Chapter 2

Juliette's Point of View

The silence lasted exactly three heartbeats.

Then the room exploded.

"She's lost her mind!"

"The Alpha? She wants to marry the Alpha?"

"That's Caleb's father! This is insane!"

Voices crashed over each other, rising into chaos. Guests shot to their feet, pointing, shouting, clutching their pearls like I'd just set the building on fire.

Maybe I had.

Diana shoved her way forward, face twisted with horror. "Absolutely not! This is disgusting! Lucian is Caleb's father!"

"Stepfather," I corrected, voice flat. "Not blood."

"He raised him!" Diana's voice cracked. "Caleb has called him father since he was eight years old! You were supposed to be his daughter-in-law, and now you want to be his wife? Do you have any shame?"

Shame. That word again. Like I was the one who should feel it.

I stared at her. "Your nephew left me at the altar. In front of three hundred people. And you're asking me about shame?"

She sputtered, cheeks going blotchy red.

Another voice cut through. One of the councilmen, old and self-important. "This is highly inappropriate! The ethics alone—"

"What ethics?" I shot back. "The ethics of abandoning your bride? The ethics of humiliating an entire pack for your own selfish whims? Those ethics?"

He shut up.

Vivienne stepped forward again, and the crowd actually quieted. That's the power she held. One look from the former Luna and grown wolves fell silent like scolded pups.

"Enough," she said, voice cutting through the noise. "The girl is right."

Wait. What?

Diana whipped around. "Mother Vivienne, you can't possibly—"

"The contract exists." Vivienne's eyes were cold, calculating. "Ashvale and Silvercrest. A marriage to seal the alliance. My husband signed it with his own blood. The terms are clear." She paused, letting that sink in. "It specifies a Thornwood. It does not specify which one."

Murmurs rippled through the crowd. Some outraged. Some... considering.

"The wedding will proceed," Vivienne continued. "The pact must be honored. If Lucian agrees, the terms are satisfied."

All eyes turned to him.

Lucian Thornwood hadn't moved. Hadn't spoken. He sat there like a statue carved from granite, arms still crossed, expression completely unreadable.

My heart slammed against my ribs.

What the hell was I doing? This man was the most powerful Alpha in the region. Feared by enemies. Respected by allies. Caleb had told me stories about him. Cold. Ruthless. A wolf who'd torn out throats with his bare teeth.

And I'd just demanded he marry me.

In front of everyone.

Goddess, Juliette. You've really done it now.

But I couldn't back down. Not now. Not after everything.

I stepped forward, chin high, legs shaking beneath my gown. Every step felt like walking through quicksand. The guests parted for me, eyes wide, whispers hissing like snakes.

I stopped directly in front of him.

Up close, he was even more intimidating. Broad shoulders. Sharp cheekbones. Those gray eyes that seemed to see straight through me.

Thirteen years older. Old enough to be... well. Not quite my father. But close.

Stop thinking. Just do it.

I raised my hand, holding his gaze.

"Alpha Thornwood." My voice came out steadier than I felt. "I'm asking you directly. Will you marry me?"

The room held its breath.

Lucian tilted his head slightly, studying me like I was something fascinating he'd found in the woods. A puzzle he couldn't quite figure out.

Then his lips curved. Just barely. The faintest hint of something that wasn't quite a smile.

"You're serious," he said. Not a question.

"Completely."

"You understand what you're asking?"

"Yes."

"You'd become Luna of Silvercrest. Stepmother to the man who just abandoned you." His voice dropped lower, meant only for me. "Are you prepared for what that means?"

I didn't flinch. "Are you?"

Something flickered in his eyes. Surprise? Respect? I couldn't tell.

He leaned back, that almost-smile still playing at his mouth. "You've got fire. I'll give you that."

"Is that a yes or a no?"

A few gasps from the crowd. Nobody talked to the Alpha like that. Nobody.

But Lucian just... laughed. Low and quiet, more breath than sound.

"Tell me something first." He uncrossed his arms, leaning forward. "Why me? You could have pointed at any Thornwood. My brother. My nephews. Anyone. Why the one choice guaranteed to cause the most chaos?"

Because your son humiliated me. Because I want him to choke on his regret. Because when he comes crawling back, I want to be the one thing he can never have.

I didn't say any of that.

Instead, I smiled. Sweet as poison.

"Because I don't settle for less than the best."

Lucian's eyes darkened. Not with anger. With something else. Something that made my stomach flip in ways I wasn't ready to examine.

He stood.

The entire room seemed to shrink. He towered over me. Six-foot-something of pure Alpha dominance.

"Elder Matthias," he called out, voice carrying across the hall.

An old man near the front straightened. White hair, weathered face, ceremonial robes. The most respected elder in Silvercrest. The one who was supposed to marry me to Caleb.

"Alpha?" Elder Matthias stepped forward, confusion written all over his face.

Lucian reached down and took my hand. His grip was warm. Firm. Certain.

"I'm willing to take this woman as my wife."

Chaos. Pure chaos.

Diana screamed something. The councilmen erupted. Guests shouted over each other, half of them looking like they might faint.

But Lucian ignored all of it. He just stood there, holding my hand, watching me with those unreadable gray eyes.

I couldn't breathe.

He actually said yes. He actually said yes.

What the hell was happening?

Vivienne raised her hand, and slowly—painfully slowly—the room quieted again.

"The Alpha has spoken," she announced. "The ceremony will proceed."

Before I could process anything, Lucian's Beta appeared at his side. Tall, silent, efficient. He held out a small velvet box.

Lucian took it, flipping it open with one hand.

A diamond ring. Not the one Caleb had chosen for me. This one was different. Bigger. Older. An heirloom, maybe. Something that actually meant something.

Lucian slid it onto my finger without a word.

It fit perfectly.

How? How did it fit perfectly?

I stared at it, brain short-circuiting.

"Juliette." Lucian's voice pulled me back. Low. Intimate. Like we were the only two people in the room.

I looked up.

"Last chance to run," he murmured.

I swallowed hard. "I don't run."

That almost-smile again. "Good."

He turned to Elder Matthias, who looked like he'd aged ten years in the last five minutes.

"Proceed," Lucian ordered.

The ceremony was a blur. Words I barely heard. Vows I barely remembered speaking. The whole time, Lucian's hand stayed wrapped around mine, steady and sure while my heart tried to beat its way out of my chest.

And then Elder Matthias said the words.

"You may kiss the bride."

The room went silent again. Waiting. Watching.

Lucian turned to face me. His hand came up, fingers brushing my jaw, tilting my face toward his.

"Breathe," he whispered.

And then he kissed me.

Not gentle. Not hesitant. He pulled me against him, one arm wrapped around my waist, and kissed me like he meant it. Deep. Claiming. The kind of kiss that made my knees buckle and my mind go completely blank.

When he finally pulled back, I was gasping.

The crowd erupted. Applause, gasps, outraged cries. All of it blending into white noise.

Lucian looked down at me, thumb brushing my lower lip.

"Welcome to the family, Luna."