I am Demetra, the girl whose mother slept with every gamma, beta, and zetaâŚtrying to climb her way up, only to crash-land at the very bottom and leave me here to clean up her mess in the Black Covenant Pack. As the lowest-ranking omega in the pack house, my glorious destiny is to personally serve one of three sons of Alpha Kael. Emris. Emris. Emris. Emris. My world is the four walls of his penthouse bedroom. Iâm the ghost who takes his designer clothes to the laundry. I scrub his desk. I pick up the condoms after heâs done with whatever girl he drags home from the club. Iâm the one who patches up the cuts and bruises from fights he doesnât want his parents to know about, dabbing at his knuckles while he stares straight through me. I even cut his hair when it gets too long cause he hates when it brushes his shoulders. And when his famous temper explodes, shattering a lamp or hurling it against the wall, Iâm the one on my knees, picking up the pieces. Always on my knees. Because Emris runs on a fuel of rage. However, the day I turned eighteen, a mate bond snapped between us during one of my cleaning routines. Me, a nobody, became mated to the first son of the Alpha. The one everyone whispers will inherit everything, because while all two of brothers are hybrids, Emris is the strongestâŚhe is a Trybrid werewolf. Emris, who has never looked at me twice, suddenly couldnât stand for me to be out of his sight. Yet, despite his new possessiveness. He warned me never to tell a soul that we were mates. Afterall, Iâm an orphaned omega, a high-school dropout because the packâs "charity" didn't cover an actual education. My father isnât some politician or business mogul; heâs probably one of the countless faceless men my mother entertained. I am the packâs pity project, the girl they âsaved,â and my lifelong repayment has been to scrub their floors and make their beds. He was ashamed of me. The first time Emris ever truly looked at me was the day the mate bond snapped into place. I remember how his uncovered eye, stared down at me while the other was hidden under the usual black patch. The next time I saw him without that black patch, it revealed his serpent-lined colored eyes as he took my virginity in his bed. And I love him. Goddess, I love him with my entire soul, a stupid, desperate love that lives in the deepest, most secret part of my heart. I loved him when he made me his dirty secret. I loved him through his coldness and the countless ways he shattered my heart, only to gather the pieces and hand them back to him all over again. I am the one who watches him sleep. I am the one rocked him back to reality when he woke up from the nightmares of the two years he spent as a kid, locked in an enemyâs pack dungeon. He was broken, far from perfect, but he was everything to me. âWhere you going?â His rough voice makes me stop buttoning my stupid house help uniform. I see my reflection in his floor-length mirror, my doll like white hair is all ruffled from where he fisted his hands in it, arching me against me just minutes ago. âItâs almost time for breakfast.â I look around his bedroom for my bra. âShit.â Emris runs a hand down his face. I see the forgotten cup of water on his nightstand. The one I brought him last night before he pulled me into his bed and made me forget my own name. âThis what youâre looking for?â I see my light blue bra dangling from his finger. I march over and reach for it, but he lifts his hand higher. âIâm already late. Give it.â I hold my palm out and try to sound firm. He pushes his dark hair back and sits up. The sheets pools around his naked waist. I canât help the quick swallow in my throat as I take in the hard planes of his ab muscles or his calloused hands that held my waist so tightly I couldnât escape a thrust. âDid I say you could leave yet?â Emrisâ voice is deceptively soft. âKeep it, then.â I frown and walk out. I canât do this with him today. I hear his low chuckle behind me. âI donât like your saltiness. Or is it moodiness? I donât like your jealousy, either. I have so much to do today, the last thing I want is that attitude from you.â I do my best not to turn around and look at him. He knows exactly why Iâm upset. The whole pack knows. The Alpha of the Mud Claw Packâs daughter, Elena. Emrisâs ex-girlfriend has just moved into the pack house. Luna Derisha is already parading her around, calling her his future Luna. And Iâm here. His actual, true mate. His dirty little secret. âDemetra?â His tone shifts. Itâs becoming a warning. âDonât let me have to call you a second time!â When I turn, heâs out of bed in a loose pair of pants, walking towards the balcony where Iâm standing at. âYou know why Iâm upset.â Emris rips off his black eye patch and tosses it aside. He usually covers that eye because his wolf gets agitated, and when it does, he canât control the change. His left eye burns with a ring of gold, the pupil a terrifying thin slit. It scares people. But then, everything about Emris is designed to be scary. Iâm just the idiot whoâs in love with him, so I see past it. âYouâre acting like I slept with Elena this morning!â âWow.â I let out a scoff thatâs designed to hide the hot press of tears in my throat. âSo, you want to sleep with her? You canât wait to have your ex-girlfriend back in your bed?â âStop it. Her father is an Alpha. My mom is just securing my claim to the Alpha seat. Itâs not personalââ âWe are mates!â I yell and Iâve never yelled at him before. âYouâre an omega.â Emris says it like itâs a disease. âThatâs weak for a Trybrid like me. Thatâs a liability for the Alpha Iâm becoming!â âYou sleep with me! You claim me almost every night! But now, suddenly, Iâm too weak for you because the Alpha seat is up for grabs?â In a second, heâs right in front of me. I watch the pupil in his left eye, âthe serpent-like oneâ dilates. âDonât you ever disrespect me. I paid for your high school. I offered to pay for college, but you were too proud to take it. I bought you a car you never drove! I give you a roof, my protection, and this is how you thank me?â Emris pulls me and I land against his bare chest, face inches from his. There, I force myself to go still so I wonât anger the beast further. I didnât accept his gifts because I was sick of feeling like his charity case, a bill he had to pay for the mate he never wanted. âOnce I'm Alpha, my pups will be in your belly. You'll... be under my protection for life." He roughs a brand across my waist before palming my back side. There comes the famous grab as he does a little tap-tap-tap taps with ownership. Usually, it would make me blush but this time, I just look at him with tears. However, Emris doesnât see tears. Heâs cold-blooded, and the worst part is, heâs proud of it. âAs what?â I look up at him from what feels like a million miles below. The one thing I want is for him to claim me as his mate. To look at me and see his equal, his other half, not a constant reminder of how weâre opposites. Emris just stares back. Of course, heâs going to pretend he doesnât understand what Iâm asking. Heâs an expert at that. âChange that jealous look on your face before I see you again.â I push his hand away from my waist and instantly feel cold. I walk out of his bedroom. The moment I step into the moving area of the pack house, I nearly collide with the head chef, whose face is twisted into a scowl that could curdle milk. âWhere have you been?!â âI, uh⌠I woke up late.â I quickly answer. My job is only to maintain Emrisâs private penthouse, so I have no idea why sheâs so furious with me. âWeâre short-staffed. Go help Miss Elena take her bags to her room.â Susan points and my stomach plummets. There she is. Elena Orient. Emrisâ ex-girlfriend. 2 Demetra. Elena was a part-time cheerleading trainer at Magnus High for a year. Itâs the high school I was able to attend because of Emrisâs âcharity.â Sheâs at least four years older than me, and she was that impossibly cool adult all the younger girls, including me, desperately wanted to be. The boys were all secretly in love with her. She had perfect, bouncy blonde waves. Back when I was a gawky, puberty-stricken freshman, Iâd daydream about looking like her one day. So yeah, Iâm jealous. Elena Orient comes from a rich family, a powerful pack, and everyone adores her. Sheâs everything Iâm not. I remember the first time she saw Emris. It was Guardiansâ Day. I didn't have anyone to come for me, but he showed up. He was there for his sister, Teddy but Iâll never forget the way everyone stared as he walked straight up to me in the crowded hallway. The next day, Elena actually sought me out to ask me who he was. It was the first time our cheer instructor had ever spoken directly to me. I gave her his name, never imagining that simple answer would lead to them dating. Back then, I didn't care. I wasn't eighteen; the mate bond was silent, and Emris's life was his own. Now, everything is different. "Morning.â I say. Elena finally looks up from her phone. Even at 7 a.m., her blonde hair is bouncy and shiny. Makeup. Sheâs dressed in designer clothes plus perfumes. Sheâs obviously hoping to run into Emris, but heâs probably in the middle of his brutal gym session, followed by a wild run through the woods. He won't be back for at least an hour. "OMG! Demetra, right?" "Yeah. I should take your bags upâ" I reach for one of the bold pink suitcases, but when I try to lift it, it doesn't even budge. "Did Emris send you to help me?" What does she think I am, his personal messenger? "Does he know I'm here already?" "No, Miss Elena." I reposition myself to wrestle with the luggage again. "Where is he? Still sleeping? Is he awake?" I give the stubborn bag a hard yank. "Can you give me an answer!?" There comes her irritation. Iâd almost forgotten that behind that smile, she wears a lot of masks and her true personality is just plain evil. "I'm not sure, Miss Elenaâ" "Then, what use are you?" I pull the bag with all my might, and this time, it sends me backward. I lose my balance and crash to the floor just as Luna Derisha walks in with another guest. Oh no. âElena, why are your luggage not taken yet!?â Luna Derishaâs asks. I get up quickly. âThis weak omegaââ Luna Derishaâs eyes narrow on me but she forces a smile for the guest. Elenaâs mother, whoâs watching the entire scene. âIâm sorry, Luna.â I step back. I know better than to be within armâs reach when sheâs like this; her slaps are swift. âWow, her hair is so beautiful. She is such a beautiful young woman.â I see the muscle in Luna Derishaâs jaw twitch as the woman complements me. She hates any reminder of my mother, and my looks are the biggest reminder of all. Thankfully, Luna Derishaâs drivers come in and effortlessly haul the luggage away. âLuna, the tables are ready.â the head housekeeper announces. The moment theyâre out of earshot, Luna Derisha turns on me. âI donât even know your use in this house. All you do is fatten yourself on our food, yet your strength stays the same.â I stare at the ground. Itâs better not to look at her. âBecause of us, the sickly thing your mother gave birth to is growing. Your cream-white hair is getting longer. Your uniform is getting tighter on your body. Your hips are fattening like a whoreâs, yourâŚâ She shakes her head in disgust. âItâs those same things your mother used to attract the lowest of the lows. Tell me, are you heading down the same path?â âNo, Luna.â I answer quickly. âGet out of my sight! And did I not ask you to dye that hair black?â Someone calls Luna Derisha so her attention finally goes away from me. The moment she looks away. I feel a violent surge in my throat and I throw my hand against it. I donât know if itâs the humiliation, the stress of the morning, or something else entirely, but I donât wait to find out. I turn and run across the marble floors until I burst into the empty staff bathroom. I barely make it to the stall before my insides seem to rupture. I vomit and vomit and vomit until my stomach is empty. Tears are streaming down my face as I stare at myself in the mirror. Why am I vomiting? Is it the oats I ate last night? And then my brain decides to gives me an answer. Hey, remember that little monthly thing that ghosted you last month? Oh no. Oh, Moon Goddess⌠am I pregnant? Pregnant with Emrisâ child? ___________ I change out of my uniform, into a pair of jeans and a top. I need a pregnancy test. Now. I've been sitting in front of the desk for the past three hours, trying to count days on a calendar, but it's useless. The problem is Emris. Our schedule last month was basically, all sex. In his room, in mine, sometimes in a skyscraper hotel suite when his late-night meetings with the jet company ran long. Today is the 20th. No sign of my period. That can only mean one thing. We used protection⌠sometimes. When he remembered. Emris gets so lost in the claiming in a way that makes it impossible for either of us to think straight. I go out through the back kitchen, hoping to go unnoticed. "Where are you going?" Summer, my best friend blocks my path and shoves her hands into her flour-dusted apron, looking less like my ride-or-die and more like a very suspicious, pastry-based bouncer. "Luna Derisha is on a warpath today. So lucky you only answer to Emris. What's going on with you?" "Uh, I just have to run an errandâ" "Ugh, don't even get me started. That Elena is such a snob. She brought thirty boxes of Louboutin, Chanel and had the nerve to ask if we'd ever touched anything like that. Please tell me a bitch like that isn't going to be our next Luna." "Summer, if anyone hears you, you're going to lose your job." Paxton warns, heâs the assistant chef. "She's not wrong. Riley is arranging Elenaâs closet right now. There are, like, a hundred pairs." Someone else says. "Guys, I really have to go." I try to sidestep them. But Paxton places a hand around my stomach region to stop me. He's always been overly concerned about me. "Are you okay? You look a bitâŚpale." Before I can answer, my eyes do a casual sweep past his shoulder to the kitchen's large glass windows. And I freeze. Emris is there, a million-foot tall on the gravel, making a phone call in his stuntman stature. Heâs staring straight at us. Specifically, at Paxtonâs hand, which is currently resting on the exact location of his potential future heir. For his own safety, and to prevent a murder in the parking lot, I crank up a smile. "I'm fine, Pax! Really. Just a quick trip into town. Iâll be back soon.â I hurry out to the gardens but a text lights up my phone from Emris. Just one word: Garage. I knew he wouldnât let what he saw slide. His private garage is dim and itâs the first time we'd met here. The car Emris is in is a black Bentley that cost more than my life. With blue interior lights that make him a villain of a sci-fi movie. Emris unfolds himself from the seat. âYouâre gonna use that nobody to make me jealous!â He has the most devastatingly handsome face Iâve ever seen. Skin like rich gold, messy black hair that looks better the more he runs his hands through it. Heâs taller and stronger than any man Iâve ever known. Iâve felt the raw power in his thighs when they move under me, Iâve listened to the steady beat of his heart against my chest. Itâs the universeâs cruellest joke that a voice so rough and harsh comes attached to a mouth that gives the softest kisses. âThatâs not what I was doing.â âWhat was he about to touch?â âEmris, Paxton is just my friend. Iâve told you this over and over⌠heâs just looking out for me.â He rises to his full, ridiculous height. A skyscraper of a jealous Alpha he will soon become. I am forced to step back until I bump into another of his cars. Heâs jealous. And when heâs jealous, heâs less a man and more a walking, talking grenade with the pin already pulled. âLooking out for you?â He tilts his neck in that specific way he does, a gesture that shows the tattoos on his throat and across his collarbones. I know they travel all the way down to his waist. Iâve traced them with my fingers before. âBecause I donât do enough looking out for you already!?â âSomeone could see us. I should goââ âGet in.â I just stare at him in surprise. Emris has never, ever let me in the same car as him before, especially not while we're on pack grounds. This is breaking like twelve of his own rules. âIf someone seesââ He drags me to the passenger side and pushes me in. 3 Demetra. A moment later, heâs driving us smoothly away from the pack house, and I melt into the leather chair. âWhere?â âHuh?â Emris hisses. âWhere are you going? Donât piss me off, Demetra.â âThe, um⌠to the store.â âWhat could you possibly want from the store that you cannot get at the pack house!?â âSome hygiene products.â I squeakily lie. âAnd a new bra.â When we get to the shopping mall, his phone rings. Thank god, a distraction. He throws a black credit card at me without even looking, and I take it. I only accept because refusing would be a whole thing and I need him to be distracted. I go straight to the pharmacy section. My hands are literally shaking as I grab the test. I pay with my own cash and buy two, just to be sure. I also snag a random, overpriced bra I donât need as my decoy. I lock myself in a bathroom stall and after ten minutes, my eyes instantly water when both tests show the result. Two pink lines. Two. I stare at myself in the mirror over the sink, looking again and again and again, as if my reflection will have a different answer. Iâm pregnant. Iâm pregnant with Emrisâs child. I wipe the tears away, only for more to fall. Itâs positive. Both tests are undeniably, life-falteringly positive. I stumble out of the stall and mumble an apology to the annoyed women waiting in line. I rush to the counter to pay for the bra, hastily wiping my cheeks and glancing out the mall to see if Emris is still in the car. My hands are shaking so badly I fumble the card, dropping it twice. As I turn from the counter, I bump hard into an older man and it sends my shopping bag and Emris's black credit card to the floor. "I'm so sorry!" I get to my knees to gather my things. The man bends down too and picks up the card. "Here you goâ" "Thanks. I am so sorry, sir!" I repeat until he doesn't let go. I look up and see him staring at me with an expression of shock, so intense that the card in his hand actually trembles. "SirâŚ?" I try to pull it back. "What is your name?" he asks. "You look familiar. What pack are you from?" "Sir, please. I'm in a hurry." I finally manage to tug the card from his fingers but the encounter is far from over. "Alpha?" I look up to see a guy who must be a million inches tall, built like a valley, standing behind the older man. Did he just call him... Alpha? The older man ignores his guard or is it his Beta to continue staring at me. "You have white hair. YouâŚ.you have white hair.â Whyâs he looking at me like he's seen a ghost. Yes, I have white hair and so? My mind is reeling from the pregnancy tests, and now this? Will Emris accept the pregnancy? Will Emris be happy when I tell him? Will Luna Derisha kill me when she finds out Iâve been sleeping with her son? The future heir of the pack. The Beta speaks. "Alpha, you don't think she isâ" âPlease, have my business card.â The older man presses an embossed card into my hand but I donât take it. âSir, I donât understand what you are saying or doingââ âI am searching for my daughter. She has white hair, just likeâŚâ âI am not your daughter!â A father is the last thing I have or need on this earth. âDad?â Another young man, handsome and well-dressed, walks up, addressing the older man. The moment his eyes land on me, his jaw goes slack. While Iâm distracted by the sonâs stunned reaction, the older man quickly slips his business card into the palm of my hand and closes my fingers around it. And at that exact moment, Emris enters. One look at his eyes and I know Iâm in deep, deep trouble. âYou.â Emris voice makes everyone look in our direction. I rush to the side of the living temptress I call my mate, thinking heâs furious with me, but his eyes are on the group of men. âEmris, son of Alpha Kael.â the older man says. âI heard about your fatherâs death. My condolencesââ âDonât start with me, old foolish man!â My mate hisses. The son of the older man comes close. âItâs me you hate, Emris. Leave my father out of it. After all, only one of us still has a father left.â The male insults the devastating storm that is my Alpha and walks out the door. The older man follows, and the hefty Beta is the last to exit. âEveryone. Leave.â Emrisâs voice isnât loud, but the store employees and customers run for the exits. Including the owner of the establishment. I donât think thereâs a soul in West Virginia who doesnât know who Emris is, or the danger that radiates from him. As soon as everyone leaves, I start to explain. âIâm sorry I took so long. My⌠my stuff fell andââ âFirst, you throw that puppy, Paxton, in my face. And now I find you cozying up to that dying old man Ronin and his waste-of-space son, Slade. Are you seriously this desperate for attention, or just profoundly stupid?â My eyes widen in genuine shock. That was Slade? The rival Alpha Emris has hated since they were boys? The one from the Lion Pride pack? âI swear, Emris, I didnât knowââ I donât get to finish when kicks a nearby display, sending a whole aisle of canned goods to the floor. âWhy are you doing this!?â I clamp my hands over my ears. âWhy am I doing this!?â He kicks another shelf which topples like dominoes, scattering products everywhere before he storms back to me. âI saw him slip you his card. Whatâs your price, Demetra? Huh? Was my bed not enough of a platform for you to audition for your next role? Are you planning to be Sladeâs new step-mom or Sladeâs little whore? After acting so damn pure with me, refusing the things I try to give you⌠you come here to meet with Slade? To become his whore, just like you are to me?â Emrisâ words donât just hurt. They dissolve me. The heat behind my eyes instantly melts into tears that stream down my face. âW-whore? You are the only person I have ever been with!â âThen what do you call a person who is available for me to use morning and night? A convenience. You clean up my messes and warm my bed. I didn't call you anything you haven't proven yourself to be. Now, take whatever pathetic offer that old man gave you and get the hell out of my life forever.â Emris turns to leave but I run after him, furious tears blinding me as I throw my arms around his back like an idiot. âHow can you call me that!?â I weep on his shirt. Emris pries my hands off with cold strength. âI saw it with my own eyes. I saw the interactionââ âI tried so hard! I refused your gifts, your money⌠I did everything I could so you would never, ever look at me that way! But at the end of the day, this is what you think of me? You have no heart, Emris. You are dark. You areâŚâ I gasp for air as the insult dies on my tongue. âI am Alpha! My father is dead and I will be Alpha soon. If youâre still in my territory when I formalize my title, I will personally escort you down the Walk of Judgment. Iâll make sure the entire pack knows exactly what you are.â The Walk of Judgment is a nightmare. A walk of shame where the pack forces you out while throwing filth at you, sometimes tearing the clothes from your back. Itâs the ultimate disgrace before being cast out to become a rogue. And he just threatened me with it. I force Emris to face me again. âItâs me, Demetra! Why are you acting this way? It was a misunderstanding! I didnât know that was Slade! I didnât know who they were!â âAnd he gave you a card. You might be naive enough to believe that was a coincidence, but Iâm not, Demetra. So much for loyalty. How long has this been going on? How long have you been spreading your legs for Slade? Or is the old man getting a turn, too?â Emris insults are too much so I slap him! His head snaps to the side. Once I do that, there is only the sound of his breathing. His chest begins to rise, and rise, and rise so I move away. âWeâre done.â Emris storms out. I watch through the glassed door as he speaks to the mall owner before getting into his car and speeding away, leaving me in the wreckage. 4 Demetra. Slowly, I sink to my knees and weep from my lungs so deep it feels like it will break me. I am inconsolable, lost in a storm of tears when a timid voice speaks. âMiss? The⌠the man said you are the one to clean up the mess he made.â I look up at the mall owner and I frown into tears. How can we be over when I carry a new life, a part of him, inside my belly? ******** I get back to the pack house a little past midnight. My body aches everywhereâŚ. like even my bones are tired. I donât bother turning on the light; I just crawl into bed and start crying all over again. The kind of crying that makes your throat hurt. Slade. Of all people, it had to be him. Emris hates Slade more than he hates any other enemy. Heâs the son of Alpha Ronni from the Lion Pride Pack. The Lion Pride Pack and the Black Covenant share a territoryâŚ.joined by waters, separated by Alphas. Theyâre rich, powerful but Emris would rather die than be in the same room as them. I didnât even recognize them! The older man just⌠he thought I was someone else. My phone glows in the dark: 2:17 AM. A part of me still wants to go to him, to tell him again that this is a mistake. Maybe if he just listens one more time, heâll see it. Why does loving him make me feel like such an idiot? I know deep down he doesnât deserve it. He doesnât deserve me. And yet⌠I still do. When I finally wake up, itâs because someoneâs tapping my arm. âDemetra!â Itâs the head chefâs voice. âGoodness, child, I thought you were dead for a second. Do you realize youâve slept two hours past your shift? Emrisâ suiteââ Once I see itâs morning, I leap out of bed and dash into the bathroom. Iâm so dead. Iâm supposed to clean Emrisâs room before he gets back from the gym. If even one of his stupid, expensive things is out of place, he throws a fit. Then heâs late for breakfast, and the whole pack knows itâs my fault. I shower and throw on my uniform then take the elevator straight up to the penthouse level. I start planning my apology in my head as I move into Emrisâ floor. Suddenly, I stop because standing right in the middle of the living room are Elena and Luna Derisha. And Luna Derisha is holding something lacy and blue between her fingers. My bra. Itâs the one Emris took yesterday. The one I told him, over and over, to give back. I forget how to breathe but I have to say something. âLu⌠Luna.â Luna Derishaâs violet eyes look almost black. âWho owns this?â I rub my hands on my apron like thatâll make me look less guilty. âUm⌠I donât know.â I lie. The door behind me swings open and Radu fills the threshold like a dark mountain. He is the Lunaâs gamma, the wolf everyone hushes for in the halls. Heâs the one who rescued Emris after he was kidnapped and caged for two years as a kid. Radu doesnât waste words, he only growls and moves when the Luna says so. Seeing him here means this isnât just a scolding; itâs an execution. âYou fucking slut! Youâre trying to seduce my son. You put your bra in my sonâs closet.â Elena shakes her head. âHow old are you to be acting so shameless? Youâre at least seven years younger than Emris!?â âLuna, itâs not⌠itâs not mine.â âIt smells like you. Filthy. My son, who is going to be Alpha, is the person youâre trying to seduce? Youâre just like that maggot of a mother who gave birth to you! That bitch spread her legs for every man in the pack just to climb the ladder, and you ended up following the worst of her traitsââ Her hot hand snatches my hair! Then, Luna Derisha uses it to bring to my knees. Itâs so painful, so utterly painful and shocking that I taste metal and then white light. I see a bunch of my hair in her hands and then I feel blood coming from my scalp. I look up in tears. âItâs not yours. Fine. Weâll test it, then. Bring her downstairs where all the pack employees look. I will use this bitch as a lesson.â âLuna, please! Luna, please!â My screams are short as Raduâs massive hand closes around my ankle. He doesnât even lift me; he just uses my own body to drag me across the floor. My uniform rides as I twist and kick, but it doesnât matter. By the time we reach the hall downstairs, every pack employee is there. Cooks, cleaners, security, everyone is looking at me at the centre. Iâm trembling on my knees. Iâve always feared Luna Derisha, but never like this. Never when Emris isnât here to stop her. âI hope youâre all watchingâŚâ Elena says loudly. âThis is what happens to anyone who thinks they can seduce the future Alpha. Your little colleague here hid her bra in his closet, and now sheâs pretending it isnât hers.â Luna Derisha tosses the fabric at my face. âIf you say itâs not yours, prove it.â I am not able to stop shaking. âBut LunaâŚ.â the head chef speaks up for me. âIn front of everyone?â âAre you questioning me?â âApologies, Luna! Apologies!â I crawl forward on my hands and knees in tears. I grab the hem of Luna Derishaâs designer dress. âPlease. Forgive me. Iâll never do anything like this again. Please.â âLuna, Iâm begging you. Pleaseee-â âYou should have thought of that before you tried to disgrace my family.â Luna Derisha looks at Radu and I hear his boots coming forward. I feel Raduâs hands on the back of my uniform and the fabric rips straight down my back. I scream, trying to cover myself. âRip the bra, too so she can try this one.â Radu obeys. The straps of my own bra snap, and I sob, using my long white hair as a pathetic curtain to hide my body. Through the veil of my hair, I see some of the male employees turn their backs so they donât watch. The girls just stare in horror. I am naked, on my knees, utterly broken. Through, my sobs, I hear the one sound that could make this worse. The sound of the Lunaâs sons. Emris. Silver and Regan. Iâm shivering, naked and exposed on my knees, when I look up and see them standing there. âWhat the hell is going on here!?â Emris yells, looking at me. Elena and Luna Derisha spin around. They hadnât seen him come in. âMom, what the hell.â Silver says. Regan, the other brother, just chuckles. âIsnât she Emrisâs pretty little housekeeper?â âNo, she is her motherâs daughter!â Luna Derisha shrieks. âAnd I donât care what you say today, I will punish her mercilessly! Put on the bra, now!â I squeeze my eyes shut. I will rather die right here than be humiliated any further. âDemetra!â I hear Paxtonâs voice, and heâs already at my side. Before I can say anything, he uses his own chefâs coat as a wrap around my shoulders. âPaxton.â I shake my head. âShe needs more cover!â He yells to anyone whoâll listen and for a second, I think he might fight them all. âPaxton!?â Susan, the head chef calls out to warn him but he doesnât answer. Then I hear a rumbling growl from Radu. My eyes dart up just in time to see the massive Gamma take a step forward to make an example of Radu but Emris moves faster. He doesnât go for Radu. He goes straight for Paxton, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt and yanking him away from me. âThe Luna gives an order and you bring yourself into the middle of it!â I can see it in Emris eyes. This isnât just about the Lunaâs command. This is all the jealousy heâs been holding for Paxton, finally finding a public excuse to explode. âDemetra would never try to seduce you! There has to be some mistake!â Paxton chokes in Emrisâs grip. âWe all know Demetra! Sheâs kind, sheâs content, and sheâs worked her entire life for this pack!â Emrisâs eyes flash with a dark, wicked fire. âWhat are you⌠her little lover?â I watch, horrified, as his hand tightens around Paxtonâs throat. Paxtonâs face begins to turn a terrifying shade of purple. âStop!â I yell. âIf I were her lover, so what?â Paxton gasps. âAre we so little to you that we are not worth your love, too? If I were, what does it even matter toââ Emris hurls Paxton across the room into the bar cellar in an explosion of shattering glass and wood. The crowd screams, some scatter in fear, others rush to help him. I get up to see if heâs okay. But Emris has something to say to me. âGet out of my pack now!â The shout makes my whole wolf skitter and break in half. 5 Demetra. âBut you know I have only you.â I whisper. I need him to remember. I need him to remember that in this entire, cruel world, heâs the only one I have. âWhat the hell do you mean by that!?â Elena inserts herself. Emris eyes are empty. âYou have ten minutes to leave the pack house. If she doesnât, Radu makes sure she leaves with a claw mark as a souvenir.â Then he walks away. Susan is the first to reach me. âCome on, sweetheart, quickly!â When we reach my room, she lets go so I can pack. I pull on a shirt with trembling hands. My fingers fumble with the zipper of an old bag I drag out from the closet. My chest hurts; my throat burns. Iâm shaking so badly itâs hard to fold anything right. I keep thinking: Iâm pregnant. Iâm pregnant, and I have nowhere to go. No one to call family. My mate, the only person I ever thought I had just destroyed me. With five minutes left before Radu comes, I canât breathe. Thatâs when I see the business card Alpha Ronni gave me, lying at the corner of my mirror table. His name, his number. I grab it. When I step out, Summer, Susan, and the others are waiting in the hallway. One by one, they hug me quickly, whispering goodbyes. I donât trust myself to speak so I just keep moving before I fall apart. Downstairs, Luna Derisha is waiting. Silver and Regan step aside to let me through. âElena?â Luna says lightly, âjust promise me that right after you and Emris are married, youâll give me a grandchild.â Elena smiles. âOf course, Mother-in-law.â I press a trembling hand to my stomach and swallow the scream sitting in my throat. Emris, I swear youâll never know that I left with a part of you. I leave the Black Covenant Pack house and I donât look back. Outside the gate, I just carry my light bag and think. Do I call? Do I not? Alpha Ronni barely knows me. No one outside this territory even knows me. I check my wallet and thereâs a few bucks at most. Luna Derisha always said food and a bed were my payment so I canât even afford a motel. I need help. I take out my phone, type in the number on the card, and call. âHello?â I try not to cry. âYes⌠um, Iâm Demetra.â I stammer into the phone. âWe met â at the store. I was with Emris that day. You are Alpha Ronniââ Thereâs a pause, then a deep, surprised voice. âYes, you. I canât believe youâre calling. Are you all right?â âIâŚIâm sorry to bother you, Alpha. I just⌠I have nowhere else to go. Thatâs why I called.â Silence. I hear my own heartbeat. My mind starts racing and I think what am I doing? Heâs an Alpha. I shouldnât even be calling him. âNever mind. I shouldnât be calling you. Youâreââ âWhere are you right now?â âIâm just outside the Black Covenant gates.â I look around me. âIâll send an escort. A convoy of cars. Youâll be brought to safety at once. Donât move. Do you understand me?â âYesâŚyes Alpha.â The line goes dead, and I clutch the phone to my chest. I look down at my belly and make a promise that Emris will never get to know of my child. He will search for me but he will never find. This heart will never forgive him. This heart will never forgive everyone in the Black covenant pack. ********** Five years later. West Virginia Airport. âTired?â My dad, Alpha Ronin, wraps his hand around mine in the first-class seat. Itâs warm. Six hours from Manila and my butt is sore. âIâm beyond tired.â I mumble through a yawn and glance sideways. âSheâs still asleep?â Amira, my daughter is hugging Grandpaâs arms with her mouth slightly open after being a menace the entire flight. The air hostess approaches, politely informing us that the path is clear for us to leave the plane. I start gathering my laptop, my sketchbook, pensâ âMr. Pride, Miss. Pride, this way.â We donât lift a finger. Not for the bags, not for anything. The moment our feet touch the ground, a black car is already waiting to take us straight from the plane One of the many, many perks of being the daughter of the Alpha of the Lion pack. It still feels a little like playing dress-up, like any minute someoneâs going to tap me on the shoulder and say, âOkay, funâs over. Back to being the Black covenantâs charity case.â Five years ago, I called the number on that business card, not knowing I was dialing my own future. Back then in that store, Alpha Ronin recognized me not because he knew meâŚbut because he knew my mother. A one-night stand. A mistake. Or maybe fate being cruelly efficient. White hair is pretty rare for wolves. Most people bleach or dye it, trying to look cool or intimidating. So itâs hard to spot a true one in the wild. But Alpha Ronin said he saw her in my face and the shape of my eyes. He had to be sure if I was his. When I called him, a fleet of cars arrived like and I was taken to the Lion Pack estate. They didnât treat me like a stray. They treated me like a person. Like family, even before we knew for sure. That was when I met Slade. My half-brother. Then Alpha Ronin said my motherâs name and suddenly, everything clicked. The Black Covenant Pack had told me the history of my mother and since Alpha Ronin claimed he had a one-night stand with her, I agreed for a DNA test. It proved that Alpha Ronin was my father. All that time, Iâd been an Alphaâs daughter, living on my knees. All those years I spent surviving as a charity case, I was the daughter of an Alpha. I nursed my broken heart for a year straight. Some days it nearly kills me but I survived because I wasnât not alone. Then I give birth to Amira. And somehow, I break all over again. She has Emrisâ hair. His eyebrows. His face hiding in hers so clearly it hurts to look at her for too long. Every time I hold her, the truth settles deeper into my bones that she is going to grow up without knowing her father. He doesnât know she exists. And even if he did⌠Iâm not sure he would care. That thought almost destroyed me. But Amira also saves me. I find strength in her tiny hands, in the way she curls against my chest like Iâm her entire world. My dad notices the way Iâm fading so he makes the decision for me when Iâm too weak to make it myself. I need to leave the country so I choose Paris without really thinking. It sounds far away enough. I donât realize what it will become until Iâm standing inside the most beautiful house Iâve ever seenâŚflowers everywhere, gardens and thatâs where I begin to paint. I paint my pain. I paint my past. I paint my heartbreak. I put every ounce of "him" and every ounce of onto those canvases. I shut out the entire world, focused only on my little girl and the colors on my palette. I started going to art school, not to find myself, but to prove I could. And then I sold my first piece. The first bidder wanted it for hundreds of millions. Just like that, I wasn't just Demetra. I was Demetra Pride, the millionaire artist who came out of nowhere. That sale did something more than fill my bank account. It gave me a new bone structure, one made of confidence. I believed I could do anything. In Paris, dad retires from leading the pack just to be with me and his granddaughter. For a while, itâs just us but now⌠after five years, we are back. Weâve returned to support Slade as he fully takes the reins of the pack. And Dad⌠he says itâs my duty, too. To help run it alongside my brother. He doesnât want Amira growing up away from her entire family, from her legacy. Iâm ready. I no longer nurse a broken heart. I have nothing to run from anymore. When we arrive at the pack house, everyone is already waiting. Dad squeezes my hand as we walk toward the entrance. "Ready, cub?" Thatâs his nickname for me. I squeeze back. "Born ready." 6 Demetra. His sister, Aunt Rachel who visited us in Paris so often when Amira was a baby smiles widely. I see my uncles, my cousinsâ And then Tiffany, Aunt Allisonâs daughter breaks from the crowd to swallow me. âOh my goodness, Demetra!â âTiff.â I hug her fiercely and my voice is muffled against her shoulder. When we pull apart, Slade is there. He wraps me in a bear hug. We stare at each other for a long moment. âCraig. Timothy.â I call out my cousinsâ names as I recognize them, hugging them before pulling the rest of the girls into quick embraces too. Eventually, we all move inside. âIâm planning the biggest party youâve ever seenââ âA party?â I say to Tiff. Sheâs the one who flew to Paris and basically moved in during those hazy, difficult postpartum months. âI feel like Iâve been through so many gallery openings and world events back in Paris that a party is justâŚâ âDonât even say youâre overwhelmed.â She links her arm with mine and steering me toward the pack house. âYou are the Alphaâs daughter, and the entire pack has been dying to formally meet you. This is your fate. Now, come see your roomââ She opens a set of double doors and I actually stop breathing for a second. ItâsâŚgorgeous. And insane. It looks like Barbieâs dream house decided to have a love child with a modern castle. A queen-sized bed on a raised platform with large pillars. A gorgeous rooftop balcony. Everything is marble. And the closet⌠the closet has its own large, spiral staircase. Itâs less of a closet and more of a boutique. âSlade went crazy with your room.â Tiffany says, watching my face as my mouth hangs open. âWhy does the closet look like a luxury boutique!?â âMaybe because Slade got a boutique consultant to figure that out,â she says with a smirk. âHe did what?!â I gasp. This is the point where I stop admiring and need to go interrogate whatever is happening in my brotherâs mind. As I whirl around to head back out, I nearly collide with Aunt Scotty. âThere you are, darling!â She pulls me into a hug, then holds my face at armâs length. âYou look so beautiful. Truly radiant.â âThank you, Auntie.â âMy friend has a son,â she continues. âHeâs the Alpha of the Nightfall Pack, and heâs very single. And by how beautiful you are, Iâm sure he wouldnât care one bit that you have a kid already.â I exhale and gently extract my face from her hand. âI donât come back to West Virginia to dateââ âThat is not possible! You are the Alphaâs daughter, and there are many single Alphas who would be thrilledââ âI wonât date someone who sees my daughter as a liability. If I marry one day, it will be to someone who loves my daughter with all their heart, Aunt. Thatâs non-negotiable. Anyway, can we talk about this later? Iâm looking for Slade.â âDemetraâŚâ she sighs, but I squeeze her hand, blow a kiss into the air, and move quickly before she can launch into a full presentation on the pros and cons of marriage. Ever since my last heartbreak, I havenât even opened my heart enough to imagine another man in that space. And honestly, that might be how it stays. I finally find Slade in his office, finishing a phone call. He sees me lingering in the doorway and his stern expression softens into a smile. He says a quick goodbye and hangs up. âHey, sis.â âI just escaped Scotty.â I announce, collapsing into the chair opposite his desk. âSheâs talking about setting me up on dates and I havenât even unpacked my luggageâs frist.â He chuckles. âSheâs been talking about it. Sheâs got a long line for the both of us.â I squint, then realize. âTrue. You donât have a Luna yet.â âI donât need a Luna.â Slade says. âSays no one⌠ever,â I counter with a soft chuckle. âIâll get a Luna when you get married.â âI am not getting married, Slade.â âAnd that,â he says lightly, âmakes it clear what we both want.â The joke hangs between us and we chuckle. He comes around the desk and pulls me into another hug. He rests his head on top of mine, and for a moment, we just stand there in the quiet of his office. âHowâs being an Alpha going?â I murmur into his chest. His sigh is deep. âHard. Without Dad. Hard, knowing the final decisions are mine to make. The weight of it⌠itâs different when youâre actually holding it.â I pull back to look up at him. âIâm sorry he left. He left because he wasnât sure I would find the will to move on. Itâs my faultââ âDonât even,â Slade says quietly. âDad wasnât there for you during the years you needed him most, so he definitely wanted to be there for you and Amira this time. Iâm just glad youâre both back now. We can do this together.â I smile. âSo, whatâs the recent gist?â âUmâŚâ Slade hesitates for a moment. âItâs the Black Covenant Pack. Theyâre trying to take over a territory that belongs to us.â My brows lift. âWhat?â âWeâre separated by water, but thereâs land before the shoreline thatâs ours. Theyâre fighting for it. Their Alpha is claiming it belongs to them and heâs gone as far as calling the Council against us.â I narrow my eyes. The Council of Wolves is an organization made up of representatives from different packs, meant to judge disputes like this fairly. Supposedly. âIf itâs ours, then itâs ours.â I say, carefully avoiding my mateâs name. âHe has no right.â âThatâs the kind of person he is,â Slade replies darkly. âIn the last five years, his pack has grown more vile. Greedy. They take and take, acting like theyâre the greatest pack alive. Heâs claiming the land originally belonged to his grandmother and that he has documents to prove it.â âDocuments?â I repeat. âYes. And because of this stupid territorial dispute, his wolves think they have the right to harass ours in public. Theyâve been confronting them. Tackling them.â My jaw tightens immediately. âSo whatâŚwhat are we supposed to do? Just let that slide? We canât allow him to bully our pack. If the current documents show the land belongs to us, then it belongs to us.â âI want to handle this without bloodshed but someone like the Black Covenant Alpha doesnât care who bleeds. Thatâs why Iâve got a constant headache.â I frown. âHey. Donât grow wrinkles now. Iâll take care of it.â Slade says. âIâve already registered Amira for school. I gave them all her information and they said she can start on Monday. Sheâll adjust just fine, I promise. If you donât believe me, you can go to the parentâteacher meeting, alright?â âAlright.â I try to smile. âIâm going to take a shower. Then we can continue.â He kisses my hand before I leave, and I smileâŚright up until I step out of his room. The moment the door closes behind me, tears blur my eyes. My chest burns like something is ripping open again. Even my ears feel hot. After all these years, Emris is still the same kind of person. The kind who takes. The kind who breaks. I wish I had rejected him before he ever had the chance to push me away. Maybe then I wouldnât still feel this connectionâŚthis pull that refuses to die no matter how far I run. I swipe at my eyes and keep walking. Because I donât get to fall apart anymore.
