Chapter 1: The Divorce Papers.

SOPHIE's POV.

"Sophie, I reject you as my mate."

I sat frozen in bed, staring at Ethan, hoping I had misheard him. He stood beside the dresser, fastening the buttons of his suit jacket, looking far too composed for a man who had just shattered my heart. Then my eyes fell on the papers he left on the bedside table.

Immediately I realized they were divorce papers, my stomach twisted.

"Ethan..." My voice cracked. "What is this? You told me you loved me last night." I said.

"I'm marrying Vanessa." He barely glanced at me.

Vanessa Cole.

The woman who owned his heart long before I came along. The woman he'd always insisted was part of his past, even when I knew better.

"She returned yesterday," He continued, adjusting his cufflinks. "We're leaving for a vacation next week. I need you to sign the papers before then."

I stared at him, waiting for him to laugh, to tell me this was some cruel joke. Anything would have been better than the cold indifference in his eyes.

"Last night was our fourth anniversary," I whispered. "You held me in your arms and told me you loved me." I said.

"And I meant it at the time."

The words struck harder than a slap.

Four years.

Four years of loving a man who was ashamed to call me his wife.

Ethan had promised that one day, he would announce our marriage to the pack. One day, he would claim me publicly and introduce me as his Luna but there was always a reason to wait.

I was wolfless, and even worse, I was an omega.

An orphaned one with no family to defend her while Ethan was the Alpha of the Crescent Pack.

"What would the other Alphas think?" He reminded me often. "Give me time, Sophie. I'll make things right."

I always believed him because I loved him.

God, how I'd loved him.

"Can't we talk about this?" I pushed the covers aside, my hands trembling. "We can work through whatever you're feeling. You don't have to throw away four years because Vanessa is back."

"Don't make this more difficult than it needs to be." His expression hardened. "Difficult?" A bitter laugh escaped me.

"You're asking me to sign away our marriage as if it meant nothing!"

"It was never going to work." He finally turned to face me. "I'm an Alpha, Sophie. You're a wolfless omega. Did you honestly think I could spend the rest of my life pretending that didn't matter?"

I flinched.

He'd said those words before, but never with such finality.

"I gave you a home," He continued. "I protected you when nobody else would. You should be grateful for that instead of making demands I cannot fulfill." He said.

I looked away before he could see the tears spilling down my cheeks.

Four years ago, Ethan was the only person who ever made me feel safe. I was eighteen then, a freshman constantly bullied by other students for being wolfless and orphaned.

His sister, Chloe West, was one of the cruel bullies, she and Vanessa swore to make my life unbearable.

Until Ethan intervened.

"I won't let anyone hurt you again," He'd promised, standing between me and the people who'd spent years making me feel worthless.

I'd fallen in love with him that day.

When he offered me a place in his house, I thought my life was finally changing. I started as someone who helped around his home, then became the woman he secretly married.

But even after our wedding, he refused to acknowledge me in public.

He had warned me not to fall in love with him and I should have listened.

"Was any of it real?" I asked and for the briefest moment, something flickered across his face.

But then it disappeared.

"I've made my decision. Sign the papers before I return." He picked up his briefcase and walked out.

The door slammed shut behind him.

I stared at it, unable to move. Then I reached for the papers, turning each page with quivering fingers, as though the words might change if I read them enough times.

They didn't.

I was being divorced and I had nowhere to go.

Another knock sounded at the door and I barely had time to look up before Chloe walked in. Her lips curled into a satisfied smile when she spotted the papers in my hands.

"Oh, good. You've seen them." She muttered.

"Chloe, please. Not now."

"Not now?" She laughed. "When exactly would be a good time? You've been occupying my brother's home for four years. Did you think you'd stay here forever?"

I swallowed the lump in my throat.

"He married me."

"Behind closed doors." Her smile widened. "Let's not pretend you were ever his real wife. Vanessa is back, and my brother is finally going to be with the woman he was meant to have."

She stepped closer, looking me up and down with disgust.

"Look at you. No wolf, no family, no status. What could you possibly offer an Alpha?"

I tried to hold her gaze, but my eyes burned.

"Get out, Chloe."

Before I could react, she grabbed a fistful of my hair and yanked my head backward and I cried out.

"Listen carefully, you pathetic little omega." She leaned close enough for me to smell her perfume. "Once Ethan leaves you, nobody will be protecting you. If you know what's good for you, you'll disappear quietly. Otherwise, I might arrange for some rogues to find you. I'm sure they'd enjoy having you all to themselves."

She released my hair with a sharp shove.

Then she walked out, laughing.

For several minutes, I sat motionless, one hand pressed to my scalp, she was about one thing.

I had no protection anymore.

I looked down at the divorce papers and my tears blurred the words until they became nothing but black smudges on white paper. I'd spent my entire life being unwanted.

My parents were gone, and I'd grown up feeling like a burden in a pack that was never truly mine.

Ethan was my one exception and now, he was gone too.

I reached for my phone.

There was only one person I could call. One man whose offer I'd rejected years ago because I couldn't imagine marrying anyone other than Ethan.

His name was Lucian Storm.

The Lycan prince of Shadowridge Pack. He was also Ethan's best friend and a man so dangerous that even Alphas thought twice before crossing him.

Years ago, he offered me a marriage contract in exchange for becoming his wife and bearing his heir, he'd promised me protection, wealth, and a place in his kingdom.

At the time, I'd thought he was insane.

Why would a man like Lucian Storm want a wolfless omega for a wife? But for some reason, he was serious.

I rejected him even before he could tell me why but now, he was my only chance at surviving. Without Ethan, I would be a long wolf and it won't take long until the rogues scent me from a distance.

I pressed his number and held the phone to my ear.

"Sophie Bennett." He answered after the second ring and my breath caught immediately.

Even through the phone, his deep voice sent a shiver down my spine.

"You remember me?" I whispered and a quiet chuckle came from the other end. "Of course, I remember you. The only woman brave enough to tell me no."

My cheeks warmed despite myself and I forced a hard lump down my throat.

"Well, is your offer still on the table?" I asked. The silence that followed made my heart pound.

"That's an interesting question," He finally said.

"Last time we spoke, you made it very clear you weren't interested."

"I know." I replied.

"So what changed?"

I closed my eyes, remembering Ethan's cold expression, Chloe's threats, and the years I'd wasted waiting to be loved by someone who was ashamed of me.

"Now, I want to marry you."

"Are you certain, Sophie?" His voice lowered. "Because once you become my wife, there would be certain conditions."

"Yes, Lucian. I'm certain." A tear slid down my cheek.

"Good." His response was immediate. "Have your bags packed. My men will be there tomorrow morning."

My whole life had really changed in the blink of an eye.