harper
952 Words
I used to be an Alpha's daughter.
Before my father's crimes were exposed, before my family was stripped of everything. I lived in a world where I mattered. Where people looked at me with respect instead of pity or disgust.
My father, Alpha Damian Vale, had been beloved by our pack, he was strong, charismatic. I grew up believing I would inherit his strength, his position, his legacy. I was raised to be an Alpha's daughter, taught that someday I would mate with another Alpha and continue our bloodline's power.
Then everything crumbled.
The PID, paranormal investigative division, discovered that my father had been embezzling millions from pack investments, using our people's retirement funds and medical insurance to fuel his gambling addiction. Families lost their homes. Elderly pack members couldn't afford their medications. Children went hungry because of what he stole.
When the authorities came for him, he chose the coward's way out, by disappearing without a trace. Left us with nothing but debt and shame. And after what happened, I considered him already dead.
Overnight, I went from Alpha heiress to pack pariah. The werewolf council formally degraded our bloodline to Omega status - the lowest rank possible. We lost our territory, our wealth, our standing. Everywhere I went, people whispered about the Alpha's daughter whose father was a thief and a coward.
That's when I met Jax.
Jax Wilde was everything I'd lost. Alpha bloodline, respected family, the kind of status I desperately craved. When he looked at me with interest instead of disgust, when he acted like my father's crimes didn't matter, I fell for him completely.
For three years, I convinced myself that if Jax loved me, it would prove I wasn't tainted by my father's sins. That I could still be worthy of an Alpha's affection. That maybe, through him, I could reclaim some small piece of what I'd lost.
I built my entire identity around being good enough for him. Today was supposed to be my redemption.
I thought today would change everything.
I sat in that restaurant for six hours waiting for Jax to arrive. The same table where we had our first date three years ago.
The waiter kept asking if I was still waiting. His voice grew more sympathetic each time. The truth is Jax's phone had been off for three hours. No messages. No calls. Nothing. Yet I kept convincing myself that he was just running late. That today he would finally propose like he promised.
Then all the TVs in the restaurant turned on.
Jax was there. Standing beside Lily Morrison in a white dress. Lily. My former college roommate who used to cry about boys. Who always told me that Jax and I weren't compatible because Jax was known as a jerk. And that I deserved better.
"Hey Vale girl, are you still at the restaurant waiting for me? If you are, you should be watching, and I know you're," Jax said, staring straight into the camera.
"Through this live broadcast, I just want you to know that what we had wasn't love. It was just pity. I stayed because I felt sorry for you. You were just practice, Harper. Bad practice. Lily Morrison is my true mate. And with this, I reject all bonds with you, Harper Romaria Vale."
The restaurant went silent. Everyone stared at me, people started pulling out their phones. Recording the moment while whispering, "Poor girl, but what did she expect?"
Then on the TV, Jax kissed Lily, they were practically eating each other's faces. Unable to bear what was happening, I threw money on the table and ran home.
The house was silent when I arrived. I walked inside and found Mom sitting stiffly on the sofa, dressed in black as if for a funeral. Her face was cold, her hair disheveled.
"Sit down, Harper."
"Mom, what's going on?" I asked as I noticed the house was in disarray, broken items scattered everywhere, and bruises on my mother's face.
"Who did this, Mom?"
"Harper, you need to pack your things. Someone will come to pick you up in an hour."
My stomach dropped. "Pick me up for what?"
"The arrangement is complete. You're leaving tonight."
She explained that our bloodline carries a rare gift. Soul anchoring. The ability to keep someone tethered to their humanity. It only activates when we turn twenty-one. And starting tonight, I must devote myself to whoever forced my mother to sign that contract.
"There is a cursed Alpha. Without an anchor, he will lose his humanity completely. Become something monstrous."
"He offered two million dollars for your service. As his Soul Anchor."
"You sold me?"
"I'm just..., trying to..., keep you alive."
"Nope! I won't do it."
"You don't have a choice. The ritual binding papers have already been signed."
Mom explained that debt collectors came to our pack, ransacked everything, and demanded repayment of my late father's debt, which was in the millions of dollars. And she traded my ability for money to settle that debt.
An hour later, a black SUV pulled into our driveway. Two men in dark suits knocked on our door. They were big, dangerous-looking, with the kind of scars that come from real fights. Pack enforcers.
"Harper Vale?"
I nodded, my throat too tight to speak.
"We're here to escort you to secret territory. The Alpha is waiting."
Mom handed them an envelope without looking at me. I wanted to hug my mother, but she stepped back and avoided me, as if she didn’t want to be touched by me.
"Take care of yourself, Harper."
I walked out of the house carrying one suitcase. They blindfolded me, and the car began to move.
- Writer
