Chapter 1

The humiliation still clung to me like a stubborn shadow, impossible to shake. No matter how many drinks I downed, the memory of being left standing at the altar alone, humiliated, and exposed before countless witnesses was a weight I couldn’t lift.

I tilted the glass in my hand, swallowing the last bitter drop without remorse. Tonight, there were no rules, no obligations, no expectations.

Tonight, I wasn’t the perfect daughter, the obedient bride-to-be, or the polished princess. Who follows every role and nod yes to everything that was said to her.

Tonight I am someone different, someone else entirely.

The busy bar was far away from home, chosen precisely for its anonymity. No one here knew me, and that was the point.

“Do you mind some company?” someone asked from beside without even looking at him I knew he had a smile on his face.

I groaned inwardly, the voice cutting through my thoughts. I turned slowly, plastering on a sweet smile for the man hovering beside me. “I’m sorry, but I’d rather be alone.”

Not waiting for his response, I waved for another refill, hoping he’d take the hint, because I don't want to see a single person in my face right now.

“I just thought you might want a company since you are alone and…..”

I turned again, this time glaring at him with enough heat to scar him off.. He froze under my gaze, his confidence disappearing as he mumbled an apology and slipped away as cowardly as he had come.

Good, he should shudder away just as he came.

With a new drink in hand, I let my mind wander back to the past week. I relived every excruciating detail of that day the whispers, the stares, the pity in everyone’s eyes. My grip tightened on the glass as I shoved the thoughts away.

No more. I was done playing the role everyone expected of me. I was done trying to be a good person and at the end my heart is destroyed without a single pity.

I stood abruptly, leaving my drink behind as I approached the woman with bright pink hair standing near the patio. “I need a session,” I said firmly.

She looked me over, her expression unreadable, before nodding. “Follow me.”

We moved through a dimly lit corridor, the noise of the bar fading behind us. My pulse quickened as we entered a secluded room bathed in soft blue light. The atmosphere was warm, almost hypnotic, and I felt a chill swell down my spine. This was new to me but I'm taking it all the way.

“Take a seat and put this on,” she said, handing me a silk mask. “Close your eyes and enjoy the experience.”

I hesitated for only a moment before settling onto the plush lounge chair. The mask slid over my face, plunging me into comforting darkness.

For a while, there was only silence. My breaths slowed, counting each inhale and exhale, until I heard the door open.

He had a presence.

That was my first thought as a shiver ran through me. I couldn’t see him, but the air seemed to shift, thickening with something electric.

“Are you ready for your session, ma’am?”

His voice was deep, rich, and smooth like dark honey. It resonated in my chest, stirring something I hadn’t felt in a long time. It was a feeling that was foreign to me so I embraced it.

I nodded, though I wasn’t sure he could see it.

Soft music filled the room, the melody a gentle pulse that matched the rhythm of my heartbeat. His hands found my back, warm and deliberate as they grazed over me. The lightest touch sent waves of sensation rippling through my skin.

I clenched the edge of the chair, trying to stay grounded. But his hands moved with such skill, his presence so magnetic, that I felt myself slipping.

Who is this man?

His touch grew bolder, his movements fluid as he leaned in, his chest brushing against my back. I could feel the heat of his body, the strength in his frame as he guided me into the music’s rhythm.

Every brush of his fingers sent sparks racing through my veins. When his hands skimmed my shoulders and his breath ghosted over my neck, I couldn’t help the sharp inhale that escaped me.

He stilled.

For a moment, the world seemed to suddenly become quiet. I could feel his eyes on me, even through the mask, as though he could see past every barrier I’d ever put up.

I couldn’t stop myself. The feeling was too much for only me to bare.

My trembling fingers reached for him, finding the sharp line of his jaw. His breath hitched, and my touch lingered, tracing the curve of his lips.

Before I could think better of it, I pulled him down, crashing my lips to his.

The first kiss was slow, exploratory. His lips were soft yet firm, moving against mine with an intensity that left me breathless. I melted into him, the world outside fading into nothingness.

When his hands slid to my waist, pulling me closer, I felt my heart race, desire mixing with a faint sense of danger.

I broke the kiss, gasping as reality crashed back in. My fingers moved to the mask, pulling it away.

I needed to see him. I needed to see this person that ignited this much feeling inside of me.

As the mask fell, I opened my eyes, and the room lit up just as he turned on the light beside him.

Bright blue eyes stared back at me, shock and recognition mirroring my own. This can't be.

“You…what are you doing here?”

I stumbled back, my hand clutching my chest as his gaze bore into mine.

This wasn’t just any man. The person I am staring at right now can't be him. But of course it was.

This was him. The Alpha of the Moonbright Pack.

My fiancé's brother.

Alpha Ashvin.