Mated to the Enemy's Son

Gabrielle Stone scrubbed the marble floors of the Blackwood mansion until her fingers were raw, cracked and bleeding. The water in the bucket had long turned grey but she didn’t stop, she couldn’t, stopping meant punishment, and punishment in the Blackwood household was never gentle. The mansion loomed above her, huge, cold walls of white stone, chandeliers that glowed like trapped stars, hallways that never seemed to end, every inch of it screamed power. It belonged to the Blackwood family, the wealthiest and most feared Alpha bloodline in the region. And Gabrielle? She belonged to no one. Or rather, she belonged to everyone who wanted to remind her that she was nothing. The mansion had not always been her prison. Once, long ago, when her mother was still alive, Gabrielle had believed that this place might one day become home. She remembered clutching her mothers hand the first time they were brought before Alpha Lucas, how the great hall had smelled of power and blood, how the wolves had stared at her as if she was already dead. “Humans don’t belong here, she’ll never be one of us.” Alpha Lucas had said, his eyes empty. That was the first day she learned she was less than nothing. “Do your ears work, human?” The voice snapped Gabrielle out of her thoughts. She stiffened.. Ava stood behind her with her arms crossed, lips curled in disgust, her brown curls bouncing perfectly around her shoulders. She wore a deep green velvet gown thst hugged her perfectly , the kind of dress that Gabrielle was never allowed to touch because it probably cost more than Gabrielle’s entire life. Though they came from the same womb,Ava carried the blood of a mighty wolf, while Gabrielle bore a human father, that single difference had ruined Gabrielle’s fate. “Forgive me,” Gabrielle whispered, lowering her head. Ava sneered and nudged the bucket with her foot, causing dirty water to splash across the already cleaned floor. “You missed a spot,” she said, eyes glittering with malice. “If Lord Lucas sees this, you’ll wish I was the one punishing you.” Ava leaned closer and whispered, “you should have died with your mother” she smiled and walked off. Gabrielle had learned very early that crying solved nothing. The first time Ava struck her, she had been nine. The tray she carried had been too heavy for her small arms, and when it slipped, porcelain shattered across the marble floor. Gabrielle had dropped to her knees instantly, apologizing over and over, her tiny fingers bleeding as she tried to gather the broken pieces. Ava had only watched. Then she said calmly, “If you’re going to be useless, at least be quiet about it.” That night, Gabrielle cried into her pillow so no one would hear. After that, she stopped crying, stopped hoping, stopped believing anyone would ever come for her. Gabrielle bit her lip and returned to scrubbing. Her arms ached. Her back burned. She hadn’t slept since the night before. Ava and her father had hosted another extravagant party, music, laughter, and the sound of glasses clinking while Gabrielle cleaned nonstop. Today was her twentieth birthday. She hadn’t told anyone.she couldn’t.There was no point, birthdays were for wolves. On their twentieth birthday, they found their mates. Their other halves. The bond that would define their future. Humans didn’t get mates. Humans were invisible. When she finished, she carried the bucket towards the servant corridor. The guards passed her without a glance, their eyes following Ava instead. She didn’t blame them, Wolves respected strength and Gabrielle had none. Inside the tiny servant room, she allowed herself a moment to breathe. She pulled out the small necklace hidden under her dress that her mother had gifted her before she died. A silver moon pendant. “Happy birthday to me,” she murmured softly, tears blurring her vision. She didn’t know why the ache in her chest felt different today, heavier, as if an unseen force was tugging her towards the forest beyond the pack borders, the forbidden forest no human was permitted to enter. She remembered her mother brushing her hair on her tenth birthday whispering “one day the moon will answer you.” Gabrielle hadn’t understood, now she felt it calling her. That night, when the mansion finally slept, Gabrielle slipped outside. Night inside the Blackwood mansion was never truly quiet, even in darkness, the place breathed power. Gabrielle moved carefully through the long corridor, her footsteps silent against the polished floors. Massive portraits lined the walls — former Alphas, all painted with the same cold authority in their eyes. Their gazes seemed to follow her as she walked, as though reminding her that she did not belong among them. She never had. The chandeliers had been dimmed, casting long shadows that twisted across the marble like reaching hands. Somewhere in the distance, wolves laughed, deep, unrestrained sounds drifting from the noble wing where servants like her were forbidden to enter unless summoned. A life she would never taste. Gabrielle paused near one of the tall windows and allowed herself a small, dangerous moment of stillness. Outside, the moon hung low and enormous in the sky. Beautiful. Watching. Her fingers lifted unconsciously to the silver pendant resting against her chest. It was the only thing her mother had left her. “No matter what happens,” her mother had whispered, her voice fragile, “never take this off.” Gabrielle had wanted to ask why. But morning came…And her mother never woke again. A familiar ache spread quietly through Gabrielle’s chest. Grief had softened over the years, but it never truly disappeared. It lingered in small moments like this, in silence, in moonlight, in memories she both cherished and avoided. The pendant felt warmer tonight. Almost alive. She frowned slightly, rubbing her thumb over its surface. “Strange…” she murmured. Then, somewhere deep in the forest beyond the estate, a wolf howled. The sound sent a shiver down her spine for reasons she could not explain…It felt like a summons and without realizing it, Gabrielle took a slow step toward the doors that would change her life forever.