Chapter 1

**Neah**

"Where the hell is she?" I hear the Beta yelling from downstairs. I already know Beta Kyle''s looking for me – the only servant in this godforsaken house. I groan and drag myself to my feet, grabbing my cleaning supplies.

The second Beta Kyle spots me, he storms over and his hand cracks across my cheek. I don''t make a sound. Four years of this shit has taught me to keep my mouth shut and only speak when spoken to, even when they''re beating the crap out of me.

"Alpha Trey and I have company coming, and you still haven''t cleaned the office like I told you to." Beta Kyle spits in my face.

I nod and grip my cleaning basket tighter. God, what I wouldn''t give to swing this thing at his thick skull. But I hold back – he''s stronger than me, and I can''t handle another week locked up without food. My stomach''s already eating itself.

"We''re trying to impress Alpha Dane. Don''t you get how important it is for us to join his pack?"

I don''t answer. I know it''s a trap – he wants me to say something so he can have an excuse to beat me again. I keep my eyes down so I don''t have to look at his ugly face.

Alpha Dane. I''ve only heard whispers about him from other pack members when they think I''m not listening. From what I''ve gathered, he''s ruthless as hell – a wolf that scares the shit out of everyone. He doesn''t mess around, and he runs the biggest pack out there.

"He''s the Alpha of Black Shadow, the most powerful pack in the world. We need him!" Beta Kyle continues, though he never says why.

We''ve never been attacked, never attacked anyone else, so why the hell do we need another pack?

He grabs my shoulders, his nails digging into my skin, and spins me around, kicking my ass as he shoves me toward the office. "Useless bitch," he mutters as he walks away.

I quietly close the door behind me and lean against it, looking around the already spotless office. There''s nothing out of place – it looks perfect for a meeting with this so-called powerful Alpha.

Closing my eyes, I slide down to the floor. I hate this house. I thought when I turned eighteen, I could finally get out of here. But four years later, here I still am – a slave in my own home, doing all the dirty work for my brother Alpha Trey and the pack, while my ex-mate Beta Kyle reminds me daily how worthless I am.

Someone clears their throat, and I freeze. I thought I was alone. Leaning forward, I see a gorgeous man sitting in a chair just around the corner, one foot propped on his knee as he holds a glass of something strong. His dark hair is perfectly styled, and his eyes are the deepest crimson I''ve ever seen – almost unnatural.

Those eyes suddenly lock onto mine, and I throw myself back against the door, my heart hammering in my chest.

"Is this how you greet all Alphas?" His deep voice fills the room, and I can hear the amusement in it.

"I''m sorry," I whisper, scrambling to my feet. "I... I thought I was alone." I have no idea who he is, but I can feel the raw power radiating off him, even without my wolf. He doesn''t introduce himself either – why would he?

"Come here," he orders, and I already feel my throat closing up. Alpha Trey''s going to kill me for this.

I step around the corner, doing what I''m told, letting him get a good look at me. I close my eyes, waiting for the worst.

"You smell... different. But you''re a wolf, right?"

I nod, though I can''t tell how he''s going to react. Most people just laugh when they find out about me.

"I''d prefer if you actually spoke to me," he growls. "I''m not in the mood for games."

"Yes," I whisper. I can already picture all the punishments coming my way. A whipping? Another week of starvation?

"Why do you smell strange? And how is it possible you didn''t know I was in here? You should have caught my scent."

"I..." I hate this question.

"Spit it out! I don''t have all day." He takes a drink.

I know exactly why I couldn''t smell him, why I had no idea he was here, but explaining it isn''t something I ever want to do. People never let me tell my side – they just laugh and make fun of me.

"Open your eyes when you''re talking to someone. It''s rude not to look at them. Hasn''t your Alpha taught you anything?" His voice sends chills down my spine.

Slowly, I open my eyes but keep them lowered – there''s no way I''m making eye contact. "My wolf abilities were bound," I mutter. Twice, I want to add. They were bound twice. But he probably doesn''t care about that part.

He leans forward, carefully setting his glass on the side table. I can feel him staring at me. "Why would someone do that?"

If this is the Alpha my brother''s supposed to be meeting with, I know I could screw everything up by saying too much. "It was a punishment," I whisper. It''s not the whole truth, but it''s the simplest answer I can give.

His jaw twitches. Is he pissed about the punishment? Or maybe he thinks it''s funny like everyone else. I can''t tell.

The door flies open and my brother screams at me, "Neah, what the hell are you doing in my office?" He turns to the crimson-eyed man. "I''m so sorry my sister is bothering you, Alpha Dane."

Shit. It''s him.

My brother spins around, his hand raised to hit me. I close my eyes, bracing for the sting.

"I wouldn''t do that if I were you." Alpha Dane''s voice rumbles through the room.

Peeking through my lashes, I see Alpha Dane on his feet, his hand wrapped around my brother''s wrist.

He''s taller than my brother, way more muscular too. "Neah," my name rolls off his tongue, "was showing me to your office, Alpha Trey, since you failed to meet me at the front door like I requested. Lucky someone was here – at least someone understands how important this deal is."

What? I have no idea what he''s talking about. And he has no reason to lie for me.

My brother glares at me, his jaw clenched tight. I''m going to pay for this later. I''ll have to try stealing some food.

"Go get Beta Kyle," Alpha Trey seethes. "Tell him our guest is here."

I nod and hurry out of the room. The last thing I want is to be caught between arguing men.

"Beta Kyle," I whisper as I enter the dining hall. He immediately glares at me with those dark eyes. I spoke without being spoken to. "Alpha Trey is in the office with Alpha Dane. He sent me to tell you."

He slams his newspaper down and glares as he walks past me. "You''re lucky the Alpha sent you to get me, or you wouldn''t be seeing daylight for days."

He stops behind me, yanking my head back by my hair and leaning in close. I feel his hot breath on my skin. He doesn''t say anything – it''s just his way of showing he can do whatever he wants, whenever he wants.

I try to stay busy so I can avoid the office, but my peace doesn''t last long when I hear my brother calling for me.

Quietly, I walk toward the office and paste a smile on my face as I open the door.

"Neah, get the champagne and some glasses. We''re celebrating."

I bow my head and hurry to the liquor cabinet, quickly finding what my brother asked for. As I walk back into the office, I can feel Alpha Dane watching my every move – even the hair on the back of my neck stands up. No one ever pays this much attention to me.

I approach the small table by Alpha Dane''s chair and start filling the glasses. He takes the champagne bottle from me, saying he''s perfectly capable of pouring his own drink.

My cheeks burn – not from embarrassment, but because I know I''ll be punished for this. I should have been faster. I should have filled the glasses before coming in. I should have... My brain freezes when I see my brother glaring at me.

"Neah is your sister, right?" Alpha Dane asks my brother.

"She is," Alpha Trey mutters with disgust, looking away from me to focus on the man asking questions.

"Why do you treat her like shit?" Straight to the point. My brother won''t like that – he only shares information on his own terms.

No one''s ever called out my brother for how he treats me, because everyone enjoys beating me. I don''t know what to do. I can''t move, but I know I need to get out of here. If this deal falls apart because of me, that''ll be my fault too.

"Neah was responsible for our parents'' death," Alpha Trey spits.

I close my eyes, fighting back the tears threatening to spill.

"Responsible how?" Alpha Dane''s voice rumbles through me. He''s definitely pissed now.

"She poisoned them with wolfsbane."