CHAPTER ONE

They said time heals all wounds—but what does time know about waiting for a man who died with a promise on his lips?

Two nights before he left for the mission with Alpha Damon and the rest of the crew, I was with him, in his home. I warned him not to go. I begged him not to take the risk, saying it was too dangerous.

But he somehow managed to convince me. He told me he’d be back, that he’d return. We had a special moment together; I remembered it all—the way he caressed my neck, the warmth of his breath against my skin, the way his kisses sent chills up my spine.

He even marked me as a promise that he would return, saying that when he came back, we would get married—that I would be his forever. Well… where was he now? Six feet under. And here I was, standing at his memorial a month later, burying all the promises with him.

It was all his fault. It was all Alpha Damon’s fault. Rumors had it that he was responsible for Tyler’s death—that he shot Rowan despite knowing Tyler would fall.

Damon had always placed his position ahead of everything else, and he did it even with his own friend. Their friendship went back a long time, but now Tyler was in the ground while Damon walked freely, like nothing had ever happened. I would never forgive him for what he did—and that was a promise I had made to myself.

The pack didn’t even show up for Tyler’s memorial. I was more or less the only one standing at his grave, a flower in my hands as tears rolled down my cheeks.

Every memory about him made me weak. I didn’t even notice when I fell to my knees, clutching the flower to my chest as I wept. It was raining, and I could feel the cold seeping through my knees as I knelt there on the wet ground.

I placed the flower on the stone carving of his name and stood up. Without sparing a glance at his grave, I turned and walked away.

I would always love Tyler, even to my grave—yet in a month’s time, I would be marrying the Alpha of the Nightshade Pack.

My father had borrowed money from several people in the pack when my mother fell ill. He did his best to save her, but even the pack’s doctor couldn’t do much. She died and was buried long ago. Now, with everyone demanding their money back, my father had no choice.

A deadly Alpha—or so I heard—asked for my hand in marriage. My father offered me to him on one condition: give him the sum of money required to pay back all the debts.

The Alpha agreed and said the money would be given to my father on the day of the wedding.

I guess it was just my fate to suffer. Life had taken everything from me—my mother, my lover—and now my life was being handed to a man I hardly knew.

As I walked back home, thoughts of how my life would change for the worse filled my head. Maybe I’d be turned into a slave… or maybe I’d end up like the Alpha’s other mates—in the grave.

It was said that all the Lunas of the Alpha died within a month of being with him. Some assumed it was a curse. Others assumed the Alpha himself killed them. But I believed it was simply their fate to die—just as it was my fate to suffer.

Arriving at the doorstep of my father’s house, I heard voices coming from inside. One was my father’s; the other was a voice I didn’t quite recognize, though it sounded familiar.

There was a scent in the air that made my nose itch—a very expensive perfume. Only the wealthy were said to own such a fragrance, i usually perceived it on Tyler's clothes, and yet it was coming from inside my house.

Maybe it was another suitor, I thought. Or maybe it was the Alpha of the Nightshade Pack—whose name I still didn’t know.

I heaved a heavy sigh. Either way, I had no choice. I was under my father’s care and would do as he said—even if it meant marrying the worst man on the planet.

I pushed open the door and stepped inside. And there he was—my father, sitting on the couch. But what made my heart stop was the man beside him.

Tyler’s murderer.

He sat with his legs crossed like he owned the place, in a perfectly tailored suit and shoes that sparkled under the dim light.

What the hell was he doing here? And what the hell was he discussing with my father? Those were the two thoughts that crossed my mind as I stood there with my fists clenched.

I couldn’t believe that a moment ago I had been mourning my dead lover, and now I was staring at his killer.

I turned to my father, whose wrinkled face bore a smile I wished I could wipe away. He always meddled in things he had no business with.

“Dad, what—”

“Calm down, calm down,” my father interrupted, standing with the help of his walking stick. Even in his old age, he refused to let me live my life in peace.

He walked toward me and tapped my back when he reached me, while I continued glaring at Damon Duskbane.

“I’d like to introduce you—though I’m sure you already know him—Damon Duskbane, the Alpha of our pack. The hero who has fought endlessly to protect this pack.”

Hero? I scoffed inwardly. He was no hero to me. He was a murderer, and he deserved to pay for everything he’d done.

“Great..., Dad...,” I said through clenched teeth, turning my gaze to Damon, who smiled at me with an unreadable expression. “What is our supposed hero doing in our home?”

“Well, he’s—”

“I’m here because of you,” Damon interjected before my father could finish.

He took three deliberate steps forward until he was just inches from me.

“And why are you here because of me?” I asked, meeting his gaze as he smirked.

“I heard you were getting married to an Alpha from another pack.”

“Yes. And how is that your concern?” I shot back.

He stared at me, unblinking. “He doesn’t deserve you. So I thought—why let such a beautiful woman in my own pack be given to a stranger she barely knows, when I can have her myself?”

“Excuse me, what?” I stepped closer, shock written all over my face.

So not only had he killed Tyler, but now he wanted to ruin my life entirely. I’d rather take my chances with a mine bomb from another pack than spend an eternity with him.

“I’ve already made all the arrangements,” he said. “I’ve given your father the price to have you as my Luna.”

I turned to my father, still smiling as if this was supposed to make me happy. Well, he was wrong. I wasn’t.

Turning back to Damon, I locked eyes with him. “You must be delusional if you think I would spend my life with you after what you did. You ki—”

“I’m not delusional, Elodie,” he cut me off again. “You are. You’re mine now, and there’s nothing you can do about it. The sooner you realize that, the better it will be for you. Because you leave with me...."

“Tonight.”