"An admission into the All Male Alpha Academy?" Grace squinted at the letter, struggling to read the words.
Some parts were hard for her, but she understood enough to know her daughter had been admitted into a boys' school.
"What the hell is going on, Angela?" she snapped.
Angela almost peed herself when she saw the letter in her mother's hands.
The postman had brought it straight to the house.
Principal Jane must have given up trying to reach her.
Angela had thought the process would take weeks.
She had no idea it would happen this fast.
Three days ago she had applied, and now, a letter of admission.
The fastest she had ever seen.
There was no time to wonder why.
Grace's face was stormy.
If Angela didn't handle this right, she would be dead before morning.
"Are you going to answer me or not?" Grace slammed her palm against the table, making Angela jump.
"What did you ask, Mother?" Angela said, pretending she hadn't heard.
Grace's eyes narrowed.
"Why is this letter addressed to you?"
"A letter? To me?" Angela frowned in fake confusion.
"I have no idea why my name is there. Maybe... maybe you're reading it wrong, Mother. Look closely. It says Angel, not Angela."
She held her breath.
Grace was good at smelling lies.
If she caught on now, Angela was finished.
Grace gritted her teeth.
She should have known this little brat would try something sneaky.
To test her, she made a move to tear the letter but Angela didn't say a word.
She just sat there, calm, though her eyes gave her away.
Grace smirked and dropped the letter back on the table without tearing it.
"A lion doesn't give birth to a goat," she muttered.
"You're going to tell me everything, or you'll regret it. I'll report you to the authorities if I have to."
Angela rubbed her sweaty palms together.
"I can explain," she said in a low voice.
And she did.
She told her mother everything, about the expulsion, about the application to the Academy.
Grace's mouth dropped open when she realized Angela had been kicked out of school three days ago.
"How dare that fat fool expel you?" Grace barked, storming to the corner to change her clothes.
She was ready for a fight, ready to drag the principal through the dirt if she had to.
"I'll make her pay for this!" she shouted.
"You won't," Angela said firmly, blocking her way.
"It's not like you're any better than her."
Grace froze.
Angela's voice shook, but she stood her ground.
She told her mother she knew everything about the plan to sell her off, about the deal with her uncle.
"I won't be a pawn," Angela said, her voice thick with anger. "Not for you. Not for some alpha who just wants a breeding machine."
Grace looked away.
She couldn't meet her daughter's eyes.
"You'll have to obey your uncle," she said after a while, her voice weak.
"It's the only way out of this life."
Angela laughed bitterly.
"No. It's the only way you get paid."
She stared hard at her mother.
"How much, Grace? How much is he offering you?"
Grace hesitated, then muttered, "Four hundred dollars."
Angela couldn't believe it.
Her own mother, selling her out for a few dollars.
The werewolves from the West would have paid over a thousand dollars for a human surrogate.
They were picky and would pay any price for the right girl.
"I'll pay you a thousand," Angela said, her voice steady.
"If you let me go to the Academy. And you keep it a secret."
Grace stared at her like she had grown two heads.
She laughed loud and ugly until Angela pulled out her savings box and handed her everything she had.
Two hundred and twenty dollars.
It wasn't enough, but it was all she had.
"Hmm... smart one," Grace said, pocketing the money.
Her eyes gleamed.
Angela knew right then she wasn't buying her mother's help.
She was buying her silence.
The rest of the day passed in a rush.
Grace cut and trimmed Angela's hair, tying her chest tight with strips of cloth until it hurt to breathe.
They bought a few cheap men's clothes that barely fit.
"My beautiful daughter... wasted," Grace muttered, biting her nails as she looked at Angela in boy's clothes.
"Oh, Mother," Angela rolled her eyes, slinging her packed bag over her shoulder.
She had to leave tonight if she wanted to reach the Academy by morning.
"If you were born a boy, you'd have broken a lot of hearts," Grace said as they walked to the station.
She smiled, but there was a sadness in her voice Angela didn't understand.
"Make sure you find an alpha to marry you," Grace teased.
"Mother, stop," Angela sighed.
The train arrived, loud and cold.
It was time.
"Don't get caught. And don't forget the rest of my money, Angel my boy," Grace called out, laughing.
There was no hug.
No kiss.
Just a mother counting her gains and a daughter chasing her only chance.
Angela climbed into the train, her heart heavy.
As it started moving, she looked back one last time and froze.
Was that... her mother crying?
Was she pretending all along not to care?