LOGINNatashaMikhail and I barely made it down the hallway when Rowan appeared, his face twisted with rage."You!" He snarled, stalking toward us. "You fucking whore!"Mikhail immediately stepped in front of me, his body a protective wall between Rowan and I. "Watch your mouth." He growled, his eyes darkening with anger."Watch my mouth?" Rowan laughed, but there was no humor in it. "I'll say whatever the fuck I want! She was supposed to be mine! We had an arrangement!""An arrangement I never agreed to," I said from behind Mikhail, keeping my voice steady even though my heart was racing. "I never wanted to marry you, Rowan. I'm sorry you're hurt, but—""Hurt? HURT?" His voice rose to a shout. "You humiliated me! Made me look like a fool in front of everyone! And for what? So you could fuck your brother?""That's enough," Dimitri's voice cut through the hallway as he appeared, clearly having followed us. "Rowan, I understand you're upset, but threats and insults won't solve anything.""I'
MikhailDimitri's office had never felt so much like a courtroom.The council members were already assembled when we arrived, arranged in a semicircle of stern faces and folded arms. Eight of the pack's most senior wolves, all looking at Natasha and I like we had just committed murder instead of confessing our love. Dimitri took his place at the head, his expression carved from stone, and gestured for us to stand in the center of the room.I kept Natasha's hand clasped firmly in mine. Whatever happened next, we would face it together."Do you understand the severity of what you've done?" Dimitri asked, his voice eerily calm. "You've humiliated Irina and her entire family in front of witnesses from three territories. You've destroyed an alliance that took months to negotiate. You've potentially started a war, and you did it all for—" He gestured between us, his expression somewhere between disbelief and disgust. "For this.""For love," I said firmly. "We did it for love.""Love," D
NatashaThe silence after my words was deafening. Every single person in that hall was staring at me and I wanted to melt into the floor and disappear but I couldn't.I wouldn't. Not now that I finally found the courage to speak. My heart was pounding so hard I thought it might burst out of my chest and my hands were shaking but I kept my chin up and kept my eyes on Mikhail even though I could feel the weight of hundreds of stares boring into me.People started moving and murmuring, the whispers spreading like wildfire through the crowd. I saw shock on faces, disbelief, horror and curiosity, but I didn't care about any of them. I only cared about Mikhail, standing there at the altar in his ceremonial clothes with Irina beside him, and the look on his face when I said those words.He's already mated to me.I started walking toward the altar, my legs somehow carrying me forward even though they felt like jelly. Each step felt heavy but I took it anyway, moving through the crowd as th
MikhailI stood in my room while servants bustled around me, dressing me in the ceremonial clothes I was supposed to wear to bind myself to a woman I didn't love. The fabric was expensive, the embroidery intricate, every detail carefully chosen to reflect the importance of this union between two powerful families.Deep down, it felt like I was going to a funeral instead of a mating ceremony."Arms up, sir." The tailor said, and I obeyed mechanically, letting him adjust the formal jacket, pin it here and there, fuss over the fit.Through the window I could hear the sounds of celebration, music and laughter and excited chatter as the pack gathered for what they considered a joyous occasion. To them this was a triumph, a strategic victory and the beginning of a new era of prosperity and strength.To me, it was the beginning of the end."You look very handsome," The tailor said, stepping back to admire his work. "Your bride will be pleased."I said nothing. What was there to say? That I
MikhailThe bachelor party was in full swing by the time I arrived, and I wanted to be literally anywhere else.The den had been transformed into something out of a fever dream, all dim lighting and heavy music and the scent of alcohol and arousal thick in the air. My pack brothers were already drunk, yelling and laughing, and in the center of the room several she-wolves danced in various states of undress, their bodies moving to the pounding beat."There he is!" One of the alphas called out when he spotted me. "The groom! Get him a drink!"Someone shoved a glass of whiskey into my hand and I drank it without tasting it, hoping it might numb the hollow ache in my chest that had been growing steadily worse with each passing hour.Tomorrow I would marry Irina and lose Natasha forever."Come on, don't look so miserable," Another alpha laughed, clapping me on the shoulder. "This is supposed to be a celebration! Last night of freedom and all that!"Freedom. The word was a joke.One of the
NatashaThe dress fitting room was on the third floor of the estate, a spacious chamber filled with mirrors and afternoon light that made everything look ethereal and romantic.I hated every inch of it. I stood near the wall with the other attendants, watching as the seamstress fussed over Irina's wedding gown, pinning and adjusting the delicate ivory lace that cascaded down her body like water. She looked like a princess from a fairy tale, her dark hair swept up elegantly and her skin glowing in the soft light.The dress itself was a masterpiece of white silk and intricate beading. She was going to marry Mikhail in that dress tomorrow evening.The thought made me want to vomit."Higher on the left shoulder," Irina commanded, examining herself in the mirror with a critical eye. "The neckline needs to be more symmetrical."The seamstress hurried to comply, her fingers working quickly with pins and adjustments while Irina continued her inspection, turning this way and that, making sure
NatashaRowan wouldn't leave me alone. Every time I turned around, he was there, his hand finding the small of my back, my elbow or my waist, touching me with a possessiveness that made my skin crawl and my stomach turn. He would appear during meals, sitting too close, his thigh pressing against
NatashaI was still sitting on my bed, staring at nothing, when my door flew open. Mikhail stood there, his face devastated, and my heart immediately dropped.He came inside quickly, shutting the door behind him. "I went straight to Dimitri’s office. I was going to tell him everything right then, I
MikhailI walked straight to Dimitri's study, my heart pounding so hard I could hear it in my ears.I was done waiting and planning. I was going to tell him right now, this moment, before I lost my nerve or talked myself out of it.I would not let another second pass where Natasha thought I might c
MikhailI made it three steps down the corridor before I stopped.Dimitri was ahead of me, his shoulders rigid with tension, heading toward his office where he would no doubt lecture me about my duties and responsibilities and everything I was supposed to be.But Natasha was out there somewhere, cr







