Athena’s POV
The neon lights of the Silver Fang bar glowed against the dark sky, pulsing like a heartbeat. The air was thick with the scent of alcohol, sweat, and the unmistakable musk of wolves in close quarters.
Music thrummed through the ground, vibrating beneath my heels as I stepped out of the car.
Emma looped her arm through mine, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “Welcome to your first taste of freedom.”
Emma grinned at me, clinking her shot glass against mine before downing the burning liquid in one gulp.
“Tonight, you are not Athena, the rejected Luna. Tonight, you are just a woman looking to have fun.”
I hesitated for a second before following her lead. The alcohol scorched my throat, but I welcomed the burn. I needed it. I needed something to drown out the voice in my head, the one that kept replaying my father’s words, my mother’s disappointed sighs, and the memory of him.
Eryndor.
I squeezed my eyes shut, but it didn’t help. The past still clawed at me, refusing to let me go.
Flashback
I had barely stepped through the front doors of my packhouse when my father’s voice lashed into me like a whip.
“You only had one job, Athena.”
I froze in place. My heart pounded in my chest, but I forced myself to meet his eyes.
His disappointment burned.
My mother stood beside him, her arms crossed, her face void of emotion. She let out a sharp breath, as if merely looking at me was exhausting.
“You only had to play nice and be a Luna,” my father snapped. “How hard could that be?”
Something inside me cracked.
“Play nice?” I echoed bitterly, my voice shaking. “Eryndor sleeps with other women while we’re married. He never once touched me. Never once saw me as his wife.”
My mother scoffed, shaking her head, but it was my father’s voice that made the air feel suffocating.
“Now I have to find someone to marry you again.”
My breath caught in my throat, sharp and jagged like a blade. Not a single flicker of concern for the betrayal I had endured. Not a whisper of sympathy for the rejection, the humiliation, the heartbreak that still bled beneath my skin. He didn’t care. He never had. All that mattered to him was the next transaction. The next deal. The next man to pass me off to—like I was nothing more than a burden to be bartered away.
“How I wish we had a male child instead of you.”
The words didn’t just hurt, because this wasn’t new. Not really. It had always been there—in every dismissive glance, every unspoken expectation I could never fulfill. I was a daughter when they’d prayed for a son. A failure in their eyes from the moment I was born.
A female. Defective. Unwanted.
I clenched my fists at my sides, digging my nails into my palms just to anchor myself. I wouldn’t cry. I wouldn’t scream. I wouldn’t let them see me break—again.
My father exhaled, as if he were the one carrying the weight of the world.
“The only way we can protect this pack is by finding another ally—another friend of mine who will be willing to wed their son to you.”
Another arranged marriage. Another leash. Another cage, prettied up in silk and duty and lies.
And in that moment, I knew with terrifying clarity—I didn’t belong here anymore. Maybe I never had.
Present – The Bar
I downed another shot.
The alcohol burned going down, sharp and hot, but it wasn’t enough to erase the past. Still, it dulled the ache sitting heavy in my chest.
The bar was crowded and loud. Wolves filled the space—some laughing, some arguing, others pressed too close together in dark corners. The smell of sweat, alcohol, and fried food clung to the air. Music played from an old speaker in the corner, the beat steady and low, mixing with the sound of clinking glasses and rough voices.
Everyone here seemed like they belonged. They drank, flirted, talked like nothing in the world could touch them. Like pain didn’t exist. Like no one had ever broken their hearts or shattered their trust.
For the first time in my life, I wanted to be like them. I wanted to stop thinking and just live. Even if it was only for a night.
Emma grabbed my hand, pulling me toward the dance floor. “Come on! Don’t just sulk there!”
I let out a breath and let her guide me. The music pulsed through my veins, and as I swayed my hips to the beat, I felt something I hadn’t in a long time—freedom.
We danced, we laughed, we drank more shots than I could count. The room spun slightly, my skin warm from the alcohol coursing through my system. Emma leaned in, her eyes twinkling with mischief.
“I have a surprise for you,” she whispered.
I blinked at her, trying to focus. “Surprise?”
Emma nodded, grinning. “I arranged something special for you tonight.”
I frowned. “What are you talking about?”
Her smirk widened. “I got you an escort.”
I choked on my drink. “You what?”
Emma giggled. “Relax! He’s hot, clean, and very good at his job.”
My cheeks burned. “Emma, I—”
She pressed a finger to my lips. “No arguments. You deserve a night of pleasure, Athena. No strings, no regrets.”
The alcohol made it hard to think straight. A part of me wanted to refuse. But another part—the part that was sick of being unloved, unwanted—wanted this.
For once, I wanted to be touched by someone who wasn’t disgusted by me.
I wanted to be wanted.
Emma kissed my cheek. “Room 407. It’s all set. I’ll see you tomorrow. Have fun tonight!”
I gave her a tight smile and nodded, watching her disappear into the crowd of bodies and neon lights. My fingers curled around the keycard she’d slipped into my hand. The alcohol was still humming in my system, giving everything a slight blur around the edges, like I was watching myself from outside.
I took the elevator up alone, heart thudding harder with each floor. I wasn’t exactly sure what I expected. Maybe to feel more numb. Maybe to feel nothing at all.
The room was dimly lit when I stepped in. Clean, modern. Quiet. The faint scent of expensive cologne hung in the air, masculine and warm, like sandalwood and smoke. I sat at the edge of the bed, my dress tugging tight around my thighs as I tried to settle the nerves crawling under my skin.
I didn’t have to wait long.
The door creaked open behind me.
And then he walked in.
For a moment, I forgot how to breathe.
He was tall—easily over six feet—with dark, tousled hair and golden eyes that seemed to cut straight through the room and into me. His black dress shirt was unbuttoned at the collar, revealing a glimpse of tanned skin and lean muscle that hinted at power just beneath the surface.
He looked like danger. Beautiful, irresistible danger.
I gawked. I couldn’t help it. The escort Emma hired was… a god.
His lips curved into a knowing smirk as he stepped closer. “You’re staring.”
I was. I knew I was. And I was pretty sure I was also drooling.
I barely registered the deep, smooth timbre of his voice—I was too busy following the lines of his forearms, the way his broad shoulders filled the doorway like he owned the space.
I had never seen anyone so devastatingly perfect in my life.
My pulse pounded. I was supposed to be the one in control tonight, calling the shots. But one look from him and I already felt like prey.
“You’re beautiful,” I said before I could stop myself.
His smirk deepened. “Is that so?”
Heat rushed to my cheeks. I looked away, flustered. “Don’t be cocky.”
He chuckled, low and rich. “I don’t think that’s possible when you’re looking at me like that.”
I bit my lip, torn between wanting to vanish into the mattress and wanting to climb him like a tree.
Then the air changed—charged and heavy, the kind of silence that crackles with something more. I didn’t think. I didn’t plan.
I reached for him.
His body was solid heat against mine, his hands large and warm as they found my waist and pulled me in. I melted into him like I was made for it. His lips brushed against my neck, and I gasped softly, clutching his shirt like it was the only thing keeping me grounded.
Everything else faded—Eryndor, the betrayal, the pain.
All of it fell away under his touch.
For the first time in my life, I wasn’t just wanted.
I was cherished.
And for tonight, I let myself believe I deserved it. I let myself get lost in him.