Aurora

Stepping into the hospital to see mom connected to three different machines made my heart bleed.

I wiped away all the tears as I sat beside mom and grabbed her hand, trying to fake a smile. I wanted to appear happy before her even though my heart was in turmoil.

"Mom. Dad has refused to give me the money but I assure you that I will find it. I applied for jobs yesterday and I've not gotten any jobs yet. I'm willing to go and work at the pack house. I heard the pay for the maids is very good and I'll do everything possible to get the job. I'd do anything for you mom." I whispered as tears streamed down my cheeks.

"I'll go home today, make you very hot tea because it rained heavily today and when you're awake I'll massage your legs. Mom. Please I want you to do something for me, while I run around to gather the money please hang in there. Don't give up because I'll find a way to save you." I whispered, sobbing quietly now as I kissed her hands.

"I've missed your cooking greatly. I promise not to ever take you for granted, I'll cherish every moment with you from now henceforth." I whispered and hearing the door squeak, I quickly wiped away my tears, my head glued to the ground as Doctor Wayne walked inside.

"Aurora."

"Doctor Wayne, good day. I just want to say thank you so much for this, it means the world to me." I whispered and he nodded.

"Have you started gathering the money? You know there's very little time left or have you changed your mind?" He asked and I shook my head vehemently.

"No! I would never choose such an option!" I insisted stubbornly and he exhaled deeply.

"Aurora, I've tried getting the beta to cover the cost of half of the medical fees, at least something to start with but he has refused and has cut off every possible way for you to get help from the pack. It's been a week, if this had been discovered early maybe she would be fine now but it's already getting too late and watching her suffer this way breaks my heart. I know it's difficult but think about it, if you don't get the money at the end of this week, I suggest euthanasia." He advised and I shook my head, biting back tears.

"No doctor, I will get the money and save mom. I promise. I don't mind taking a loan." I replied and he exhaled.

"Your father has blocked every chance possible. You need to figure out a way to get the money and seeing that your father is determined to have things go his way, I doubt if you will be able to find any job in the pack." He explained and I staggered back in astonishment.

As if throwing me out in the rain wasn't enough, he was determined to make our life a living hell. What have I done to deserve this? Why has the goddess forsaken us.

"Thank you doctor. You don't have to worry, I'll do anything to get the money, mom is going to get treated." It was hard to tell whether it was him or myself I was talking to.

He exhaled deeply, stared at her vitals for a moment and paused. He glanced at me closely and I was filled with confusion.

"Doctor Wayne, is there a problem?" I asked, my heart pounding heavily and he shook his head.

"Please, meet me in my office now." He muttered and I nodded, walking behind him.

Once inside the office, I sat on the chair calmly, my heart racing as I prayed fervently for it to be something different, goddess knew I was already going through a lot and more complications wasn't what I needed at this point.

"I hear two offers for you." Doctor Wayne handed me a cup of juice.

I don't like this at all. I gulped down the juice thirstily. "Offers?"

"You need the money and you can offer what I want, be rest assured I'm not asking you to sell your body." He added and I heaved a sigh of relief although I was still troubled.

"What are they?"

"The alpha is in need of a surrogate mother and Luna for five years. He's willing to pay a fortune, no strings attached, and after that five years, he will divorce you and take the child."

"That." I became speechless instantly and he stared at me patiently for an answer.

"You need the money urgently and he's willing to offer a million every month." Doctor Wayne added and my eyes widened with shock.

With that amount I could pay for mom's medical treatment and give her a better life.

"O.kay." I swallowed hard, trying to hide my apprehension. "And, the second offer?"

His gaze locked with mine. "I inject you with a different sperm, you become his Luna but before the end of your five year contract, you MUST kill the Alpha."

I flinched. My heart hammered with fear, and my wolf became restless inside me. She clawed at me to refuse the offer immediately! It was treason and the goddess knew my head would be hanging on the gates of the pack house if I got caught.

"I. I."

He smiled. It was a vile smile. "You know you will never amount to anything, not with your father determined to destroy you. The only person that can save you from him is the Alpha. So, you can either accept my bidding, save your mom and secure a future for yourself or refuse my offer and wait for your weak mother in hell. You have five minutes to decide." He replied coldly and I felt a sharp pain in my heart.

He flashed a tiny bottle before me, his head cocked as he waited for my answer while a little clock ticked away, reminding me that it was my life against that of the Alpha.

Aurora

I laid on the cold hospital bed, counting the seconds till the doctor would arrive. I couldn't control my tears as I thought about what I had agreed to do. It was a horrible thing but I was ready to do anything to save my mother's life.

"I'm sorry, Mom. I'm so sorry but I can't just let you die," I sobbed into my palms and my cheeks were still damp by the time the doctor came into the room. He didn't look twice at me, concentrating on the syringe he was filling with a strange fluid.

When he caught me watching him curiously, he came to my bedside, the syringe in hand.

"Don't look so scared. This is to make you fall asleep while I conduct the artificial insemination."

"Artificial insemination?" I didn't know those words and suddenly became unsure of what I had agreed to do. "Is that what you explained to me earlier?"

"Yes, yes," he replied impatiently, checking my arm for a vein. "Now go to sleep and let me get this done." I winced softly when he injected me and within minutes, I was knocked out cold.

I didn't know how long I was unconscious but I woke up with nothing more than a faint headache. When I raised a hand to my head to massage it, my nose picked up a strange bit pleasant scent. The scent was like fresh forest wood and my eyes blinked open in curiosity.

Sitting beside my bed and staring at me with cold eyes as dark as the abyss was a man I had never seen before. He was handsome and his raven dark hair was glossy but his square chin was so hard that it looked like it could cut glass.

Who was he and why was he looking at me like he could see through my clothes?

I pulled up the hospital sheet up to my chest self-consciously and his eyes traced the movement, a chill running down my spine. It wasn't until I heard someone clear his throat that I realized that Doctor Wayne was in the room too.

"You are finally awake," he said, coming to stand beside the man who was still seated. "Alpha Xavier, please meet your surrogate, Aurora Gonzalo."

Alpha Xavier? Was he the one seated there? Oh, Goddess!

I suddenly felt the need to throw up, sitting up too fast and my eyes spinned. No wonder he was looking at me, maybe trying to know if I was strong enough to carry his baby.

"Why is she shaking like that? Is she ill?" Alpha Xavier spoke for the first time but he was asking the doctor about me as if I wasn't there. His voice was so deep that I had to concentrate on the words before I could hear what he was saying.

He sounded genuinely concerned about me and my guilt doubled. How did the doctor expect me to kill someone who was three times bigger than I was?

"No, she isn't. You are probably just making her uncomfortable. Don't be mad at your soon-to-be husband, Aurora. I know he frowns a lot and it can be scary sometimes," Doctor Wayne joked, winking at me with a smile attached.

I nodded stiffly, not understanding the joke but not knowing what else to do. Regardless, Alpha Xavier sat very still, his lips pressed together in a hard line.

Goddess, does he ever smile? How was I supposed to live with him for five years if he was that cold and detached? I forgot my dizziness, fear replacing the rest of my emotions as I watched him cautiously.

"How do you feel?"

I heard the question come from the Alpha's lips but it took me a few seconds to understand that he was asking me.

"I'm good," I replied hastily and wanted to slap myself at how lame I sounded. "I mean. . .I'm alright. . .not dizzy at all. . .and I am. . .um. . ." Gosh, what was I saying? He would probably think I was crazy or something now.

I turned to the doctor, my face red in shame and he shook his head at me. I looked down at my hands and bit down on my tongue, wanting to vanish into thin air.

"Good. I will send my gamma to come get you later." He spoke like a robot, without showing any emotions but that made it easier for me to hear him clearly.

"He will bring you to the packhouse to rest after you are discharged. His name is Louis and make sure you do whatever he tells you. When you are strong enough, I will fix a date to present you to the pack as my mate. Understood?"

His mate. . .I was really doing this! I was really going to his surrogate Luna! Well, as long as he kept to his side of the deal and provided the money for my mother's surgery without me having to sleep with him, I was good with the plan.

"Y-yes, I unders-stand," I stammered, nodding as well in case he didn't hear me. He stood up almost immediately, moving with that smooth grace that professional ballet dancers had. He had a bulky body but by the tightness of his leather jacket, it was more of muscles than fat.

"Good. I will be leaving then. Let's finish our discussion some other time, Wayne."

"As you wish, Alpha." Doctor Wayne stepped out to see him off and I got a few minutes of privacy. I checked my body for any signs that it had been tampered with but apart from a dull ache from where the doctor had injected me, I felt nothing.

Was it supposed to be that easy?

The door opened again and I pushed my knees up to my chest to defend myself. It was Doctor Wayne and he was no longer smiling. The anger I saw in his eyes made my fear return and I pressed myself against the wall to hide.

"When you get to the packhouse, you better keep your mouth shut and do whatever you are told for the sake of your mother's life. If you blow my cover, I will end your already miserable life for good," he pointed at me with his index finger, his voice cold and frightening.

I nodded my head multiple times nervously, swallowing any incoming tears. "W-what about my mom? Did the... artificial insemination work?" I pronounced the big words slowly because I was not yet familiar with them.

"It was successful," the doctor admitted and I almost collapsed with relief. Thank you, Goddess!

"So, when will her surgery be sche-"

"I'm here," a young man barged into the room without knocking, his broad shoulders filling the door entrance. Was that supposed to be-

"Alpha Xavier sent me to pick up his mate," he announced, walking confidently into the room. When his eyes met with mine, he smiled, the first genuine smile I had seen all day. "Hello, I'm Louis. Are you ready to go?"

Aurora

"Who is she? Why is she in the pack house?"

"Isn't she the bastard of the beta family?" Whispers rang out as I walked inside and I raised my head, staring at them intently

"Why is she here? Does the alpha know she's here? Should I get the guards to throw her out?" Another whispered and Louis appeared behind me, making them disperse.

I exhaled deeply as I glared at them, there was no use burying my head, I'm not a bastard neither did my mom cheat.

"The alpha would join you in a few minutes." He muttered as he opened the door to the main sitting room and I nodded, my jaws dropping as I glanced around in astonishment.

I had never entered the pack house, the closest I had been to the gate was outside. Stella was always in the pack house, having fun and accompanying dad while I stayed in the house, doing every chore you can think of.

"Thank you." I whispered as I glanced at the long chandeliers hanging from the top of the house.

It was a large room with ancient furniture and vintage paintings on the wall, something completely different from what I expected from such a cold alpha.

"You don't need to be stunned, the Alpha is human too." Louis whispered and I nodded faintly, trying not to smile.

"Have your seat, I'll have the maids serve you, are you hungry?" I shook my head instantly but my stomach betrayed me by growling and I bowed my head in shame.

"I'm."

"It's fine, you can be scared of Alpha Xavier but I'm different although I think you shouldn't be scared of your new husband." He teased and I bowed my head, smiling faintly.

"Ignore the omegas, they hardly utter a word when Xavier is around, you've got nothing to be worried about." He assured before he left the sitting room.

Five minutes later, he walked out with a maid behind him, pushing a food cart.

"This way." He muttered and I nodded.

"Thank you." We walked into a large dining room with a large oak table and numerous chairs, everything about this house left my jaws hanging and after I managed to get a hold of myself, I lowered myself into the nearest chair.

My mouth watered as the maid served the food and I dug in immediately, unbothered about what they were going to say.

I was halfway done with my food when the air suddenly went tense. I could smell a lot of fear in the air and my hair began to rise.

I didn't need to glance around to know the Alpha was around. I swallowed and bowed my head in fear. His tall figure stopped a few steps away from mine and he pulled a chair as he joined us on the table.

"Welcome, Alpha." Louis muttered and bowed my head, too stunned to utter a word as my hand began trembling in fear.

"Let's discuss the contract when you finish eating." He announced and I nodded hastily. I continued eating but this time my movements were very slow.

I found it hard to eat as all that crossed my mind was the alpha. He was at least 6'0 tall and his muscular body was evidence of the years he spent in the gym or training or probably both.

It was hard to even glance at him ever because of how scary and handsome he looked.

I finished my meal and the maid came over to whisk it away. "Should I excuse you?" Louis demanded and I looked up to see that the Alpha was done eating.

"Yes." He replied gruffly and Louis flashed me a sad smile before he dashed out.

"Do you know what you've agreed to?" I nodded hastily without raising my head.

"Your name."

"I'm Aurora. The daughter of the beta." He glanced at me faintly before nodding.

"This is strictly business, no feelings should be attached, I have my private life and so can you as long as you keep it away from the public. You're going to be my Luna, I want you to be as gracious as possible. Under no circumstances should you utter the wrong words or act strangely outside. This deal is going to last for just five years, do not try to seduce me because it won't work, you're here for business." He instructed and I nodded.

"Yes, Alpha."

"I'll hold a party tomorrow where I'm going to announce our union. Do you have any questions?" He demanded and I shook my head.

"Come with me, I'll show you around." He instructed as he stood up and I did the same, swallowing very hard as I stood behind him, his back blocking my view.

My heart was pounding heavily and as he glanced at me, I felt my heart triple its beat as I made my way beside him.

"This would be your room, it's opposite mine. The house has a garden, about twenty rooms, a large field for training, a gaming and gym center, the kitchen and the maids they stay at the house behind the house." He explained and I nodded.

"Thank you, Alpha for this opportunity." I replied.

"That being said, the maid will come one to take your measurements and bring you dresses." He whispered as he pushed the door open and I nodded.

"Thank you, Alpha." He turned around to leave while I stepped inside.

"Aurora. Your fear is too visible, if you want to pull this off then the least you can do is control your fears." He instructed and I nodded hastily.

"I'll work on that, I'm sorry." I replied and he left without a word.

I closed the door slowly, resting on the door as I listened to my pounding heart.

"I don't know if this is a great idea or bad one Riley. I just want to know how mom is doing." I whispered to my wolf as I took a step back, admiring the large room with the largest bed I'd ever seen.

This room was triple the size of my old room and for the first time I felt free like a bird. With a soft smile I let myself slump on the bed as I imagined how blissful it'd be to sleep on this bed.