CHAPTER FIVE

SALOME POV

Now, in my life, he was the one making all the decisions.

I just sat there on the edge of the bed, staring at Alpha Williams as my chest rose and fell in shallow gasps. My mind was spinning backward. I came to the Alpha’s palace to serve as a maid, to scrub floors and wash dishes, not to marry the Alpha himself. And the worst part of it all, the thing that was twisting a knife deep in my gut, was the memory of how I got here. It was Mariam who had interviewed me. She was the one who looked at my poor background, listened to the story of my mother’s death, and gave me the job.

No matter how violent or cruel she had been to him, marrying the Alpha felt like an absolute betrayal to her.

"Alpha, please listen to me," I pleaded, my voice cracking as I pulled my hands out of his tight grip. "You cannot do this. I am a maid. Marrying me will only prove her right. The whole world will think I seduced you away from her. It feels wrong. It feels like a betrayal to the woman who brought me into this house."

Williams didn't flinch. He stood up, towering over me, his face set like stone. "Salome, look at me."

I looked up, tears blurring my vision.

"You are not betraying anyone," he said, his voice deep and completely firm. "Mariam destroyed our marriage with her own hands. Have you forgotten her words the night she was leaving? She said it herself in front of you—she never loved me. She married me only out of pity because she thought I was desperate. Our marriage was a corpse long before you ever knelt down to clean up that broken glass."

"But the pack—"

"The pack will accept you because I accept you," he interrupted, his jaw tight. "I am the Alpha. I will not sit by and watch the media drag your name through the mud because I lost control and kissed you in public. This is the only way to protect your dignity."

I tried so hard to talk him out of it, pointing out the madness of the scandal, the anger of the pack elders, and my own complete lack of preparation to be anything other than a servant. But his mind was completely made up. For hours, the pressure in the room was suffocating. He wouldn't back down, and my arguments were running out.

Then, he leaned down slightly, his expression softening just a fraction. "If you marry me, Salome, I will personally make sure you go to college. I will pay for everything. You will get the education and the life you always wanted, without ever having to scrub another floor."

That statement completely blew my mind. College. My mother’s biggest dream for me, the one thing I thought I had lost forever when Mariam fired me, was being handed to me on a silver platter. My defense finally crumbled.

"Okay," I whispered, wiping a stray tear from my cheek. "I will do it. But please... I want a very low-key wedding. No big crowds, no flashing lights."

Williams smiled faintly, though there was a flash of hesitation in his eyes. He is a hockey champion, after all, and hockey players and wolves do very loud, extravagant stuffs. "I will do my best to keep it quiet, Salome. But we have to fix the date quickly. The wedding is two days from today."

"Two days?" I gasped, my heart leaping into my throat. "That is too sudden!"

"It has to be fast," he said, leaving no room for argument. "The longer we wait, the worse the magazines will get." He didn't care about the timeline, his only focus was securing my place by his side before the scandal ruined me completely.

The next forty-eight hours passed in a terrifying blur. The day finally came, and the palace was a storm of tense energy. Down in the servants' quarters, the atmosphere was split right down the middle. Some servants were genuinely happy for me, hugging me tightly and whispering blessings, while some were completely not. I could see the bitter, jealous glares from the older maids who thought I had played a cheap trick to climb into the Alpha’s bed. But I ignored them. Deep in my heart, I believed all these crazy turn of events were being directed by the Goddess of the Moon. She had a plan, even if I was too terrified to see it.

A famous designer arrived at the palace with a massive rack holding about ten different wedding dresses. They were all breathtaking, covered in silk and lace, and I was told to choose. I picked the simplest one—a long-sleeved, plain white gown that didn't have too many glittering stones.

The glam team immediately got to work. My hair was styled into soft curls, my make-up was beautifully done, and when I finally looked in the mirror, I gasped. The timid, bruised maid was completely gone.

Despite my request for a low-key wedding, it was still a huge occasion. Williams had kept the press out, but the entire pack elite, the hockey team, and the elders filled the grand hall. Walking down the aisle felt like walking through a dream. In just a few hours, vows were exchanged, rings were slipped onto our fingers, and we were officially declared husband and wife.

That announcement automatically made me the Luna of the Northern Pack. The realization hit me like a physical wave, making my knees shake beneath my dress.

During the reception, the hall was filled with music and laughter. Guests crowded around us, shouting congratulations and greeting the Alpha with heavy slaps on his back. Williams kept his hand firmly on the small of my back, guiding me through the crowd. I smiled until my face ached, feeling completely out of place among the wealthy wolves.

Needing a moment to breathe, I stepped slightly away from Williams near the grand drinks table. That was when I noticed her.

A woman was standing near the edge of the table, slightly hidden by a large floral arrangement. She was wearing an elegant gown, but a thick, dark lace veil completely covered her face. My instincts, sharpened by months of watching out for danger in this palace, immediately flared up.

She was moving suspiciously fast. Her hand slid out from beneath her sleeve, holding a tiny glass vial. I watched in horror as she positioned her hand directly over Alpha Williams's personal glass of champagne, trying to drop a strange, cloudy liquid into his drink.

My body moved before my brain could even process the danger.

I rushed forward and grabbed her wrist with a iron grip, freezing her hand just inches above the glass.

The woman gasped, jerking her head up. For a long, agonizing second, we stood frozen in the middle of the crowded room, staring directly into each other's eyes through the thin gaps in the lace veil.

My blood ran completely cold, and my breath caught painfully in my throat. Clearly, beneath the dark lace, I could see the sharp, familiar lines of her face.

It was Mariam.