Chapter 1 — “Till Death Do Us Part”

The ink on the paper was barely dry.

Elena Cross set down the feather pen, her hand shaking under the weight of

the silver lace on her cuffs. Before her lay the official contract— a paper giving away her family's land, pack leadership, and border guards to the man she loved, Alpha Marcus Vale.

“It's done,” Elena whispered, turning around in the quiet room of Ravenswood Manor. "My family’s name is safe. Father's memory can rest now.

Her mother's ring caught the firelight as she turned it once around her finger, a habit older than she could remember.

“When it burns cold against your skin, girl, that's the day you run,” Her mother would tell her half-jokingly as she tucked her into bed. Elena had never once felt it burn. She didn't feel it now either. She wished, later, that she had.

Marcus stood near the big stone fireplace, his tall frame lit by the dying fire. He wore a dark velvet coat, his hair braided back like a proud Alpha's, and he offered her a calm, handsome smile

“Safe," Marcus repeated softly. He lifted the signed paper, blew on the wet ink, and slid it into his jacket pocket. "You have no idea how long I've waited for this moment, Elena.”

Elena smiled and crossed the room to him. Her white silk dress swished softly against the floorboards. She reached out and placed her palm on his chest, expecting the warmth of the man who had promised

to love her forever.

"We should go back to the Great Hall," she said softly, looking up into his ice-blue eyes. "The pack elders are waiting to drink to our union.”

“The elders can wait," Marcus quipped, his tone flat and cold.

Before Elena could ask what was wrong, his hand closed around her wrist hard enough to bruise. He yanked her against his chest and pinned her arms so she couldn't move.

“Marcus?” she gasped, her breath catching in her throat. "What are you

doing”

A burst of hot pain slammed straight into her chest.

A sharp sound filled the silent room as steel tore through her dress and

skin. Elena's eyes went wide as she looked down to find the handle of a silver dagger stuck right under her ribs.

The silver burned like fire. It rushed through her blood, instantly

stopping her inner wolf and freezing her body before she could even try

to heal.

Elena choked, a splash of warm blood spilling over her lips. "Why..."

she whispered, her knees giving out beneath her. "Marcus... why?”

Marcus didn't panic. He held her tight by the arms, lowering her slowly

to the floor as her legs failed her completely.

"Because, my sweet Elena," he whispered, his breath warm against her cold skin. "A living Luna of the Cross pack makes me a male consort. A dead one makes me a widowed Alpha with all the power"

“You... monster," Elena gasped, struggling to catch a single breath.

"You were always too smart, Elena," Marcus said calmly, brushing a bloody lock of hair from her cheek. "You would have questioned my rule. Argued about taxes, soldiers, laws. Now you get to be the poor bride killed on her wedding night. And I get everything.”

A quiet laugh came from the dark corner of the room.

The thick velvet curtains behind the desk pulled back.

Nadia Voss stepped into the dim light, smiling as she walked forward. She wore a dark green dress, and around her neck hung a blue jewel necklace – the one that had belonged to Elena's late mother.

“Is she gone yet, my love?" Nadia asked, resting a hand on Marcus's shoulder as she looked down at the blood pooling across Elena's gown.

“Almost," Marcus replied, standing up to fix his jacket.

Elena lay on the floor, her sight dimming as blood soaked through her veil. She stared up at Nadia, and this second betrayal cut deeper than the metal in her chest.

"My mother's necklace..."

"Looks better on me anyway." Nadia touched the gem with one fingernail. "You were always too plain to rule a pack, Elena. Marcus needs a real Luna by his side.”

Elena tried to lift her hand toward the dagger's handle, but her fingers wouldn't answer. Her wolf had gone silent under the poison. Every heartbeat took something from her.

“What about those loyal to her family?” Nadia glanced toward the door. "If the older guards in the hall find out...”

“They won't." Marcus cut her off. "By morning I'll have my story ready, and a show worth watching. The pack will follow me without question.”

"You planned every detail, didn’t you?” Nadia smiled, leaning in to kiss his cheek.

“I don’t leave things to chance,” Marcus said, his eyes empty of any warmth. "The Cross family line ends tonight, and the Bolton era begins."

Elena's fingers twitched against the floorboards. She reached for one last spark of will, but the dagger blocked her healing completely. She could only watch as the man she'd loved for years stood over her like a stranger.

“We should get back to the party soon," Nadia purred, adjusting her

gown. "People will notice we are missing."

"Let them wait a few more minutes," Marcus stared down at Elena with cold eyes. “I want to make sure this is finished."

Elena forced the words out through the blood filling her mouth. "My pack... will never... follow you."

"They already do." His mouth curved, cold. "They signed their loyalty to me the moment you signed that contract. You handed me your pack yourself."

The tear that slid down Elena's cheek burned hotter than the silver in her ribs. She had handed her family's legacy to a monster on a platter.

Two large heavy guard men stepped through the wooden door, their faces

hidden behind dark iron helmets. They held heavy ropes and long spears

at their sides.

Marcus didn't even look down at Elena as he wiped a tiny drop of blood

off his cuff.

"Drag her into the deep woods and leave her body to rot,” Marcus ordered cold-heartedly. "Make sure she isn't breathing.”