CADGE BY THE ALPHA

Chapter 5 ZARA POV

Word Count: 1392 | Released on: 16/10/2026

A P

ng moment, and I felt it happen, felt the part of me that had been holding on, counting down days, surviving on eighteen months and a number in my head, felt it crack. "You promised me," I said, quieter, and I hated how my voice sounded, hated the way it had gone small, "Marcus please, I'm begging you, please don't do this, I'll work extra sets, I'll do more bookings, I'll pay you back every cent he gave you, just please don't do this to me." "It's done," he said, and looked away, "I'm sorry." "No you're not." He didn't answer that, because we both knew I was right. I walked out. Gia was standing by door , arms crossed, reading my face before I even opened my mouth. "He didn't fix it," she said. I couldn't answer, just walked past her toward the locker room and she followed without being asked, closing the door behind us, and the second that door shut something inside me just gave way. I sat down on the bench, put my face in my hands and cried, not the quiet kind, the ugly kind, the kind that had been building for three years of counting days and telling myself it would end, it would actually end, I was almost there. Eighteen months, I was eighteen months away. "Hey," Gia sat beside me and pulled me in, "I've got you, I've got you." "I can't do this again," I said into my hands, "Gia I can't, I cannot be somebody's property again, I can't." "I know." "I was so close, and he just sold me like I'm nothing, like three years meant nothing, like I mean nothing." "You're not nothing," she said, firm, "don't say that." "Then why does every man I come across think they can just own me, what is wrong with me." "Nothing is wrong with you, everything is wrong with them," she grabbed my face in both hands, "do you hear me, nothing is wrong with you." I pulled back and wiped my face with the back of my hand and just sat there breathing, trying to find the floor under my feet again. Then the anger came. It always came after the crying, like it had been waiting just behind it, and when it came this time it came hard. "I'm not going," I said. Gia looked at me, "Zara." "I'm not going, I don't care who he is, I don't care how much he paid, I am not walking out of here with his men tomorrow like some package that got purchased, I would rather die." "Don't say that." "I mean it Gia, I genuinely mean it, I will not be owned again, I cannot survive it again," I stood up, something settling in me cold and decided, "I'm leaving toni

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CADGE BY THE ALPHA

HerladyMj Werewolf

“Zara Cole has survived abuse, betrayal, and captivity. Every day, every performance, and every dollar she earns brings her one step closer to reclaiming the life that was stolen from her. She believes she is human, ordinary, and powerless, but the world has been lying to her. Zion Blackwood is the ruthless and untouchable Alpha King of the Blackwood Kingdom. At twenty-eight, he has ruled through fear, dominance, and absolute control. Nothing challenges his authority until he encounters Zara and recognizes her as his fated mate, the one woman his wolf will never allow him to ignore. Zara knows nothing about werewolves, mate bonds, or hidden kingdoms. Abused as a child, abandoned to a life of exploitation, and sold by the adoptive father she once depended on, she has learned never to trust anyone with her freedom. Now trapped under a contract controlled by Marcus Webb, the owner of the Red Room, she is determined to survive long enough to escape. But when Zion enters the club and discovers their mate bond, he orders his Beta, Kai Blackwood, to purchase Zara's contract. Suddenly, the woman who has spent years fighting to control her own life finds herself under the roof of a man who believes he has every right to control hers. Zara refuses to bow to the Alpha King's authority. She challenges him, tests his patience, and attempts to escape the luxurious estate he calls home. Yet the more she resists, the more determined Zion becomes to keep her close. Neither of them understands the danger hidden beneath their growing connection. Within the Blackwood Kingdom, not everyone accepts the idea of a human mate. Nadia Voss, an ambitious and calculating she-wolf, sees Zara as a threat to her future and begins working against her. As political tensions rise and an attempt is made on Zara's life, Zion's need to protect her becomes increasingly desperate. Then he makes a decision that changes everything. When Zion marks Zara without her consent, the seal that has suppressed her wolf for twenty-two years begins to break. A voice awakens inside her, introducing herself as Luna. With Luna come strange abilities, buried memories, and questions about a past Zara never knew existed. Someone sealed Zara's wolf at birth for a reason. Someone concealed her true identity and ensured she would grow up believing she was human. As the mystery deepens, Zara begins to understand that her existence is connected to secrets powerful enough to threaten the Blackwood Kingdom. Now, caught between an obsessive Alpha King, a dangerous supernatural world, and the truth buried within her own blood, Zara must discover who she really is before the people who fear her power destroy her. Zion may have claimed her as his mate, but he cannot force her to trust him. If he wants her beside him, he must learn that love is not ownership, and a bond cannot replace a choice. As Zara's wolf awakens and the identity of the one who sealed her powers draws closer to the truth, one question remains: will she become the woman Zion wants to possess, or the power neither of them can control?”