Chapter 1
Chapter 1:
Adelina POV
Jase Davenport’s penthouse was designed for power, not comfort. At six in the morning, the winter light crept through the floor-to-ceiling windows and painted the cold marble floors in shades of dead gray. I lay alone on the Egyptian cotton sheets, breathing in the lingering scent of his metallic cologne—a harsh, sterile smell that masked any natural wolf scent, suffocating the space just as he had suffocated me for the past two years.
I had thought I was his partner. Because I was a wolfless Omega—born without an Inner Wolf, unable to feel the pull of a Fated Mate or hear the Pack mind-link—I had trusted his words instead of instincts I didn’t possess.
My phone buzzed on the nightstand, shattering the silence. It was a push notification from The Howl, the most notorious werewolf gossip blog on the East Coast. I swiped the screen, my eyes adjusting to the harsh glare.
My heart stopped.
It was a high-resolution photo taken at the Alpha’s Gala in Paris. Jase was supposed to be there for a grueling Pack trade negotiation. Instead, he stood beneath a chandelier, his hand resting intimately on the waist of a woman in a shimmering platinum dress. He was smiling—a genuine, fiercely possessive smile I hadn’t seen directed at me in months.
The woman leaning into his chest was Kira Parrish. My stepsister. The girl who had made my childhood a living hell.
The headline screamed: Davenport Pack’s New Power Couple: Alpha Jase Claims His Fated Luna, Kira Parrish.
R𝖾𝖺𝗱 𝗳𝗿𝘰m 𝗒𝘰u𝗋 𝘱hо𝗻е 𝗈𝗇.с𝗈𝗆
A sickening wave of humiliation washed over me. I wasn’t his mate. I never was. I was just a convenient, wolfless assistant he used to keep his bed warm and his schedule organized while he waited for his true Luna.
A moment later, a text message appeared from Jase.
Adelina, my itinerary in Paris has changed. Update my schedule.
No explanation. No apology. Just a cold, emotionless command to his employee. He didn’t even see me as a person with a soul.
Before I could begin to process the betrayal, my phone rang. The caller ID flashed: Carolyn Parrish. My mother.
I answered, my throat tight. “Hello p>
“I assume you’ve seen the news,” Carolyn’s voice dripped with venomous satisfaction. “Did you honestly believe an Alpha like Jase would settle for a defective, wolfless creature like you? Kira is his true Mate. It’s time you stop playing pretend and do your duty to this family p>
“My duty?” I choked out, gripping the edge of the mattress.
“Alpha Henderson is looking for a new wife,” she stated smoothly, ignoring my pain. “He’s older, yes, but his Pack is wealthy. He needs a breeder, and you need a roof over your head. The arrangement is already in motion p>
Bile rose in my throat. Henderson was a notorious, cruel Alpha who went through Omegas like disposable cups. “I’m not marrying Henderson. I’m not a piece of property you can trade p>
“You will do exactly as I say, Adelina,” Carolyn snapped, her tone turning lethal. “As the executor of your late father’s estate, I control your Pack trust fund. The stipulations are clear: you don’t see a dime of that money until you secure a formal Mating bond. Defy me, and I will freeze the accounts permanently. You will be cast out, penniless and Packless. You have until the end of the week p>
The line went dead.
I dropped the phone, my hands trembling violently. She had me cornered. Without that trust fund, I had nothing. I would be a wolfless stray on the streets—easy prey for any Rogue.
But as the panic subsided, a cold, hard clarity took its place. I wiped the tears from my cheeks and walked to my laptop.
A formal Mating bond.
My father’s will required a legal bond, but it never explicitly stated that Carolyn had to approve of the groom. I simply needed a husband on paper—someone desperate enough to sign a contract, take a payout, and leave me alone.
I opened a secure browser and typed in a name I had only ever heard in whispered underground rumors: Babe Vincent. He was a disgraced Rogue, exiled from his family for his scandalous behavior, drowning in debt, and desperately in need of a respectable facade to keep his creditors at bay. He was the perfect pawn.
I found the contact portal for a discreet law firm in the financial district that handled sensitive Pack affairs. My fingers flew across the keyboard as I drafted an urgent request for a Mating Contract negotiation.
I hit send. Within ten minutes, an automated reply confirmed an appointment for tomorrow morning at 8:58 AM. I closed the laptop, left Jase’s penthouse behind, and went to prepare for the meeting.