Chapter 001

“Line up girls! the Alphas and their Beta’s will be here today to pick a bride or a slave. So pray to the moon goddess that you’ll get picked or that’s another year for you here!” Madam Claudia shouted, banging the baton on the cell bars.

“Who do you think will be here today?” Ruby, one of the girls in my room asked, happily pulling her dress over her head.

“I hope I get picked. Better to be a slave to one wolf than a whore to all.” Renee snorted. She was another girl in the room and my worst enemy.

"You” she called, briefly looking up to met my gaze “get your scurrying self over here and clean my boots. At least one of us needs to be clean today," she continued painting her nails while loudly chewing gum.

I rolled my eyes, muttering under my breath. I walked over to her bed and bending forward to grab her boots from under the bed.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing? Huh?” She hissed in my ear, pulling my hair harshly.

“Renee, you’re hurting me,” I whined, holding down her hand to reduce the pain on my scalp.

“Let her go Renee, madam Claudia will be back soon. She won’t like that.” Aria the oldest amongst us said, coming out of our shared bathroom with a towel wrapped around her chest.

Renee snorted in response, tossing my hair aggressively, “you little whore! Pray that I get picked or it’s going to be hell for you.”

I ignored her, quietly picking up the boots and walking over to the window. It’s been six months since madam Claudia found me outside of the brothel where I worked as a waitress.

FLASHBACK:

“I’m going to get what I paid for!” One of the men standing at the other side of the bar screamed at Robb, banging his fist on the table.

“Astrid is not old enough to satisfy you.” Robb explained, pushing me behind him.

I was 19 but due to my small stature one could think I’m rather 14 or 15 which sometimes was a very big plus on my side, since it was frowned up here to have a young she-wolf as a sex worker. You could get killed or rather banished and become a rogue and nobody wants that.

“Damn right she’s young! I saw her kissing the baker’s boy the other night. No child would do that.” The man sneered.

The baker’s boy was Sam, and I wasn’t kissing him. I was older than him and he was still yet to shift into his wolf form which was one thing we had in common. He was my only friend, so the night the man claimed to have seen me kissing him, I was only dusting away the flour from his head, after we had chatted way into the night.

But I remained silent, knowing fully well that my input in the exchange wouldn’t mean anything.

“That’s is a lie, Astrid would never,” Robb defended.

“Are you calling me a lier?” The man roared drawing attention to us. The whispers in the bar grew with everyone turning to see the cause of the commotion.

“No sir, I never said you were a lier.” Robb said, his large hands shielding me from the flying glass the other man had just broken.

“I need your manager here immediately! If she is a child like you claim, then she shouldn’t be walking here at all.” The man said, picking his nose with his finger, “I’ll report this to the district council, then we’ll see how this place still stands by tomorrow.” He smirked walking out of the brothel.

His threat was not empty, other brothels in the area had been closed down by the district council due to similar problems and my boss, Ryker wasn’t someone that joke about his business.

“What are we going to do?” I asked, stepping aside, as I watched the man leave the bar in huffed pride. “With enough evidence they might actually believe him, and Ryker will rather have my head that let his business die.”

“We’ll be fine. Ryker will never believe him, besides you are not underaged.” Robb said, ruffling my hair. “now go up and shower, your shift starts soon.”

I nodded and made my way upstairs toward the room Ryker, our boss, had assigned to me and Robb. The room now belonged to me, as Robb had built a small shed for himself and his wife.

We came into town a year ago, with Robb pretending to be my father. We were both banished from our pack. I was said to have killed my mother during child birth, and my father, the alpha remarried, eventually my step mother got fed up of me and made my father banish me.

Better than killing me right?

I was sixteen when I left the pack, met Robb when I turned seventeen and ever since we’ve been together. He met Grace during one of our “adventures” together. She joined us and they fell in love and as fate could have it, they were fated mates, and now expecting their first child.

The water was cold, compared to the heat coming from the walls of the brothel, it was a welcomed luxury I enjoyed here. My hair clung to my face and back, as I stepped out of the small bathroom, wrapping a towel around my petite figure.

“Astrid! Astrid! Get out here this instant!” Ryker shouted pounding his fists on the door.

I paused, hoping the sound was all in my head, but it came again. Louder this time.

Sighing I walked up to the door and opened it slightly, looking up at the red face of my boss.

“What did i hear just now about you refusing a customer today?!” Ryker sneered, his body visibly shaking with anger.

“He wanted me to make a house run with him which I refused, then he started causing a scene.” I said, looking down at my feet.

Ryker gritted his teeth, grabbing my jaw painfully he pulled my face up to meet his eyes. “And why wouldn’t you go home with him? Where do you think you are? Huh?!”

“Wh…what?” I asked confused.

“This is a goddamn brothel Astrid! If he says he paid for your services then he did! So you have two choices now, either go home with him or you’ll leave here tonight!”

“Wh…what do you mean?” Fear was starting to creep inside my body.

“You heard me Astrid, you either leave with him tonight or you pack your things and leave this place for good.” Ryker said, his voice dropping to a deep grumble. “You have ten minutes.” He said and walked out.

I don’t know how long I stood there with my damp hair dripping water to my face. But in the next minute I saw myself being thrown outside into the rain with the only of clothe I had to my name.

“Don’t you dare show yourself here, ever again.” Ryker threatened spelling out each word for me.

Robb watched as I stood outside the door, rain drenching my clothes, pain and anger contorted on his face. He couldn’t do anything and I didn’t blame him, he had his wife and unborn child to think off.

After Ryker had gone in and shut the door, Robb came out, dragging me behind the building

“Stay by the bakery everyday, I’ll get food to you.” He said, giving me a bag of food supplies Grace had packed for me. “I’ll ask around town and see if I can get you a place to stay.”

“I’ll be fine Robb.” I smiled, the rain pouring down my face. “Don’t worry about me, say thank you to Grace for me. I hope it’s a girl.” I stood on my toes, and hugged the man I had come to love for the passed three years of my life.

I gathered my bag and walked away from Robb’s pleading voice, asking me to stay.

I walked for days, living by the little food given to me by Robb.

Then, one night, when the first snow touched the ground, I met her. She approached me, holding a crimson umbrella that contrasted strikingly against the soft, white flakes. Her beauty was otherworldly, as if she had stepped out of a dream. Her features were delicate yet commanding—high cheekbones, lips the color of rose petals, and eyes that sparkled like stars in the night sky. She wore a red gown that seemed to cling to her body like a second skin accentuating all the right places, the deep, vibrant hue making her skin glow with a familiar warmth. She looked like a vision of both elegance and strength, as though the snow itself bowed to her presence.

“What are you doing out here all alone child?” She asked lowering herself to my level.

I looked up at her, her perfume was a breath of fresh air compared to where I was.

“What’s your name?” The woman asked again.

“Astrid.” I murmured a response.

“How old are you Astrid?”

“19.”

“Would you like to come with me, Astrid?”

I looked at her,I didn’t mind where she was taking me as long as I had a roof over my head, clean clothes and food to eat, I’d follow her to hell.

Making a decision, I nodded. Giving me the sweetest smile, she rose to her full height. Gathering my bag as I followed her into the coach. I don’t know how many days we spent on the road, but we went from coach to a train then to a car, all the while stopping in between where I got to shower and eat. And at the end of the week I was brought here. To the “House of the Lost.”

FLASHBACK ENDS: