Chapter One

Amelia's Pov

I never knew turning eighteen would bring its own kind of challenge. And no, it wasn’t about being an omega or still wolfless, it was about something far more complicated.

A new family.

My mother was getting remarried.

I’d argued, begged and even threatened to refuse attending the mating ceremony when she first told me about it months ago. But sitting here in this bar, waiting for my boyfriend to show up, I knew there was no escaping it. The wedding was happening tomorrow. And she was marrying the Alpha of SilverFang Pack. Of all people, it had to be him.

And worse? His son.

Zane Asher was returning to live in the country as well.

I’d heard the stories about him. About every dark rumor and reckless things he’d done. And none of them were pleasant to the ears.

“Amelia!” A familiar voice called from behind me. I turned and saw Maddox walking toward me on the sofa where I sat, his dark eyes softening when they met mine.

“Still thinking about it?” he asked as he slid to the space beside me.

I shrugged, trying to sound indifferent. “Please, don’t mention it.”

He chuckled lightly, but I could see the concern in his eyes. He’d been reminding me nonstop about how rude and arrogant Zane Asher was, he’d gone to the same preschool with him before the guy was sent abroad. Maddox had told me everything I needed to know about him, including the reason he’d been sent away.

And even though I didn’t want my mom to remarry because I liked things just the way they were, I couldn’t deny that a part of me dreaded what this new family would bring. Especially the kind of infamous stepbrother I was about to get.

“Here,” Maddox said suddenly, handing me a drink. “Something to calm your nerves.”

I smiled faintly and took it. This was my first time in a club after he’d begged me for weeks to come. I didn’t want to seem uptight and honestly, I just wanted to forget everything for a while. Maybe a few hours of pretending everything was fine would help.

“Thank you, Dox,” I said softly, taking a sip. “You’re the only one who seems to care how I feel these days.”

He grinned, brushing a strand of hair from my face. I took another gulp, but halfway through, my vision began to blur. My head felt light.

“Maddox?” I blinked at him, the room spinning slightly. “Did you… put something in my drink?”

He didn’t answer. Instead, he leaned closer, his breath hot against my neck.

“Maddox?” I repeated, my words slurring slightly.

But before I could pull away, he pressed his lips against my skin, trailing kisses down my neck as his hand went to unzip his trousers.

“What are you doing?” I gasped, trying to push him off. The glass slipped from my fingers, shattering on the floor. Panic flooded my chest.

He covered my mouth with one hand, his other pinning my wrists above my head.

“Don’t fight me, Amelia,” he muttered against my ear. “We’ve been together three months. You keep saying you’re not ready, but I’ve waited long enough.”

My heart pounded as his weight pressed me down.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, voice trembling with something dark and desperate. “But this is the only way I’ll ever have you.”

“What? How dare you spike my drink, Maddox?” I demanded, the realization of what he had done and what he was planning to do hitting me like a bucket of ice water. My stomach turned, my heart pounding so hard I could barely hear myself think.

I tried to struggle against his grip, but it was useless. He was stronger. The pounding music from the speakers swallowed my screams, turning my pleas into nothing but muffled sounds beneath the heavy bass. Nobody could hear me. Nobody would come.

“Please, Maddox, let me go. I’m begging you,” I pleaded, my voice breaking, desperation clawing its way out of my chest.

“Shut up, Amelia!” he snapped, his tone sharp and cruel. His fingers twitched toward the hem of my dress, inching closer to my underwear as I writhed beneath him, panic and disbelief choking me.

“Let me go!” I kept thrashing, pushing and fighting. My nails dug into his arms when I was able to release my wrist from his stronghold but he didn’t stop. In one desperate move, I managed to bite his wrist. He yelped, jerking back, only for his palm to whip across my face.

The slap echoed louder than the music in my head. My vision swam, the sting burning deep into my skin.

Tears gathered at the corners of my eyes as shock set in. This couldn’t be real. Not Maddox. Not the same Maddox who’d once been so kind and protective of me. Not the same boy who’d helped me fit into Lunaris Academy after I transferred there because of my mother’s upcoming marriage.

All this time, had that sweetness just been an act?

All because he wanted to get me to sleep with him?

“Please… don’t do this to me. I beg you,” I sobbed, my voice trembling.

“Just stop struggling, Amelia,” he hissed. “I promise to be gentle. You’ll enjoy it just as much as I will.”

My stomach turned. I screamed again, louder this time, even though I knew the thundering music drowned every sound.

“Somebody help me!” I cried, hoping and praying that someone and anyone would hear me. The room spun around me, the drug in my system making it harder to keep my eyes open.

“Shut up!” he barked, his hand tightening painfully around my wrists. “Do you know how long I’ve been asking for this? If you’d just let me once, I wouldn’t have had to force it. But no one’s coming for you, Amelia. So stop crying and…”

He didn’t get to finish.

Because in the next second, he was ripped off me.

A blur of motion. A loud crack. A punch hard enough to send him crashing to the floor. My breath hitched as I blinked up through the haze, my mind struggling to process what was happening. Someone had heard me. Someone had come.

“How dare you?” Maddox snarled, getting to his feet, his eyes flashing amber. The familiar growl in his throat told me he was close to shifting and ready to fight.