Chapter 1

I screamed at my phone screen until my throat went dry, just after bingeing eighty episodes of the disastrously unfinished drama Alpha's Beloved.

Milania Terrell, the so-called "wolf-less outcast," was tormented for all eighty episodes, only to be pushed off a cliff at the end by the venomous wolf counselor Stella Fleming, bones and blood vanishing without a trace.

And the stupid male lead? He married that poisonous woman in a grand ceremony, crowning her as Wolf Queen.

"What kind of idiot male lead is that?" I raged. "He dumps an adorable heroine for a ruthless villainess? Serves him right to die alone with no heir."

The moment the words left my mouth, my old phone suddenly sparked and hissed violently. A surge of electricity shot through my fingertips and exploded across my body. Then my vision went black. And I lost consciousness.

*****

When I opened my eyes again, the dazzling chandelier made me squint. The cold marble floor reflected silvery moonlight, and a graceful waltz drifted through the air.

All around me stood men and women in elegant gowns and tailored suits, their eyes filled with open curiosity and mockery.

I looked down at my washed-out cotton dress, and a flood of unfamiliar memories rushed into my mind.

Milania Terrell, the lowest-ranked illegitimate child of the wolf pack. Her parents had died young, and at eighteen, she still hadn't awakened her Wolf Form—universally acknowledged as a failure by the entire pack.

And today was the pack's annual mate ball, as well as the original Milania's coming-of-age ceremony.

I jerked my head up toward the raised platform. There stood a man in a black fitted leather suit, standing tall and proud, gazing down at me.

His features were sharp and defined, his skin a cool, fair white, and his thin lips pressed into a tight line. He radiated an icy, untouchable aura.

It was Gunnar Hayden, the Alpha.

Just then, a soft silver light poured down from above, wrapping Gunnar and me in its glow. The whole hall gasped. The Moon Goddess had spoken. Gunnar and I were fated mates.

My heart thudded in my chest. Before I could even process it, Gunnar's face, always icy and unreadable, turned even colder. His hand clenched the silver scepter, and he spoke with a chill that could freeze the room, his words echoing through the hall.

"I will never marry a useless nobody without a wolf form," he said.

As soon as he finished, suppressed snickers spread through the crowd.

"See? How could a lowborn nobody ever be worthy of the Alpha?" someone sneered. "Seriously, she should know her place. She's reaching way above her station."

I lowered my head, my shoulders trembling, looking like my heart had been shattered, tears about to spill any second. But inside, I was freaking out.

Holy crap. Did I really transmigrate? And into Milania—the heroine who didn't even survive past episode three?

That stone-faced, emotionally constipated jerk, just wait. I was about to flip the script and make him regret it so hard he would want to eat his own guts.

Seriously, that leather suit looked like he wrapped himself in plastic wrap. Wasn't it suffocating? And those short legs—standing up there like a corgi on stilts, and he still had the nerve to act all high and mighty?

And that crown? Totally crooked, and he hadn't even noticed. With taste this bad, no wonder the pack's uniforms were a disaster.

On the stage, Gunnar suddenly froze, his usually steady figure faltering for a moment. His knuckles turned white as he gripped the scepter, and a suspicious blush crept up his ears—and everyone could see it.

'Wait, who's talking? Is that… this woman's inner thoughts?' Gunnar thought.

The whole hall went dead silent, so quiet that others could hear a pin drop. Everyone was stunned. No one had ever seen the Alpha make a face like that.

He was the guy who once stormed the Bear Tribe territory solo, took three knife wounds, and didn't even blink.

I was just as stunned. I snuck a glance up at him, only to lock eyes with those sullen eyes of his. There was disbelief in his gaze, and a kind of restless annoyance I couldn't quite read.

What was he looking at? Yeah, I meant him. Stone-face, keep it up, and he would die single and alone. Oh, wait, if the story went as planned, he was about to marry that sweet-faced snake Stella.

Congrats—may they live happily ever after and have a whole litter of wolf-less kids.

Gunnar's face went so dark it was almost comical. He stared me down, forcing out the words through gritted teeth. "Milania, come with me."

My heart gave a hard thump.

No freaking way. Could he actually hear what I was thinking? That couldn't be. According to canon rules, the mind link only unlocked after we were officially mates. It had to be a coincidence. He probably wanted to punish me.

Gunnar's steps faltered again as he walked ahead of me.

He led me down a long corridor, all the way to the most remote and run-down stables in the castle's backyard. The air was thick with the stench of horse manure and hay, and the ground was a mess of mud.

Gunnar pointed at the filthy stables, his voice cold as ice. "From today on, you're responsible for cleaning all these stables. Without my permission, you're not allowed to step outside the backyard."

I bit my lip and lowered my head, looking like I was swallowing my anger and just accepting my fate.