C3

===== Freya Holloway POV =====

"It looks great on you," the shop girl said.

I looked in the mirror. The blue dress was nice, but it felt like I was wearing someone else's life. Graham paid the huge price for it without even looking at me. "Move," he snapped.

We drove to the Holloway estate. I stood at the gate for a second. This place was built on my mother’s tears. I had to get inside.

"Stop daydreaming and move," Graham barked.

I walked into the big living room. I saw the piano. It was the one my mother bought me. I reached out and touched a key. Plink.

"Don't touch that! It's mine!"

I spun around. Sienna was standing there, her face red with rage. She looked just like her mother, Victoria.

"Yours?" I asked, my voice low.

"Yes! Get your hands off it, you freak!" Sienna laughed. "So you're the one. Dad said you're back to marry the Bennett guy. I heard he's a broken man. Good luck with that."

I didn't answer. I just gritted my teeth.

"The Bennetts are here," a maid said.

Graham rushed to the door. I turned around and saw a man being wheeled in. My breath hitched. It was him. The man from the shop. But he was in a wheelchair.

He can walk, I thought. I saw him. Why is he faking it?

"Freya, come here. Meet Lucien," Graham said, bowing like a servant.

Lucien stared at me. He looked at my body, at my clothes, and his face turned dark. He looked like he wanted to be anywhere else.

"I had a bad injury," Lucien said, his voice cold. "I can't walk. I can't be a husband to anyone."

He was lying to get out of the deal. He didn't want me.

"I don't care," I said, my voice steady.

Lucien looked at me, his eyes narrowing. He was surprised.

"It's a pack oath," he said, his face hard. "I won't break it."

"Good," Graham said, smiling like he had won the lottery. "Stay for dinner?"

Lucien stood up—well, he stayed in the chair, but his eyes burned. "No. I have business."

He started to leave. He stopped right next to me. He whispered something to his aide, then looked up at me.

"Are you free, Freya?"

"Follow me," he said. He did not ask if I wanted to.

I walked behind his aide, Tristan. I knew Graham was watching me. He wanted this deal to work so bad. I did not care what he wanted. I just wanted my mother’s land back.

I walked until I hit something hard. I looked up. It was Lucien. He was standing tall. My eyes went wide.

"You are faking it," I said, my heart thumping against my ribs. "You can walk."

Lucien looked down at me. His face was like stone. "Why are you here? Do you want my pack’s resources? Do you want to be a powerful mate?"

I took a deep breath. I would not let him scare me. "I was a baby when our packs made this bond. Did you think I understood your pack's power back then? I am not here for your status. I am older than you, but you are the Alpha. Does that make you too old for me?"

He looked annoyed. I did not care.

"I know you are acting weak to make my father break the pact," I said, looking him right in the eye. "I have a deal for you."

He laughed. It sounded cold. "A deal?"

"We marry for one month," I said, my voice steady even though my hands were cold. "Then we get a divorce. We can tell everyone we are just not a good fit. You get your freedom to be with who you want. I get to settle this matter. It does not hurt you."

He frowned. "You think I like someone else?"

"I know you do," I said. "You are trying so hard to push me away."

He looked at me like he was trying to read my soul. "And what do you get out of this month?"

I had to lie. I could not tell him about my mother’s dowry. "My mother is sick. She wants this union. I just want her to be happy for a little while."

He kept staring at me. His eyes were sharp, like a wolf watching its prey. His phone rang. He looked at the screen, and his face changed. He turned his back to me.

"No ceremony," he said into the phone. "Just the papers."

He turned back to me. "If we do this for a month, there is no wedding."

"Fine," I said.

On the twelfth, Tristan came to get me. There was no pack gathering. There was no joy. Just a paper to sign. I did not care. It was just a job.

The car stopped in front of a big stone mansion. It looked cold and empty.

"Go in," Tristan said. He did not treat me like a Luna. He treated me like a stranger.

I walked inside. It was quiet. A woman came up to me. "I am Aunt Eleanor. I take care of the Alpha's home."

"Thank you," I said.

She showed me to a room. She looked at me, then sighed. "Lucien will not be home tonight. It is Rowan's birthday."

I nodded. It was the first day of our marriage, and he was already with her. I did not feel sad. I felt ready. A month was all I needed. Then I would be gone.