Chapter 1
- Rhea's POV
- “Get your hands off me!” I shouted, slamming my back against the brick wall of the dark alley.
-
- “Or what, little Omega?” the larger wolf sneered, his rough voice echoing over the heavy downpour. “Are you going to scratch us with your pretty little nails? Alpha Vance has been looking for his runaway pet for three long years.”
- I gripped the sharp, broken piece of a mirror inside my coat pocket, my knuckles turning white. “Touch me, and I will cut your throat before you can even blink.”
- The second man cracked his knuckles, a sickening sound in the dark. “The scent blockers almost worked, sweet cheeks. But a dog never forgets a scent. You’re coming back with us tonight.”
- “I’d rather die right here in the mud,” I spat, staring him down.
- “That can be arranged if you make this difficult,” the larger one growled, lunging forward.
- But before his hand could touch my jacket, a bright flash of white light cut through the dark rain. The loud roar of a powerful engine filled the alley. A large, armored black SUV drove straight into the narrow passage, slamming into the brick wall right next to me.
- “What the fuck!” the larger wolf yelled, jumping back.
- “Watch out!” the second one screamed.
- The heavy doors flew open, and three men stepped out into the pouring rain. The man in the front had a long scar across his left eyebrow and moved with deadly, calculated grace.
- “Who the hell are you?” the Bloodhound wolf barked, pulling a long silver knife from his belt. “This is pack business! Move along if you know what's good for you!”
- The scarred Beta didn’t even blink. “Not anymore.”
- “You think you can just step in here…” the wolf started, but he never finished the sentence.
- With a movement faster than human eyes could follow, the Beta shifted his hand into a massive, fur-covered claw. A loud, sickening crack broke through the sound of the storm as he broke the first wolf's neck.
- “Run!” the second wolf gasped, turning toward the street.
- “Don't let him leave,” the scarred Beta commanded calmly.
- The other two men in suits caught the fleeing wolf instantly. There was a brief, desperate choke, and then silence returned to the alley, save for the sound of the falling rain.
- The scarred Beta turned his cold eyes toward me. He took a slow, deep breath through his nose, his nostrils flaring. “Scent suppressants. Cheap ones from the black market. But the face is perfect. The height is exactly right.”
- “What do you want with me?” I demanded, holding up the sharp piece of glass, my arm shaking. “If you’re going to kill me, just do it. Stop talking.”
- “My name is Kaelen,” the man said, letting out a dry, humorless laugh. “And I am not here to kill you, Rhea. I am here to offer you a choice. You can have a crown, or you can have a grave. It is entirely up to you.”
- “How do you know my name?” I asked, my voice tightening. “Who sent you?”
- “Get in the car,” Kaelen pointed to the open door of the warm SUV. “We are running out of time. I will explain everything inside.”
- “I am not going anywhere with a stranger,” I snapped, keeping my boots firmly planted in the mud. “Especially one who just killed two pack enforcers in cold blood.”
- “Alpha Vance knows you are in this part of the city,” Kaelen said, looking down at the corpses bleeding into the rain. “More of his men will arrive here in ten minutes. If you stay here, you will be caught and turned into a broken slave. Is that what you want?”
- “No,” I whispered, my bravado fading. “But how do I know you're any better?”
- “If you come with me, you will get one million dollars, absolute protection, and the power to destroy the Bloodhound Pack forever,” Kaelen said smoothly, stepping closer. “Does that sound like a fair trade for your trust?”
- I swallowed hard, my heart hammering against my ribs. “One million dollars? What kind of a sick joke is this? What do I have to do for that kind of money?”
- “You have to become someone else,” Kaelen said. “Lady Vivienne Moretti. She is a wealthy Alpha heiress from a royal bloodline. She was supposed to marry the most terrifying Alpha in the world tomorrow morning. Except she ran away from the country six hours ago because she is terrified of him.”
-
- “Are you completely insane?” I gasped, staring at him. “You want an Omega to pretend to be an Alpha? To a powerful Tyrant Alpha? He will smell the lie the second I step into the room!”
- “We have thought of that,” Kaelen replied, pulling out a small, heavy silver bottle from his breast pocket. Inside, a strange amber liquid glowed faintly. “This is an ancient medicine. It will completely hide your Omega smell. It will make you radiate a powerful, perfect Alpha scent for exactly three months. By that time, the marriage will be legal, our boss will get what he wants, and you will walk away a completely free, rich woman.”
- “And if I refuse?” I asked, narrowing my eyes.
- “Then I leave you here for Vance's men,” Kaelen said simply, his voice turning icy. “Or perhaps I save them the trouble and end you myself. As I said: live like a queen, or die in the wet dirt like an animal. Choose, Rhea.”
- I looked back at the dark, cruel streets where I had spent my life bleeding and hiding, and then I looked at the glowing bottle.
- “Give me the bottle,” I said, dropping the piece of glass.
- *****
- “Keep your back straight, Rhea!” Kaelen barked, slamming his hand down on the polished mahogany dining table. “An Alpha heiress does not slouch like a common thief.”
- “My back is straight!” I snapped back, wincing as the heavy silver fork slipped from my fingers and clattered against the fine china. “And these heels are turning my toes into raw meat. How does anyone walk in these things?”
- “Lady Vivienne walks in them with grace,” Kaelen said coldly, picking up the fork and placing it back in my hand. “Again. Hold it correctly. If you eat like a savage at the Ravencroft table, Jaxon will notice immediately.”
- “I’ve been locked in this penthouse for three weeks, Kaelen,” I groaned, rubbing my temple. “I haven’t slept more than four hours a night. I can recite the entire Moretti family tree backward. I can fake her high-society laugh. When is it enough?”
- “It is enough when you survive the first five minutes with Alpha Jaxon,” Kaelen replied, crossing his arms. “Now, recite the lineage of the Northern Alphas again. From the founding treaty.”
- “Alpha Silas the First, followed by his son Alpha Marcus,” I rattled off in a monotone, exhausted voice. “Who was then succeeded by Alpha Jaxon after the Red Brook massacre. Satisfied?”
- “Your tone is too aggressive for a royal,” Kaelen corrected. “Vivienne is arrogant, yes, but her elegance masks her teeth. You sound like a street brawler trying to pick a fight.”
- “Because I ‘am’ a street brawler, Kaelen!” I yelled, slamming my hands on the table as I stood up. “I am an Omega from the gutters! You can put me in silk dresses and pour your burning amber garbage down my throat every morning, but underneath all of this, I am still just Rhea!”
- Kaelen stepped close, his eyes flashing dangerously. “Then you had better hide Rhea deep inside your soul, girl. Because if Alpha Jaxon catches a single glimpse of her, you won't live long enough to regret it.”
- I stared at him, my breathing heavy, before slowly sitting back down. “Fine. Let’s go again. From the founding treaty.”