Chapter 1

Suki waited in anticipation, alongside all the other women, who stood in a line in the centre of the room, waiting to discover the seal of their fate. Ten women stood there, but one of their lives would change forever, becoming the next chosen Luna of the Silver Moon pack.

This was it. There is no turning back now. Her anxiety deepened as she scanned the line-up of beautiful women.

There she was, a final contender, deemed worthy to be a potential suitress for the future Alpha.

Being the daughter of the Beta wolf of her pack, she was essentially royalty, held to a much higher standard than others. She couldn’t speak for the other women surrounding her, but she was, in fact, a top contender.

Watching carefully as the Alpha-son finally entered the ballroom, the people present to witness this memorable occasion went from loud chatter to a soft murmur, eager to see who he would choose to become his mate and Luna.

Not wasting any time, the Alpha-son paced over to a man, dressed in a smart suit and holding a jewellery box, and opened the box to pull out a stunning silver chain holding a crescent moon amulet, an important piece from the Silver Moon pack, but most importantly, a symbol to represent his Luna.

Silence struck in the room, all eyes on him as he approached the lineup of women, not even hesitating as he moved for his target – it made one thing clear: he knew exactly who he wanted.

Suki’s heart pounded so hard in her chest that she was worried that everyone in the room would hear it. He wasn’t looking at anyone specifically, and she couldn’t tell who he was walking over towards.

When he stopped walking, he wasn’t in front of the redhead Suki predicted he’d choose.

He stood before Suki.

The words of her father echoed loudly in her mind, words he pushed on her harshly earlier that day, before the evening’s events: “If he chooses you, you will smile and show how grateful you truly are. No matter what, you will not reject this.”

There was no time to dwell on his words; she had to play the part as he instructed. Holding a bright and beautiful smile, ensuring it looked genuine through her dark hazel eyes, Suki kept her gaze locked on his silver eyes, only breaking it to bow her head down as he draped the amulet around her neck.

It must have been a believable smile, because he mirrored it as he held out his hand for her. He guided her to the centre of the room to present her to his parents, seated on their throne-like seats.

He picked her. She fought hard to conceal her shock as she gripped the amulet he placed around her neck, a symbol of his pack and an offering to welcome her as one of their own. Of all the women he could have picked, he chose her.

A soft and singular nod of approval from the Alpha and Luna was all it took to break the silence and encourage everyone to continue the celebration, sealing the arrangement.

Suki Twyla of the Moonstone pack was set to create a forced bond with Everett Shaw of the Silver Moon pack and become their new Luna.

✧ ✧ ✧

Everyone burst into celebration once the reveal was confirmed, indulging in the food, drinks and live music.

Everett led Suki into the middle of the dance floor for a slow dance – their first dance as a newly presented couple, one that would join the packs together and strive to work together to break the dreaded 18-year curse bestowed on Silver Moon.

She laced her fingers with his with one hand, and with the other, she placed it on his shoulder. His free hand rested on her waist, holding her close, but he hesitated when he pulled her closer to him; a pain flickered in his eyes.

People always described Everett Shaw as intimidating and scary, someone you didn’t want to cross, but Suki could see a softness in his eyes, like the way he presented himself externally was not truly how he was internally.

She could tell instantly how she felt about the event was exactly how he was feeling.

However, she didn’t want to bring attention to the fact that she, too, wasn’t interested in this arrangement. She didn’t want anyone to ask questions as to why she was willing to sever her true bond with her fated mate. As far as anyone else knew, it was the same reason as all the other women – to have a handsome and powerful male wolf by her side.

Little did everyone know, fate had another idea for Suki. Something unheard of. Something blasphemous. Something that her strict and traditional family would never allow if they found out. They had an image to keep after all, and such information would ruin them.

So the rest of the world would never know her secret, not even her family; it was her burden to bear alone.

She didn’t mind. She knew from a young age that being the daughter of a Beta wolf of the Moonstone pack would mean most of her life would be written and set out for her. She was willing to do what she had to do for her pack. All she had to do was smile and go along with it.

Even though this was an arranged marriage and that they would force their bond to break any ties with their true mates, she still wished that they would be able to form a real bond, one of friendship at the very least, to allow them to work well together.

It wasn’t what her heart truly yearned for, tugging on that invisible string leading to her true desire. The truth.

“You seem deep in thought,” said Everett.

Snapping back to reality, Suki’s eyes widened, “Oh shoot, sorry, I was just thinking.”

“What about?”

She swallowed thickly, looking to the side where her father was watching her carefully, “Just about us, how honoured I am to be the one you picked, and what it would be like for us once we–” she stopped suddenly, practically choking on her words.

Everett raised a brow, “Once we create our forced bond?”

Suki bit down on her lip and nodded as her head dropped low.

“We’ll work it out, we can take it as slow or fast as you want,” his tone was reassuring. It comforted Suki to know he wouldn’t rush her, but at the same time, she knew that couldn’t be true.

She cleared her throat, “Respectfully, Alpha-son, I have a feeling your parents and my father will try and encourage us to bond with each other as soon as possible, especially given that your pack is…”

“Cursed?”

She nodded.

He didn’t say anything right away; he just watched her carefully, examining her and trying to understand what was going on in her head. “Everett,” he said calmly.

“Hm?” Suki squeaked.

“We’re going to be the next Alpha and Luna, you shouldn’t call me ‘Alpha-son’. We’re equals in this going forward.”

A soft smile broke through her face, one that didn’t meet her eyes. She was happy with his comment, but part of her was sad for the two of them, being forced to do something that they didn’t want. “Of course… Everett.”

✧ ✧ ✧

The two were made to spend as much time as possible together in the lead up to the next full moon – that would be when Everett would have enough power to mark Suki, and everything would become official. True bonds severed, and the new bond – their forced bond – will take its place.

Every time they were together, Suki noticed that same hidden pain lurking in Everett’s eyes, no matter how hard he tried to hide it.

“I’m sorry, I have to ask,” she blurted out, stopping as the two walked through flowery beds within the forest.

Furrowing his brows and tilting his head, Everett spoke faintly, “Huh?”

“Something is bothering you. What is it?”

He said nothing, and for the first time, he looked annoyed at Suki for bringing it up. Maybe he knew his pain was obvious and was thankful that she ignored it, until she didn’t. Everett continued to move forward, but Suki grabbed his wrist. “Forget about it, Suki.”

“I’m going to be your Luna, I’m here for you,” she tried to reassure him.

“No, Suki,” he mumbled.

“But–”

“I said forget about it,” he said louder.

She huffed, “If you can’t trust me with what’s bothering you, then who can you trust?” She knew she would annoy him, but she didn’t care. She didn’t want to be part of this arrangement just as much as he didn’t. The least he could do was try. “Maybe I can help you, if you just open up and tell me what’s troubling you, I can–”

“The girl I’m in love with is missing,” he snarled, turning to face her and towering over her as his intimidating glare locked on her eyes.