Chapter 1

Chapter 1

ANNALISA POV 

The silver moon was present in the night sky as I stood before Antonio in his study, my hands were clasped so tightly out of anxiety that my knuckles had gone pure white. The Alpha's office smelled of leather and cedar, and in a way the aura in it, was still closed off to me despite two years of marriage.

"Prepare the Moon Rite," Antonio said without looking up from the papers on his desk, not even thinking I was worth the need for him to pause his reading and look at me, while delivering his orders. His voice held that same indifferent tone I'd grown accustomed to, the one that made my wolf whimper and curl up into itself inside me. "I'm going to claim my fated mate."

The words hit me like a physical blow, stealing the breath from my lungs as I muffled my gasp, as my eyes widened as well. My heart skipped a beat, as I tried to remain unaffected. I had knew this day would come, it was written in the very stars.

I had been dreading this moment since the day Christiana Evans had waltzed into our pack three months ago,  with her perfect blonde hair and confident smile and her aura that showed that she was confident that she belonged here.

Still. Knowing something was going to happen and watching it happen  were two entirely different things entirely.

"When?" The word came out from my throat and I almost commended myself for how steady it came out, no voice cracking or pain shown. I knew what kind of man he was. I wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing me break. Not after everything.

"The sooner the better." Antonio finally glanced up, his dark eyes meeting mine with something similar to impatience. Or perhaps just indifference. I could never quite tell anymore. "My father is gone now. There's no reason to continue this... arrangement."

Arrangement. That's what our marriage was to him. What I was to him.

I lowered my head, letting my dark hair fall forward to hide the bitter smile that twisted my lips. Two years. Seven hundred and thirty days of trying to be the wife he needed, the Luna this pack deserved, and in the end, I was still just the orphan girl his father had dragged home from the ruins of a fallen wolf territory

. Still just the charity case who'd grown up scrubbing floors and keeping her head down, hoping that my stepmother won't have an opening to hurt me.

"Annabella." Antonio's voice was sharp, as it pulled me from my thoughts making me meet his eyes again as he continued speaking, his face clearly hostile and not even considerate of my feelings. "You understand what this means, don't you? When I found Chrissy, when I felt the mate bond—"

"I understand perfectly," I interrupted, surprised by the firmness in my own voice. I held his gaze directly. Let him see that I wasn't going to make this difficult. Let him see that I knew my place, had always known it and I wasn't going to fight him on this when it would surely make me miserable. 

"You want me to prepare the Moon Rite so you can officially reject our bond and claim Christiana as your Luna."

Something flickered across his face—surprise, maybe? But it was gone before I could identify it.

"Then you'll do it?"

"I will." I took a breath, steeling myself for what came next. "But I want one month."

Antonio's eyebrows drew together, creating a crease between them, looking like he had just heard me speak in a foreign tone .

 "One month for what?"

"One month from today, I'll accept your rejection at the Moon Rite. I'll perform the ceremony myself if you'd like." My voice remained steady even as my heart was shattering into pieces and a phantom pain was spreading through my entire body just saying these words.

"But during that month, you have to treat me as a real Luna. As your real wife."

The silence that followed felt thick and heavy as  Antonio stared at me as if I'd suddenly sprouted a second head, his confusion changing into something more like anger and disgust.

"You want to play Luna?" He leaned back in his chair, scanning me from head to toe as he scoffed  before adding.

"After all these years of keeping yourself scarce, of working in the kitchens and the gardens and anywhere else that keeps you out of sight, now you want the title?"

Heat flushed my cheeks, feeling both angry and embarrassed at his words. "That's not—"

"You grew up in this house, Annabella. In this pack." He stood abruptly, moving around the desk with the aura that befited him  as Alpha. "My father gave you everything. Food, shelter, safety. Wasn't that enough? Now you want to cling to a position that was never really yours to begin with?"

"You misunderstand," I said quietly. "I don't want the title or the position. What I want—what I'm asking for—is one month as your true wife. Just one month where you treat me the way a husband should treat his mate. That's my compensation for two years of marriage where I was nothing but a shadow in your life."

I watched the words sink in, saw understanding dawn in his eyes followed quickly by something that looked almost like disgust.

"You want me to—" He stopped, jaw clenching. "Annabella, you do realize what you're asking? What being a 'true wife' means?"

"I know exactly what it means." And I did. I knew it meant sharing his bed, his time, his space in ways I never had before. I knew it meant pretending, for thirty days, that our marriage was real instead of the hollow shell it had always been.

The thought made my wolf stir, hopeful despite everything.

Antonio was quiet for a long moment, studying me ith an intensity that mepade me step backwards subconsciously.

Finally, he spoke,  "You're being unreasonable."

"Perhaps." I lifted my chin, meeting his gaze steadily. "But those are my terms. One month as your wife in truth, and then I'll walk away. I'll leave the pack entirely if that's what you want. No fuss, no appeals to the Council, no complications."

The mention of the Council made his expression shift. We both knew what would happen if I reported his intention to reject our bond—the laws were clear. An Alpha who abandoned his Luna, chosen mate or fated, faced serious consequences. Loss of status. Loss of respect. The Greenwood family name would be dragged through scandal and speculation.

I would never actually report him.....I couldn't bear to cause my dead father's memory that kind of dishonor.....but Antonio didn't need to know that.

"Fine." The word came out clipped, final. "One month. But you'd better prepare yourself, Annabella. If you want to be treated as a real wife, then you'll get exactly that. I won't be holding back."

The warning in his voice sent a shiver down my spine, but I refused to show fear. 

"I wouldn't expect anything less," I said softly.

Antonio's eyes narrowed, but he said nothing more to me, considering this topic done with and wanted to avoid anything more about it. He turned back to his desk, a clear dismissal, and I took it for what it was. As I walked to the door, my hand on the handle to pull it open his voice stopped me.

"Annabella."

I glanced back.

"This doesn't change anything," he said, not looking at me. "At the end of thirty days, you're gone. Chrissy is my fated mate. She's who I love."

"I know." And I did. I'd always known. "I'm not trying to change your mind, Antonio. I just want my due. One month. That's all