C1

“Do not wake Eloise up,” Rowan whispered.

“Get your clothes on quick. I’ll take you back to your pack now.”

“Are you scared she’ll see us?” Meredith laughed softly. “She drank too much moon-wine tonight anyway. You’re marrying her tomorrow at the Moon Goddess Bond Hall.”

“Shh, keep it down,” Rowan hissed. “She’s right outside on the couch.”

“Eloise is just a big, fat human,” Meredith said cruelly. “She needs to give up on you. My belly is growing—our baby needs to be the next pack leader.”

My heart shattered.

I stood frozen outside the bedroom door, hands trembling. I had given my best songs in the Silverhowl Bard Guild to Meredith because Rowan asked me to. I helped her rise to stardom. And this was how they repaid me.

“I love you, Rowan,” Meredith purred.

“I love you too,” he replied without hesitation.

They walked out together, never noticing me hidden behind the large chair. From the window, I watched them hug by the car, their bodies pressed close. Tears streamed down my face.

The next morning, I put on my wedding dress and drove my small car to the Moon Goddess Bond Hall. I no longer wanted to marry him. I just wanted to see how far his lies would go.

I waited for over an hour. The sun climbed high. Rowan never showed.

My phone rang.

“Eloise, Meredith was in a huge car crash,” Rowan said urgently. “I have to stay with her at the pack hospital. We’ll sign the mate papers another day.”

“Is she okay?” I asked quietly.

“She needs me right now. Just go home.”

He hung up.

He thought I was stupid. He cared more about his secret pregnant wolf lover than our wedding day. I was glad I knew the truth. I would never marry that lying wolf.

I turned to leave when a giant black truck roared to a stop. A very tall, powerfully built man stepped out. He removed his dark glasses, revealing sharp, commanding features. He looked like a king—huge, strong, and radiating an aura that made the air feel heavy.

I recognized him instantly.

Lucan Ashcroft. Alpha Lord of the Moonsong Dominion.

“Lord Lucan, we still cannot find Evelina Ashenvale,” Beta Corwin said nervously. “Should we retrieve her?”

“No,” Lucan replied coldly. “I do not wait for a woman who is late to her own wedding.”

“But High Alpha Osric said you must marry today,” Corwin pressed. “If you don’t, you lose the pack lands.”

“Find me a girl right now,” Lucan ordered. “I have twenty minutes. Get any female star from the guild.”

“Right now, sir?”

“Yes. Now.”

My eyes widened. Lucan needed a bride immediately. Rowan had thrown me away. Meredith thought I was worthless because I was a plus-size human.

I wanted them to regret this forever.

I wanted a strong man by my side.

Heart pounding, I walked straight up to the towering Alpha.

“Lord Lucan,” I said boldly, “you need a bride today. Look at me. Choose me instead.”

Lucan stopped. He looked down at me—really looked. His dark eyes slowly traced my face, then my full figure. He didn’t say yes. He didn’t say no.

The silence stretched. He was terrifyingly intense.

I held my breath, refusing to back down.

This impulsive decision might save me… or destroy me completely.