His Surrogate Bride

I was halfway down the corridor when I heard Freya's voice coming from the room ahead.

“Where were you last night?”

Oh moon goddess!!

She already suspected? She suspected, didnt she?

I slowed down beside the partly open door, intending to continue walking...until i heard Tristan's voice respinding.

“Why are you asking?”

“I sent two maids looking for you. Our wedding is tomorrow, and you disappeared without telling anyone where you were. I looked silly in front of the maids, not knowing where you were. Or...Don't you think I have the right to ask?”

“ What you shoukd be thinking about is ehy younthink you need to know that information...You wanted to know where I was. Now you know I wasn't here.”

I should have turned around and returned to my room. Instead, curiosity got the better of me, and I peeked around the corner.

Freya stood in the sitting area with her arms crossed, looking furious. Tristan faced her with the same infuriating composure he always wore when dealing with people he didn't particularly care about.

“You act as if I forced you into this marriage,” she snapped.

“You didn't. Our families agreed to an alliance, and I accepted because it benefits both packs.”

“So that's all this is to you?”

“What else did you think it was?”

Freya stared at him, clearly offended.

“I thought you would at least make an effort.”

“I don't care about making an effort, Freya. I don't care about you.”

Ouch.

Even from my hiding place, I felt uncomfortable hearing that.

Freya's face reddened. “And you expect me to marry you tomorrow?”

“I expect you to decide whether you want the alliance. If you don't, walk away. I won't stop you.”

Something hardened in her expression.

“Fine. But when I become Luna, I won't be some decorative wife. I'll have a say in how this pack is run.”

“No.”

She blinked. “Excuse me?”

“You misunderstood the arrangement. Marrying me makes you my wife and gives you the title of Luna. It doesn't make you the Alpha.”

“I never said I wanted to be Alpha! I'm asking for a voice in my own pack.”

“Silverclaw will be your pack after the marriage. It won't become yours to control.”

“You can't expect me to stand beside you and have no say in anything!”

“I expect you to understand the difference between having a position and having authority.”

Freya's hands curled into fists. “I'm not some useless decoration.”

“I know. But youre just going to have to make do. You eill not be touchikg any form of authority over my pack in any way shape or form.”

“You arrogant bastard!”

Tristan didn't even flinch.

“You've spent your entire life getting what you want because people are afraid to upset your family. Now you want me to hand you responsibility for an entire pack simply because you're marrying me. If you want to learn, start by understanding what the position actually requires.”

“I am capable of learning!”

“Then learn first.”

Her eyes flashed with anger. “So I'll move here, give up my position in Nightbane, marry you, and simply obey you?”

“I expect you to understand what you agreed to. You'll represent the pack when necessary and stand beside me when your position requires it. The safety of Silverclaw, its finances, its alliances, and its internal affairs will remain my responsibility.”

“And what about our heir? Will I have no say in raising my own child either?”

“My heir will be raised according to the decisions I make for this pack.”

Freya looked ready to explode.

“I agreed to marry an Alpha, not become his servant!”

“No one called you a servant.”

“You're treating me like one!”

“Then don't marry me. If you can't accept the arrangement, walk away.”

“You don't even care if I leave!”

“No.”

The blunt answer silenced her.

For a moment, Freya looked genuinely wounded. Then her expression twisted with fury, and she stormed toward the corridor.

I barely had time to step back before she rounded the corner and found me standing there.

Her eyes narrowed.

“You.”

Oh, shit.

“How long have you been standing there?” she demanded.

“I wasn't—”

“Were you listening to us?”

“No.”

The answer came too quickly, and we both knew it.

She stepped closer. “Stay out of things that don't concern you.”

What the fuck is wrong with this woman?

I wanted to ask her that, but the guilt eating away at me made it difficult to argue. I had no business standing there judging her when I'd just slept with the man she was supposed to marry.

So I stepped aside and let her pass.

Once she was gone, I glanced toward the sitting area, where Tristan remained.

Absolutely not.

I returned to my room and stayed there for the rest of the day. I didn't want to see Freya, and I certainly wasn't ready to face Tristan. I had no idea whether he remembered everything that happened beneath the full moon, and I wasn't eager to find out.

Since nobody had invited me to the wedding anyway, I saw no reason to leave my room.

By morning, I still hadn't worked out how to deal with any of it.

A knock sounded on my door.

I opened it to find Freya's mother standing outside. Her expression was so serious that I immediately became uneasy.

“I need you to get dressed,” she said.

I frowned. “Luna...dressed? For what?”

She looked me straight in the eyes.

“Freya is gone.”

My stomach dropped.

“Gone where? what do you mean, Luna?”

“We don't know.”

I stared at her, waiting for an explanation, but she only took a deep breath.

“Freya left Silverclaw pack last night. But the wedding is still happening... it has to happen, Ariella...and I need you to step in as her replacement.”