Prologue

It’s cold. The first thing I notice as I sit up from my curled up position on the ground is how cold I am. I”m still wearing my pajamas that I got for my tenth birthday today. They have cute little dogs on them and the top and pants are pink.

My head feels hazy, and my thoughts don’t make sense as I shake my head. I just need my thoughts to make sense. I’m a smart girl, get it together, Harley.

My parents always told me this when they thought I was being silly, but there was less bite in their words than there is in my head. Leaning against the freezing cold bars behind me, I shiver. The cold is good though, because it’s helping me recall things.

I remember going to sleep in my bed after a really weird birthday. Today I presented early as an omega. It’s almost unheard of for someone’s designation to present itself at this age, and I saw fear in my parents’ eyes when my sweet scent came in after I got angry about something silly.

I was playing a game, and strong emotions can sometimes make a person’s scent appear, though I figured it wouldn’t happen until I was at least twelve. That’s what my parents always told me, anyway.

It’s not a sexual thing, but scent is a huge way that people can tell designations. My parents are betas, and they’ve always been amazing, even though there’s not always enough money to go around with five children.

I’m the middle child of them all, and I’ve always liked pretty, soft things. I’m also a tomboy, always running around with my brothers and getting into something in the neighborhood.

My parents wouldn’t let me play outside after I presented this morning. My father was really stiff, staring at me as if I was an abomination, while my mother just looked scared. I won’t fully awaken until years from now, so I don’t understand why they’re so worried.

We had cake and they gave me my pajamas as my present, but the festivities felt forced, so I retreated to my bedroom. There’s this weird pall during what should be a happy day, and my oldest brother curled his lip at me when I walked past him.

He’s only four years older than me, but it may as well be a lifetime with the way that he acts. My room is a tiny attic room with low ceilings, and it’s always been my safe place. I guess it makes sense now that I know I’m an omega. Small spaces, blankets, things that are special to a person make them happy, and that’s what my room is filled with.

My most precious things. It’s not much because we’re so poor, but it’s always been enough for me.

Why am I here and not there?

My breath starts to get shorter as the sleep disappears from my body. I should have woken up the moment I was moved from my bed, because I’ve always been a light sleeper. How did this happen?

My mind is racing and I remind myself again that I need to get it together. My parents had a fight outside my door about how it was unlucky to have an omega in our house. I don’t know why, it’s not like I’ll eat more than anyone else. I’ve always been small for my age, and this explains it more than anything.

I wanted to tell them I’d be a good girl, and that this wouldn’t change anything. I’m their only daughter. I know boys can be omegas too, but I stay in my bed when I hear my father grunt something that shatters my heart.

“If she’d been a boy, we wouldn’t have had this problem. Now, everyone will be knocking on the door when they find out,” he grumbles. “We don’t need anyone coming by here while I’m working.”

I know my father isn’t the most upstanding person, but at least I always get something in my stomach every day. It’s better than some people have in this neighborhood. My heart still hurt at his words, and I swallowed down a whine. They probably thought I’m napping or something, but I’m ten!

I’m not a baby anymore. I don’t nap.

I had a hot chocolate drink before bedtime, and my parents sat with me while I drank it on the bed, happy for the sweet treat. There was sadness in my mother’s eyes as my eyelids began to droop and I fell asleep.

What did they do?

“Hello, pet, I’m glad to see you’re awake,” a man says, slowly walking into the cold room. As my eyes dart around the space as if to try to stave off what’s happening, I start cataloging what’s around me.

I can’t panic, even as small gasps of air escape from my lungs and my ears ring.

Now that I’m forcing myself to pay attention, I see that I’m inside of a small cage in a basement. It’s May in Minnesota, so it’s still cold, and the walls are really high here. I can see a sliver of a small window next to me, but there’s no light.

Is it still night? How long have I been out?

“My eyes are here, Wren,” the man snaps, crouching on the ground in front of me.

My name isn’t Wren, it’s Harley, but I can’t say that as my gaze is drawn back to the man.

He has beady, narrow dark eyes, and he has tawny hair that’s cut short and messy. I can smell his acrid, sour scent as he watches me, my nose warning me of the danger in front of me. I can see it in his perfectly cut suit, shiny shoes, and intense gaze.

He’s a man who gets what he wants, without any hesitation. He’s an alpha, but he’s not mine.

“I see you,” I whisper. The man nods, his lips twisting into a cruel smirk.

“Good girl, Wren,” he murmurs. I can’t help the whimper I make. I’m cold, my stomach is starting to hurt, and I’m really fucking scared. “I’m Trey, and your parents were nice enough to give you to me. Do you know what that means?”

I shake my head, but quickly answer when he snarls at me. “No, Alpha,” I gasp. “I don’t know what that means.”

I’ve never called anyone this before, but I do notice the glow in Trey’s eyes when I say it. He has to be in his early forties, though there are very few wrinkles on his face. I’m a little girl, and while I don’t understand what’s happening, my teeth are starting to chatter in fear.

I’ve never been scared like this before. I don’t know what to do except what I’m told.

“Good, pet. That’s okay,” Trey says with a small smile. “It means you’re mine for as long as I want you to be. We’re going to be good friends, you and I.”

“We are, Alpha?” I breathe. My fingers are twitching from the cold and the stress. I don’t want to make a wrong move, an instinct I’m unaware of wants to make this man happy.

“Yes,” he says. Standing, he looks down at me as he opens the door. “Crawl to me, little omega.”

I’m scrambling to follow the instructions in his bark before I can even begin to understand it, crawling to him. His fingers dig into my long brown hair, stroking its softness as I lean into him.

“As long as you’re a good girl, you won’t have to sleep in the basement, pet. Is that understood?” he asks, his hand fisting as he pulls back my head.

The cry I make as he forces back my head echoes through the basement, and Trey chuckles.

“Yes, I think you understand me just fine.”

Tears fall from my eyes for the first time since I woke up, but they excite him. I quickly learn after this moment never to show anyone my weaknesses. Even when I have no power, I can swallow back my tears.