My Alpha Sold Me to His Enemy

The packhouse gleamed like a jewel tonight, every surface polished to perfection—mostly by my own raw, blistered hands. I stood in the servants' corridor, my fingers still wrinkled from the bleach water I'd been scrubbing with for the past twelve hours. The annual Mate Ceremony was in full swing in the grand hall, and I could hear the music and laughter bleeding through the walls like a world I wasn't meant to touch.

I wasn't supposed to be anywhere near the celebration. Omegas like me—wolfless, worthless—we stayed in the shadows where we belonged.

But then Maya, one of the kitchen staff, came barreling around the corner with a tray of champagne flutes, and in her haste, she slammed directly into me. The impact sent me stumbling forward, through the servant's entrance, and straight into the swirling crowd of elegantly dressed pack members.

I froze. Every eye in the room seemed to turn toward me at once. My stained work dress, my tangled hair still damp with sweat, the sharp chemical smell of bleach clinging to my skin—I was a stain on their perfect evening.

Then it hit me.

A scent so powerful, so utterly consuming, that my knees nearly buckled. Pine—dark and rich like the forest after a storm. Rain—fresh and clean and wild. It wrapped around me like a living thing, pulling at something deep in my chest, something that had been sleeping for so long I'd forgotten it existed.

Mate.

The word whispered through my mind, ancient and undeniable. My heart slammed against my ribs as my eyes searched the crowd frantically, desperately, until they locked onto him.

Cole Griffin.

Future Alpha. The man I'd sacrificed everything for. The man I'd loved in silence for seven brutal years.

He stood frozen across the hall, his expression shifting through shock, recognition, and something else—something that made my stomach twist even as the mate bond sang between us like a golden thread.

The crowd had gone silent. Everyone was watching. Waiting.

Cole's face transformed in an instant, that charming smile I knew so well spreading across his features. He moved through the crowd with practiced grace, every inch the benevolent Future Alpha, and when he reached me, he pulled me into his arms.

"My mate," he declared, his voice carrying across the hall with perfect warmth. "The Moon Goddess has blessed me."

The pack erupted in cheers and applause. His scent wrapped around me, intoxicating and right in a way that made my chest ache. For one perfect, shining moment, I let myself believe it. Let myself feel the joy, the relief, the vindication of seven years of suffering finally meaning something.

His lips brushed my ear as he held me. "Smile, Serena. We have an audience."

Something in his tone made my blood run cold, but I obeyed. I always obeyed.

He kept his arm around me as he guided me through the congratulating crowd, accepting their well-wishes with that perfect Alpha charm. But his grip on my arm