Chapter 1

The fitting room door swung open. Fiona lifted the hem of the gown, twirled in front of the mirror, and smiled at me.

"Zoey, you have great taste. This dress is gorgeous, but there are too many crystals on it. I'm worried they'll irritate your skin."

"And these stiletto heels are pretty thin. What if you twist your ankle?"

"But Darren said these shoes make my legs look great."

She glanced at Darren as she said it.

Darren was adjusting his bow tie. He turned and looked at Fiona's feet.

"Well, they do look good on you. I wasn't wrong."

Fiona gave his chest a playful tap. "These are Zoey's picks. I'm just trying them on for her."

"Fine, whatever you say."

Darren laughed, his voice warm with affection.

The ease between them made them look like the real couple.

I sat in the corner, completely forgotten.

Only after a long while did Fiona realize I hadn’t said a word.

She reached over and gently patted my head. "Zoey, are you upset?"

I looked at her. "Should I be happy?"

Fiona rushed to explain.

"Zoey, you're my little sister. I'm the older one. I have to protect you."

"Have you forgotten? You got poisoned by wolfsbane years ago because you were being reckless."

"From that day on, I swore to protect you. No one and nothing would ever hurt you again."

“Everything I’ve done was for you, and somehow I’m the bad guy.”

Her voice grew quieter and quieter until she sounded close to tears.

Darren frowned and looked at me with disapproval. "Zoey, you can't treat your sister like that. She would never hurt you."

I’d heard those words enough times to be numb.

When I was poisoned by wolfsbane, Fiona did bring me back to the pack. She was the first to find me.

The healer treated me promptly and cleared the toxins from my system.

I'd told them so many times that I'd fully recovered and would be careful not to get poisoned again.

Fiona never believed a word I said. She blocked my way at every turn.

Fiona finally changed out of the dress and walked away. Darren had lost all interest in trying on his suit and yanked off the bow tie.

"Darren, are we still doing the pre-wedding photo shoot?"

He nodded without looking my way.

"We're not married yet. We can end this anytime."

"What are you talking about? You're my chosen mate. Stop overthinking."

I chose to believe him. For the last time.

On the day of the pre-wedding photo shoot, Darren came to pick me up. Fiona was already sitting in the passenger seat, waving at me.

"I'm here to witness the happiest day of my little sister's life."

I didn’t say another word for the rest of the drive.

When we arrived at the studio, the makeup artist was doing my face. Fiona came over and sat down beside me.

"I just want to see how the makeup here looks. Don't worry, I won't bother you."

She said that, but she also changed into a gown, one even more stunning than mine.

Then she walked out ahead of me and stood by Darren's side.

The photographer walked over just then and snapped a photo, capturing the moment their eyes met.

"Great, perfect. Those unguarded moments always look the most natural!"

"Now, sir, stand right here. Put your arm around her waist. Yes, lean your head down just a little, but don't touch her forehead. Perfect!"

I stood off to the side, a complete outsider.

After the first set was done, a staff member took Fiona to change into another gown.

"Sir, could we keep two of the photos of you and this lady for our display? The chemistry between you two is perfect."

Darren nodded. "Of course."

He didn't bother to explain that Fiona wasn't his fiancée.

Fiona came back after changing and patted his shoulder. "Hey, I didn't expect us to work so well together."

The staff chimed in, "Yes, this is the smoothest shoot we've ever had."

Fiona ducked her head with a shy smile.

Darren smiled right back. “We really do.”

As if she'd only just noticed me, Fiona walked over with a very serious expression.

"Zoey, I was just checking whether the photographer was any good. I was worried he wouldn't be able to capture how beautiful you are."

"Now I'm relieved. See, they even complimented me and Darren, so you'll be just fine. The photographer is very professional."

When I said nothing, she quickly added, "A pre-wedding photo shoot is too important to mess up. You understand, right?"

I still said nothing.

A staff member came to let us know we could start the second set. Fiona walked over to say something but stumbled in her heels and twisted her ankle.

Darren caught her immediately, carefully slipped off her heels, and started massaging her ankle.

Fiona looked at me apologetically, then her expression softened into relief.

"Good thing you weren't the one wearing these shoes, or you'd be the one hurt."

Darren didn’t answer. His entire attention stayed on her ankle.

Click, click. The photographer snapped two shots.

"Sir, that angle is perfect. Could you lean down and kiss your partner's foot? Try to look a little more adoring."

Darren obliged without hesitation, leaning down to press his lips to her foot.

Fiona bit her lip, her face flushed crimson.

She pulled her foot back at once and told the staff, "Take my sister's photos now."

The staff member looked uncomfortable. "Ma'am, your package includes four looks, and we've already shot two with you. If we switch to someone else now, there may not be enough looks left for both of you."

I stood up. "If you're enjoying it, go ahead and finish."

Fiona froze. "Zoey, that's not what I meant..."

I turned and walked away without looking back. "But that's exactly what I mean."

When I got home, I threw out everything that belonged to Darren.

My father had long wanted me to return to the pack and take over as Alpha. He also wanted to choose the mate he believed was best for me.

But Fiona had rejected those men on my behalf, one after another.

Sure enough, none of them were good enough for me.