Chapter 1

To keep my dying brother alive, I signed a brutal mate contract and spent seven years serving as a meat shield for Vincent, the Alpha of the Blackwood Pack.

During those years, he shamelessly paraded a string of lookalikes through the packhouse, all dead ringers for his lost love.

He constantly degraded me, snarling, "With your pathetic bloodline, you're nothing but a tool. Don't you dare harbor any foolish delusions about me."

I endured every ounce of his neglect and humiliation, silently playing the part of the submissive mate.

Then came the day my brother succumbed to agonizing silver poisoning.

All while Vincent was busy pampering some fragile Omega he had just dragged back to our territory.

He forced me to hand over the greenhouse I had built with my own hands, letting her wreck it at will—she even buried her dead cat's ashes right over my father's grave.

He remained convinced I could never survive without his pack's protection, assuming that throwing me a few hollow words and expensive trinkets would keep me forever groveling at his feet like a broken hound.

But he failed to realize that with my only tether snapped, I had absolutely nothing left to lose.

*****

I shot down Vincent's request without a second thought.

Vincent froze, caught completely off guard.

After all, in the past seven years, this was the first time I had ever dared to turn him down.

He frowned, his oppressive Alpha aura flaring as he glared at me. "Chloe, have you lost your mind? Or is your pathetic Beta wolf finally snapping under the pressure?

"I am just letting Mia stay in your Moonlight Greenhouse for a few days to soothe her inner wolf. Is it really worth throwing a tantrum over?"

I stared at him, my expression completely blank.

The Moonlight Greenhouse was built by my own hands, brick by brick.

That sanctuary was packed with ghost orchids—a lifesaver I had poured countless sleepless nights into cultivating, all to keep my sick brother alive.

And now, he wanted me to hand it over to some random Omega he had dragged home just last night.

Vincent grew irritated by my silence, dismissing me with a sharp wave of his hand. "Fine. If you won't give it up, then don't expect a single shred of mercy from me anymore."

He barked at a passing Omega maid, "Get breakfast on the table. Now."

Right on cue, Mia Ross, the Omega Vincent had brought home last night, came giggling down the stairs and slithered up to me.

"Morning, Chloe. Vincent and I were pretty loud upstairs last night, so I hope we didn't keep you awake," she purred.

Before I could answer, Vincent grabbed her waist and pulled her flush against his chest, marking his territory protectively.

"Don't waste your breath on her. Go wash up for breakfast," he murmured.

Mia shot me a dazzling, triumphant smirk, silently mouthing three words directly at me.

"You lost, bitch," she mouthed.

At breakfast, she sat right next to Vincent, the two of them laughing and flirting like they owned the place.

Mia even fed Vincent with her bare fingers, all sticky with jam.

Watching them, it felt like my heart had been completely hollowed out.

I kept wondering where I would go once I finally walked out of this packhouse.

Suddenly, a sharp knuckle wrapped tightly against the table right in front of me.

I looked up to find Vincent towering beside me, his face hard.

"What's wrong?" I asked softly.

He looked at me, his expression complicated. "What were you spacing out for? I called your name twice to pass the milk to Mia, but you didn't even blink."

I turned back to the table and replied coldly, "I was just thinking about my next move."

Vincent let out a low, mocking laugh.

"Your next move? And what could a packless Beta possibly do? Wait tables in some human town? Or maybe scrub toilets for a bunch of filthy Rogues?" he sneered.

Insults slipped from the high-and-mighty Alpha's lips like it was second nature.

But it didn't sting. Maybe I was just entirely numb to it all now.

Seven years as his proxy mate had worn me down to absolutely nothing.

I had completely lost myself.

My whole world had revolved around him. I lived just to serve him, please him, and handle all the dirty work for the pack.

I had completely forgotten the fierce warrior who once dominated the pack arena.

Seven years ago, my brother—my only remaining family—got trapped in a silver mine on the northern border, barely hanging on to life.

I was desperate, and that was exactly when Vincent appeared.

He deployed the pack's best healers and cut a check for nearly two million dollars.

But there was a catch: I had to sign a ruthless mate contract, pretending to be his fated mate to silence the elders who kept breathing down his neck to take a Luna.

For my brother's sake, I signed my life away.

And over those seven years, he kept parading woman after woman through the Alpha's packhouse.

One night, when he was drunk, Vincent gripped my chin and stared right through me. "Chloe, you and I belong to completely different castes.

"With your basic Beta blood, you are nothing but a meat shield to me. Don't you dare dream of anything more."

I used to think he was just born cold-hearted.

It wasn't until last year that I learned he once had a childhood sweet heart, his first love, who was slaughtered by a Rogue.

Every single woman brought home, including the Omega from last night, was just a cheap substitute for the female he couldn't let go of.

So when he dragged in yet another Omega whose laugh sounded exactly like hers, I didn't even blink.

I just quietly started planning my exit.

Because last month, my brother died from a sudden relapse of silver poisoning.

My only tether was snapped.