JESSICA

Every time the seamstress tugged at the corset, I felt another bit of my breath leave me.

"Stop fidgeting, Jess," my mother murmured, smoothing a stray hair from my forehead. The smile on her face made me want to smack it off so badly. "You’re the luckiest girl in the territory. Nathan is a prince among wolves. Do you realize the number of ladies that wish for a man like him?"

Lucky? I rolled my eyes, already faded up from her constant reminders. How is that supposed to be my problem? Not like I fancy him to say.

He’s handsome, don’t get me wrong. Only that I don’t see that ‘much perfection’ in him as everyone claims. In fact, he was everything a girl was supposed to have, not just me.

"I can't breathe," I whispered, my hand going to the hollow of my throat.

"It’s just nerves, darling," my father’s voice boomed from the doorway. He walked in, his Alpha presence filling the room, pushing out the scent of lilies and lavender. "Every bride feels the weight of the moon before her ceremony. But with the rogue sightings near the southern border, I’m not taking any chances with your safety. Not until Nathan officially claims you."

I turned to look at him. "Safety?” He wasn’t being serious, was he? “I have the pack warriors, Dad. I don't need a babysitter."

"You need more than a warrior," my father said, his expression darkening. He stepped aside, gesturing to the hallway. "You need a protector."

Suddenly, the air in the room changed; like the oxygen had been sucked out.

He walked in without a sound. That was the first thing I noticed—how a man that large could move like a ghost. He wore a faded black shirt and heavy boots, looking like he’d just stepped out of a fight or a forest fire.

"This is Kaelen," my father said.

For a second, I was still. There was something about this stranger I couldn’t explain. Something about his presence that makes me want to disappear. And then those eyes, they held a storm so strong I couldn’t resist. Like if I stared too long, I’d forget why I was here in the first place. But then, they weren’t looking at me.

"He breathes when you breathe, Jessica," my father continued, oblivious to the way the room had gone deathly quiet. "He stays outside your door. He follows you to the temple. Until the moon rises on your wedding night, he is your life."

I expected a reaction from him. Maybe, he’d look away from the wall behind me and into my eyes, but he did nothing. He just stood in a terrifying, predatory stillness that made the hair on my arms stand up.

"I don't need this," I snapped, more at my father than the man in front of me. "I’m the future Luna. I should be able to walk my own halls without a killer at my heels."

"It’s not a request, Jess," my father said, his Alpha tone clipping the end of his words. "Kaelen, take her to the gardens. Nathan is waiting for the pre-mating photos."

I pulled up the front of my dress, my face burning with a mix of anger and something I couldn't name. I marched toward the door, intending to brush past the protector and show him exactly how much I resented his presence.

But as I stepped into his space, the world seemed to tilt. I had expected him to smell like something wasted. Instead, as I drew level with his chest, a scent hit me so hard it felt like a physical blow. It didn't just hit my nose; it hit my soul.

I felt my wolf that had been dormant for twenty-one years let out a deafening scream. MINE.

My knees grew weak at that instant; I had to catch the doorframe to keep from hitting the ground. My wolf was practically clawing at my ribs, desperate to get out, desperate to reach him.

No. No, no, no.

This wasn't possible. Nathan was my fiancé. Nathan was the one I had grown up with.

I forced myself to look up, my breath coming in short gasps. Kaelen had finally moved; his head was turning toward me. For a second, his dark eyes widened, the pupils blown out until there was barely any color left. His hand reached out, instinctively, his fingers twitching as if he wanted to grab me, to haul me against that broad chest and growl at the world to stay away.

Then, his knuckles turned white as he gripped the hilt of the knife at his belt. He looked away, his entire body vibrating with a tension that felt like a coiled spring.

"Jessica? You okay?" The voice was like a bucket of ice water.

Nathan was standing at the end of the hall, looking every bit the "Golden Alpha." His blonde hair was perfectly styled, with that bright smile plastered on his face. He walked over, his eyes studying me like they were trying to find any injury.

"I’m fine," I lied.

Nathan reached out and tucked a stray hair behind my ear. His touch, which used to feel familiar and safe, now felt strange. My skin crawled, and my wolf snarled deep in my chest, a sound of pure rejection.

"He’s a bit intense, isn't he?" Nathan said, glancing at Kaelen with a smirk. He was actually looking at him like a high-quality German Shepherd. "Don't worry, babe. He knows his place. He’s just a tool to keep you safe until I can claim you properly."

I looked at Kaelen. He was back to his mask of stone, but I saw the pulse jumping in his neck. I saw the way his hand was trembling, just a fraction.

The Moon Goddess had played a cruel, sick joke on me. She had given me a Prince for the world to see, but she had tied my soul to the monster in the corner.

"Come on," Nathan said, sliding his arm around my waist. "The light is perfect in the rose garden."

He led me away, and I felt like a traitor with every step I took. I could feel Kaelen following us—six paces behind, exactly as ordered.

‘How am I going to do this?’ I thought, my mind racing. ‘How am I going to stand at that altar and swear myself to one man when every cell in my body is screaming for the one walking behind us?’

I looked back over my shoulder. Kaelen was watching me. For a split second, the mask slipped, and I saw the raw, bleeding agony in his eyes. It was the look of a man watching his entire world walk into the arms of his enemy.

As the photographer started taking pictures, I caught Kaelen’s gaze again. He didn't look away this time. He stood there, his eyes promising me a heaven I wasn't allowed to have and a hell I was terrified to crave.

"Smile, Jessica," Nathan whispered, tightening his grip on my waist. "Everyone is watching."

I smiled. But inside, I was already screaming.