Chapter 1

"Don't worry about me. Just get everything ready for my Mating ceremony with Elena. As for Aria… I’ve got plenty of ways to make her life a living hell."

"Think about it. A she-wolf falls for her own stepbrother, tries to latch onto an Alpha, and then gets dumped in front of everyone at the Mating ceremony. After a humiliation like that, how could she ever show her face in front of any pack again? I honestly can’t wait."

Marcus, across from him, looked uneasy. He tried to reason, his voice low, "Her mother and your father mated three years after your mother died. That was ages ago. Aria was just a kid then; she didn't know anything about pack feuds. Isn't this a bit too harsh on her?"

"For a she-wolf, her mate bond and reputation are everything. You're basically killing her! She depends so much on your Alpha scent. If she finds out you've just been using her, I'm afraid..."

Connor scoffed, annoyed. He casually tapped his phone, sending me some meaningless emoji.

"Don't tell me she's innocent. When my mother died so horribly, who said she was innocent?"

"Being born from that traitor's bloodline means she was born worthless, meant to be trampled on!"

"If she had an ounce of beta pride, she wouldn't have accepted this fake mate bond six years ago. She made her choices to get here. She doesn't deserve pity."

Marcus let out a long sigh and finally asked, "Maybe so, but these six years… Don’t tell me you haven’t felt any Alpha instinct, any pull towards her at all?"

"Connor, I'm warning you. Some lines, once you cross them, you can never go back."

Connor's face turned frigid, his eyes like daggers stabbing into Marcus.

"Fall in love with the daughter of a traitor and a homewrecker? What do you take me for?"

"Looking at her face, so much like her mother's, even leaving a temporary mark on her neck makes me sick!"

"Raised by a traitor and a slut, of course she’d be shameless trash too! Just letting her lose face in front of all the packs, instead of being torn limb from limb, is me being merciful!"

Seeing he couldn't change Connor’s mind, Marcus sighed, defeated, and turned to leave.

Footsteps got closer.

I panicked, trying to hide, but the coffee cup slipped from my hand and shattered on the floor.

Marcus and I locked eyes. I saw clear pity in his.

Connor heard the noise and rushed out.

He found me fumbling, crouching down to pick up the broken glass, a total mess.

A flicker of panic crossed his eyes for a split second before he strode over and roughly pulled me to my feet.

"Aria? What are you doing here? Why didn't you tell me you were coming? I would've sent someone to pick you up."

I tried to force a smile, but tears streamed down my face anyway.

"Just got here. Wanted to give you a surprise… Didn't expect to be so clumsy, can't even hold a cup steady."

His smile had that usual doting look, but he casually kicked the broken pieces aside.

He pulled me into his private lounge.

The door clicked shut.

He slammed me against the cold door, his scorching Alpha scent washing over me, almost consuming me through my thin clothes.

But a chill I couldn't control ran through me.

"I told you, you don't need to get me any gifts. Aria, just you being here is the best… gift for me," he murmured, his voice low and raspy by my ear, intimate and dangerous.

"Tired from the trip, huh? Get some rest. I'll take you back after I deal with some company stuff."

Then, he leaned down, his lips brushing my forehead, his nose almost touching my skin.

It was the same gesture he’d used to comfort me countless times, full of an Alpha's tenderness and care for his mate.

But I couldn't feel that unique, comforting warmth anymore.

So, a werewolf really could hide his true nature, fake it to this extent, all for revenge.

Back then, my father was banished from the pack.

At the pack meeting, I was pointed at as "the traitor's daughter," curled up in a corner, crying helplessly.

Until my mother mated with Alpha Damon, Connor's father.

It was Connor who appeared like a god, chasing away those hateful stares.

He wrapped me in his powerful Alpha scent, promising in a low voice to protect me always, to be my only anchor.

I believed every word, every look.

I drowned in the web of sweet lies he spun for me, thinking I'd found my safe harbor for eternity.

I never knew it was all the prelude to his carefully planned revenge.

Our supposed fated bond was just one giant lie.

He was the one who'd pushed me into this abyss.

While Connor was off "handling things," I sent a coded message to my mother.

"Mom, I want to leave this place for good."

"Please, don't tell anyone about this yet."

On the way back, he casually brought it up, his arm possessively around my waist.

"The pack elders are pushing me to choose a Luna. I've already asked Elena to help me put on a show."

"Don't worry, you're my only mate. She agreed to help me deal with those old geezers. And I'll still be with you every night, just like now, soothing you with my scent." His fingers slid suggestively around my waist.

I stared out at the passing night, my throat dry. I just nodded, silent.

Tears fell, unseen, into the darkness.

Once we were back at his place, he went into the bathroom.

The heavy Alpha scent hadn't even started to fade when his phone suddenly started blaring.

After three quick calls in a row, I rushed to grab it for him.

I meant to tell them Connor wasn't free, but my fingerprint accidentally unlocked his screen.

Just as I glanced at his social media friends, I was completely stunned.