Contracted To Be His Luna On Christmas Eve.

Ophelia's POV

"I am Ophelia Starkingstein, daughter of the late Beta Harrison of Stormridge Pack.”

He remained silent for several seconds after I spoke. Although I kept my head lowered in submission, I felt the weight of his Alpha aura settle over me as he assessed every word I spoke.

"What is an omega doing alone near a restricted border at this hour?" he asked calmly, quiet authority woven through his voice.

I swallowed hard and tightened my fingers around the fabric of my dress.

"I was lost in thought, Alpha. I didn't realize how far I had wandered."

His expression remained unreadable.

"Rogues have become increasingly active along our borders. An unaccompanied omega would be an easy target.”

Shame burned through me because he was right.

"I understand, Alpha. I apologize."

His eyes lingered on me for a moment before he turned toward the guards.

"Leave us."

The guards immediately lowered their heads.

"Yes, Alpha."

Within seconds, they disappeared into the darkness, leaving only the hush of falling snow around us.

"You may stand now, Ophelia."

"Thank you, Alpha."

I pushed myself to my feet and brushed the snow from my knees. Even with my wolf's natural resistance to the cold, the freezing wind had penetrated my thin dress, leaving me shivering. 

The Alpha took a step closer, and the movement brought his scent to me again before I could stop myself from noticing it.

His scent surrounded me, wrapping around my senses with unexpected gentleness. Amare lifted her head, instinctively drawn to the comforting scent for the first time since Morris had shattered our world.

He feels safe, she whispered, but I immediately pushed the thought aside.

No man was safe. Not anymore.

Without a word, he removed his jacket and draped it over my shoulders.

The warmth lingering in the fabric seeped through me almost instantly.

"This should help."

I looked up to thank him, and the moment our eyes met, recognition hit me.

Alpha Nicolai Ashbourne. The son of our late Alpha and the man who now ruled Stormridge.

Over the years, stories about Alpha Nicolai had spread across every pack. Some called him ruthless. Others called him the most powerful Alpha in the region. Yet despite his status, no woman had ever become his Luna.

What unsettled me most, however, was the memory that surfaced next.

I had been eighteen, newly mated to Morris when Nicolai asked me out. I turned him down and never thought about it again until now.

"It's you?" I asked softly, but his expression sharpened.

"You will address me properly, Ophelia."

Heat rose to my cheeks instantly.

"My apologies, Alpha Nicolai."

He nodded slightly in acknowledgment before returning his attention to me.

"What happened tonight?"

The question caught me off guard, so I looked away.

"I would rather not talk about it."

His voice remained calm, but there was an unmistakable certainty in his tone. "Your scent tells me more than your words ever could."

My breath caught as he continued.

"I received a report of unusual activity near the border. When I arrived, your scent carried grief and the remnants of a severed mate bond.”

Amare whimpered inside me. 

He knew.

His gaze remained fixed on me.

"Were you abandoned?"

The question struck with painful accuracy.

Tears burned my eyes, and I lowered my head before answering.

"My husband betrayed me," I whispered. "He married my best friend."

The words caught painfully in my throat.

"He said he was ashamed to be seen with a plus-sized wife like me. He chose her because she was slender and beautiful... the kind of woman he was proud to stand beside.”

Silence settled between us as snow drifted between us.

When Alpha Nicolai finally spoke, his voice was calm, but there was a dangerous edge beneath it.

"What they did to you violates both pack law and Council law."

I laughed bitterly.

"Pack law..." I murmured. "Pack law only protects people with power."

His eyes narrowed. "That is not entirely true."

"For omegas, it does," I replied before I could stop myself.

Instead of correcting me, he studied me for a long moment.

"What your former mate did was not only a betrayal of the mate bond."

His voice turned colder.

"He publicly humiliated his lawful mate, abandoned his responsibilities, and used your appearance as a weapon against you."

A flicker of anger crossed his face.

"Body-shaming another member of this pack is an offense in itself. No wolf, regardless of rank, has the right to degrade another because of their body."

I looked at him in surprise.

He continued, his tone firm and unwavering.

"A pack cannot call itself strong if its people are taught that someone's worth is measured by their size instead of their character."

For the first time since my world had fallen apart, I found myself speechless.

"I am going to make you an offer," he said.

I frowned.

"What kind of offer?

"The Council has been pressuring me to take a Luna. Most women want the title, not the responsibility. I need someone capable, respected, and loyal.”

His voice remained steady, while I stared at him in confusion.

"So… what does that have to do with me?"

"Ophelia,” his gaze steadily held onto mine. 

"You are the daughter of a respected Beta. You understand pack politics, and you value justice over personal gain.”

I shook my head. "But you barely know me."

"I know enough. Despite your pain, your scent carries grief and anger, not vengeance.”

I wanted to deny it, but I couldn't. 

Something in his expression shifted, but it vanished before I could identify it.

"I need a Luna who understands responsibility, resilience, and loyalty.”

My heart skipped uneasily. 

"A Luna my pack can respect.”

"What exactly are you implying, Alpha Nicolai?" I asked, my voice lacing with confusion.

"I am proposing a contract marriage."

The words left me stunned. 

For several seconds, I could only stare at him in disbelief. 

"You cannot be serious."

"I do not make jokes about matters of this importance."

I took a step back.

"Alpha Nicolai, I was abandoned by my husband a few hours ago. I am in no state to think about marriage right now."

"I am aware of that. And I did not seek you out with this intention. However, after hearing what happened and considering the position you are in, I believe this arrangement would benefit us both."

I shook my head. "Please, I cannot trust anyone right now.”

His expression softened slightly. "I am not asking for your trust, Ophelia. Trust is earned over time," he paused.

"The arrangement will last one year. During that time, you will have all the rights and protections of a Luna. After one year, if either of us wishes to end the arrangement, we may end it.”

I searched his face for any sign of deception. 

I still didn't trust him, but trust was not what I needed right now.

Morris's betrayal still burned inside me, and no one had stood beside me when my world collapsed. Now the most powerful Alpha in the region was offering me a way forward.

I drew in a slow breath.

"All right, Alpha Nicolai."

His gaze sharpened slightly.

"I accept your proposal." The words left my lips before fear or doubt could stop them.

Alpha Nicolai nodded once.

"The contract will be prepared tomorrow morning. It will remain in effect for one year. Once you sign it, you will be recognized by both pack law and civil law as my Luna.”

I nodded, too stunned to speak.

“Good,” he said. “We are going home, wife-to-be. We are having a wedding tomorrow.”

I stared at him, my heart hammering wildly against my ribs as my wolf stirred in bewilderment.

A plus-sized omega like me...

By this time tomorrow, I would be standing beside the most powerful Alpha in the territory as his Luna.

The thought felt too extraordinary to believe, yet the way he looked at me made it seem undeniably real.

He had just said something about a wedding tomorrow. My wolf, Amare, said in my head.

"Wait… what? What wedding are you talking about?”

I raised my gaze to meet him, shock coursing through me. I wasn't mentally prepared to become his Luna, let alone marry him tomorrow.

Without another word, he turned and strode toward a sleek black SUV parked a short distance away, one I had been too overwhelmed to notice until now.

And somehow, despite every instinct telling me to run, I followed him.