Chapter 3

Kade's POV

"I am not marrying Aurora."

My father's expression hardened immediately, but I refused to look away.

We had been arguing about the same thing for nearly an hour, and I was getting tired of repeating myself.

"You will marry her, Kade."

I let out a humorless laugh and leaned back against the chair. "Are you seriously hearing yourself right now? This is 2026, Dad, not 1926. People don't arrange marriages anymore. At least, normal people don't."

"Normal people do not inherit responsibility for an entire pack."

I rolled my eyes. "There it is again. Blood Moon Pack. Everything always comes back to the pack."

"Because everything will eventually come back to the pack," he replied sharply. "You are twenty-three years old, Kade. You are the future Alpha of Blood Moon, yet you continue to behave as though your only responsibility in life is hockey, parties, and whichever girl happens to catch your attention that week."

My jaw tightened.

"I'm completing my Alpha training."

"After being dragged into it."

"I'm the captain of Mooncrest's hockey team."

"Which you take more seriously than your future position as Alpha."

"Because I actually enjoy hockey."

My father shook his head in disappointment. "That is exactly the problem. You are doing well in every area of your life, but you refuse to take any of it seriously enough to become the leader you are supposed to be. You continue wasting your time as though you have another twenty years before responsibility catches up with you."

"I don't need a wife to become a good Alpha."

"You need a Luna."

"I need to choose my own Luna."

My father sighed heavily before moving toward the window.

"Princess Aurora is not some random woman I picked out because I thought she looked pretty beside you. She comes from a respected royal bloodline, she has been trained for leadership since childhood, and she understands what it means to stand beside an Alpha. She is intelligent, disciplined, politically connected, and perfectly capable of becoming the Luna of Blood Moon."

"She is also rude, entitled, and completely obsessed with me. Can you imagine? She calls herself my wife."

"That's because she loves you."

I stared at him in disbelief. "You cannot possibly be serious."

"I am completely serious. Aurora is the perfect fit for you, whether you are willing to admit it yet or not."

"I don't want her."

"Well, I'm sorry you don't have a choice here. As your father, I know what's best for you, and trust me, you'll thank me later."

My father turned around, and the calm expression on his face immediately made me suspicious.

"Aurora will be arriving soon."

My stomach sank.

"Why?"

"Because if you are going to marry her, I expect the two of you to spend enough time together to understand what this marriage will require. So you had better start preparing for your wedding."

My stomach dropped.

"What wedding? You've already decided on the wedding without even asking my consent?"

"I know what's best for you, so I don't need your consent. All you have to do is accept it."

I dragged a hand down my face.

"You've got to be kidding me."

I grabbed my helmet from the table.

"You're giving me a headache, Dad. I'm not marrying Aurora, and I cannot continue having this conversation with you."

I stormed out.

The moment I climbed onto my bike, I jammed the helmet over my head and started the engine. The engine roared to life beneath me, and I accelerated away from the estate before my father could find another reason to remind me that my entire future apparently belonged to everyone except me.

The wind hit my face as I drove, but even the speed wasn't enough to clear my head.

Aurora was coming, and my father wanted a wedding.

Somehow, I was expected to smile, shake her hand, and pretend that spending the rest of my life with a woman who irritated me within five minutes of every conversation was exactly what I wanted.

By the time I reached the bar where my teammates usually gathered, I was still furious.

I parked outside, removed my helmet, and walked through the entrance with enough anger in my stride that Dylan immediately looked up from the table.

"Whatever happened, I can already tell it wasn't good."

Marcus turned toward me and laughed. "You look like you're about to punch somebody."

"I might."

I dropped into the empty seat beside them and waved toward the bartender. "Give me something strong."

Dylan raised an eyebrow. "That bad?"

"My father wants me to marry Aurora."

The laughter around the table immediately stopped.

Marcus stared at me. "Wait. You mean actually marry her?"

"Apparently, that's the plan."

Dylan leaned back and whistled. "Damn. Your father really isn't playing around."

"He thinks she's perfect Luna material."

Dylan shook his head. "I don't understand how you haven't lost your mind yet."

"I have. I'm just hiding it well."

The bartender placed my drink in front of me, and I took a long swallow before continuing.

"I don't even like her. She's rude, she's arrogant, she's constantly flirting with me, and she's so obsessed with the idea of becoming my wife that she already talks about me as though we're married."

Marcus laughed. "She does call herself Mrs. Voss."

"Exactly. And now my father wants me to actually make it happen."

Dylan was quiet for a moment before his expression changed.

"What if you make her end it herself?"

I looked at him. "How?"

"Get a girlfriend."

I frowned.

Dylan leaned forward with a grin. "Not a real girlfriend. A fake one. You make Aurora believe you're completely serious about another woman, and eventually she'll get tired of waiting around for you to change your mind. She'll call off the engagement herself."

I stared at him.

For the first time since leaving my father's office, I felt the tension in my shoulders loosen.

"Why didn't I think of that?"

Marcus laughed. "Because you've been too busy being angry."

The idea actually made sense. If Aurora believed I was already involved with someone else, there was no way she would willingly agree to marry me. My father might be able to pressure me, but he couldn't force Aurora to accept a marriage if she decided she wanted nothing to do with me.

Then another thought occurred to me.

"There is one problem."

Dylan raised his glass. "What's that?"

"Every girl around here is just like Aurora."

Marcus laughed. "Meaning?"

"Meaning half the girls at Mooncrest would probably volunteer to fake-date me, and then spend the next six months fighting each other over who gets to keep me."

Dylan nodded reluctantly. "Fair point."

"There has to be someone different."

The two of them exchanged a look.

Then Dylan said, "There is."

I looked between them.

"Who?"

Dylan's grin widened.

"Selene Calloway.”