THE ARRANGED BILLIONAIRE'S BRIDE

KATNISS

“Did you really think an Alpha would reject his fated mate for love?”

The words sliced through the heavy, suffocating silence of my private chambers. I froze, my hand stopping mid-air as I was unpinning the heavy silver Luna headpiece from my dark hair.

I spun around, my heart hammering against my ribs like a trapped bird. Standing near the shadow of the balcony doors wasn't my husband. It was her.

Selene Nightvale.

She looked devastatingly beautiful, dripping in emerald silk that clung to her curves, her eyes gleaming with a malicious, terrifying triumph.

“Selene?” I breathed, my fingers tightening around the silver metal in my hand. “What the hell are you doing in my quarters? The grand victory celebration ended hours ago. The guards shouldn't have even let you onto the residential floor.”

“The guards?” Selene laughed, a soft, musical sound that sent a violent shiver down my spine. She took a slow, agonizingly deliberate step into the moonlight streaming through the window. “Oh, Katniss. You sweet, naive little fool. Who do you think gave them the order to look the other way?”

My throat went entirely dry. A sickening dread pooled deep in my stomach, cold and heavy as lead. “Get out. I am the Luna of the Ravenscar Pack. I won't ask you again.”

“Luna?” She mocked, tilting her head. Her expression was a mask of pure, unadulterated venom. “Look at you, still clutching onto a title that was never yours to keep. The unified packs are secured. The Ashbourne territory is officially integrated under the Ravenscar banner. Your purpose is fulfilled, Katniss. You’re fucking disposable now.”

“You’re out of your mind,” I snapped, my voice shaking despite my desperate attempt to sound commanding. “Damien loves me. He rejected you. He chose me before the entire Alpha Council!”

“He chose your father’s army, you pathetic bitch,” Selene hissed, stepping closer, her scent of poisoned lilies filling the air. “He needed a legal, unbreakable treaty to swallow the Ashbourne pack whole. If he had mated with me first, your traditionalist father would have never signed those papers. He played you. We both did.”

“No,” I whispered, shaking my head violently as tears of raw betrayal stung my eyes. “No, that’s a goddamn lie! Where is Damien? Where is my husband?”

“Why don’t you ask the servants?” Selene taunted, her smile widening into something monstrous. “Didn’t you notice how they wouldn’t look you in the eye tonight? Didn’t you wonder why your personal maid suddenly vanished before midnight?”

The realization hit me like a physical blow. The averted glances. The hushed whispers in the corridors. The strange, hollow quiet that had settled over the estate the moment the final toasts were made. I had thought everyone was just exhausted from the week-long political summits.

“They knew,” I breathed, a horrific sob choking me. “They all fucking knew.”

“Of course they did,” Selene purred, reaching into the folds of her dress. Moonlight caught the wicked, gleaming edge of a silver dagger. “An Alpha doesn’t change the hierarchy without preparing his court. You were a magnificent stepping stone, Katniss. Truly. But it’s time for the real Luna to take her seat.”

Panic, raw and electric, flooded my veins. My wolf clawed frantically beneath my skin, screaming at me to fight, to run, to tear this woman apart. But as I tried to summon my aura, a sudden, paralyzing burn tore through my limbs. My knees buckled, and I crashed heavily against the edge of the vanity, shattering perfume bottles.

Thud.

“Wolfsbane,” I gasped, clutching my throat as my breathing turned into ragged, suffocating hitches. “The wine… during the final toast.”

“A customized blend,” Selene said, standing over me now, looking down like I was an insect beneath her expensive heels. “Just enough to keep your inner beast quiet while I carve out your heart. It’s poetic, don’t you think? You die in the bedroom you spent millions renovating.”

“Damien!” I screamed, the agony in my chest ripping from my lungs. I dragged myself across the floor, my fingernails scratching desperately against the hardwood, leaving bloody smudges behind. “Damien! Help me!”

“Shh, stop making such a pathetic racket,” Selene groaned, casually testing the edge of the blade with her thumb. “No one is listening. The entire wing has been cleared for ‘security maintenance.’ You’re completely alone, Katniss.”

“He will kill you for this,” I choked out, glare spitting fire through the tears streaming down my face. “He is the Alpha! He won’t let you get away with murdering his wife!”

“His wife?” Selene let out a sharp, mocking bark of laughter. “You think you’re the first option he had? Please. If Alpha Hassan Blackthorn had actually agreed to the council's border proposal last year, Damien wouldn't have even looked your way. But Hassan isn’t in your life, is he? No one is coming to save you.”

Hassan Blackthorn. The name echoed in my fading consciousness. A terrifying, legendary Alpha I had only ever seen from across a crowded council chamber—a man who stayed out of these petty political marriages. Selene was right. He wasn't here. No one was.

“Damien…” I whimpered, my vision beginning to blur at the edges, the poison turning my blood to liquid fire. “Please…”

Suddenly, the heavy echo of footsteps resonated from the corridor outside.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

The sound was distinct, heavy, and authoritative. A familiar cadence that I would recognize anywhere. It was the stride of a dominant Alpha. The stride of the man who had promised to protect me before the gods.

Relief, sharp and desperate, surged through my dying body. I managed to lift my chin, staring fixedly at the heavy oak doors of my bedchamber.

“He’s… he’s here,” I wheezed, a bloody smile cutting through my lips as I glared up at Selene. “He’s coming. Damien will… he will tear your throat out.”

Selene didn’t panic. She didn’t even flinch. Instead, she just stood there, looking down at me with an expression of profound, sickening pity. The footsteps stopped right outside the door. The handle jiggled, clicking softly as the lock was disengaged from the outside.

The door began to swing open, revealing a tall, broad silhouette shrouded in the dim light of the hallway.

I reached a trembling, bloody hand toward the figure. “Damien… help me… she’s trying to—”

Selene took a step back, casually wiping a stray speck of dust off her emerald gown. Her eyes locked onto mine, freezing the last remaining warmth in my veins.

“He’s not coming,” Selene whispered softly.

The silhouette stepped fully into the room, his dark eyes meeting mine without a single shred of remorse, his hand calmly pulling the door shut behind him.

It was my husband. And he was holding a second blade.