Sable's POV
The white dress feels like a funeral shroud.
I stand in front of the mirror in Thorne's penthouse bathroom, barely recognizing myself. The dress is beautiful—simple, elegant, expensive. Everything I'm not. A maid brought it this morning with instructions: Be ready by five. Don't be late.
My hands shake as I zip it up. In seven days, my entire life has been erased. Finn is in treatment, getting better every day. And I'm about to marry a monster who bought me like cattle.
"You can do this," I whisper to my reflection. "For Finn. You can survive anything for Finn."
But my wolf is howling. She's been restless since I met Thorne—pacing, whining, trying to tell me something I don't understand. Every time I think about him, my chest aches. Like something's missing. Like something's wrong.
A knock on the door. "Miss Morven. It's time."
I follow the maid to the living room. It's massive, cold, more like a museum than a home. Three lawyers stand near the window in dark suits. No guests. No family. No witnesses except strangers paid to be here.
And Thorne.
He stands with his back to me, wearing a black suit that probably costs more than my life. When he turns, those gray eyes rake over me—cold, assessing, empty.
"Let's begin," he says. Not "you look beautiful." Not "are you ready." Just business.
The ceremony takes four minutes.
A lawyer reads from a script. Thorne repeats words like he's ordering coffee. I stumble through my vows, voice cracking. When the lawyer says "you may kiss the bride," Thorne leans in and presses his lips to mine for exactly one second.
It's my first kiss. It feels like kissing stone.
"Sign here." He pushes more papers at me. Marriage license. Insurance forms. Legal documents that make me officially his property.
I sign everything with numb fingers.
The lawyers leave. The maid disappears. And suddenly, I'm alone with my husband in this empty penthouse that feels like a cage.
"Come with me." Thorne walks away, expecting me to follow.
I do. What choice do I have?
He leads me down a hallway to a bedroom. Huge bed. Dark colors. Smells like him—that expensive cologne and something else. Something that makes my wolf whimper.
"This is my room," he says. "You'll sleep in the guest room down the hall. But tonight—" He loosens his tie. "Tonight we complete the contract."
Complete the contract. He means sex. He means taking my virginity. He means...
"Can we—" My voice barely works. "Can we talk first? Get to know each other?"
"Why?" He unbuttons his shirt. "This isn't a romance, Sable. It's biology. The sooner you accept that, the easier this will be."
Tears burn my eyes. I won't cry. I won't give him that.
"I just thought—"
"Don't think. Just do what you're told." He sits on the bed, watches me like I'm a problem to solve. "Take off the dress."
My hands shake so hard I can barely move. This isn't how it's supposed to be. First times are supposed to be special. Gentle. With someone who loves you.
But I'm not here for love. I'm here to be used.
I reach for the zipper. My fingers won't work. Everything in me screams to run—but where? Finn needs this. Finn needs Thorne's money, Thorne's treatment, Thorne's...
"Do you need help?" Thorne's voice is impatient.
"No. I—I can do it." I turn around, close my eyes, and unzip the dress. It falls to the floor in a whisper of silk.
I'm standing in my underwear in front of a stranger who owns me.
"On the bed."
I climb onto the massive bed, shaking like a leaf. Thorne moves over me, and up close, he's terrifying. Big. Powerful. His eyes are empty—like he's not even here, like I'm not even human.
"This will hurt," he says. No comfort in his voice. Just fact. "Try to relax."
But I can't relax. Can't breathe. Can't—
He kisses me again. Still cold. Still empty. His hands move over my body like he's checking items off a list. Touch here. Touch there. Efficient. Quick.
When he enters me, the pain is white-hot. I bite my lip so hard I taste blood. He doesn't notice. Doesn't care. Just keeps moving with mechanical precision, focused on his goal.
Get her pregnant. Complete the contract. Nothing more.
I close my eyes and leave my body. Float somewhere above the bed, watching this happen to someone else. That girl on the bed with tears running down her face—that's not me. Can't be me.
It's over in minutes. Thorne pulls away, breathing hard. He doesn't look at me as he stands, walks to the bathroom. I hear the shower start.
I lie there, bleeding onto his expensive sheets. My body hurts. My heart hurts worse.
This is my life now. This is what I sold myself for.
The shower stops. Thorne comes out fully dressed, hair wet, looking like nothing happened. He checks his phone, types something.
"Stay in this room tonight," he says, still not looking at me. "Don't wander the penthouse. The maid will bring food if you're hungry."
"Where are you going?" The words slip out before I can stop them.
Now he looks at me. Those gray eyes are cruel. "That's not your concern. You did your job. I'm doing mine."
He's going to her. To Vivienne. To his real lover while I lie here broken and bleeding.
"Thorne—" My voice cracks. "Please don't leave me like this."
"Get used to disappointment, Sable. This is a business arrangement. Nothing more." He walks to the door. "Oh, and don't bother calling anyone. Your phone's been disconnected except for emergencies. Easier this way."
The door closes. His footsteps fade. The elevator dings.
Then silence.
I curl into a ball on blood-stained sheets, hugging myself. My wolf howls in grief—a sound that tears through my chest. Something's broken inside me. Something that might never heal.
I cry until there's nothing left.
Hours pass. Maybe days. I don't know anymore.
Finally, I drag myself to the bathroom. Blood runs down my thighs. I stand in the shower until the water runs cold, scrubbing my skin raw, trying to wash away the feeling of his hands.
It doesn't work.
I'm wrapping myself in a towel when I see it.
On the bathroom mirror, written in the steam from my shower: I'M SORRY
My heart stops.
The words fade as the steam clears, like they were never there.
But I saw them. I know I saw them.
Someone wrote on this mirror. Someone who was here. Someone who watched—
My phone buzzes. The one Thorne said was disconnected.
Impossible.
I grab it with shaking hands. One new message. Unknown number.
You're not alone. The penthouse has cameras everywhere. I've been watching. What he did to you was wrong. I can help you escape—but you have to trust me. Reply YES if you want out. - A Friend
My mind spins. Cameras? Someone watching? Escape?
This could be a trap. A test. Thorne checking if I'm loyal.
But what if it's real? What if there's a way out of this nightmare?
My fingers hover over the phone.
Then I hear it. The elevator. Ding.
Footsteps in the hallway. Coming closer.
Thorne's back.
The bathroom door opens.
But the man standing there isn't Thorne.
He's taller. Broader. Golden eyes that glow in the darkness.
Caelan Greystone. The Alpha who talked to me in the parking garage. The one who gave me a card with his number and said, When you need help, call me.
"Hello, Sable." His voice is gentle. Warm. Everything Thorne isn't. "I think we need to talk about what your husband is really planning for you."
He pulls out a folder. Drops it on the counter.
On the cover, in bold letters: PROJECT BREEDING PROGRAM - PHASE ONE COMPLETE
And below that, a list of names. My name. And twenty others.
Twenty other omegas.
"You're not his wife, Sable." Caelan's eyes are sad. "You're experiment number one."