My Beta Never Showed—So I Became the Luna of His Worst Nightmare

I wasn’t sure what possessed me to call my best friend’s older brother and agree to his ridiculous offer. Maybe it was desperation. Maybe it was exhaustion. Or maybe I just really wanted to see the look on Max’s face when he found out.Before I could even second-guess myself, Alpha David showed up.He arrived on a sleek black motorcycle, the kind that purred like a damn predator. As he swung his leg over and pulled off his helmet, the entire marriage registration office collectively forgot how to breathe.A few she-wolves blatantly stared, one even elbowing her friend and whispering, “Holy hell, who is that?”Alpha David ignored them completely. He strolled over to me, flopped down into the seat next to mine, crossed one long leg over the other, and smirked.“Well, well, has our mighty Alpha Louis finally come around?” His silver eyes glinted with amusement. “Agreed to a fake marriage to deal with your family’s nonsense?”I exhaled slowly. “It’s not just about the family.”His smirk so

The scent in my room was wrong.I knew it the second I stepped inside.The faint trace of lavender and rain—my scent—was buried under something artificial, something sickeningly sweet.Grace.The bed I had neatly made before leaving? A complete disaster. The closet had been ransacked, my clothes scattered.But that wasn’t what made my wolf’s fur bristle.It was the music box.A delicate, handcrafted castle—gifted to me by my grandfather when I was a pup—now lay in pieces on the floor, the tiny glass towers shattered, glittering under the dim light like broken dreams.Something inside me snapped.“Max!” My voice rang through the house, edged with the sharp bite of my wolf. “Who’s been in this room? Who touched my things?”Heavy footsteps approached.Max stepped in, brows furrowed. He scanned the mess, then—just as quickly—his expression smoothed into something unreadable.“It’s just some handmade thing.” His voice was casual, dismissive. “I’ll find someone to put it back together for yo

I didn’t cry.Didn’t scream.Didn’t shift into my wolf and go on a well-deserved rampage through the house.Instead, I packed.Clothes, shoes, books—anything that I could shove into my suitcase. My wolf huffed in the back of my mind as I tossed out anything that carried even a whiff of Beta Max’s scent. The pretty dress I wore on our first date? Trash. The necklace he gave me last year? Trash. That expensive candle he once said "smelled like me"? Oh, definitely trash.I didn’t want any trace of him in my life.Before I left, I made one final call—to a real estate agent.This house had been a gift from Grandpa, originally meant to be my wedding home. Now, it was nothing but a haunted museum of bad decisions and shattered dreams.I didn’t hesitate. List it. Sell it. I don’t care who buys it—just get it out of my name.That night, I checked into a hotel.Tomorrow, I would go to Grandpa.Where I should have been all along.I called Alpha David first thing in the morning.Because if I had t

The wedding day came faster than I expected.One second, I was rolling my eyes at David’s insistence on a grand event. The next, I was standing in the venue, wrapped in a wedding gown that probably cost more than my entire life's savings.My wolf, usually a ball of snarky commentary, was uncharacteristically quiet. But I could feel her satisfaction humming beneath my skin. This is right, she whispered.Then, from behind me, came a voice I knew all too well.Panicked. Shaky. Unbelieving.“Louis? I thought you were on a business trip! Why are you in a wedding dress?”Before I could even turn around, I felt a familiar presence at my side—Alpha David. His aura rolled over me like a protective blanket, steady and unbothered.“Isn’t that the guy from the hospital?” he mused, tone casual but with a glint of something dangerous in his eyes. “Should I go have a little chat with him?”His version of a “chat” probably involved a broken nose or a missing limb. Knowing his sharp instincts, he’d alr

Just as I was about to open my mouth and tell Beta Max to get lost, the low growl of an approaching engine interrupted us.A sleek black sedan pulled up beside us. The moment the car stopped, the door swung open, and out stepped Alpha David, looking every bit the overprotective mate he thought he was.Before I could blink, he pulled me against his broad chest, his scent—pine, smoke, and something undeniably dominant—flooding my senses.“My wife doesn’t need you to protect her,” he said, voice dripping with authority. “And for the record, Grandpa didn’t like you—he liked me.”His tone was casual, but the way he held me screamed territorial.I felt his wolf’s energy pressing against mine, a silent but clear message: Mine. Stay back.Beta Max’s face twisted like he’d swallowed a mouthful of wolfsbane. His jaw clenched, and his gaze darted to where David’s hand rested firmly on my waist.“Louis, he’s not your fated mate!” Max burst out, desperation lacing his voice. “He’s just toying with