1

My fingers brushed against the soft, expensive leather of the woman’s coat pocket. Just one clean lift, and I’d have enough money to eat for a week.

Suddenly, a hand clamped around my wrist like a steel vise.

“You filthy little thief,” a woman’s voice hissed.

Before I could even process the pain, the Alpha female yanked me out of the crowded station concourse. I dug my heels into the floor, desperately trying to wrench myself free, but her strength was on an entirely different level.

She shoved me into a dimly lit, deserted restroom and slammed the door shut behind us.

Smack!

A vicious backhand sent me crashing onto the hard tile floor. The metallic taste of blood instantly filled my mouth.

“Scum. Rogues like you are nothing but parasites,” she sneered.

Her Alpha pressure flooded the cramped restroom, crushing my lungs and forcing my head to bow.

She drove a sharp kick into my ribs. I curled into a ball, coughing and gasping for air.

“Please... I didn’t take anything!” I pleaded, wearing the frightened expression I’d perfected over hundreds of times.

Her sharp gaze dropped to my neck. In one swift motion, she bent down and ripped the silver moonstone pendant from my neck. The delicate chain snapped with a sharp crack.

“No! That belonged to my parents—”

“Shut up,” she snapped, casually slipping my necklace into her coat pocket. “If I ever see your disgusting face anywhere near me again, I’ll snap your neck.”

She turned on her heel and walked away, leaving me sprawled across the cold, filthy tiles, struggling to breathe.

“Huff...” I muttered, clutching my bruised ribs as I lay there.

I never wanted to become a thief. If fate had dealt me a better hand, I swear I never would’ve chosen this life.

I became a lone rogue wolf with nowhere to belong. I had to learn how to lie, sneak, and steal just to survive.

Groaning, I forced myself to my feet. I had to get that necklace back. It was the only thing I had left of my real family.

I dragged my battered body out of the restroom. A few steps down the deserted hallway, something lying on the floor caught my eye.

A luxury handbag.

I recognized it immediately. It belonged to the Alpha female who had just beaten me.

I bent down and picked it up. Stealing a bag from a pureblood Alpha was practically a death sentence.

I didn’t want any trouble. I just wanted to return the bag... and demand my necklace back.

I slipped through the station’s rear exit, heading toward the back parking lot where the wealthy wolves usually waited for their drivers.

“Wait, Amber,” Sola suddenly hissed inside my head. “Danger.”

I froze, instinctively pressing myself against a concrete pillar. I suppressed my scent, erasing my presence as completely as I could.

Several yards away, the arrogant Alpha female was being slammed against the side of a black SUV.

The dominance she’d displayed in the restroom was completely gone. She was surrounded by a group of broad-shouldered men dressed in black, utterly helpless.

Smack!

One of the men struck her hard across the face before grabbing a fistful of her hair.

My conscience and survival instincts immediately went to war, but common sense yanked me back to reality. I was nothing more than a low-ranking rogue. If I stepped in, I’d end up in an unmarked grave right beside her.

They shoved her into the back of the SUV.

“The documents were in her bag. It’s gone,” one of the men growled. He turned toward the station entrance. “Search the station. Find that bag.”

Pure panic exploded in my chest. If they caught me holding it... I was dead.

I sprinted back into the station, ignoring the searing pain in my ribs. I slipped into the thick crowd of passengers waiting to board, using them as cover.

Still walking as naturally as I could, my trembling fingers searched through the bag. I pulled out a vibrating cell phone and tossed it into a nearby trash can—before anyone could use it to track me.

Then my fingers brushed against a thick sheet of paper. A first-class train ticket to Silvercreek. And the departure time was...

Now.

“The express train to Silvercreek will be arriving at Platform One shortly,” the station announcement echoed overhead.

The moment the doors of the first-class carriage slid open, I jumped aboard without looking back. I dropped into a plush window seat, hugging the stolen bag tightly against my chest.

Instinctively, I slid lower in my seat until my head was level with the backrest.

Through the slightly fogged window, I spotted the men in black standing on the platform. Their sharp eyes swept across every train window, searching for whoever had the bag.

The train doors slid shut with a soft hiss, followed by a gentle jolt as the steel wheels began to roll.

I rested my head against the window and watched the station slowly disappear into the distance. I had no idea what awaited me in Silvercreek.

But a foolish little spark of hope flickered inside me.

Maybe...

Just maybe...

This was the chance fate had finally given me to change my life.

…

The train finally pulled into Silvercreek Town just as the sun was beginning to set. I stepped onto the unfamiliar platform.

The moment I stepped outside, an immaculate white luxury sedan glided silently to a stop right in front of me.

The driver’s door swung open, and a strikingly handsome man stepped out.

He wore a perfectly tailored navy-blue suit. His neatly styled brown hair, sharp jawline, and commanding presence made one thing instantly clear. He was a pureblood wolf, and an Alpha.

He scanned the nearly deserted station plaza before his dark eyes settled on my worn, slightly dirty clothes.

“Ms. Salway?” he asked.

Every muscle in my body tensed, but I forced myself to give him a small nod. “Uh... hi.”

Yeah... The disbelief on his face was obvious. Still, he recovered almost immediately and extended his hand.

“Noah Winstanley,” he said in a deep, smooth baritone.

I accepted his handshake.

“Salway,” I answered quickly. “A.C. Salway.”

A faint, professional smile crossed Noah’s face.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Salway. We’d better get going. I’ve already decided to accept your transfer without putting you through any formal evaluations. After all, we don’t often receive a transfer student personally recommended by my father.”

I swallowed so hard my throat hurt.

A student? Me?

“Shall we?” Noah asked as he opened the passenger door.

I had no choice but to climb into the leather seat, doing everything I could to hide the trembling in my hands.

As the sedan pulled away, carrying me farther from the center of town, Noah never stopped talking. He spoke proudly about Brandhestroom Academy.

It was an elite private boarding academy dedicated to producing the strongest and most exceptional wolves. As the academy’s sole owner, he held absolute authority over everything that happened within its walls.

“We’re here,” Noah announced.

The sedan made a slow turn through an enormous black iron gate engraved with ancient magical runes. The moment we passed through the entrance, my eyes widened.

This wasn’t just a school. It was a fortress.

The main building was a magnificent four-story structure built from thick black stone.

The instant Noah parked in the courtyard, the deep toll of a massive iron bell echoed from the clock tower.

Hundreds of students began pouring into the main building. Every one of them wore a fitted white dress shirt stretched across broad, muscular chests, paired with teal-and-green plaid trousers.

I narrowed my eyes.

My head suddenly started spinning. The overwhelming dominance radiating from hundreds of pureblood Alpha males was suffocating.

I turned toward Noah, my face slowly draining of color.

“Why... why isn’t there a single girl at this school?”

Noah shut off the engine and turned to face me. A faint smile curved across his lips as a subtle golden glow swirled in his eyes.

“Didn’t you know that from the very beginning, Ms. Salway?” Noah asked with a calm voice. “Brandhestroom Academy is an academy for Alphas.”