THE SUBSTITUTE BRIDE TO THE ALPHA KING

Chapter One-The Hope That Broke Me

Nora’s POV

I stared at the cracked mirror, brushing down the pale blue dress I borrowed from the kitchen maid. It was nothing fancy. My hair was pinned back. No makeup. My shoes didn't even match.

But I still smiled.

Because tonight, I wasn’t just any girl.

I was his.

Alpha Kade.

My friend.

It had been a secret. He said it wasn't the right time to tell anyone, and people wouldn't understand that an omega couldn't be Luna yet-but soon, very soon.

He'd be holding me in his arms and whispering, "Soon, Nora. Just wait for me."

So I waited.

And tonight, in front of the whole pack, he would finally say my name.

In my trembling hands I clutched the pendant he had given me, a small silver moon-the only thing I truly possessed. My hands shook, but my heart was full.

He wouldn’t betray me. He couldn’t.

Not after everything we shared.

Not after all the nights spent in his arms, thinking maybe… maybe I was finally enough.

Lights twinkled across the hall. Music. Laughter. Warriors were dancing with their mates. She-wolves in silk dresses were twirling around the open floor. No one noticed when I slipped inside through the back.

But my eyes searched for him.

There.

Alpha Kade. Standing proud. Cold. Perfect. In a black suit with silver buttons that gleamed under the light.

He looked around the room—and then… his eyes met mine.

I waited for a smile.

For the nod

For anything which had said, "I see you."

But he looked away.

Just like that.

I frowned. Perhaps he was nervous, perhaps all an act for the onlookers.

I moved closer.

But I do catch a glimpse of my best friend.

Clara.

I moved closer, my heart pounding.

She was standing beside him… as if she belonged there.

Her dress was deep red, her hair curled just right, and her lips were painted like blood.

She smiled at him.

Then he smiled back.

My heart stopped.

Kade raised his hand.

"Tonight," he said, "I will name the one chosen by the Moon Goddess to be my mate… and Luna of the Shadowfang Pack."

I reached for my pendant once more.

Please. Please let it be me.

He stepped aside.

Clara stepped forward.

And he took her hand.

I couldn’t breathe.

What?

No. No. This wasn’t right. This wasn’t real.

"This," Kade said, "is the she-wolf I have chosen."

The room erupted in cheers.

But all I could hear was the sound of my world breaking.

Clara turned her head and looked right at me.

She knew.

She knew everything: she was the one I told about the kisses, the late-night visits, the promise of tonight.

She knew.

And she still took him.

My legs moved before my mind caught up.

I stepped into the open.

“Kade,” I whispered, “what are you doing?”

His jaw clenched.

I took another step. "You said I was yours. You said…

“I never said anything,” he snapped, his voice cold as ice.

A couple of people stared after him.

“You’re lying,” I choked out. “We—we were together. You…

“That was a mistake,” he said. “A game.”

Tears welled up my eyes. "But the bond. You felt it. You marked me—"

He laughed. "Mark you? An omega?" His eyes were cruel. "You really believed you were anything more than a warm body?"

I flinched.

“You were convenient,” he said sharply. “That’s all.”

The crowd gasped.

Clara didn’t bat an eyelid.

"I, Alpha Kade of Shadowfang Pack, reject you as my mate."

The room spun.

No. Please, no.

“You're not worthy. You're not Luna. And from this moment on… you're nothing.”

I shook my head, choking on sobs. “You loved me…

"No," he said coldly. "I used you. Now up to you guards, drag her out.

I ran.

Out of the hall. Into the cold. Past the people who laughed. Past the guards who turned their faces.

Nobody stopped me.

Nobody cared.

Not even him.

Not even her.

I fell at the edge of the forest, on my knees, and the mud swallowed them in.

The moon above was watching in silence, much like a witness.

I clutched my necklace and screamed.

Not for him.

But for the version of me who had believed.

Who had trusted.

Who had loved too much. And so with the wind whistling through the treetops, I whispered through shattered lips- “Why did you give me to him, Moon Goddess… why?”