Chapter 1

Chapter 1 - Trapped by the Alpha's Design

I stared in horror as Sterling's claws ripped through the stranger's throat. Blood sprayed across the forest floor, splattering my shoes. The man who had simply been asking me for directions to the nearest gas station now lay lifeless at my feet.

"Sterling, what have you done?" I whispered, my voice trembling. "He was just asking for help!"

My stepbrother's eyes, usually a deep emerald green, now glowed with predatory amber as he shifted partially back from his wolf form. His breathing was heavy, primal.

"He was too close to you, Aurora. His scent was all over you." Sterling's voice was eerily calm as he wiped blood from his hands onto his dark jeans. "No man approaches what's mine."

Mine. That word made my skin crawl. I wasn't his. I was his stepsister, not his possession.

"He wasn't doing anything wrong!" I screamed, tears streaming down my face. "You murdered him! We need to call the police!"

Sterling's laugh was cold as he stalked toward me. "Police? This is pack territory. I am the law here."

I backed away, but he moved with supernatural speed, grabbing my wrists. His touch, once comforting when I was a little girl, now sent fear racing through my veins.

"You will not speak of this to anyone," he commanded, his Alpha voice washing over me. Though I was human until my twenty-first birthday, I could still feel the weight of his command pressing down on me. "We're going back to the party, and you will smile and act normal. Understood?"

I couldn't fight him. Not physically, not with his supernatural strength, and not with his position as Alpha of the Crescent Moon Pack. I nodded mutely as tears continued to fall.

"Good girl," he murmured, brushing his thumb across my cheek in a gesture that made my stomach turn. "Now clean yourself up. We have guests waiting."

As Sterling dragged me back toward the mansion where my mother and his father were hosting a charity event, I thought about how drastically my life had changed since he'd begun his obsessive behavior.

It started when I turned sixteen. Sterling was twenty-three then, already Alpha after his father stepped down, and CEO of Zamford Technologies. What began as protective big brother behavior morphed into something dark and possessive.

No boys were allowed near me at school. My social media accounts were monitored. My phone had tracking software I couldn't remove. Every aspect of my life was under his control.

My mother, Celeste, saw nothing wrong with his behavior. "He's just protective, sweetheart. You should be grateful to have such a caring brother," she would say, completely blind to my suffocation.

Now, at twenty, I was counting down the days until my twenty-first birthday next month. In werewolf culture, that's when I would get my wolf and possibly find my fated mate. A mate bond was my only hope for escape—the one thing that could override Sterling's claim on me.

Until then, I was trapped.

"Fix your makeup," Sterling ordered as we approached the mansion's back entrance. "You look like you've been crying."

"Because I have," I spat back, finding a small burst of courage. "You just killed someone!"

His eyes flashed dangerous amber again. "And I would kill a thousand more who look at you the way he did."

"He didn't look at me any way! He needed directions!"

Sterling grabbed my chin, forcing me to look into his eyes. "Every man wants you, Aurora. I see what you can't. I protect you from what you don't understand."

The charity ball continued as if nothing had happened. I smiled mechanically at guests while Sterling kept a possessive hand on my lower back, steering me through the crowd. Every time a male guest so much as glanced my way, his fingers would dig painfully into my skin.

Later that night, I lay awake in my bed, haunted by the dead man's eyes. Would anyone miss him? Would his body ever be found? I wiped away fresh tears, knowing my prison had just become even more terrifying.

Three days later, I sat in my university's computer lab, staring at the screen with mounting dread. The internship placements were finally posted—my last hope for some semblance of freedom.

I had applied to tech companies far from home, praying to be paired with my crush, Ethan Vance. We had been dancing around our feelings for months, sharing stolen moments when Sterling wasn't watching. The internship would have given us space to explore what was between us, away from my stepbrother's watchful eyes.

My fingers trembled as I clicked on the document. I scrolled down the alphabetical list until I found my name:

Aurora Hamilton - Zamford Technologies.

My heart plummeted. No. This couldn't be happening. Zamford Technologies was Sterling's company.

I frantically searched for Ethan's name:

Ethan Vance - Baxter Systems.

Bile rose in my throat. Even this small freedom had been stolen from me.

"Did you get your placement?" Chloe asked, sliding into the chair beside me. My best friend had no idea about Sterling's true nature. Like everyone else, she saw only his charming facade—and worse, she had an enormous crush on him.

"I did," I managed to say, forcing down my panic.

"Let me see!" She peered at my screen. "Oh my god, Aurora! You got Zamford Technologies? That's amazing! You'll be working with Sterling!"

I nodded mechanically while my mind raced. This was no coincidence. Sterling must have manipulated the placements. I would be working directly under him, living in his house for the three-month internship, completely at his mercy.

"Aren't you excited?" Chloe pressed, confused by my lack of enthusiasm.

I plastered on a fake smile. "Of course. It's just... unexpected."

My phone buzzed with a text. Sterling.

*Congratulations on your placement, little sister. I can't wait to have you home where you belong.*

The word "home" made me shudder. His house had never been my home—it was my prison. And now, there would be no escaping it.

As I stared at his message, another notification appeared. An email from the internship coordinator:

*Due to unforeseen circumstances, some placements have been adjusted. These changes are final.*

My last hope shattered. Even the university system bent to Sterling's will. How could I escape someone with such far-reaching power?

I had exactly two weeks before the internship began. Two weeks of relative freedom before Sterling's control became absolute.

The walls were closing in, and I was running out of time.