Sophia's POV

Ava bought me a brand-new outfit.

I stood before the mirror, taking in the reflection of a woman transformed. My heart-shaped face, with its high-bridged nose, deep-set eyes, and sculpted cheekbones, appeared more composed—sharpened by the clean lines of the tailored business attire.

Ava always said my face and figure were the kind that drew attention, the kind men couldn't ignore. But I had never used my looks to gain anything in life.

She'd done more than just buy me clothes. Ava had contacted the assistant to the Alpha of the Silver Moon Pack and arranged an interview with the Alpha himself.

She drove me to the edge of Silver Moon territory, stopping just short of the pack's gates.

"Sophia, you've got this," she said, her voice warm and certain. "You're incredible. I believe in you. You're going to make it."

I nodded and took a deep breath, staring up at the towering structure that housed the Alpha's offices. Steeling my nerves, I walked through the doors.

The reception area gleamed with sleek minimalism. At the front desk sat a striking woman, poised and polished.

She glanced up as I entered, offering a faint smile.

"You must be Sophia?"

I approached, polite and measured. "Yes, I'm Sophia Moore. I'm here to request to join the Silver Moon Pack."

She rose to her feet, extending a hand. "I'm Lila Bennett, assistant to Alpha Xavier. It's a pleasure, Sophia."

We shook hands. "Likewise. Thank you for receiving me."

She gestured to a seat. "So, tell me—why do you want to join Silver Moon?"

The truth sat heavy on my tongue. I wanted to speak it, but I couldn't. The shame of six years behind bars wrapped itself around me like chains.

So I lied.

"I was abused in my last pack," I murmured.

Her expression shifted instantly—surprise, followed by sympathy. She opened her mouth to respond, but a voice—low, hoarse, and charged with authority—cut across the room.

"Lila, since when did we become a shelter? Are we accepting strays now?"

Only then did I notice him. He had been sitting there the entire time, half-shadowed behind the grand desk.

His hair was dark and tousled, his angular face sharpened by a pair of eyes so dark and piercing they seemed to cut through flesh and bone. He exuded power in the way he lounged back, arms draped over the chair like a monarch on a throne.

And he was staring directly at me.

His gaze didn't waver. It glinted—green, cold, possessive. A primal glimmer that sent a chill racing down my spine.

I stiffened instinctively.

I tried to appear calm, tried to steady my breath. But that gaze... that gaze made it impossible to ignore the pressure prickling beneath my skin.

Lila looked startled. "Alpha Xavier, you... you know her?"

He lit a cigarette, smoke curling around his face as he exhaled with a sneer. "Twelve-year-old killer. Still the only one on record across the entire Werewolf Federation."

He knew.

My fingers curled into fists at my sides.

"What?"

Lila's voice was hushed, disbelieving—but not unexpected.

I dropped my gaze and drew in a slow, steady breath. "Yes," I said quietly. "I spent six years in prison. That's true. Which is exactly why I won't waste this chance if you give it to me. I'll do whatever it takes. Anything."

Whatever pride I'd had died the day I walked into that prison. All I had left was survival.

Lila's expression hardened, the warmth in her eyes replaced by distance.

"Sophia... I trusted Ava, which is why I didn't check your file. That was a mistake on my part. But we can't accept someone with a criminal record. I'm sorry you came all this way, but this is where it ends."

I clenched my jaw. Desperation clawed its way up my throat.

"Lila, please. It was a misunderstanding. Just give me a chance—"

"Sophia, I have to ask you to leave."

She walked to the door, pulling it open. Her tone left no room for argument.

"I'll give up everything!" I cried out, voice cracking.

Alpha Xavier spoke again—his voice low and smooth, the kind that demanded obedience.

"Lila, give us the room."

She hesitated, visibly unsettled. But after a beat, she nodded and stepped out, shutting the door behind her.

We were alone.

The air shifted. Denser. Sharper. Tension thrummed in the silence like a drawn bowstring.

I could hear my heartbeat in my ears.

I fought to keep my hands from trembling. Tried to meet his gaze with strength. But the longer he stared, the smaller I felt beneath it.

He stood.

Each step he took toward me radiated power, a silent force that bent the room around him.

He stopped just in front of me, tall and imposing, his eyes narrowed with cold scrutiny.

"Sophia Moore," he said slowly. "I know your name. Now tell me the truth. Why are you really here?"

The pressure of his Alpha aura was unbearable. It gripped my mind like a fist. I couldn't lie under that force.

So I told him.

"If I go back, they'll kill me," I said, voice steady despite the storm inside me. "I came to survive. I want a fresh start. If you let me join, I swear I'll be loyal to Silver Moon for the rest of my life."

He tilted his head, something like amusement flickering in his eyes.

"Give me a reason to say yes."

I took a deep breath. "I'll work. I'll contribute. I'll—"

He cut me off with a scoff. "Not good enough. Try again."

I swallowed hard. My pride had already been traded for this chance. I had nothing left to offer—except the one thing I'd never given away.

"I'll give anything," I whispered. "Whatever you want."

He lifted a brow. "Anything?"

We locked eyes.

His were cold. Detached. But beneath that, something darker swirled—something knowing.

Damn it.

He was a man.

I heard Ava's voice in my head: "Don't forget your looks, Sophia. They're an asset."

So that's what this was? He wanted my body?

I was nothing to him but a girl with a criminal record and a pretty face. That was all I had left to trade.

My throat burned. Shame coiled like a snake around my ribs.

Still, my fingers moved. Slowly, hesitantly, I shrugged off my blazer.

Disgust surged in my chest—I felt filthy. Powerless. Like I was selling myself just to survive another day.

His eyes darkened when they saw my tight skirt. Lust, yes—but something else too. Possessiveness.

I stepped around the desk, coming to stand behind him.

Thinking about it was one thing. Doing it was another.

I bit my lower lip until it nearly bled, heat rushing to my face.

Then, with trembling arms, I wrapped myself around his neck, leaned in, and pressed a kiss just below his ear.

His hand shot out, seizing my waist. With frightening ease, he pulled me into his lap.

I gasped.

Pain lanced through my spine as he turned and settled me across his thighs. I winced, clinging to his shoulders to steady myself.

I forced a smile—soft, seductive, the best I could manage. "I said I'd do anything, didn't I?"

He gripped my chin, eyes sparking with fury. "And if I say no? Will you climb onto the next man's lap? Is that how far you've fallen, Sophia?"

My smile faltered.

I wanted to slap him. So badly. But I didn't.

His grip tightened around my waist.

"Answer me!" he growled.

My face flushed crimson. I met his gaze, teeth clenched.

"Does it matter?" I hissed. "I'm doing what I must to survive. If this is the price of admission, then fine—I'll pay it."

His eyes flared wide.

And then, without warning, he stood and shoved me against the edge of the desk.

My breath caught.

He pressed into me, one hand capturing both of mine and pinning them above my head.

Our bodies collided—hot, unforgiving.

I felt his strength. The raw, searing heat of him.

I trembled.

His hand slid from my jaw to my hip, gripping tightly and yanking me closer, until there was no space left between us.

A cold sweat broke across my spine.

Then he dipped his face into the crook of my neck and inhaled deeply.

I gasped.

His lips brushed the sensitive skin there—just a touch, but it sent a jolt straight to my core.

Then came the bite. Gentle, deliberate.

A strange heat unfurled in my belly.

It was a sensation I had never known.

Minutes passed—or seconds, maybe hours—I couldn't tell. When he finally released me, my knees buckled slightly.

He stared down at me with that unreadable black gaze, his jaw tight, his lips pressed into a hard line.

Shame burned through me.

This was the first time I'd ever been touched by a man—and it had been nothing more than a transaction. A bargain for survival.

Once, I had been the daughter of Black Rose's Alpha. Now, I was this.

He looked every bit a king, impossibly composed. He smoothed his suit with a flick of his wrist, as if wiping the moment away.

"You may leave now," he said coolly.