Chapter 1: Dumped At The Alter

Sonnet

"She’s nothing but a worthless Omega. Did she really think Alpha Thomas would actually show up to marry a mangy stray?"

The cruel laughter of my stepsister, Chloe, echoed through the dressing room.

I stared at my reflection in the full-length mirror, my hands trembling against the cheap lace of my wedding dress.

Today was supposed to be my freedom. My pack, the Silver Crest pack, had arranged this marriage to Alpha Thomas of a neighboring territory. I knew he didn't love me, but it was my only chance to escape the daily beatings and starvation from my stepfamily.

Then, the heavy oak doors banged open.

My stepfather, Beta Richard, sneered as he tossed a crumpled piece of paper at my feet.

"The wedding is off, Sonnet. Thomas just sent word. He said he would rather mate with a rogue than tie himself to a pathetic, weak Omega like you."

My heart shattered. Not out of love, but out of sheer terror.

"The guests are already in the chapel," Chloe smirked, her eyes gleaming with malice.

"The whole pack is out there waiting to watch you get rejected. Father, can we lock her in the dungeons now? She has humiliated our family name."

"As soon as the guests leave," Richard growled, his heavy hand gripping my shoulder tightly, bruising my skin through the fabric. "Stay here. Don't make a sound."

They slammed the door, locking it from the outside.

Panic seized my chest. The dungeons. If they locked me down there, I would never come out alive.

My Omega instincts roared at me to run.

With desperate strength, I threw my weight against the old wooden window frame at the back of the room.

It gave way with a sharp crack. Lifting the heavy layers of my white gown, I scrambled through the opening and dropped into the secluded, dimly lit stone hallway of the grand cathedral.

I ran blindly, tears blurring my vision. I could hear the muffled murmurs of the hundreds of guests waiting in the main chapel.

If I walked out there alone, the public humiliation would destroy me. My pack would hunt me down.

I needed a shield. I needed a miracle.

Suddenly, I rounded a sharp corner and slammed hard into what felt like a solid wall of granite.

"Oof!" I gasped, stumbling backward.

A large, heavily calloused hand shot out, gripping my waist with a force that sent a bizarre, electric jolt straight down my spine.

I looked up, the breath completely leaving my lungs.

Standing before me was a man who looked like he had been sculpted from darkness and raw power..

He was towering—easily six-foot-four—with broad shoulders clad in an immaculate, expensive black suit.

His jawline was sharp enough to cut glass, shadowed by a dark stubble. But it was his eyes that terrified me.

They were a piercing, stormy grey, staring down at me with an icy, brooding intensity that made my knees weak.

He radiated a suffocating, lethal aura. He was a high-ranking Alpha.

No—he felt even more dangerous than that.

"Watch where you are going, girl," he growled. His voice was a deep, gravelly baritone that vibrated right through the floorboards.

Footsteps echoed from the hallway behind me. Richard and Chloe were looking for me.

I was out of time. It was either the dungeon or a reckless gamble.

"I'm sorry," I whispered.

Before he could push me away, I stood on my tiptoes.

I threw my arms around his broad neck, buried my fingers in his thick, dark hair, and crashed my lips against his.

The man stiffened instantly, freezing like ice. A low, dangerous rumble started deep in his chest.

But I didn't let go. I kissed him with everything I had, pouring all my desperation into it.

To my utter shock, a sudden, scorching wave of heat erupted where our lips met, sparking like wildfire.

I pulled back just an inch, my chest heaving, my eyes begging his.

"Please," I gasped out, my voice cracking.

"My groom stood me up. My pack will kill me. Please walk down the aisle with me. Save me from this shame, and I will do anything you want. I swear it. Just pretend for one hour."

The powerful stranger stared down at me. The icy grey of his eyes suddenly flared, shifting into a brilliant, predatory, glowing wolf-gold.

A dark, dangerously amused smile tugged at the corner of his lips. His grip on my waist tightened, pulling my body flush against his hard chest.

"Anything, little Omega?" he murmured, his thumb brushing against my hip, sending shivers through me.

"You have no idea what you just promised. Deal. Let's go get married.”