Chapter 1

Irene 

“You may be getting married to Irene tomorrow, but you will always be mine.” Paris moaned, eyes nearly rolling to the back of her head as Dylan, my fiancée, thrust into her.

Between my heart and my eyes, I couldn’t tell which one bled faster. But what I do know…was that I wanted this scene to be a nightmare. I would give anything for it to be false. 

It can’t be real; it can’t be real. Dylan would never cheat on me. We’ve been together since our early days at the prestigious Silverwood Wolf Academy. We were the star couple of the academy back then. Everybody hated me because Dylan chose me, the only Omega in the Pack and academy who can’t shift.  

He loves me! I kept repeating these words in my head like a mantra, yet my nails were silently scraping the wooden door partly open enough for me to see Paris lying back on Dylan’s desk. Her legs were proudly hung on his broad shoulders, shuddering with each heavy stroke from my mate.

“Say it,” She panted, clinging to the edge of the desk with her hand. “That you’re mine.”

I wanted to burst in and mercilessly rip Paris apart, but my legs had suddenly grown heavy like a mountain. Whether it was fear or the chilling shock of disbelief, it was hard to tell. Everybody knows that Dylan and Paris hate each other in Pack. They’re like cats and dogs. Yet,

“I am yours,” Dylan growled without a fraction of hesitation. My ribs constricted, stifling my throat so I couldn’t breathe. Watching my mate submit to another woman killed something in me.

“Louder!” 

“I am yours!” Dylan’s veins bulged at the side of his neck. His jaw clenched, eyes morphed into a sparkling shade of golden yellow with claws that fervently buried into her waist.

“I am yours, and you are mine, Paris!” He grunted with gritted teeth as he pulled his cock out and sprayed her belly with his thick load.

The same man who vowed ‘together forever ’ and talked about building a family with me, ruling Silver Thorn Pack together, was with the woman he can’t stand sharing the same breathing space. 

Was I the fool? How did I not see this? All these while, they’ve been frolicking behind my back. And here I am, thinking I am marrying the most honorable man in our Pack. 

I came here to tell Dylan the good news. I got a congratulations mail from Sterling & Co. Interiors stating that I won the Luxury living room competition I applied for a month ago. The same competition that I was doubtful about applying for. The same competition HE encouraged me to join.

For the first time in my life, I won something major, and I wanted to share that good news with no other person but him.

“I hate it.” Paris’s voice jolted me back to my ugly reality. She sat up on the desk while Dylan affectionately combed through her hair. “That I have to share you with that lowlife Omega.” 

Dylan smiled, the same sweet, charming one that always made my heart swoon. This time, it made my heart ache and my chest tighten.

“Darling, you know I don’t have a choice.” He said. “I’m only marrying her because of the pact between her family and mine.”

My jaw dropped, and a cold bit into my shoulders, making me tremble. Dylan swore to me several times it wasn’t because of the Pact that he loved me. That he loved me for who I was, regardless of my flaws.

“If I could have things my way, I would banish her out of our Pack.” He continued. “She’s everything I detest. She’s pathetic. Weak. An orphan. Ugly.” 

Paris’s amusement in her chuckle thickened with each venomous word that slithered out of Dylan’s mouth. I teetered back as quietly as I could on impulse; one more word from him and I might just die. 

“But I have to marry her so my father can make me the next Alpha.” I heard him say as I hustled along the hallway. 

I nearly fell while trotting down the stairs. His mansion suddenly felt like a stuck elevator deprived of oxygen. Even a bat had better vision than I, with how soaked my eyes were. All I could do was run tail between my legs till I got home. By the time I reached my room, dimly illuminated by the moonlight coming from the window, my knees had completely tapped out. I fell face-flat on my pillow, the only place I could cry my lungs out. 

Dylan and I have always shared a close-knit relationship since childhood due to our fathers. His father is the Alpha, and mine, the Beta; they were best friends. Both of them had signed a pact when we were born that Dylan and I would marry each other before we could become Alpha and Luna. I was loved by the Pack, and my life was perfect too. Until the unfortunate car crash years ago that claimed the lives of my parents, and landed me in the ICU. My wolf core got damaged, killing my wolf in the process and leaving me unable to shift. 

Then everything changed, the Pack elders ganged up against me. My Pack members' love for me turned sour overnight. They saw me as a weakness in our prestigious Pack. Paris’s father was the ringleader clamoring for me to be banished from the Pack, claiming that I was useless to the Pack without my wolf. 

Only Alpha Kingston stood up for me. Protected me. Raised me like his own. Dylan didn’t turn cold to me as well. But maybe…it was a pretense. Maybe Dylan showed me love only because of the pact. It makes me wonder, when did he start hating me?

My phone buzzed in my pocket, but I ignored it. I don’t feel like talking to anybody. But whoever this caller was, they sure were persistent, so I frustratingly pulled it out of my pocket only to see an unknown caller ID. 

“Hello, am I speaking with Miss Irene?” Her sweet voice sounded on my phone speaker, making my brows furrow.

“Y-yes…” I stuttered.

“Great! I’m Anna; I’m the executive assistant to the CEO of Sterling & Co. Interiors.” 

I sat up quickly, heartbeat rising. 

“Again, I would like to congratulate you on winning this year’s Grand Design competition."

“Thank you very much, Anna,” I sniffled.

“Are you alright? Or am I calling at a bad time?” 

“Oh, no! I’m fine. I just came down with…a cold…that’s all.”

“Sorry about that. I’m calling on behalf of Mr. Sterling; he was very pleased with your work. He would like to make you an offer besides your grand prize.” 

“What?” I gasped, brows already nearing my hairline. Did I mishear, or did I just hear that I captured the attention of one of the biggest CEO’s in New York?

“Mr. Sterling has reviewed your portfolio and would like to meet with you at our headquarters in New York. Does tomorrow work for you?”

But tomorrow is my wedding. Does it even matter anymore? The man I’m supposed to marry deceived me and hates me to the core. 

Should I just accept this offer? I mean, I didn’t think I would win the competition, let alone pique the interest of the CEO. What if my win was just pure luck? What if Mr. Sterling isn’t impressed by me after we meet tomorrow? 

“Miss Irene?”

“Yes!” I blurted without thinking. I’d rather be anywhere but here. “But the thing is I’m currently not in New York so I’d have to book a flight and—“ 

“Oh, you don’t have to worry about that. Just send me your location, and I’ll arrange for the private jet to pick you up.

Also, I’ll book a hotel for you and come pick you up. How does that sound?” 

“Like a dream…” It was too late before I could stop those words from escaping. I had to pinch myself several times just to be sure I wasn’t living in one. 

Anna chuckled. “Mr. Sterling can’t wait to meet you, too. Have a lovely night, Miss Irene.”

“You too.” I stuttered before she hung up. I stared at my phone for what looked like minutes with only one glaring question in mind. 

Did I make the right decision ditching my wedding?