The bass pounded through my bones as I balanced a tray of drinks, weaving through the crowded floor of The Midnight Den. Friday nights were always the worst—the night when wolves came to forget their troubles and create new ones.

"Omega! Another round for table seven!" A burly Delta wolf shouted, not bothering to look at me as he snapped his fingers.

I kept my eyes downcast, my wolf whimpering inside me. *We shouldn't have to serve them. We're above this.*

*Quiet,* I told her silently. *We do what we must.*

My mother's dying words echoed in my mind: "Find someone without power, Adele. Someone who will cherish you, not discard you when something better comes along."

I'd found that someone in Carter. Or so I thought.

"Smile, little omega," the Delta sneered as I placed his drinks down. "Maybe if you're lucky, one of us might take you home tonight."

I forced my lips upward, though my wolf snarled in protest. "Thank you, sir, but I'm working."

From across the room, I felt eyes on me. My gaze drifted involuntarily to the VIP section where Carter sat with his friends—wolves I'd never been introduced to properly despite being his mate for over a year.

He wore his usual expensive suit, looking every bit the successful businessman rather than the struggling rogue he'd claimed to be when we met. His dark hair was perfectly styled, his smile wide as he leaned close to a stunning blonde woman beside him.

Felicity Young. The daughter of Shadowridge Pack's Gamma.

I'd seen them together before, but something about their body language tonight sent a chill down my spine. The way she touched his arm possessively, the way he didn't pull away.

"Hey, you!" A Beta wolf snapped his fingers at me. "Clean up this mess."

I hurried over, my knees bending automatically as I picked up the scattered glasses. My wolf howled in protest at the humiliation, but I silenced her. This was temporary. Carter had promised. Once his debts were settled...

"Did you hear what happened to that rogue girl?" A voice drifted from the VIP section as I collected glass shards nearby.

"The one Martinez found?" Another voice—Felicity's—replied with a laugh. "The one who thought she was special because she had Alpha blood?"

I froze, my fingers tightening around a glass.

"Please tell me you're recording this," Felicity said, her voice dropping lower. "When Victor takes her, I want to see her face when she realizes her precious mate sold her out."

"Patience," Carter replied, his voice smooth as silk. "The loyalty test isn't complete until she signs over her mother's territory tomorrow. Then Victor gets his payment."

My blood turned to ice.

"You really think she'll do it?" Someone else asked. "Give up the last thing she has of her mother?"

"She'll do anything for me," Carter said confidently. "That's what makes this so perfect. The daughter of an Alpha, reduced to nothing. Broken completely."

Their laughter cut through me like claws.

"And if she doesn't?" Felicity asked.

"Then Victor gets her anyway," Carter replied coldly. "Either way, she'll learn her place."

I stumbled backward, nearly dropping my tray. The glass slipped from my fingers, shattering on the floor.

Carter's eyes met mine across the room. For a moment, something flickered there—not guilt, but annoyance at being observed.

I fled to the back room, my heart hammering against my ribs.

---

Morning light filtered through my apartment window as I stared at the official documents in my hands. The Shadowridge Pack emblem stamped at the top made my stomach twist.

"Miss Wallace," the messenger had said with barely concealed disdain, "these require your immediate attention."

I scanned the legal jargon, my vision blurring with each word:

"...immediate sale of territory..."

"...outstanding debts to rogue clans..."

"...failure to comply will result in pack court action..."

At the bottom was a figure that made my blood boil—a fraction of what my mother's land was worth.

I fumbled for my phone, dialing Carter's number for the tenth time that morning.

"Unavailable."

Always unavailable when I needed him most.

My fingers trembled as I opened our text messages. The last one from him was two days ago: "Need you to do something important for me. Trust me."

Trust him. After what I'd heard last night?

My wolf stirred, no longer whimpering but growling low in my chest.

*We've been fools,* she whispered. *But no more.*

I stared at the documents again, seeing them clearly now. Not just papers, but chains. Chains Carter had been forging link by link while I blindly helped him secure them around my own neck.

The mate bond between us pulsed painfully, a reminder of what I'd given him—everything.

And what he'd given me in return—nothing but lies.

Outside my window, a black SUV pulled up. Through the tinted windows, I could make out the silhouette of a large man with a scar across his face.

Victor Crane.

He'd come for his payment.

I clutched the documents tighter, my decision crystallizing like ice in my veins. Carter thought he knew me—thought I would break.

He was about to learn how wrong he was.

I clutched the documents tightly against my chest as I stood outside Carter's luxury apartment door. My heart hammered against my ribs, but my resolve remained unshaken. After what I'd overheard at The Midnight Den, there was no turning back.

I'd spent the entire night rehearsing what I would say, how I would remain calm when confronted with his lies. My wolf paced restlessly within me, no longer whimpering but growling with a newfound anger that matched my own.

*We deserve the truth*, she snarled. *We deserve respect.*

I knocked firmly on the door, refusing to show the fear that had become my constant companion these past months.

Carter opened the door, his expression shifting from surprise to calculated warmth. "Adele? What a pleasant surprise." He glanced at the papers in my hands, his smile faltering for just a fraction of a second.

"I need to talk to you," I said, pushing past him into the apartment. The luxury surroundings mocked me—another lie in a web of deception.

"Of course, little omega." He closed the door behind me, his tone dripping with false concern. "What's troubling you?"

I thrust the documents toward him. "These. And what I heard last night at The Midnight Den."

His face remained impassive as he took the papers. "You misunderstood a business discussion, Adele. These are simply protective measures."

"Protective?" My voice shook with barely contained rage. "I heard you and Felicity talking about Victor taking me as payment. About breaking me completely."

Carter's laugh was cold, nothing like the warm sound I'd fallen in love with. "You're being dramatic. Victor is a business associate who's been... patient with my debts."

"Debts you've never explained," I pressed, stepping closer. "Debts that somehow require me to sell my mother's land for pennies."

Something dangerous flashed in his eyes. "You don't understand the pressure I'm under. These rogues aren't the type to make idle threats."

"Then tell me the truth!" I demanded, my voice rising. "For once, stop treating me like I'm stupid."

The mask slipped completely then. Carter straightened to his full height, his Beta aura flaring as his eyes hardened into cold amber.

"You want the truth?" he snarled, his voice shifting to the commanding tone I'd never heard him use before. "The truth is that you're nothing but a rogue Omega who should be grateful I'm protecting you at all."

I stumbled back, shocked by the sudden change. "Carter?"

"Did you really think someone like you could be worthy of a Beta?" He circled me slowly, his movements predatory. "Your Alpha blood is diluted, worthless. You should be thankful I've allowed you to serve me this long."

My wolf howled in outrage, clawing to break free from the chains of submission I'd forged through months of humiliation.

"The territory sale isn't optional," he continued, looming over me. "Sign it today, or I'll make sure Victor gets what he wants early."

---

The Midnight Den's pulsing music matched the throbbing in my head as I balanced a tray of drinks. One day. That's all the time Carter had given me to make my decision.

"Omega!" A harsh voice cut through the noise. "Over here."

I turned to see Felicity Young surrounded by a group of wolves bearing the Shadowridge Pack insignia on their jackets. Gammas, by the looks of them—mid-ranking wolves who outranked me in Carter's twisted hierarchy.

"Look who it is," Felicity called loudly as I approached their table. "The broken Alpha's daughter, serving her betters."

The wolves laughed, their eyes raking over me with contempt.

"I heard she actually thought Martinez would keep her," one of them sneered, loud enough for nearby tables to hear. "As if a Beta would ever mark damaged goods."

Felicity's perfectly manicured hand reached out to touch my tray, deliberately knocking over a glass. "Oops," she said with mock innocence. "Clumsy little omega."

The liquid splashed across my uniform, marking me with a stain that matched the humiliation burning in my chest.

"Some females need to learn submission the hard way," another Gamma said, his voice carrying to surrounding tables. "Maybe that's what's best for broken wolves who don't know their place."

I kept my eyes downcast, my knuckles white around the tray. Inside, my wolf thrashed wildly, demanding release, demanding retribution.

*Soon*, I promised her silently as Felicity's laughter rang in my ears. *Very soon.*

The bass pounded through my bones as I balanced a tray of drinks, my knuckles white with tension. The Midnight Den was packed tonight, wolves pressing against each other in the dim light, their eyes gleaming with predatory interest. I kept my gaze lowered, my wolf cowering inside me despite her growing anger.

"Omega!" Carter's voice cut through the music, commanding and cold. "Over here."

I turned to see him in the VIP section, surrounded by his Shadowridge Pack friends. Felicity sat beside him, her hand possessively on his arm, her smile sharp as a blade.

"Bring us another round," he ordered as I approached, not bothering to look at me directly. "And make sure you don't spill anything this time."

I nodded silently, feeling the weight of every eye in the section on me. My wolf snarled at the humiliation, but I kept her contained. *Just a little longer*, I promised her.

"Did you sign the papers?" Carter asked quietly, his voice barely audible over the music.

"Not yet," I replied, my voice steady despite the storm raging inside me.

His eyes flashed amber. "By tomorrow, Adele. One way or another."

Felicity laughed, the sound like breaking glass. "She's still holding out hope, Carter. Isn't that adorable?"

The wolves around them snickered, their eyes raking over me with contempt.

"I heard Victor is particularly interested in broken Alpha bloodlines," one of them said loudly. "Something about the challenge of it."

"Like breaking in wild mares," another added with a cruel smile. "Though some are too damaged to be worth the effort."

I kept my expression neutral as I placed their drinks down, though my hands trembled slightly. Carter's fingers brushed mine deliberately, a mockery of intimacy.

"You'll do well tomorrow," he said, loud enough for nearby tables to hear. "Victor doesn't like his merchandise to be difficult."

Merchandise. The word cut through me like a knife.

---

The storage room smelled of stale beer and cleaning supplies. I sat on a crate in the corner, my back against the wall, trying to steady my breathing during my fifteen-minute break.

*Father*, I thought, focusing all my energy on the faintest thread of connection that had remained dormant for ten years. *Father, can you hear me?*

The silence in my mind was deafening, but I pushed harder, remembering the lessons from childhood.

*Alpha Wallace*, I called formally, using the mind-link protocol I'd learned before leaving the pack. *Your daughter needs you.*

Pain lanced through my skull, sharp and sudden. The connection was weak, damaged by years of neglect and distance.

*Adele?* The voice was faint, barely there at all, but unmistakable.

Tears sprang to my eyes. *Father, I'm sorry. I didn't know—*

The connection wavered, the mental link stretched too thin by time and betrayal.

*Where are you?* His voice was urgent, desperate. *I've been calling for you for years.*

*I'm at The Midnight Den*, I managed to send before exhaustion overwhelmed me. *Carter—he's not—*

The link shattered, leaving me gasping on the crate. My wolf howled in frustration and pain.

*We'll try again*, I promised her. *We will.*

---

"Victor has arrived," Felicity announced as I emerged from the storage room, her eyes gleaming with malicious triumph.

The crowd parted as a massive figure entered The Midnight Den. Victor Crane was everything rumors suggested—broad-shouldered with a jagged scar across his face, his eyes cold and calculating as they swept over the room.

Every wolf instinctively moved away from him, creating a path straight to the VIP section where Carter waited.

"So this is the merchandise?" Victor's voice was deep, his gaze assessing me like I was a horse at auction.

Carter nodded, his arm around Felicity's waist. "As promised. Though she's been... difficult to train."

Victor's laugh was harsh. "I prefer them with spirit. More fun to break."

My stomach twisted as they spoke about me as if I weren't standing right there.

"When do we finalize the transaction?" Victor asked, taking a seat at their table.

"Tomorrow," Carter replied smoothly. "Once she signs over her mother's territory."

"And if she refuses?" Victor's eyes narrowed.

Carter's smile was cold. "Then you get her anyway. Consider it a bonus."

Victor leaned forward, his massive hands clasped together. "I'll need her by the end of the week. My men are getting impatient."

"Payment upon delivery," Carter said, as if they were discussing a car sale rather than my life. "As agreed."

I stood frozen, the full horror of their plan finally clear. This wasn't just about humiliating me or breaking my spirit—Carter had never intended for me to leave this alive.

Victor's eyes met mine across the room, and he smiled—a predator's smile that promised pain and submission.

"Beautiful," he murmured, "but broken things need to be fixed before they're useful."