Survival.

An individual’s primary goal in life is to survive.

Feeling lightheaded, I forced my eyes open.

The room’s brightness assaulted my vision, making it difficult to assess the situation, much more to remember what happened last night.

“Ugh—!”

The groan coming from my lips came to a halt, my senses slowly coming back.

‘Huh?’ I thought, my mind racing as my eyes adjusted to the brightness, seeing a naked man sleeping soundly beside me. ‘Who are you?’

As the question lingered in my head, I gasped sharply, realizing I had nothing on.

“Oh, goddess!” I mumbled.

I blinked, recalling how I ended up with a beautiful stranger next to me.

I could see a well-defined cheekbone despite only seeing half of his face with the other half covered by the pillow. His bushy eyebrows and hawkish nose draw me in, enticing me to stare at him.

The attraction was too strong. It was a challenge to look away. If not for the memories of last night invading my mind, I would have fallen victim to his charm, my skin yearning to touch him.

Losing my virginity to some stranger who mistook me to be a sex worker wasn’t part of my plan.

Food was scarce, and my need to survive led me to this brothel in the red light district last night.

–

My grumbling stomach was unable to resist the pull of the aroma of roasted chicken wafting from the opened windows of a room in the brothel.

I remembered sneaking in, desperate to fill my ravenous craving. And so it happened, finding the room empty, with the door ajar and the abundant meal waiting for me; I didn’t hesitate to rush in.

But the seemingly empty room wasn’t unoccupied as I had first assumed.

With one hand holding a large piece of the roasted chicken, my other hand was grabbed firmly, the person roughly making me face him.

His undeniable charm instantly won over my usual defense mechanism. He radiated a different kind of aura, making it even more challenging to resist falling under his curious, piercing gaze.

The air sizzled, thick with the attraction of the sexy stranger and I was exchanging. It made my skin prickle and scream, wanting to be touched by him.

I would have done something reckless had the moment not been broken by the arrival of another man.

I had no interest in their conversation, but how he addressed the handsome stranger piqued my interest.

“Alpha,” the second guy greeted, lowering his head before the attractive man holding me in place.

“Alpha...?” I repeated, staring back and forth between the two men. “As in…”

“The name’s Matteo,” the first man said. A devilish grin stretched his lips, and my heart fluttered at the sight. “Alpha of the Nightwalker Pack.”

The Nightwalker Pack!

That was the most powerful pack in the entire country, maybe even the continent.

I had only heard stories and rumors, especially tales about the cruelty of the Nightwalker Pack’s Alpha. And to think that this man that stood before me was the man in question, the one said to have slaughtered other smaller packs without even batting an eyelid.

Yet, I couldn’t help but think that this man wasn’t the same as the legends foretold. The Alpha Matteo in front of me was charming and compassionate. He could’ve had me killed for stealing his food, and yet, he allowed me to eat my fill.

Alpha Matteo stepped forward, his footsteps crisp against the wooden floors.

My heart thundered in my chest when he closed the distance between us until his face was inches away from mine.

I had forgotten how to breathe. His golden eyes, bright as sunlight, gazed deep into my own. He placed a hand under my chin, lifting it so I could not break eye contact with him.

My ears rang, blood roaring in my veins. Wherever he touched, it felt like there was a tantalizing fire that seared across my skin, filling me with unbridled desire.

“And you are?” he asked.

“Leila,” I answered breathily.

“Leila.” He repeated after me. I loved the way my name rolled off his tongue. Hearing it was enough to send shivers down my spine. “What a beautiful name.”

He spoke again, though not to me. “Prepare a room,” he instructed.

“Yes, Alpha,” the man behind quickly replied before leaving the room. That left me alone with Alpha Matteo with nowhere to run.

He turned his attention back to me. “And now, Leila,” he murmured, his voice low and laced with dangerous lust. “Where were we?”

–

The rest of what transpired after that brought me back to the present in time to feel the man beside me stir, his eyes fluttering open.

His eyes left me mesmerized, momentarily freezing me in place before panic set in.

Unaware of the battle within me, the man leaned close, his face mere inches from mine.

His fingers brushed my cheeks, sending delightful shivers across my skin and warmth spread between my legs.

The grin on his proud lips told me that the look on my face had betrayed me.

“You’re so god damn beautiful,” he said between heavy pants laced with desire. “How much would it be to bring you home with me?”

‘Home,’ I repeated in my head.

At that time, my infatuation halted, pulling me out of the dream state.

Hurriedly scrambling away from the sexy stranger, I got out of the bed, picked up my scattered clothes, and put them back on.

“What’s the rush, love?” his dark, sexy voice almost made me stop. I shook my head, struggling to wear my bra while fighting the urge to stare at the handsome stranger before taking my leave.

“I’m paying triple….”

I refused to listen to the rest of his sentence, slamming the door shut. I barely put on my dress back properly and had no choice but to carry my shoes in one hand, leaving my feet bare.

“What the hell, Leila,” I mumbled, muttering a string of curses as I stared at the closed door.

–

Several weeks later…

Pinching the bridge of my nose, I exhaled heavily. This was probably the worst headache I had had in the past few days.

Aside from feeling tired, sleepy, and nauseous from certain smells in my everyday existence, I hated the headache and the sense of helplessness.

Splashing my face with the cold water running from the faucet of the public restroom, I squinted at my reflection in the dirty mirror.

The bulb blinked on and off, making it a little difficult to focus.

Dark circles were under my eyes, proof of a few restless nights spent in random places I find myself sleeping in. Having no home and family to rely upon, I had been a regular roamer.

I had no recollection of any parents during my childhood. I grew up alone, fending for myself, and scouted one place to another to survive.

I’m used to the harsh environment of being a rogue. But I’d rather live than die without trying.

“What the—” I doubled over the sink, my stomach acting funny and making me feel like puking.

When the sensation passed, I caught my reflection in the mirror once more; something felt awfully wrong about this.

I blinked, recalling how I hadn’t gotten my period and what I had felt in my body lately.

Fear and panic clashed, and my hands trembled as memories of the hot stranger flashed in my mind.

The realization left me to stare at my reflection again, ignoring the annoying lighting from the broken bulb.

Horrified, my eyes widened, and my heart hammered nervously against my chest.

“No…”