Chapter 4

~AURORA~

I'd tried to run away. Tried to escape before the Moon Reaper could force me back to his Kingdom where I would stay as his wife.

But the guards had found me. They couldn't whip me as punishment, not today, not when I was being offered as the sacrificial bride.

They needed my groom to believe I was the true Varkas daughter, untouched and pure.

One wrong mark on my skin, and he would know. So they dragged me back in silence even though I knew they desperately wanted to bruise my skin like they'd done so many times in the past.

Now, here I stood in the ballroom of the Varkas Palace, dressed in a wedding gown, waiting for my life to finally be completely over.

It hugged my curves too tightly, as if even the dress wanted to remind me I didn't belong. Or maybe they'd intentionally make it this way to suffocate me.

Almost the entire pack was present. Even my mate was here.

"Look at her," one of the elder she-wolves sneered. "Finally, she will no longer blight this palace with her presence."

Another pack member, a warrior, chuckled darkly. "The Moon Reaper will tame her. Or break her. Either way, we win."

I'd tried my best to get them all to love me these past years, just as they'd always adored Seraphina.

I'd served them all. I'd even taken the fall for their petty crimes in front of the King, standing tall while the lash fell on my back instead of theirs.

Anything to earn a scrap of affection. Anything to prove I wasn't the curse they claimed.

How could they all hate me for a mistake my mother made? A single night of forbidden passion and I was born—the living reminder of betrayal.

Seraphina, the golden child, was everything to them, legitimate and loved by all.

All of these people were happy to see me leave when all I've ever done was care for them. To me, they were the only family I had. To them, I was an embarrassment.

"I wish you all the best," I tell them. I forced a small, polite smile, even as their glares filled with scorn. "Truly."

Seraphina, standing a few feet away, looked absolutely stunning in a gown that made her look like a Goddess. "I truly do feel sorry for you, sister. Marrying a werewolf killer. You'll have to sleep with your eyes open every night, fearing he'll slit your throat in your sleep. What an awful life to live."

She never called me sister, only when it was required to make others believe I was the first daughter.

The guests nodded in agreement, pretending to actually care about my well-being.

But then the praise shifted, as it always did, back to her.

"Oh, Seraphina, you look radiant today," Lady Elara, one of the King's favored advisors complimented her. "Anyone would think you're the bride. Prince Vincent is the luckiest in all the realms to have you by his side."

"And soon to be the luckiest husband," added another. "We can't wait for your wedding! The two of you together, it will be pure perfection. It will be the event of the century. Nothing like what is happening here today. This feels like a funeral."

Seraphina laughs. "You're all too kind. Vincent and I. . .we were always meant to be. Unlike some matches forced by the council."

More murmurs followed. "They are so perfect for each other," someone whispered. "Beauty and strength, bound by true love. Not like that poor outcast being given to the Reaper."

My chest ached, but I kept my expression neutral. I couldn't let them see the cracks.

Focus on surviving, I reminded myself.

I spotted Vincent getting closer then, commanding everyone's attention.

My heart skipped a beat. He hadn't rejected me, not fully. We were still mates. But he walked straight past me without a glance, straight to Seraphina. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her deeply, possessively, right there in front of everyone. The room erupted in soft awws and applause.

"They are so perfect for each other," the murmurs surged louder now. "Look at how he looks at her."

I turned away, trying my best to ignore the burn in my eyes. My focus should be on surviving whatever came next. The Moon Reaper. My groom. The monster they'd promised me to in exchange for peace between kingdoms. He was the one I needed to keep my eyes on. I had to prepare myself for the worst.

The doors at the far end of the ballroom swung open.

A guard stepped forward. "Announcing Cassian Thorne, the Moon Reapers's Heir!"

Heads turned. Necks craned. Silence stretched. And then he entered.

My breath caught in my throat.

It was him.

The man on the horse I'd glimpsed earlier, the one whose presence had rooted me to the spot even as the guards closed in.

He was unlike any man I'd ever seen. Tall and broad-shouldered as he moved with the deadly grace of a predator. Even taller now that he wasn't on his horse.

His hair was midnight black. His face. . .his face was perfection with high cheekbones, a strong jaw, and eyes so beautiful that I had to pause to catch my breath.

Scars traced faint lines along his neck, but they only made him hotter for some strange reason.

I could sense his power. I believe everyone here could feel it too. Moon Reapers were chosen humans, blessed by the Moon Goddess herself with extraordinary strength to eliminate werewolves who threatened humans or even innocent wolves. However, the Reapers often abused their power. And I had a feeling that the heir would be the worst of them all.

He was out of this world. Captivating in a way that made my pulse race and my skin prickle with some unknown emotion.

I'd wanted to stay and talk to him earlier, drawn by some inexplicable pull I couldn't name. And now... he was here. For me.

The entire ballroom seemed to hold its breath as Cassian's gaze swept the room, slow and deadly, until it landed on me.

A faint smirk tugged at the corner of his lips, as if he remembered our brief encounter too.

Whispers formed once more, but this time they weren't about Seraphina.

"By the Goddess. . .he's even more striking than I expected."

"No wonder they call him the Reaper, he looks like he could reap souls and hearts with just one gaze."

I couldn't tear my eyes away. My stomach felt strange, a heat forming low in my belly despite everything I'd heard about him. My husband-to-be.

Even Seraphina, who was sure he was a monster had faltered. Her perfect smile tightened, and I caught the flash of jealousy in her eyes as she stared at Cassian.

She gripped Vincent's arm a little too hard, her knuckles whitening.

For once, the golden daughter wasn't the most envied woman in the room. Her gaze darted to me before moving back to the Moon Reaper.

The pack's earlier mockery died on their tongues.

No more pokes about my "blight." No more sighs of pity for my doomed fate.

Instead, all the women appeared completely captivated by Cassian, and I even sensed a touch of envy from some. Every man present seemed visibly intimidated by him, Vincent included.

Cassian took another step forward. His green eyes never left mine, pulling me in like gravity.

I knew one thing for certain after gazing into his eyes.

My life was about to change forever. And for the first time, I wasn't sure if I wanted to run from the change.