Chapter 1
Roselyn Leo, a struggling Omega wolf, born to the lowest ranks of the pack, hated by her own mother walked into the cramped apartment to find her mother and her favourite son arguing again.
She worked hard every day but it was never enough to feed her children, her mother and her brother. She pulled the note coins she'd made from today's shift out of her pocket and dropped them on the table.
"This is what I made today."
Is this it?
Veronica snatched the money and shoved it into Roselyn's face. Then she grabbed her ear and dragged it painfully until her hearing aid fell off.
The world went numb.
Roselyn blinked, her hand instinctively reaching for her ear. Without the aid, everything sounded muffled and distant like she was underwater.
"You good for nothing wolf! You're just a jinx!"
Veronica's voice was loud enough to cut through the fog.
"Looking at you makes me mad. Do you know that Bryan Lancaster is back? Huh?"
Roselyn froze.
"Back then, he was the top Alpha heir in the business department. And you? You were the design school campus belle. Everyone thought you were the perfect couple…"
Veronica's voice dripped with bitterness.
"Look at Bryan Lancaster now. He's a multi-billionaire. The most powerful Alpha in the world. And you?? Look at your good for nothing self. You make me so angry! I am ashamed to have a daughter like you…"
Roselyn's world started to spin.
First in business school...Bryan Lancaster.
First in design school.....it was her.
The memories came flooding back, bright and painful.
"Hi, can I add you on WeChat?"
He had approached her looking so charming. She was in middle school then. Just a young wolf with big dreams and a sketchbook full of designs.
Everyone always cheered for them. People loved seeing her with Bryan. They were the star couple. The ones everyone whispered about. The ones everyone believed would last forever.
"Roselyn, I have noticed you for a long time! I love you so much."
In her best years, she met Bryan Lancaster. And in this world, the most beautiful thing is probably when you like someone and they happen to like you too.
Roselyn stood there now, tears sliding down her cheeks. Her fingers brushed against the old photographs taped to the wall. Memories of her teenage years. Memories of him.
"Bryan Lancaster, you're back now," she whispered.
Her voice cracked. Her chest ached. Her wolf stirred restlessly beneath her skin, a weak, broken thing that had forgotten what it felt like to run free.
And somewhere deep inside her, something that had been buried for five years began to stir.
........
The sky above the city had turned an unnatural shade of amber, as though the heavens themselves were holding their breath.
A low, thunderous growl that rattled the bones of every wolf within a mile was heard. The Gulfstream G700 descended from the clouds, its silver body gleaming under the dying sun. The moment its wheels kissed the tarmac, the ground trembled.
The stairs lowered with a mechanical hiss.
And then he appeared.
Alpha Bryan.
The first thing that hit them was his aura. It rolled off him in invisible waves, pressing down on every wolf in the vicinity.
Reporters fumbled with their microphones, fingers trembling. It was the aura of an Alpha who had conquered more than just business empires.
He was tall. His black suit clung to a body carved from years of discipline and something far more dangerous. Broad shoulders that seemed to block out the sun. A jaw sharp enough to cut glass. Dark hair swept back, a few strands falling perfectly across his forehead as if the wind itself was styling him. His eyes were the color of molten gold, the mark of an Alpha born to rule. But there was something colder beneath them now.
He descended the stairs slowly, each step deliberate, each step a declaration. His leather shoes clicked against the metal, and the sound echoed like a judge's gavel.
Behind him, six bodyguards in black suits followed in perfect formation. They moved like shadows chained to his will.
The moment his foot touched the ground, the crowd erupted.
"ALPHA BRYAN! ALPHA BRYAN!"
"The richest wolf in the world! The billionaire Alpha returns!"
"Alpha Bryan, you control the city's business. How does it feel to be back?"
"Three hundred billion in assets! The Forbes list called you the most eligible bachelor alive!"
"Please, just one look! One smile!"
Their voices clashed and overlapped, desperate, hungry. Cameras flashed like lightning. Microphones thrust forward like spears. And still, Alpha Bryan did not flinch.
He simply stood there, a monument of ice and gold, letting their adoration wash over him like water off stone.
He was, without question, the city's premium gold standard. The wolf every man wanted to be and every woman wanted to tame. And yet, as his golden eyes swept across the crowd, there was no warmth in them.
A reporter pushed to the front. "Alpha Bryan! Alpha Bryan, why have you returned after five years?"
The crowd quieted. Even the cameras seemed to hold their breath.
Bryan paused. His lips curled into something that was not quite a smile. When he spoke, his voice was silk wrapped around steel.
"I've come back to destroy the woman who broke my heart five years ago."
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
Another reporter, bolder than the rest, shoved forward. "Is it your lover? An old flame? Who is she, Alpha Bryan?"
For the first time, Bryan moved. Slowly, he reached up and removed his dark designer glasses, revealing the full, devastating force of his golden gaze. He looked down at the reporter with eyes that could freeze hell.
"No." His voice dropped to a whisper that somehow carried through the entire airstrip. "The person I hate the most."
He slid the glasses back on and walked away.
His bodyguards surged forward, forming a wall of muscle and menace, shoving reporters back with practiced efficiency. "Move! Move! Get back!"
The crowd parted like the Red Sea as Bryan strode toward the awaiting black Rolls-Royce Phantom, its door already open.
An older woman, small and desperate, slipped through a gap in the bodyguards. She sprinted toward the car, her worn shoes slapping against the tarmac.
"Alpha Bryan! Alpha Bryan, wait!"
The bodyguards lunged, but Bryan raised one hand. They froze instantly.
The woman reached the car door just as it was about to close. She was panting, her eyes wide with a mixture of fear and hope. "Alpha Bryan, I am Roselyn's mother. Do you remember? You two once dated..."
Bryan's eyes flickered. Something dark passed through them, quick as a shadow. Then, slowly, he smiled. It was not a kind smile.
"How can I help you?" he asked, his voice dripping with mockery.
"You can certainly help me, Alpha Bryan! Our family is quite poor right now. You dated my daughter, after all. Could you please.....could you spare us some money?"
Bryan tilted his head. "Like mother, like daughter."
"Your daughter broke up with me because I couldn't afford to buy her a diamond ring," he said softly, each word a blade. "But I'm rich now. So tell me...how much do you want?"
The woman's eyes widened. "T-ten thousand?"
He said nothing.
"A hundred thousand?"
Still nothing.
"Millions?" she breathed, her voice trembling with greed.
"Yes, yes, yes!" She nodded frantically, tears of joy forming in her eyes.
Bryan leaned closer. His golden eyes burned into hers. "Money? I have plenty of it now. However…"
He paused and let the silence stretch.
"Roselyn must come ask for it herself.
And then the door slammed shut in her face.
The Rolls-Royce pulled away.
Inside the car, his eyes were burning with hatred from five years ago.
Roselyn.
I'm coming for you.
And this time, you won't escape!.