I barely have time to gasp before I'm slammed against the wall with enough force to rattle my bones. Pain shoots through my back, but I bite it down, refusing to show weakness.

A low growl rumbles in the darkness. "Who are you?"

My heart races, my palms instinctively pressing against the solid expanse of his chest. His strength is overwhelming, his presence suffocating.

The moonlight streams through the curtains and I find myself staring into the piercing amber gaze of the Alpha himself.

"Better talk fast," he growls, his hand wrapping around my throat with calculated pressure. "Or I'll assume you're here to kill me."

His voice is rough, a mix of menace and curiosity, it’s hard to think with the sheer dominance rolling off him.

"I was sent here," I manage, my voice trembling as

much as my body. "For you."

Something flickers in his eyes. Confusion?

Disbelief? But it's gone in an instant. He releases me suddenly, and I crumple to the ground, gasping for air.

"Why?" he snaps, his tone sharp. "Why did he send you?"

"He sent me here to please you. To give you everything you need. My body, my all, whatever you desire."

The words burn like acid on my tongue, but I force them out, standing shakily to meet his gaze. I hold his eyes with a mix of defiance and submission.

His narrow, sweeping over me with a detached coldness, lingering just long enough on the curve of my body beneath the thin cotton dress. The fabric clings to my skin, my hardened nipples visible in the moonlight, but his gaze remains like steel.

"I don't need that." His voice is clipped, his jaw tight. "You can leave!"

My chest tightens as I recall the Beta's words, the threat hanging over me like a blade. I can't leave, not without completing my mission.

I step closer, closing the distance between us.

"You don't have a choice," I whisper, fear laces my voice to make it believable.

I place a trembling hand on his chest, feeling the heat of his body beneath my palm. "If I leave, he'll kill me. You're stuck with me."

His nostrils flare, but he doesn't move. His silence is all the permission I need to press forward. My fingers trace upward, grazing his jaw. His stubble is rough under my touch, grounding me. I tilt his face toward mine, forcing him to look at me.

"You can do whatever you want with me," I murmur, my voice soft but resolute.

Something shifts in his gaze, a feral intensity rising to the surface.

Before I can process the change, he grabs my face, his fingers pressing into my skin as his lips crash into mine.

The kiss is brutal, punishing, stealing the air from my lungs. His body pins me against the wall, the sheer force of him overwhelming.

I cling to him, my hands fisting in his shirt, pretending to submit to the storm he's unleashing on me. But beneath the surface, my mind is spinning, calculating.

As quickly as it started, it ends. He pulls back, his chest heaving, his eyes clouded with something I can't quite decipher. Without a word, he turns and strides away, leaving me crumpled on the floor.

The silence that follows is deafening, but I don't need words to understand what just happened. A slow, triumphant smirk spreads across my face as I straighten myself, brushing off the dust from my dress.

I'm in.

As the Alpha disappears into the shadows of the mansion, I press a finger to the earpiece in my ear.

"Kareem?" I whisper, keeping my voice low.

There's a brief crackle before his voice comes through, tense and clipped. "Did you make contact?"

I glance at the empty hallway, my pulse still pounding. "I'm in," I say softly, letting a note of triumph creep into my tone.

His sigh is audible. "Good. Stick to the plan. You don't have to rush anything, Nadeleine. Just-"

"I know what I'm doing," I cut him off, my voice firmer than I intended. I close my eyes, leaning against the wall as I take a deep breath. "I'll handle it. Trust me."

Kareem falls silent for a moment. I can almost picture him on the other end, his mouth pulled into that familiar downturn of worry. He does that when he's thinking too hard, when he doesn't know how to stop me from throwing myself into danger.

"I do trust you," he finally says. "Just... don't forget why you're doing this."

I laugh bitterly. "Don't worry, Kareem. No one's letting me forget."

Back home, nobody cared about me. I'm sure they all think I should've died instead of her. My sister, Amelia, was the one everyone loved-the softer one, the kinder one. The one who would stop to help an elderly woman while I was the one who'd probably knock her over.

Even I was in awe of her. She had this radiance, this beauty that made everyone flock to her. I tried to be like her once, but it never worked. I was too brash, too sharp-edged. A troublemaker who, in their words, contributed nothing to the pack.

After she died, things only got worse. They called me a curse, blamed me for everything that went wrong. Even my mother couldn't look at me without rage.

Once, I tried to comfort her, to share her grief. She threw a mug at me. I dodged.

Going on this mission was the easiest choice I've ever made. It's my chance to get away from all of it, the bitterness, the hatred, the guilt.

But I never let myself forget why l'm really here.

For her. For Amelia.

"Stay safe," Kareem says quietly, pulling me back to the present.

Before I can reply, the earpiece crackles and dies. I tap it, but nothing happens. The impact from the Alpha throwing me around must've damaged it.

I curse under my breath, these walls feel like they're closing in already.