The Change

Kate POV 

I froze where I stood, staring at him. The man in the wheelchair—Aiden Wolf—didn’t flinch, didn’t smile, didn’t give me a hint that he was even human. His eyes were sharp, icy, like they could cut through my soul. My heart thumped painfully in my chest.

“Wait… this can’t be happening,” I whispered under my breath.

“Kate,” my mother hissed from behind me, her voice tight and harsh. “Don’t ruin this opportunity. Move forward.”

Move forward? I looked at her, aghast. “Mom! Don’t you get it? This isn’t supposed to be me! Lila… Lila ran away!”

My sister, in all her perfect, fake smiles, had abandoned this wedding. And now, somehow, I was supposed to take her place.

My mother didn’t blink. “I don’t care what your sister did. You’re the daughter we have. You will do this.”

I couldn’t breathe. My family, the people I trusted most, had just shoved me into a nightmare I didn’t agree to. I tried to step back, tried to argue, tried to make them see how insane this was—but they weren’t listening.

“You can’t be serious!” I shouted. “Do you even know who this man is? They say he’s cruel… dangerous… and crippled! How do you expect me to just…” I stopped, my voice cracking, “to just marry someone like this?”

My mother’s lips pressed into a thin line. “You don’t have a choice. The Wolf family is important. Their wealth, their connections… This is our chance to secure the family’s future. Now move.”

I swallowed hard. My heart pounded against my ribs like it was trying to escape. I wanted to scream, to run, to collapse on the floor—but every instinct screamed that I had to keep my head up, at least for now.

The crowd of guests was silent, all eyes suddenly on me. Whispers swirled around like a storm I couldn’t escape.

“That’s… that’s the unfortunate child”

“She’s supposed to be a maid, isn’t she?”

“Why is she here?”

And then I saw him—Aiden.

He sat perfectly still, a dark presence even in that wheelchair. His expression was cold, unyielding, like the world meant nothing to him—and yet, somehow, everything revolved around him. His sharp eyes scanned me from head to toe, lingering on my face longer than any polite human should.

I felt… exposed. Vulnerable. And strangely… studied.

“Proceed with the wedding,” he said, calm, low, deliberate.

The words hit me like a punch. My stomach dropped.

I blinked, hoping I’d misheard. “I… I thought… you’d… reject me?” I stammered, my voice shaking.

He didn’t flinch. Didn’t blink. Just leaned back slightly in his chair and fixed me with that unrelenting gaze.

“Because,” he said slowly, deliberately, “you are exactly the bride I wanted.”

My knees nearly buckled. My chest tightened so much it hurt to breathe. Everyone around us gasped—guests, family, even my mother, who looked like she had seen a ghost.

I couldn’t believe it. The man I was supposed to marry—someone I didn’t even know—was choosing me. Of all people.

“Wait… why me?” I whispered, barely able to get the words out.

He didn’t answer immediately. He just stared, and for a terrifying second, I thought he might not answer at all. Then his lips curved into the faintest smirk—so subtle that only I could see it.

“You’ll understand soon,” he said finally. His voice was smooth, cold, but somehow magnetic.

I wanted to argue. I wanted to refuse. I wanted to scream and run—but every time I tried, my body betrayed me. My legs felt glued to the floor, my hands trembling uncontrollably.

My mother, as if sensing my hesitation, stepped forward. “Kate, if you refuse now, this will ruin everything. The Hayes name… the Wolf family… do you want everyone to see you as weak?”

I clenched my fists, anger bubbling beneath my fear. “I’m not weak!” I snapped. “I’m not Lila! I didn’t run away! I didn’t plan this! I don’t even know this man!”

No response. My mother just gave me that look—the one that said, you’ll do it anyway.

Aiden’s eyes didn’t leave me. Sharp. Cold. Dangerous. And, somehow, his gaze made me feel like he was looking straight into my soul. Like he could see every fear I had, every weakness, every secret.

I swallowed hard, my throat dry. “This… this isn’t fair,” I whispered.

“Fair?” His voice was low, deliberate, cutting through the silence of the hall. “Life isn’t fair, Kate. But you… you have exactly what I want. That’s all that matters.”

My blood ran cold.

I glanced around at the guests. Every whisper, every curious stare, every side-eye from my so-called family felt like daggers. I wanted to disappear. I wanted the floor to swallow me whole.

But I couldn’t.

Not yet.

Because my brother… Noah… he was still in that jail. And part of me knew that somehow, this man—cold, cruel, terrifying—was going to play a role in whether Noah walked free or stayed locked away.

I clenched my fists at my sides. My mind raced. I can’t do this. I can’t marry him. I don’t even know him. But the thought of my brother… my family… it pinned me in place.

“Fine,” I whispered, my voice barely audible. “I’ll do it.”

The words felt like betrayal—not to him, but to myself.

Aiden’s gaze didn’t soften. Not even a little. But there was something in the way he watched me—calculated, deliberate—that made my stomach twist.

“You understand what this means, don’t you?” he said softly, yet his words carried an authority that made everyone in the hall hold their breath.

“I… I think so,” I said, though I wasn’t sure I really did.

“Good,” he said. “Then let’s begin.”

The organ started again, soft and ominous, as I walked down the aisle, my heart pounding so loud I thought everyone could hear it. The guests whispered behind me. My mother’s eyes glinted with satisfaction, while my sister’s absence hovered over me like a shadow.

Every step felt surreal. Every whisper felt like knives slicing through me. And yet… I couldn’t stop.

I reached the front, where Aiden waited. Cold. Silent. Watching me like a predator sizing up its prey.

I glanced at him, my hands shaking, my chest tight. “Why… why are you agreeing to this?” I whispered, my voice barely audible over the music.

His eyes locked on mine. Sharp. Piercing. Terrifying. And then he said it—low, deliberate, and unmistakably dangerous:

“Because you are exactly the bride I wanted.”

I froze.

The world tilted around me.

I didn’t know what kind of man he really was, but I already knew one thing: nothing about this wedding would be normal.

And I had no idea how much danger— and desire— was waiting for me in the man I was now supposed to marry.