All Chapters of Moon Reaper’s Substitute Bride: Chapter 1 - Chapter 6

~Aurora~The cellar smelled of damp stone and fresh blood.I knelt on the cold floor, arms raw from the earlier whippings, tasting iron where my lip had split."The prophecy demands a Varkas daughter," Lady Elowen, my stepmother had hissed earlier this evening, shoving me forward in the great hall while her true daughter, Seraphina, smiled while watching everything unfold. "You'll do. Better a worthless outcast than risking my Seraphina's life with those monsters."I hadn't argued. I never did. Obedience was the only armor a powerless wolf possessed.Above me, the pack was celebrating. I could hear the muffled roar of laughter, the clink of cups, the low sound of drums rehearsing for tomorrow's binding. Tomorrow, the Varkas wolves would hand their Alpha's firstborn daughter to the heir of the Moon Reapers clan and end centuries of war. Except, nobody but the Varkas knew the truth. I was not his firstborn daughter. His real first-born was Seraphina since my mother—his first wife, had

~CASSIAN~Marry a bloody she-wolf. Curse the grand council and their rules.How the hell was I supposed to bind myself to a woman from the family my people despised more than death itself? How could she even survive here, in the heart of our territory, when every soul would sooner tear out her throat than offer her a smile?The Council claimed it was to end the bloodshed once and for all, especially after the latest brutal attack.They swore a witch on their high seat had foreseen it: a union between Thorne and Varkas would end the cycle of revenge. Prophecy. Sure.Lies. I knew better than to believe their nonsense.To make matters worse, I wasn't being offered any Varkas. No, they were handing me the Alpha's firstborn daughter—the pampered princess who had never wanted for anything in her perfect life. Daddy's little jewel, always granted whatever she wanted.The Council didn't mention loyalty, only marriage. It was a loveless union anyway. If the Varkas daughter had a lover, she

~CASSIAN~I couldn't believe my eyes.It was her, the girl I had glimpsed earlier while entering the Kingdom. I couldn't get her out of my head. And now she stood before me as my bride?A dark amusement formed in my chest. Had she truly tried to run away to escape marrying me? This was the Varkas princess? The first daughter of Alpha King Kairos Varkas himself? When I'd first seen her, she had been dressed like a common servant. A clever little disguise, perhaps to try to escape this marriage. "Lord Cassian," the Alpha King's voice echoed. "It is my pleasure to have you here with us today."I barely spared him a glance."Spare me the greetings Kairos," I said flatly. "I came only for the girl."Gasps spread throughout the ballroom. I could feel their shock, their outrage at the way I spoke to their beloved king. It only made the corner of my mouth twitch with dark satisfaction. He may rule these lands, but to me he was nothing more than an enemy wearing a crown. This marriage w