“But we’re going to have some fun first.” He nods at someone else in the pack.
Kat saunters over with a smug grin. She wields a new knife in her hand, waving it between her fingers like a prize. “This will be so much fun! I’ve been wanting to do this for ages!” She kneels in front of me. “Did you really believe him? When he said he would meet you tonight? When he promised to save you?” She snorts when I don’t answer her. “It was all an act, Grit.”
I stare at her knee, refusing to show any reaction to her words.
She cackles, leaning back to rest on her heels. “He told us, you know.” My eyes move up to her face. “How he convinced you, how he made you believe that you were his true mate.” Raucous laughter erupts from all of Bart’s groupies and bounces off the trees. “Guess you wish you submitted now. Don’t you, Grit?” She offers a cruel smile.
I don’t want to believe her, but he isn’t here. He never came.
“Shut the fuck up, and do it!” Bart yells. She cocks her head to the side, assessing me. The knife in her hand approaches my face.
She slices into my scalp, and I scream. Blood seeps into my eyes. Pain wracks my body, and when I just can’t take any more, darkness consumes me.
I lie on the forest ground in a semiconscious heap. Bart stands over me, blood dripping from his hand. It isn’t enough, wolves shredding me to pieces, cutting off my hair, slicing into my face. He has to beat me too. All of that isn’t enough for these sick bastards.
I feel a tug. My heart freezes in my chest when I realize the rope is still around my neck. I reach for it—too late!
They drag me backward. The rope tightens, cutting off my air. I claw at my neck, trying to pry my fingers under the noose. I choke, sob, and kick my legs as my body slides through the dirt.
My upper body lifts into the air. No, no, no! My feet leave the ground. I flail for the rope behind me. I can’t breathe.
Dots threaten my vision. The rush of roaring blood pounds in my ears, joined by a high-pitched ringing noise. My lungs are about to burst from lack of oxygen. I reach for the knife in my waistband. But my fingers are numb and soaked in blood. My hands tremble.
Don’t give up! I yell at myself in my mind as I slowly saw through the rope. The knife slips from my grasp. My arms fall to my sides. My body stills, and my erratic heartbeat stutters.
It’s over. I have no fight left in me. My heart stops. I. Submit. To. Death.
Chapter 1
The Late Night Show
JESSICA
PRESENT DAY:
March 24, 2025
With trembling hands, I fidget with the skirt of my dress and pull at my sleeves. My heart beats hard and fast against my chest. Beads of sweat start to form over my upper lip. I peak through the thick, heavy drapes, anticipating my introduction onThe Late Night Show with Sammy Cane.
I watch her present her opening. I could have stayed in the dressing room and watched on the monitor, but my nerves forced me out here instead. Sammy is a pretty woman with dark blonde hair, warm brown eyes, and a beauty mark just above the right corner of her mouth. She was once a famous pop singer. The audience laughs and claps at her fun, energetic demeanor.
At the heart of the stage is a loveseat for the guest, an armchair for the host, and a rounded coffee table, where a mugof water or tea waits for me. A small band sits off to the side of the stage opposite me. My eyes shift to the open ceiling with large bright canned lights fixed to metal beams. Their warmth already blinds me.
Behind the filming crew and stagehands milling about are five rows of seats for the live audience. A tiny flicker of panic stirs in my gut, quickening my already erratic pulse, when I notice every seat in the studio is filled. I scan the audience for a familiar face, and my shoulders drop in relief when I find my mother sitting next to Sixes in the third row.
“I am so excited to introduce you to our special guest tonight. She is a singer/songwriter, the CEO of WP Corporation, and now the main star of our favorite reality TV show,A Game of Heart’s Desire: The Alpha Games. Please welcome Alpha Princess Jessica Langhlam!"
The curtain parts, and the audience cheers as I make my way onto the stage. Still trembling, I force a smile, hoping it doesn’t look scary or unnatural. I offer a little twirl to showcase my dress.
I promised my friend, Akiyo, that I would wear her latest design. The long, fitted, high-split dress, off-the-shoulder with long sleeves, features a green-and-gold gauzy Asian print, matched with high strappy heels I can barely walk in.
Internally, I pray I don't trip. Slow and steady, I tell myself, as my ankle wobbles. Finally, I reach the hostess. Relief fills my chest. Thank goodness. Sammy welcomes me with a big hug, and my nervousness melts away.
“Thank you, Alpha Princess Jessica, for joining us today. We are so excited to have you! It is such an honor to be in your presence!” She motions to the loveseat.
I wave to the audience as I take my seat. “What are you talking about? You’re Sammy Cane, the first contestant to winSo You Think You Can Singin the very first season. You’re thefirst and only music artist to have multiple number-one hits stay on the top ten pop music charts for months, not to mention the first female artist to own her own record label just one year after entering the industry. You paved the way for many young artists with a dream within the Northern A territories and worldwide.”
She blushes at my own fangirling and drops her head.
