The Engagement

Sam’s POV

I stood in the middle of the hall, looking around as elites from different packs greeted one another with tight smiles and exaggerated laughs. The chandeliers above scattered gold light across polished marble, making the whole room gleam like it had been dipped in false perfection.

They had not gathered because of me of course.

They were here because my bride-to-be was the daughter of the most feared Alpha in the region. Her father’s presence alone was enough to shift the air. He could get anyone to show up just by sending an invitation, no matter how much they hated him. And oh, they did hate him—half these people would kill him if they thought they could survive the retaliation.

These people wouldn’t be caught dead standing six feet from one another on a normal day, yet tonight they were close enough to clink glasses and pretend to be old friends.

I’d grown up watching this charade, but it still made me sick. Every false laugh sounded like claws dragging over my nerves.

A hand tapped my shoulder, and I turned to see Alex, my beta. His face was carved into that public mask he wore so well—pleasant, polite, the corners of his mouth upturned just enough to pass as friendly. He leaned in close, his breath warm against my ear so no one could overhear.

“You look like you’re about to pass out,” he murmured, voice edged with amusement that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

“I’m fine,” I muttered back, forcing my own smile for a passing elder who gave me a curt nod. “Where’s Diana? She should be—”

“That’s why I came over,” Alex interrupted, his eyes flicking briefly toward the side doors like he didn’t want anyone else to follow his gaze. “She’s not here. I can’t find her anywhere.”

My gut tightened instantly, a cold weight dropping into my stomach. “Not here? Did you check—”

“Sam—”

I didn’t wait for him to finish. I stepped around him, my movements sharp, weaving through clusters of people. I knew Diana wasn’t thrilled about marrying me—hell, she’d never made an effort to hide it—but to vanish from her own engagement party? That was more than cold.

I pushed through the side doors, letting the heavy wood swing shut behind me, muffling the music and chatter from the hall. The air in the corridor was cooler, quieter, my footsteps echoing off the polished stone. I headed toward the guest lodges, my pulse pounding hard enough that it filled my ears. My mind was racing so fast I didn’t notice the figure in front of me until my shoulder slammed into him.

A hard chest. Solid muscle. The faint heat radiating from skin.

I looked up—and my blood pressure spiked instantly.

Lucifer.

That smirk. That lazy, arrogant curve of his lips that I’d hated since we were teenagers. The same smirk that had preceded every insult, every taunt, every fight we’d ever had.

“Going somewhere in a hurry, Sam?” His voice was deep and unhurried, each word stretched out like he had all the time in the world to wedge himself under my skin.

“What the hell are you doing here?” I snapped, my voice sharper than I intended, but I didn’t care.

He tilted his head slightly, dark eyes glinting with a spark that was half amusement, half challenge. “Celebrating, of course. Or did you think a night like this could happen without me?”

“You weren’t invited.”

“Oh, I think I was,” he said, stepping close enough that I could feel the faint brush of his breath. “Maybe not by you, but someone more important.”

I glanced over my shoulder at Alex, who’d followed me out. “You knew he was here?”

Alex’s hands went up instantly, palms out in surrender. “I tried to tell you. You bolted before I could—”

Lucifer chuckled, a low, dark sound that made my jaw clench. “Always so quick to run. Just like your father when he couldn’t face mine.”

The words hit deeper than I wanted to admit. Our fathers had hated each other long before we were born. My father had been an Alpha, but never the top Alpha. Always second to Lucifer’s father. Always just shy of the throne. That rivalry had passed down to us whether we wanted it or not. I’d grown up hearing my father curse his name, and Lucifer had made damn sure to return the favor every chance he got.

Tonight was supposed to be mine. A night where my father could stand tall for once, where I could show that our bloodline wasn’t meant to live in anyone’s shadow. But of course Lucifer was here—like a shadow I couldn’t shake.

“I don’t have time for you,” I muttered, brushing past him, forcing my shoulders not to stiffen under his gaze.

“I’ll be around,” he called after me, his voice dripping with mockery, low and intimate enough to feel like a whisper in my ear. “Watching.”

I ignored him, moving quickly through the quiet hall toward Diana’s room. The music from the main hall faded into nothing, replaced by the distant hum of night insects outside and the soft rustle of curtains along the corridor. My heart was pounding too fast, and I could feel the mate bond thrumming faintly under my skin, pulling me toward her.

I pushed open her door without knocking.

My breath froze in my chest.

Diana was in bed. With another man.

The sheets were tangled loosely around them, skin and heat and the unmistakable scent of sex heavy in the air. Her hair spilled across the pillow in soft waves, her bare shoulder peeking through the white fabric. The man beside her didn’t even bother to move away or cover himself—he looked at me like I was the one intruding on something perfectly natural.

The mate bond twisted painfully in my chest, pulling at me like it wanted me to fix something already broken beyond repair. My knees felt weak, the air thick and hard to swallow.

Diana’s gaze slid lazily to mine, her eyes cool, almost bored. “Well. You found me.”

“Why?” My voice cracked despite my best effort to hold it steady.

She tilted her head slightly, the faintest curl of her lips like she was amused. “Why am I with someone else? Maybe because you’re not a man worth having. My father told me to go through with the bond, but I never wanted you.”

I stepped closer without thinking, my voice rough and desperate. “Diana, please… don’t do this. Not tonight. Not like this.”

Her laugh was sharp, cutting through me like a blade. “You sound pathetic. Go back out there and smile for the guests. I’ll join you later.”

“I’m your mate,” I said quietly, the words tasting bitter on my tongue.

“Barely,” she replied, turning her back on me with the slow grace of someone who knew exactly how much it would sting. “Go, Sam. And close the door on your way out.”

Something inside me cracked, jagged and raw. I turned to leave, but froze at the sight outside her open window.

Alex was standing there, his expression caught between shock and pity.

And behind him…

Lucifer.

Leaning against the wall like he had all night, eyes locked on mine. Unreadable, but burning with something I couldn’t name.

He’d seen everything.