Chapter 1 Bitter Reality

The bottle of whiskey felt heavier with each passing hour. I shifted my weight from one aching foot to the other, ignoring the stabbing pain in my lower back as I refilled glasses for customers.

"Hurry up! Table four's getting impatient," Mia muttered as she brushed past.

I nodded and loaded my tray with drinks, mentally calculating how much tip money I'd need to cover Elva's medication this week. The silver moon pneumonia had finally started responding to treatment, but the specialized medicine for wolf-children didn't come cheap—especially for someone like me who'd lost her inner wolf.

As I turned toward the dining area, a voice stopped me.

"Elena, come over here."

The boss, Mike, sat sprawled on the office sofa, one leg crossed over the other. He patted the cushion beside him, his lips curling into what he probably thought was a seductive smile.

I hesitated, drinks balanced on my tray. "The customers are waiting for these."

Mike's eyes narrowed, that familiar dangerous glint appearing."I said, come here."

Reluctantly, I set the tray down and approached, keeping a careful distance. But Mike lunged forward, grabbing my wrist and yanking me down until I tumbled awkwardly against him.

"Just a minute, Elena," he murmured, his breath hot and whiskey-sour against my face.

My stomach lurched as his hand slid down to cup my ass. "I need to check this out." His eyes flicked to our reflection in the mirror across the room, clearly enjoying the picture we made. His wedding ring caught the light as he squeezed harder.

"Please, don't..." I pleaded, my voice shaking as he dug his fingers deeper.

Mike's arm snaked around my waist, pulling me closer as his eyes blatantly dropped to my neckline. I twisted away, but his grip tightened.

"I need to serve the drinks. The customers are waiting," I repeated, struggling to keep my voice steady.

"Let them wait." Mike licked his lips, the stench of cigarettes and cheap cologne making me gag.

He leaned in, pressing his nose against my neck and inhaling deeply. "You don't smell like the others... more like... human." His fingers traced the thin scar on my neck. "No wolf left in you at all, is there?"

My skin crawled. I needed this job—desperately needed it—but right now, I'd have given anything to shove him away.

Mia appeared in the doorway, smirking as she grabbed napkins from the shelf. "You shouldn't resist. Everyone knows you don't have a man at home. Unless..." She raised an eyebrow. "You're hoping to get picked for the Luna Selection? Is that it?"

"You're dreaming if you think you've got a shot, wolf-less." Mike's laugh was ugly, revealing teeth stained from years of smoking.

He grabbed my chin roughly, forcing my head up to face the mirror across the room while his other hand slid under the hem of my waitress uniform, creeping up my thigh. His fingers probed deeper as I struggled to pull away, his grip tightening painfully.

"Look at you now," he sneered, eyes locked on our reflection. "Those Sterling boys wouldn't look twice at damaged goods like you."

The Luna Selection. I had no clue why they brought this up, but I was too exhausted to ask or argue.

His hand slid lower, pulling me back against him so I could feel his arousal. "I'll give you three days to decide, Elena. Either you come to my bed at night, or you're fired." His voice dropped to a whisper. "Aren't your daughter's medical bills due next week? How tragic if you couldn't afford them."

The blood drained from my face. Elva's treatment. The medication she needed. Without this job...

The rest of my shift passed in a blur of drink orders and forced smiles, while inside I was screaming.

By the time I finally pushed open the door to our apartment, every muscle in my body ached with exhaustion.

"How is she?" I asked the moment I stepped through the apartment door.

My roommate Amber looked up from her laptop. "She's been coughing, but she just fell asleep."

I moved toward Elva's bedroom door, pausing with my hand on the knob.

"She's fine. I gave her the medicine at eight, like you said," Amber assured me, holding out a mug of tea that I was too distracted to take. "What happened at work? You look awful."

"Mike was being weird again. But I don't know how to handle it."

"That bastard." Amber's face flushed with anger, her fingers tightening around her own mug. "You shouldn't have to deal with his behavior. Hell, you shouldn't be treated like this at all!" She shook her head. "Remember when you were top of your class at Bluestone Academy? You had options, Elena."

"That's not me anymore." My fingers unconsciously traced the thin scar on my neck.

"This is all your sister’s fault," Amber said bitterly. "You shouldn't have sacrificed everything for that drug addict and her abandoned baby. And your ex-boyfriend... Elena, you were dating a Sterling!"

I don't need to be reminded that Elva isn't my biological daughter. In my heart, she is mine. And I'm not sacrificing anything for her; she deserves everything.

"You're forgetting there was always an insurmountable class gap between us, even before my sacrifice," I said quietly. "And once I lost my wolf..." I shrugged. "The gap became too wide."

I tried to smile, but it felt brittle on my face. Dreams were luxury items I could no longer afford. Survival—and Elva's health—were all that mattered now.

The sound of the news caught my attention as Amber turned back to her laptop. "Have you seen this? The Luna Selection coverage is everywhere."

On the screen, a glossy livestream showed the title: "LUNA SELECTION: LATEST DEVELOPMENTS!" The enthusiastic host explained how any female could be considered for the competition, but only three would ultimately become mates to the Sterling heirs, with one becoming the future Luna.

"The three heirs’ first public appearance together in years," the host gushed. "This is unprecedented access to the most private family in North America!"

"It's weird how secretive the Silver Moon Pack leadership is," Amber commented. "Alpha Alexander Sterling and Luna Diana ever make public appearances. The heirs are practically myths. Even their names were unknown."

The screen switched to new footage of three men waving to crowds from a balcony. I couldn't make out their faces clearly in the footage, as the camera angle only showed the three figures from behind as they waved to the crowd.

I froze, my heart suddenly pounding so hard I could feel it in my throat.

My eyes were drawn to a familiar item on one of the heir's wrists—the black wolf-claw wristband I had sewn for my ex-boyfriend, Kane, three years ago.

Could it really be him?