.

"Grandma!" Lucas cut off his grandma, clearly annoyed. He glanced at me with an apologetic look. "Ignore whatever she says."

"Okay." I whispered.

Luna Flora rolled her eyes and remained quiet.

Alpha Lucas took his grandmother out of the ward to be scanned, and I continued with my head spinning with different thoughts.

What if this was the key? The key to saving my mom's life?

After they came back, I saw Alpha Lucas standing outside the ward, on the phone. 'This was my chance.' I thought.

I wiped my wet palm on my scrubs and walked over to him.

"Alpha Lucas?" I called, trying to make my trembling voice unnoticeable.

He turned to my direction and was taken aback to see me standing before him. "Yeah?"

"Can i please..talk to you? Alone?"

His furrowed brow then nodded. "Okay."

He hung up the call and followed me down the hallway. I walked into one of the supply closets at the end of the hallway, creaking the door shut behind me when I confirmed that no one saw us.

He's in the middle of the room, arms crossed over his chest. This better be good."

My heart was pounding so hard he could have heard the ring of my hammer.

"I'd like to make a deal with you." I swallowed hard.

"A deal? What kind of deal?"

With all the desperation in me, I summoned the courage and spoke up, "Take me as your mate."

Alpha Lucas raised his eyebrows and folded his arms. "Are you trying to sell yourself to me, Miss." His eyes glanced at my name tag. "Pretakis?"

I swallowed hard, trying not to cower at his cold blue eyes staring down at me and continued, "I'm just trying to help you out here. Luna Flora likes me and I won't even disturb you when we get married. I won't mind no matter how many women you have. You can always kick me out once you get what you want."

My heart was racing fast as I waited for his reply.

"Thanks for your consideration, Miss Pretakis but I hate women who try to sell themselves for money." His eyes scanned me from head to toe. "You look decent and innocent. I never expected you to be one of those cheap girls."

Putting my head down in shame, I clenched my fist tight, trying not to let his words get to me.

Alpha Lucas turned away and left me feeling embarrassed. I should have expected it when I had the audacity to walk to the Future Alpha of Moonlit pack and asked him to take me as his mate.

He was known to be cold, dangerous and had never fallen in love. He changes women like he changes his clothes. Why on earth would I believe that he would accept my deal and make me of all people his mate when he had more beautiful women dying for that position?

All these stress is starting to make me dumb and stupid.

After my shift, I snuck back into my office to have lunch. I was tired from doing all those rounds and my back and leg aches. As I was about to relax a little after my meal, I got a call from Dr. Samuel, informing me that my mother was being rushed to the emergency room.

It was as if a heavy bomb was thrown at me and I rose in haste, running to the emergency ward. I had to paced back and forth outside the emergency room, waiting for Dr. Samuel.

"Please let her be okay."

Dr. Samuel emerged from the room and I ran to him. "Doctor, how is my mother? Please tell me she's okay."

"Your mother is fine. it was not that dangerous this time," he said and I sighed in relief. "But we can't put her treatment off for much longer. it will only worsen her heart. You need to get the money as fast as possible."

My shoulder sagged when I remembered that I was out of options. My father was of no help, and my mate, that bastard just had to cheat on me with my best friend.

Alpha Lucas, I couldn't really blame him. A man like me wouldn't be thrilled to take someone like me as a mate.

There was only one option left for me and it was the option I was trying to avoid. Loan sharks. If I wanted to save my mother's life, I had no choice but to take a loan from them.

"Dr. Samuel, just give me till tomorrow. I'll get the money."

"Okay, that's good." He nodded.

I turned to walk away but I was met with a cold icy stare. "Is this why you proposed the deal?" Alpha Lucas said with a dominating voice. "I see." He nodded. "I agree."

"What?" my eyes widened.

"You said you wanted to be my mate?" He took predatory steps toward me. "I agree."

"Really?" I asked. I was finding it hard to believe that Alpha Lucas of the Moonlit pack was accepting my proposal.

He brought out a black card and stretched it toward me. "Since we are going to benefit mutually from this, you can have this."

I stared at the black card, then back up at him. "Aren't you scared that I will change my mind after I get the money I need?"

He leaned closer to my ear and whispered, "You wouldn't dare."

A shiver ran down my spine and I took a step back from him. He was right though, only a dead man walking would choose to anger or scam Alpha Lucas. He was dangerous and ruthless and no one dared to go against him.

I took the card from him and smiled. "Let's have wonderful cooperation."

Alpha Lucas smirked as he moved closer and snaked his arm around my waist, pulling me closer to close the space between us. "Let's have wonderful cooperation, Dr. Pretakis."

"What are you doing? we are in public." I glanced around to see people in the hospital staring at us.

"Are you shy?" he whispered to my ear and his hot breath fanned the side of my face. "You are going to be my mate and my wife, you should start getting used to it."

Even though our agreement was fake and no feelings attached, I knew I still had to fulfill my duties as a wife and that alone made me nervous. But I couldn't back out now.

He let go of me and stepped away. "I'm going to introduce you to my grandmother soon and you will have to attend public gatherings with me as my fiancè. The wedding will be held in three months."

'Three months?' my wolf yelled in my head. 'Are we really going through with this?'

'I have no choice. This is the only way to save my mother.'

Taking a deep breath, I replied, "I understand."

Just like that, I sold myself to the Devil.