Chapter 1: Wedding Day

Cora's POV

“Are you ready, sweetheart?” my mom’s voice floated through the heavy oak door, all sugar and sunshine.

I stare at my reflection, my heart pounding so hard it hurts.

The satin wedding dress clung to my body like a second skin, and Luna's tiara glittered in my loose curls.

I should’ve been glowing.

I should’ve been thrilled.

Instead, I felt like I couldn’t breathe.

“Just... just a second!” I call back, smoothing my trembling hands down the front of my dress.

Today, I was marrying the man of my dreams—Alpha Liam Thompson of the Snowcrest Pack.

At least, that’s what everyone kept telling me.

Only three months ago, I was just another nameless orphan in the Stonebrook Home for Unclaimed Wolves.

I spent my days scrubbing floors, cooking for ungrateful kids, dodging Mrs. Edith’s whip.

I didn’t even have a last name.

Then one night, everything changed.

Two strangers arrived, standing tall and proud in the moonlight—an Alpha and a Luna.

And they were crying.

Crying for me.

They said I was their daughter.

They said they'd searched for me for years after I was stolen as a baby.

They took me away from Stonebrook, brought me to the Bloodthorn Pack, gave me a home, a family... a name.

Cora Montague.

For the first time in my life, I’m not nobody.

I’m wanted.

I still wake up some nights half-expecting it all to vanish, to find myself back scrubbing pots in that awful kitchen.

But it’s real.

My parents love me fiercely. They call me their precious girl, their little miracle.

And when Liam Thompson—gorgeous, charming, powerful Alpha Liam—proposes to me at my welcome home party, it feels like fate has tied the perfect bow on my messy, broken life.

Except... It happens so fast.

Way too fast.

We barely speak beyond polite small talk that night before Liam takes my hands and, in front of everyone, drops to one knee.

I still remember the way the room had fallen silent, the way every pair of eyes had pins me in place.

He smiles, dazzling and confident.

“My sweet Cora, will you be my mate Luna?”

I hear gasps, my parents whispering excitedly behind me.

I should felt overjoyed.

Instead, a strange panic claws at my chest.

I barely know him.

I don’t even know what his favorite color is, let alone how he likes his coffee or whether he squeezes the toothpaste from the middle.

My wolf, Melody, had howls joyfully in my head—Mate! Mate!—but some quiet, stubborn part of me hesitates.

“Say yes,” my mother’s voice urges, smiling so wide her cheeks turn pink.

My father’s hand claps my shoulder, firm and proud.

“Of course I will,” I breathe, blinking back tears.

Because how could I say no?

Not to the man every she-wolf dreamed of.

Not when my parents are so happy, after all the years they'd lost.

They don’t even wait long to set the date.

One week later, I’m standing here, clutching a bouquet and trying not to faint.

A sharp knock rattles the door.

“It’s time, darling!” my mom calls. “Everyone’s waiting!”

Everyone’s waiting.

The words echo in my head.

I swallow hard, forcing a smile onto my face, and open the door.

The hall buzzes with excitement. I catch glimpses of elegant she-wolves, warriors in formal attire, the gleam of silver and candlelight.

They’re all here for us.

I walk stiffly to the altar, feeling like I’m floating outside my body.

And there he is—Alpha Liam—standing tall and devastatingly handsome in a dark suit, his hazel eyes glittering under the chandeliers.

When our eyes met, he smiles that perfect smile, and for a second, my fear melts away.

Maybe I’m just nervous.

Maybe everything is fine.

The officiant’s voice rang out, steady and deep.

“Cora Montague, daughter of Alpha Marcus and Luna Elaine of the Bloodthorn Pack, will you accept the Moon Goddess’s blessing and bind yourself to Alpha Liam Thompson of the Snowcrest Pack?”

I opened my mouth—and for a heartbeat, nothing comes out.

Do I really know him?

Does he really know me?

Why does everything feel like it’s spinning so fast I can’t catch my breath?

Melody whimpers softly in my mind, nudging me forward. He’s our mate. Trust him.

“I—I do,” I finally say, my voice shaking.

A ripple of relief passes through the crowd.

The officiant turns to Liam.

“Alpha Liam, do you accept the Moon Goddess’s blessing and bind yourself to Cora Montague?”

The world seems to hold its breath.

Liam hesitates—just for a fraction of a second.

Long enough that my stomach twists.

But then he smiles, strong and sure.

“I do,” he says.

The room explodes into applause and cheers.

I barely feel it when Liam slips the golden band onto my finger, or when he pulls me into a soft, chaste kiss.

It’s all a blur.

All I can think is— It’s done.

We are Alpha and Luna.

Later that night, after endless toasts, laughter, and endless rounds of dancing, Liam and I finally escape to the room we’re supposed to share as mates.

The moon hangs high and full outside the windows, casting a silver glow over everything.

I sink onto a velvet loveseat, yanking off my heels with a sigh of relief.

“Long night, huh?” I mumble.

Before I can say another word, Liam closes the door behind him—and crosses the room in three long strides.

“Liam?” I blink up at him.

He doesn’t answer.

Instead, he kisses me.

Hard.

There was nothing polite or reserved about it this time.

It’s fierce, hungry, overwhelming.

I gasp as his hands roamed over me, stripping away the layers of my wedding dress like they’re nothing but tissue paper.

The pine and woodsmoke scent clung to him, stronger than ever, dizzying my senses.

His touch sets my nerves on fire.

“Liam,” I whisper, breathless. “Please…”

He growls low in his throat—a sound so primal, so raw, it sends shivers straight down my spine.

Everything after that blurs of heat, desperate kisses, frantic touches.

He claims me like he can’t get enough, like he needs to burn himself into me.

And I let him.

Because no matter how scared I am, no matter how fast everything’s moving—

I want to believe this is real.

I want to believe he’s mine.

Afterward, tangled in sweaty sheets, I lie panting beneath him, heart full to bursting.

“I love you, Liam,” I murmur against his shoulder.

For a long moment, he says nothing.

Then, just as sleep begin to tug at me, I hear him whisper—

“I love you, Iris.”

I freeze.

The name slices through the haze of exhaustion like a knife.

Iris?

Who the hell is Iris?