Chapter 1
Liora
“Alright, ladies! The show starts in thirty minutes. Good luck!” some guy yelled as he walked in.
But no one really paid him any mind. The whole room was chaotic. Designers rushing around, fixing dresses, shouting at assistants. You could almost taste the nerves in the air.
I was standing there too, sweating like crazy even though the AC was blasting. My hands were shaking as I adjusted the last bit of fabric on my model. Tonight was the grand finale of the biggest fashion contest in New York. Winning meant a ton of money and a shot to design for the richest families in the city.
And God, I wanted this so bad.
I’d tried before. First when I was just eighteen and still in college. I didn’t even make it past the first round. Then last year at twenty, I got a little closer but still lost. Now I was twenty-one, and I felt like this had to be my year. I’d worked my ass off for it.
“Girl, you need to chill,” I heard a familiar voice say behind me. “And wipe that sweat before you ruin the dress.”
I turned and saw Selene, my best friend. She was a designer too. And she was also one of the finalists tonight. Blonde, gorgeous, confident… but always real with me.
I tried to smile, wiping my forehead. But just then, Lisa, the model wearing my design, snapped at me.
“Watch it! Your sweat’s gonna ruin this dress. And remember, I’m already risking enough by wearing your design. Don’t make me regret it.”
She had that sharp tone only top models get away with. And yeah, she was famous. I’d pretty much spent everything I had to get her to wear my dress tonight. Having her on stage would give me a huge advantage.
“I’m really sorry,” I mumbled. “I just want everything to be perfect.”
Finally, I stepped back to look at my work and damn. Even through my nerves, I felt a spark of pride.
“Oh my God,” said Luna, a model standing nearby. “This dress is stunning.”
Everyone turned to look. For a second, the whole room went quiet. Some of the other designers stared at me, and I could see the jealousy in their eyes. But I couldn’t blame them. I’d been at this longer than most of them.
Then Selene smiled at me, not fake at all. “Li, I know we’re competing against each other, but honestly? Your dress is, fire. You’re gonna kill it tonight.”
Lisa, the model, looked at herself in the mirror and actually smiled too. Not for the cameras, but a real smile.
“Thanks,” I said, a little shy. “But your design’s amazing too, Sel.”
Before I could say anything else, the makeup artist showed up to start working on Lisa’s face. The show was about to kick off, and my heart felt like it was going to jump out of my chest.
“I’ll be right back, Lisa,” I whispered, and slipped out of the room. I just needed a minute alone to breathe.
The hallway felt cold and quiet compared to the madness backstage. I headed toward the restroom, trying to calm my nerves. I was so focused on catching my breath that I didn’t notice two men in black suits following me.
Before I could even react, one of them grabbed me from behind. The other shoved a cloth over my nose. The smell burned, and my vision went fuzzy.
Everything went black.
***
When I came back to my senses, my head was pounding. My mouth was dry. I blinked, trying to figure out where the hell I was. Some fancy suite? Big windows, expensive furniture… but the air felt wrong. Cold.
“Go call the Alpha. We’ll wake her up,” one of the men barked at a woman by the door.
“Yes, boss,” she said and hurried out.
My brain struggled to catch up. Alpha? What the hell was going on?
I tried to move, but my arms felt heavy. “What’s happening?” I croaked out.
One of the men sneered. “Welcome back, rogue. Or should I say… spy?”
The other laughed, in a mean and loud way.
“Spy?” I blinked at them, my voice shaking. “No! You got it all wrong! I’m a designer. I was just about to go on stage!”
They kept laughing, not caring what I said.
“Just wait till the Alpha shows up,” one of them smirked. “You’ll wish you were never born.”
My stomach dropped. I was terrified, but angry too. Why me? Why now?
Then the door slammed open.
The two men stood up straight. Two women came in first, standing guard. Then… Someone walked inside.
I swear, the whole room seemed to shrink.
He was tall. Like, really tall. Built like someone who could crush stone with his bare hands. His dark hair framed his face so beautifully. But what froze me were his eyes, golden, cold as ice, and burning with something that felt like rage.
The second I saw him, something weird happened inside me. My chest tightened. My skin buzzed like it remembered him somehow. My inner wolf, the part of me I never paid much attention to, howled so loud in my head I nearly gasped.
Then there was his scent. It was wild, earthy, mixed with pinewood and something musky that made my heart beat even faster. It wrapped around me, made it hard to breathe.
What the hell is happening to me? I thought, panicking.
He didn’t say anything. He just stared at me, jaw tight, fists clenched. Like he hated me. Like he’d already decided I was guilty of something.
But the weirdest part? I didn’t know him. At least, my mind didn’t.
But my soul… it felt like it did. And that scared me more than anything.
I sat there, heart pounding, trying to remember how I ended up here. The show, Lisa, Selene… my dream. Was it over now?
My mind flashed back to my past. My parents had died when I was little. My uncle took me in, but he never really loved me. He wanted me to be a doctor, not chase “stupid” dreams about fashion. But I kept going because my parents had wanted this too. And I’d poured everything—my heart, my time, my savings—into this night.
And now… this.
The man stepped closer, and the air felt electric. He opened his mouth to speak, but for a second, he just stared.
Something flickered in his eyes. Recognition? Pain? I couldn’t tell.
And then I felt something.
A bond. Something deep and strange. Like an invisible thread pulling us toward each other.
No. This can’t be real, I thought.
I didn’t even know his name.
But my soul… my wolf… whispered it anyway.
*Mate*
My hands shook. I swallowed hard, forcing words out past the panic in my chest. “Please… I’m not who you think I am.”
But his eyes stayed hard.
