Nothing I did was ever good enough. I took shifting classes but I was too clumsy.
Mia's wolf was sleek and perfect, and my mother made sure I knew mine didn't measure up.
By eighteen, I had learned to stay quiet, to suppress my wolf, and to not expect love.
That's when I met James. He was charming, successful, an alpha wolf. And he looked at me like I mattered.
"Your wolf is beautiful," he had said, watching me shift under the full moon.
My wolf and I fell in love with him fast and hard.
When he proposed after six months, I said yes immediately.
My mother had pulled me aside the night before the ceremony. "Alpha James Grant is using you. But you're too stupid to see it. You are not up to his level"
I hadn't listened.
I had bonded with him, spent eight years trying to be the perfect mate.
And the whole time, Mia had been there, sleeping with my mate behind my back, and I had never suspected a thing.
My chest ached as I blinked hard, forcing myself back to the present.
"My family loves my sister. They'll side with him when he breaks the bond, and I can't count on pack support."
Asher was silent for a moment. "So you want revenge."
"I want justice," I corrected, my voice breaking. "He murdered my pups. He stole their wolf essence to cure my adopted sister's womb so she could carry his pup. He made me sign away everything I had, and now he's going to throw me away like some weak omega."
"And why did you come to me?" Asher asked curiously.
"Because you hate him." I replied desperately. "James told me to stay away from you. He said you would do anything to destroy him and this pack. That you're a ruthless alpha who shows no mercy."
He chuckled coldly. "What do you want from me, Olivia?"
I clenched my fists tightly. "I want to take everything from him, the way he took everything from me. His pack, his reputation, his freedom. I want him to lose it all. I have fifty percent of his pack assets. You're his biggest rival. Together, we can ruin him."
Asher was quiet, then finally he spoke. "If I help you, it won't be charity. I want something in return."
My stomach clenched at the tone of his voice, and my wolf stirred warily. "What do you want in return?"
"Become my mate."
"Your mate?" I repeated incredulously, my voice barely above a whisper. My wolf stirred.