“You are not my bride.” Those four words, whispered with the sharp edge of a blade, shattered the silence of the ceremony hall and turned my entire existence into a death sentence.
I was never meant to stand at the altar; I was just the omega shadow, the girl meant to stay hidden in the pantry while my beautiful sister claimed the glory.
But when Simone vanished, my family didn't see a daughter - they saw a commodity, pushing me into the heavy white lace to satisfy a contract that promised blood if the Alpha of the Brown Reed pack was humiliated.
I am Scout, the rejected girl with the broken mate bond, now tethered to a man who smells like cold pine and lethal, unforgiving power.
Alpha Nixon is the kind of monster who builds kingdoms on iron and discipline, a recluse whose gaze makes my skin crawl and my heart stutter in equal measure.
He expected a radiant trophy; he got a terrified substitute with a secret that could ignite a war between our packs.
My stepmother has staged a performance of betrayal so convincing that the entire room - including the man I am now bound to - views me as a treacherous blight on their noble history.
Every beat of this forced connection feels like a chain tightening around my throat, drawing me into a world where I am neither wanted nor safe.
If I reveal the truth, my father will be executed; if I stay, I am trapped in a marriage built on a lie with a man who learns to hate me more with every passing second.
I am drowning in a life that was never mine, clinging to the hope that I am more than just a proxy in his high-stakes game.
How long can I hide the truth behind this veil before the Alpha decides that a broken bride is better off buried?