登入(Alina’s POV)I didn’t cry.I wanted to—Moon Goddess, I wanted to scream, to break something, to tear this place apart until all the humiliation bled from me.But I didn’t.Instead, I stared at the wedding ring lying in my palm.A perfect circle.A perfect lie.Necessary.The word echoed in my skull like a curse.This marriage won’t last anyway. Because for now, it is necessary.I clenched my fist around the ring until the metal bit into my skin. Then I turned and walked out of my room.If Frederick wanted honesty tonight—he was going to choke on it.The mansion corridors were quiet. Most of the pack had gone to the evening feast, but I knew where he’d be. Frederick liked silence when he wanted to think. And he always thought he carried the burdens alone.I pushed open the doors to the west study without knocking.He stood by the windows, one hand in his pocket, the other holding a glass of whiskey. The fire behind him cast sharp gold over his face—cold eyes, controlled posture, the A
By morning, the mansion felt different. Not the walls, the servants, or the grand halls of polished marble and cold silver—but the atmosphere. Sharper. Colder. Like something ugly had slipped inside during the night and settled into every corner.The moment I stepped into the breakfast hall, conversations stopped. Heads turned toward me, then dropped too quickly. I slowed near the doorway, every instinct on high alert. Something had happened.A servant hurried to pull out my chair, but her hands shook so badly the spoon beside my plate clattered to the floor. She whispered an apology without meeting my eyes.Interesting.I sat down calmly.At the head of the table, Frederick was already there—dark suit, unreadable face, coffee untouched. He didn’t look at me. Of course he didn’t.Across from me, Clara sat beside an elderly woman as if she belonged. Our eyes met. Her lips curved—sweet, poisonous.There it was. The answer.She had started something.Grandmother Eleanor hadn’t entered ye
(Alina’s POV)The moment we stepped inside, the doors slammed shut behind us, echoing through the grand hall like the start of a battle. No pack members. No servants. No witnesses. Just Frederick and me. The silence between us was sharp enough to cut.I kept walking toward the staircase, heels clicking against the marble floor. One step. Two.Then his voice cracked through the stillness. “Stop.”I didn’t.His hand shot out, gripping my wrist—hot, firm, possessive. I froze.Slowly, I faced him.He stood too close, chest rising and falling hard, dark eyes burning with a fury I’d never seen before.“Let go,” I said coldly.His grip only tightened.“You enjoyed that, didn’t you?”I blinked. “Enjoyed what?”His jaw flexed. “The attention.”For a moment, I almost laughed. Then I realized he was serious.I tilted my head. “You dragged me in here for that?”“For flirting with Marcus.”The accusation hung heavy.I yanked my wrist, but he held on.“You’ve lost your mind.”“You stood there smili
Alina’s POVA warning vibration pulsed through the air from Frederick’s wolf. My eyes snapped to him. He stood rigid on the platform above the arena, jaw clenched so tight it looked like it might crack. His gaze wasn’t on the crowd anymore—it was locked on Alpha Marcus.Not just on Marcus, but on the way Marcus looked at me. Slow. Intent. Interested. Like I was something worth claiming.A strange tension curled in my chest. For the first time since this marriage began, someone was looking at me like I mattered.Marcus stepped forward into the arena. The warriors around him shifted uneasily under the pressure of two Alphas sharing the same space.“Impressive,” Marcus said, voice smooth, carrying across the grounds. His eyes didn’t leave mine. “You handled yourself well.”I said nothing. Didn’t move.Frederick’s gaze sharpened—cutting, calculating—as if waiting for my response.Marcus tilted his head. “Not what I expected from a… political bride.”A few in the crowd shifted. The insult
The pack gathered around the training grounds as the sun dipped low, shadows stretching long and dark. Torches flickered to life, casting a restless glow through the growing night. The scent of pine and earth mixed with something sharper—tension thick enough to taste.I stood alone in the center of the circular arena. Hundreds of eyes surrounded me—warriors, elders, pack members, servants. They weren’t here because they believed in me. They were waiting for me to fail.Whispers slithered through the crowd:“That’s her?”“She looks too fragile to be Luna.”“Frederick deserves someone stronger.”“She stole the position.”I heard every word. My face stayed calm, but inside, I was steel.Above, on the raised stone platform, Frederick stood beside his grandmother. His dark coat fluttered in the wind, posture rigid, unreadable. Cold. Unmoved.Clara leaned against the stone nearby, arms crossed, a satisfied smile playing on her lips. Everything was going exactly as she planned.Grandmother E
The Luna trial wasn’t just a tradition—it was a sacred rite, proof that the Moon Goddess herself had chosen me as Luna. And it was one thing no one, not even Frederick’s grandmother, could say no to.Grandmother Eleanor entered the hall like a stone dropped into still water—silent but impossible to ignore.“Tonight,” her voice rang out, steady and commanding, “there will be a Luna trial.”The room froze for a heartbeat. Then whispers spread—low, curious, laced with excitement.I felt every pair of eyes burning into me—not with welcome, but with judgment. I stood near the long oak table, fingers tightening slowly on the edge of a chair. The scent of roasted meat and fresh bread filled the air, but it felt suffocating.A Luna trial. So that was the truth.The pack didn’t accept me.They didn’t see me as their Luna.I was the woman who had stolen their Alpha.A scoff broke through the murmurs.“Finally,” a female voice muttered. “Let’s see if she deserves the title.”Others joined in.“S







