PROLOGUE

​Four Years Ago

​Olivia's POV

​"Run, Olivia!"

​My mother's scream echoed through the dark forest. I spun around just in time to see a massive rogue wolf slam into her, throwing her hard against the trunk of a tree.

​"Mother!"

​I ran toward her, but someone grabbed me from behind. I barely had time to struggle before something sharp pierced the side of my neck. I screamed and pulled myself free, my hand flying to the spot.

​A needle.

​Almost right away, something hot spread under my skin.

​Rogue toxin.

​"Olivia, run!" my mother screamed again.

​Two men had grabbed her. She fought against them, kicking and screaming as they dragged her away.

​"No!" I stumbled toward them. "Let her go! Mother!"

​But my body wasn't listening to me anymore. The trees blurred. The ground shifted beneath my feet, and my legs suddenly felt too heavy to move. Through my fading vision, I watched them drag my mother deeper into the forest.

​"Olivia!"

​That was the last thing I heard before they dragged her into the darkness.

​I don't know how I managed to escape. I only remember running. I ran until my chest hurt and every breath felt like fire. Branches scratched my face and caught in my clothes, but I didn't stop. I couldn't stop.

​Help me. Please. I need you.

​I reached desperately for my wolf. For a moment, I felt the faintest trace of her inside me, but even that began to disappear. The poison was affecting her too.

​My legs finally gave out, and I crashed onto the damp forest floor. For several seconds, I just lay there, struggling to breathe.

​Then I heard something.

​A groan.

​I slowly lifted my head and saw someone lying under a large tree a few feet away. A man.

​Even through my blurred vision, I could see the blood covering his clothes. An arrow was buried deep in his side, and the skin around the wound had turned dark.

​Poison.

​He was dying too.

​I should have stayed away from him, but I was frightened, confused, and alone. Somehow, knowing I wasn't the only person dying in those woods made me crawl toward him.

​His eyes suddenly opened. Before I could move back, his hand closed around my wrist.

​I gasped.

​"Who are you?" he asked weakly. His voice was deep but strained with pain.

​"I..." I tried to answer, but my thoughts wouldn't come together. "I don't know."

​His grip loosened slightly, and neither of us spoke again.

​Something strange happened the longer his skin remained against mine. Warmth spread through my arm, chasing away some of the terrible cold that had begun settling inside me. I stared at him through the darkness, but I couldn't make out his face. The forest around us was so dark that I could barely see anything beyond the shape of his body.

​I don't know who moved first. Maybe it was the fever. Maybe it was the poison. Or maybe it was something neither of us understood.

​He pulled me down to him, his hand tangling in my hair, and brought his lips to mine.

​The kiss was desperate and feverish, like we were both trying to find relief from whatever was burning through our bodies. I kissed him back without thinking, my fingers clutching his shirt as he pulled me closer.

I couldn't think clearly anymore. The poison had left my head spinning and my body burning, and every time his skin touched mine, the strange heat only grew stronger.

​His breathing grew heavy as his hands tore my clothes, ripping the cloth open until my bare skin hit the cold air. He pulled me close against his warm chest, then rolled me onto the soft leaves beneath us.

​His hands gripped my hips, holding me down as he pushed inside me. I gasped, but his mouth covered mine again to quiet the sound. Every movement was hard and fast, sending heat through my body. We moved together in the dark, skin against skin, gasping for air, holding each other close to block out the darkness around us.

​For that one night, I wasn't thinking about the rogues. I wasn't thinking about my mother being dragged away or whether I would survive until morning. I only knew that I didn't want to be alone, and neither did he.

​One thing led to another, and that night, I gave myself, my virginity, to a man whose name I didn't know and whose face I had never seen.

​When morning came, I opened my eyes to sunlight filtering through the trees. For a few seconds, I couldn't remember where I was.

​Then everything came rushing back.

​"Mother..."

​I pushed myself upright.

​The stranger was gone.

​I looked around frantically, but there was no sign of him. No name. No explanation. Nothing to prove he had ever been there except for the memory of the night before.

...

Olivia's POV

​The moment I heard the quiet sobbing behind the bedroom door, I knew Princess Annabel was crying again. If I had known it would be the last time I would ever hear her cry, I never would have left her alone.

I slowly pushed the door open and found her sitting before her dressing mirror in her wedding gown, tears streaming silently down her face.

​She stared at her reflection as though she didn't recognize the woman looking back at her.

​Today was supposed to be the happiest day of her life. Instead, it felt like she was walking toward her own death.

​I had served her for six years, and Annabel had never treated me like just another servant. Every year, she remembered my birthday with a small gift or a cake. When I lost my mother's wedding ring in the palace gardens, she dropped everything and spent the whole afternoon helping me search for it, even though her tutors were angry. She was truly kind, kinder than royalty ever needed to be. She didn't deserve any of this.

​I walked over and gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "Your Highness."

​She flinched, then turned and threw herself into my arms. "Olivia…" she sobbed.

​I held her close while her body trembled. "I don't want to go," she whispered. "I don't want to die."

I wished I could tell her she wasn't going to die. I wished I could promise her that everything would be okay, but the words wouldn't come. How could I promise something I didn't believe myself?

Three months ago, our pack lost the war to the Full Moon Pack. They crushed us brutally, and hundreds of our people died. During the final battle, Alpha Lucian's younger sister fell into a coma. From that day on, the stories about him became even darker. Packs that stood against him were wiped out without mercy. Even his own subordinates walked carefully around him, afraid of becoming the next victim of his rage. Everyone said the same thing: Alpha Lucian was a beast who showed no mercy. He blamed our pack for his sister's condition and hated us with every part of his being. Sending Annabel to marry a man like that felt like sending her to her execution.

​Yet, to save what remained of our people, our Alpha had no choice but to beg for peace. The price was Princess Annabel. She was to become Alpha Lucian's bride.

​"I've heard what he does to people," Annabel whispered, gripping my dress tightly. "They say he enjoys watching them suffer. They say he never shows mercy." More tears rolled down her cheeks. "What if they're right? What if he kills me?"

​I brushed the tears from her face. "Rumors are not always true."

​She let out a bitter laugh. "What if this time they are?" Her eyes dropped to her wedding gown. "This isn't my wedding, Olivia. It's my funeral."

​Those words broke my heart. I hugged her tighter, wishing I could fix everything. But there was nothing either of us could do. What could I possibly do to protect her when my own wolf had been silent for four years? I couldn't even shift anymore.

​After a while, I pulled back and tried to smile. "You should drink some water. You haven't had anything all morning."

​She nodded weakly. "Okay."

​I gave her hand one last reassuring squeeze before leaving the room. "I'll be right back."

​She managed a weak smile. "Thank you."

​I closed the door behind me and hurried toward the kitchens. The servants were unusually quiet, moving about with sad expressions and lowered heads. No one wanted this wedding. No one wanted to send our princess away. But after everything we had lost, this marriage was the only thing standing between our kingdom and another war.

​I filled a crystal glass with cool water and placed it carefully on a tray. As I made my way back upstairs, an uneasy feeling settled over me. The corridor leading to Annabel's room was strangely silent. My eyes searched for the two guards who had been stationed outside her door all morning.

​They were gone.

​I frowned. Where could they have gone? Leaving a royal bride unguarded on her wedding day made no sense. A bad feeling settled in my stomach, but I tried to ignore it as I pushed the heavy door open with my shoulder.

​"Your Highness, I brought your..."

​The words died on my lips.

​My eyes swept across the chamber, searching for Annabel. She wasn't sitting in front of the mirror anymore. Instead, a dark red stain on the white marble caught my attention.

​Blood.

​My gaze slowly followed the red trail until it reached the motionless figure lying flat on the floor.

​The tray slipped from my hands. The glass shattered against the marble, sending water across my feet, but I didn't even feel it.

​A few feet away lay Princess Annabel. Her beautiful white wedding gown was soaked in blood. A dark pool of blood surrounded her body, spreading farther and farther across the floor.

​"No..."

​I stumbled toward her and fell to my knees. "Annabel..."

​My trembling hands touched her shoulders. Her skin was cold. Too cold.

​"No... please..." I shook her gently, then harder. "Wake up! Please wake up!"

​Nothing. There was no breath, no movement.

​Sticky, warm blood coated my fingers as I pulled her into my arms, sobbing uncontrollably. "This isn't funny," I cried, pressing her close to my chest. "Please... please wake up..."

​Heavy footsteps suddenly echoed through the corridor. Before I could react, the bedroom doors burst open and royal guards rushed inside with their swords drawn. Not one of them ran to help the princess. Instead, every eye landed on me: on the panic on my face, the blood covering my hands, and the red stains spreading across my dress.

​Our Beta's expression hardened into a frown. He raised his sword and pointed it straight at me.

​"Bring her."

​I stared at him in horror, my heart racing. "What? No... I didn't do this! She was alive when I left! I only went to get her some water!"

​"Enough," he barked.

​Before I could say another word, rough hands grabbed my arms and pulled me away from the princess.

​"No!" I screamed, struggling against their grip as they dragged me away from her. "You've got it all wrong!"

​Before I could utter another word, a heavy, leather glove clamped tightly over my mouth. It cut off my air and turned my cries into a useless whisper. The guards dragged me backward out of the blood-stained room, my feet scraping helplessly against the stone floor.

​They didn't take me down to the dark dungeons. Instead, they hurried me through the shadows of the back hallways, leading me straight toward the Alpha's private bedroom.

​The heavy wooden doors burst open, and the guards threw me onto the floor. I landed hard, my palms scraping against the polished stone before I looked up.

​Alpha Kenneth sat behind his large desk, looking completely miserable. The war had made him look ten years older; his shoulders were slumped, and his face looked tired and hollow. When he saw me covered in blood, a look of pure confusion crossed his face.

​"What is the meaning of this?" he demanded.

​Our Beta, the Alpha's second-in-command, spoke, "Your Majesty... Princess Annabel is dead."

​The words hit the room like a heavy blow.

​"I didn't do it!" I shrieked, the guards finally pulling their hands away from my mouth. The panic made my voice crack as I looked at the Alpha. "Your Majesty, please! I swear on my life, I didn't do it!"

​"Quiet! Do not speak another word," Alpha Kenneth snapped, though his voice lacked any real anger. It sounded empty, shaking with shock. He stood up quickly from his chair, his hands gripping the edge of his desk tightly. He turned a haunted look toward his Beta. "Are you sure? Is she really..."

​The Beta nodded slowly, lowering his head. "She is gone."

​Alpha Kenneth sank back into his chair as if his legs could no longer hold him up. The silence in the room was suffocating. He swallowed hard, his eyes darting frantically around the room before landing back on the Beta. "Who else knows about this?"

​"Just myself and the guards in this room, Sire."

​Alpha Kenneth pointed a shaking finger toward the entrance. "Lock Annabel's door. Go lock it now. No one, absolutely no one, must find out what has happened in that room."

​A guard quickly ran to carry out the order.

​Alpha Kenneth finally turned his gaze down to me. The bright light of the room caught the tears forming in his eyes. "Olivia," he said, his voice dropping to a low whisper. "Tell me exactly what happened."

​Through heavy sobs, I forced the words out. I told him everything. I told him about Annabel's fears, and how she had cried in my arms. I told him how I had only left her side for a few minutes to get her a simple glass of water from the kitchen, only to return to that horrific sight.

​"And the guards were gone," I added through my tears. "Both of them were outside her room when I left, but when I came back, they had disappeared."

​As I spoke, a single, heavy tear finally spilled from the Alpha's eye and ran down his wrinkled cheek. He closed his eyes, letting out a long, broken breath. Looking into his tear-filled eyes, I knew he believed me.

​"She was so frightened," he whispered to himself, staring blankly at the desk. "It seems... it seems my daughter took her own life. She chose death over the monster."

​My heart squeezed in my chest. No, I wanted to scream. Annabel wouldn't do that. She was terrified, yes, but she loved her people too much to doom them. She knew what would happen if she backed out. I didn't believe for a second that she would take her own life, but looking at the broken father in front of me, I kept my mouth shut.

​"Your Majesty," the Beta interrupted quietly, stepping closer to the desk. His voice was filled with panic. "We cannot let anyone find out the princess is dead. Especially not Alpha Lucian. If he finds out his bride died or killed herself before the wedding, he will take it as a massive insult. He will bring a war that our pack cannot survive. We will all be wiped out by tonight."

​"I know," Alpha Kenneth breathed, rubbing his face with his shaking hands. "I know."

​"What do we do then?" the Beta pressed, his eyes wide with fear. "The Full Moon Pack's guards are already at our gates. They are waiting for a bride."

​Slowly, the Alpha lowered his hands. The room fell into a dead, terrifying silence as he turned his tear-stained, desperate eyes away from the floor.

​He didn't look at the Beta. He didn't look at the guards.

​Alpha Kenneth looked directly at me. "Leave us," he ordered quietly.

​The guards hesitated for a single second before bowing. Within moments, the heavy doors opened and closed, leaving the room completely empty except for the three of us.

​Alpha Kenneth looked at me for a very long time. The silence stretched between us, heavy and terrifying, until he finally broke it.

​"So..." he whispered, his voice cracking with emotion. "There is only one way to save this pack."

​A sharp chill ran straight down my spine. I didn't like the look in his eyes, or the sudden, desperate focus in his gaze.

​"Stand up, Olivia."

​Confused and trembling, I slowly obeyed, my heart racing.

​Slowly, he rose from his chair and walked toward me, every step he took making my stomach twist tighter. Why was he looking at me like that?

​A terrible thought suddenly entered my mind, but I pushed it away immediately. No. Surely he couldn't be thinking what I thought he was thinking.

​His eyes slowly traveled over me, studying every detail. My face. My hair. My height. Even the color of my eyes. It felt as though he wasn't looking at me anymore. He was comparing me to someone else.

​He let out a slow breath.

​"You are close enough."

​My heart skipped a beat. "Close enough for what?"

​His eyes swept over me one last time.

​"The height... the hair... it'll work."

​His Beta seemed to realize exactly what the Alpha was thinking. "Your Majesty..."

​Alpha Kenneth ignored him entirely. He turned back to his desk, opened the top drawer, and picked up Annabel's royal seal.

​"From this moment on..."

​​He stepped forward and forcibly pressed the heavy royal seal into my trembling, blood-stained palms.

​"Olivia no longer exists."

​"What...?" The word gasped out of me.

​He looked me straight in the eyes.

​"You are Princess Annabel. You will marry Alpha Lucian in my daughter's place."

...

Olivia's POV

​I stared at the King, but no words came out. My mouth opened and closed soundlessly as the room seemed to spin around me.

​"No," I finally gasped, shaking my head as I stepped backward. "No, Your Majesty, please. I can't do this. I'm just a maid." Panic tightened around my chest until it became difficult to breathe. "His wolf... he'll know. Alpha Lucian is one of the strongest Alphas alive. They say he can smell deceit and lies. The moment he senses my broken wolf, he'll know I'm not Princess Annabel."

​Ever since the trauma that shattered me completely, my wolf had never spoken to me again. She had retreated so deep into the darkness of my mind that sometimes I wondered if she still existed. I couldn't hear her, couldn't feel her, and couldn't even shift anymore. I was a werewolf without her wolf, completely defenseless against a beast like Lucian.

​I looked desperately at the Beta. "If he finds out the truth, he won't just kill me. He'll slaughter everyone in this pack for insulting him with a fake bride. Please... don't make me do this."

​For a brief moment, I thought the King might change his mind. Instead, the grief disappeared from his face. The broken father vanished, leaving only a ruler willing to sacrifice one life to save thousands.

​He stepped closer. "You don't have a choice, Olivia." His voice was calm, authoritative, and cold. "It is either you take Annabel's place, or I walk out those doors and tell everyone you murdered the princess."

​My heart stopped. "What?" I whispered in disbelief. "You know I didn't."

​"It doesn't matter what I know. You were found alone with her body. Your hands are covered in her blood. If I tell the kingdom you killed the princess, no one will question me. They will execute you before the sun sets."

​I stared at him in horror. The King I had respected all my life was willing to sacrifice me without hesitation.

So that was it. Die here as a murderer or go there and probably die as a liar. Wonderful choices.

​Then, to my surprise, his expression softened. He opened one of the drawers in his desk and pulled out a faded silver ribbon.

​My breath caught the moment I recognized it. It was the ribbon my mother had tied around her hair the night she disappeared four years ago.

​"Where... where did you get that?"

​"I know you've spent the last four years searching for your mother," the King said quietly. "I know you still believe she's alive." He held the ribbon between his fingers. "If you agree to become Annabel, I'll give you everything my spies have uncovered. Every lead. Every name. Every place they've searched. I'll help you find her."

​My eyes remained fixed on the ribbon. For four years, every road I had followed ended in disappointment. Now something belonging to my mother was hanging right in front of me, but its price was my life.

​My mind screamed at me to refuse. Marrying Alpha Lucian was walking straight into death. Yet if I refused, I would die today as a murderer. If I accepted, at least there was still a chance.

​Seeing the hesitation on my face, the King continued. "Annabel was kept hidden for her own safety. She never attended public gatherings, and she never allowed pictures to be taken. Alpha Lucian has never seen her face."

​I swallowed hard. "But everyone here knows me. The servants... the warriors... the people in the courtyard. They'll know I'm not the princess."

​"They won't."

​The King nodded toward the Beta, who immediately opened a wooden chest and lifted out a thick white bridal veil made of heavy lace.

​"It covers your face completely," the King explained. "You'll wear it until you leave the kingdom. No one will see Olivia. They will only see Princess Annabel."

​A tear rolled down my cheek. The trap was perfect. There was no escape.

​I closed my eyes. "Fine," I whispered. The word felt like poison leaving my lips. "I'll do it."

​The King wasted no time. "Take her through the secret passage to the royal bathhouse. Wash away the blood. Dress her in Annabel's spare wedding gown and cover her face before anyone sees her. The Full Moon escort is already growing impatient. We have less than an hour."

​"Yes, Your Majesty."

​The Beta held out his hand. "Come with me."

​Ten minutes later, I stood waist-deep in the steaming waters of the royal bathhouse. Two elderly servants, sworn to secrecy under penalty of death, carefully washed the blood from my body.

​I watched the red water swirl around me before disappearing down the drain. It wasn't only Annabel's blood washing away. It felt as though Olivia was disappearing with it. Only an hour ago, I had been crying over my princess's body. Now I was preparing to become her.

​The thought made me sick.

​Who killed her?

​The question refused to leave my mind. Annabel hadn't taken her own life. I knew her. She had been frightened, but she loved this kingdom too much to abandon it. Someone had entered that room while I was gone.

​Someone had murdered her.

​"Stand up, child," one of the old women said gently.

​They dried me, brushed my hair, and dressed me in a wedding gown identical to the one Annabel had died in. As they tightened the corset, I struggled to breathe. Every pull of the ribbon felt like another chain locking me into a life that had never belonged to me.

​A few moments later, the Beta returned and carefully lowered the heavy lace veil over my head. The world instantly became dim and blurred. No one would see Olivia. They would only see Princess Annabel.

​The Beta stepped closer. "Listen carefully, Olivia. Until you cross the border, you do not speak unless someone speaks to you first. Keep your answers short. Lower your head. Act like a frightened bride."

​I nodded weakly before reaching deep inside myself.

​Please... just this once. Give me something. A growl. A whisper. Anything.

​Nothing answered me.

​"And after we cross the border?" I asked.

​The Beta looked at me for a long moment before lowering his eyes. "After you cross the border..." His voice became almost a whisper. "...pray the gods have mercy on your soul."

​A cold chill ran down my spine. If even the Beta was warning me to pray, what exactly was waiting for me on the other side of that border?

​He guided me through the palace until the great doors opened and bright sunlight filtered through my veil.

​Outside, hundreds of people filled the courtyard, standing in complete silence with their heads lowered. None of them saw Olivia. They believed they were saying goodbye to Princess Annabel.

​Three sleek black cars waited at the center of the courtyard, surrounded by Full Moon warriors dressed in dark uniforms.

​A tall, stern-faced man stepped forward. "Alpha Kenneth," he said, his deep voice carrying across the courtyard. "I am Beta Levi. I will be taking Alpha Lucian's bride to him."

​My stomach dropped.

​He hadn't even come himself.

​Alpha Lucian had sent his second-in-command to collect his bride like a prize won in war.

​Our Alpha nodded slowly. "Please tell him to take care of my daughter."

​Beta Levi said nothing. Not a promise. Not even a word of reassurance.

​Then King Kenneth turned to me and pulled me into a tight hug. He buried his face against my shoulder and let out a broken sigh, playing the grieving father so perfectly that for one terrifying second, I almost believed him. I almost forgot that less than an hour ago, this same man had threatened to frame me for his daughter's murder.

​Soft sobs spread through the courtyard as our people watched their princess being sent into the hands of their enemy.

​"We have to leave," Beta Levi said impatiently.

​The King pulled away, and Beta Levi gestured toward the open door of the middle car.

​"Come with me."

​I looked through my veil one last time at the people I had known all my life. They were crying for Princess Annabel, completely unaware that she was already dead.

​I climbed into the car, and the door slammed shut behind me.

​For over an hour, we drove in silence. I watched my home disappear through the window until there was nothing left but trees.

​Eventually, the road became rougher beneath the tires.

​The border.

​My heartbeat quickened as we approached the checkpoint, but the gates opened without question. Within seconds, we crossed into Full Moon territory.

​There was no turning back now.

​Fifteen minutes later, the thick forest opened, revealing a massive mansion surrounded by guards. It was easily three times the size of our palace.

​The car stopped at the grand entrance. I stepped out carefully, gathering the heavy layers of my wedding dress while keeping my head lowered beneath the veil.

​Three women approached us. One was an older servant with gray hair pulled into a tight bun, while the other two were much younger. All three bowed.

​"Princess, welcome to the Full Moon Pack," the older woman said. "Please come with us."

​Remembering the Beta's warning, I simply nodded.

​They led me inside. The entrance hall was enormous, with massive stone pillars and a wide staircase leading to the upper floors, but I barely noticed any of it. All I could think about was Alpha Lucian.

​Somewhere inside this huge, beautiful mansion, Alpha Lucian—the beast himself—was waiting. The thought alone made my knees weak. Were they taking me to him right now?

​I followed the women upstairs until they stopped before a pair of large wooden doors. The older woman pushed them open, and I stepped inside.

​The bedroom was larger than the entire servants' quarters I had shared back home. A huge bed stood in the center, and a fire burned quietly in the fireplace. It was beautiful, but to me, it felt like a cage.

​"This will be your room, my Queen," the older woman said softly. "Alpha Lucian is not in the mansion right now. When he returns, someone will come for you."

​A quiet breath escaped me. At least I had a little more time.

​One of the younger maids stepped closer, curiosity brightening her eyes. "I've heard you're very beautiful," she said with a smile. "May I see your face?"

​My heart nearly stopped as she reached for my veil.

​Before her fingers could touch it, the older woman slapped her hand away.

​"Stop! The Alpha will be the first to see his bride's face. Don't you know the custom?"

​The maid immediately lowered her head. "I'm sorry."

​She glanced at me before following the others toward the door. "We'll return when the Alpha sends for you."

​The doors closed behind them.

​The moment I was alone, my legs gave out. I stumbled toward the bed and sat down heavily, struggling to breathe.

​In only a few hours, I would meet Alpha Lucian. What would happen when he came close enough to sense me? What would happen when his wolf searched for mine and found nothing?

​What am I going to do?

​I slid from the bed onto my knees.

​"Moon Goddess..." My voice shook. "Please... I've already lost my wolf. I've lost my mother. I've lost my home. Please don't let me lose my life too."

​Hours passed as afternoon slowly became night.

​Then several car doors slammed somewhere outside, followed by voices and hurried footsteps. My body went completely still as servants began rushing through the hallways.

​Then everything went quiet.

​A few moments later, the heavy click of my door handle echoed through the room.

​My whole body jumped. I scrambled backward onto the bed, my heart pounding so hard I thought it would burst from my chest.

​The doors opened.

​It was the same young maid from before, but the curiosity was completely gone from her face. She looked pale, even frightened, and swallowed hard before speaking.

​"Alpha Lucian has returned," she whispered, her voice shaking. "He has sent for you."

...

Olivia's POV

​The walk down the hallway felt much longer than it probably was. The maid stayed a few steps ahead of me, walking quickly with her head lowered, while I struggled behind her, trying not to trip over the ridiculous amount of fabric gathered around my legs.

​I kept my hands clasped tightly in front of my stomach, repeating my instructions like a prayer. Don't talk too much. Don't look around too much. Don't do anything Annabel wouldn't do. Beta Levi's warnings had been running through my head since we arrived in Full Moon territory.

​Annabel had always been quiet and reserved. Tonight, I had to become her completely. One mistake could expose me.

​I reached for my wolf again, searching the dark, quiet corners of my mind. Please. I could really use you right now.

​Nothing. Only the same cold, heavy silence that had lived inside my chest for four long years. Of all the days she could have chosen to return, today clearly wasn't going to be one of them.

​I swallowed against the dryness in my throat and forced myself to keep moving.

​The maid finally stopped in front of a pair of massive wooden doors guarded by two towering guards. Neither soldier looked at me; they stood like frozen statues, their broad shoulders blocking the hallway.

​"We're here, Princess," the maid whispered, her face pale as she turned to face me.

​My stomach dropped into a cold pit. She knocked twice, the sound echoing down the corridor. There was a short, agonizing silence before a deep man's voice came from the other side.

​"Come in."

​My fingers tightened around my dress.

​That was him.

​Alpha Lucian was on the other side of that door.

​The maid immediately pushed the heavy door open and stepped aside, gesturing for me to enter alone. I stared at her in brief panic, realizing she wasn't coming with me. I took a slow breath, stepped over the threshold, and heard the heavy door click firmly shut behind me.

​For a second, I simply stood near the entrance, frozen. The study was large and dimly lit, with tall bookshelves covering the walls and a fire burning quietly in the stone fireplace. A huge desk stood near the windows, papers scattered across its surface.

​Standing behind that desk was Alpha Lucian.

​The man whose army had slaughtered hundreds of our people. The man who believed I was the spoiled daughter of his sworn enemy.

​He was reading a document in his hands and didn't even look up when I entered.

​I remained near the door, my hands trembling inside my sleeves, entirely unsure of whether I was supposed to speak or remain quiet. Seconds ticked past in agonizing silence, stretching into a full minute. My palms began to sweat beneath the lace of my sleeves.

Was he deliberately ignoring me to break my spirit?

Or was I supposed to say something?

What did princesses even say to the enemy Alpha they'd just been forced to marry?

Hello, nice to meet you. Please don't discover I'm actually my own maid.

Probably not.

I glanced up cautiously, and that was my first mistake.

​He was nothing like I had imagined.

​Lucian was huge. Tall, broad, and powerfully built, with the kind of body that made it easy to believe the stories about the men he had killed with his bare hands. The sleeves of his black shirt were rolled to his elbows, exposing muscular forearms marked with old scars.

​But it wasn't his size that frightened me most.

​It was the feeling around him.

​Something dark and dangerous seemed to fill the entire room, pressing against my chest and making it harder to breathe. He wore no crown, no ceremonial robes, nothing that announced him as Alpha.

​He didn't need them.

​Everything about him screamed power.

​I quickly lowered my gaze back to the floor.

​"Did my guards bring me a bride or a statue?"

​His voice wasn't raised, yet it made my heart violently jump against my ribs.

​Lucian finally lifted his head, and the moment our eyes met through the thick lace of my veil, I understood why an entire continent feared him. He didn't look angry. That somehow made it worse. His face gave me absolutely nothing.

​His storm-gray eyes moved over my frame once, assessing me like a piece of livestock, before returning to my hidden face.

​"Come here," he commanded.

​My legs refused to move.

​Lucian's eyes dropped to my feet before slowly returning to my face.

​"When I give you an order, you obey it."

​I moved immediately. I crossed the room with short, trembling steps until I stood on the opposite side of his heavy desk.

​"Closer."

​My stomach tightened into a painful knot. I forced my feet to walk around the edge of the dark wood until I stopped a few feet away from him.

​Lucian leaned back against the edge of the desk, crossing his arms over his chest as he looked at me. He looked at me with an intensity that made my skin feel like it was burning, and I reflexively lowered my head.

​He pushed himself off the edge of the desk, and I instinctively took a step backward. Lucian stopped for a second, his eyes dropping to the space I had created between us before returning to my face. Then he continued toward me.

​I forced myself to remain where I was this time, even though every survival instinct inside me screamed to turn and run for the door.

​Lucian stopped directly in front of me, so close that his suffocating scent flooded my senses.

​His gaze dropped lower, tracking the frantic beat of the pulse in my neck, before he slowly leaned in and inhaled.

​My blood turned to ice. Every wolf knew that fear carried a distinct scent, but as Lucian drew back, his expression hardened in a way that made my breath stop entirely. His eyes narrowed.

​"Where is she?" he asked softly.

​My lips parted in terror. "Who?"

​"Your wolf."

​My heart slammed against my ribs. Lucian watched my reaction with terrifying focus, his face completely unreadable.

​"I can't sense her," he said, tilting his head slightly. "A royal princess of the Blood Moon line should radiate power, even when quiet. Yet I feel nothing from you."

Think, Olivia.

Think.

​"She hasn't been herself since the war," I finally managed to stammer, desperate to fill the silence. "The war affected her," I rushed out. "After everything that happened... after the wall fell and your warriors attacked... she became withdrawn. Sometimes I barely feel her myself."

​I knew I needed to shut my mouth, but the fear of his quiet judgment was driving me wild. Lucian's face remained entirely unchanged. He didn't show sympathy for the war, nor did he show guilt. He simply absorbed my words like a judge reviewing a useless defense.

​"Not my problem," he said quietly.

​I blinked behind my veil, surprised. That was it?

​He turned away from me and walked back toward his desk, picking up a heavy crystal glass filled with dark amber liquid. My lungs finally worked again, and I released the tiny breath I had been holding. Maybe he accepted the excuse. Maybe he actually believed I was Annabel.

​"Take off the veil," he ordered, his voice dropping into a flat, authoritative command.

​My hands went completely numb. "Alpha—"

​His eyes hardened.

​"Now."

​My hands rose to my head, but my fingers were trembling so violently that I couldn't find the edge of the heavy lace. I fumbled with the fabric, panic making my movements clumsy. Before I could manage it, Lucian took two swift steps forward and closed the distance between us.

​"Enough."

​Before I could react, he caught the veil himself and ripped it away from my face.

​The cool air of the room hit my bare skin, and I instinctively lowered my gaze, terrified of what would happen next. This was the moment I had been dreading. The real Princess Annabel and I were similar enough in height and build for the deception to work from a distance, but standing inches away from an Alpha...

​"Look at me."

​I couldn't.

​His fingers suddenly closed around my chin.

​A gasp escaped me as he forced my face upward.

​His piercing gray eyes met mine, and everything inside me stopped. Lucian didn't speak. He simply stared, his harsh, cold gaze moving across my face with brutal scrutiny. He studied the shape of my eyes, the line of my nose, and the tremble of my lips. I waited for the sudden flare of recognition, for the explosion of rage when he realized I wasn't the royal daughter he had been promised, for him to scream for his guards to drag me to the dungeons.

​Instead, his expression remained entirely unreadable.

​"You look just as fragile as your pathetic father."

​Relief hit me so hard that my knees almost gave out. For perhaps the first time in my life, being insulted felt wonderful.

​He believed me.

​He believed I was Annabel.

​But before I could even breathe properly, Lucian stepped closer. His eyes traveled slowly down my wedding dress before returning to my face.

​"Undress."

...

​Olivia's POV

​"What?" The word slipped out of my mouth before I could stop it.

​Lucian didn't blink. His face remained blank. "You heard me," he said, his voice terrifyingly calm. "Undress. We have a marriage to consummate, or have you forgotten why you were sent here? You are my wife."

​"No..." I gasped, stumbling a step backward. "Please... I can't..."

​His eyes narrowed slightly. "You can't?"

​"I... I don't—"

​"Have you forgotten why you're here?" he cut in.

​My lips parted, but no words came out. The panic hit me like a wave of freezing water. How could I have been stupid enough not to think about this? The wedding dress. The veil. The treaty. The room they had sent me to. I had been so terrified that Lucian would discover I wasn't Annabel that I hadn't allowed myself to think about what would happen if he actually believed I was.

​Lucian watched my hesitation with total blankness. "If you do not want this marriage, you are free to leave," he said casually, stepping aside and gesturing toward the heavy wooden doors. "I am not forcing you, Annabel. Walk out right now, go back to your palace, and tell your father you refused."

​For one foolish second, relief rushed through me. My eyes darted toward the exit. Was he serious? Could I really just walk away?

​Then Lucian returned to his desk and picked up his glass.

​"By sunrise tomorrow, my warriors will cross the border. I will rain down a war on your people that will leave nothing standing."

​The relief vanished. "What?"

​He took a slow drink. "I will consider your refusal a rejection of the peace treaty. The choice is yours."

​"No... please," I choked out. "Thousands of people could die!"

​"I'll love that more than anything in this world," he said flatly.

​The words struck me silent. Lucian didn't even flinch.

​Tears instantly burned my eyes. He wasn't giving me a real choice at all. If I ran, my pack would burn. Every person I loved back home would die because of my cowardice. Beta Levi's final warning flashed in my mind: You do this to save us.

​A single tear escaped before I could stop it, rolling down my cheek. Lucian's cold gaze followed its path, but he showed no pity. He turned his back on me, walking toward the window.

​"Undress," he repeated, his voice cold and final.

​My lower lip trembled. Technically, he was right. Nothing was physically stopping me from walking out that door. But the cost was too high. More bodies. More mothers burying their children. All because I couldn't do the one thing I had been sent here to do.

​Slowly, with trembling fingers, I reached for the back of my dress. My hands were shaking so badly I could barely undo the fasteners running down my spine.

​You can do this, Olivia, I told myself, closing my eyes tight. Just get through tonight.

​As the heavy gown slowly loosened, I swallowed hard against the dryness in my throat. This was never how I had pictured my wedding night. When I was younger, I had always dreamed of a gentle mate—someone who loved me, someone who would hold my hand with warmth and kindness. Even after what happened four years ago, I had always hoped that if I ever chose to be with a man again, it would be different. I would know him. I would trust him.

​Instead, I was standing in the study of a monster who hated my very name, stripping off my clothes just to keep my kingdom alive.

​The final piece of fabric slipped from my trembling fingers and fell to the floor. The cool air of the room brushed against my skin, making me shiver uncontrollably. I immediately covered my chest with my arms, my face burning with deep embarrassment.

​"I'm done," I whispered, my voice barely audible.

​Lucian didn't turn around immediately. For several terrible seconds, there was only the quiet crackle of the fireplace. Then, he slowly looked over his shoulder.

​His storm-gray eyes landed on me, moving across my bare skin with heavy, sharp focus. I lowered my gaze instantly, feeling more exposed and helpless than I ever had in my life.

Why wasn't he doing anything?

Not that I wanted him to.

Goddess, no.

But somehow waiting was worse.

​"Come here," he commanded.

​My legs barely worked, but I forced my feet to move. I took one short step, then another, until I stopped right in front of him.

​Lucian reached out and grabbed my wrist. The instant his warm, calloused skin touched mine, I flinched. He didn't say a word, leading me toward the soft leather sofa near the fire. He pushed me backward onto the cushions, and I gasped as my back hit the leather.

​Before I could recover, Lucian leaned over me, his massive frame blocking out the faint light of the room. I immediately squeezed my eyes shut, my fingers digging into the leather.

​Ten minutes, I repeated silently in my head. I can survive ten minutes. Just endure it for ten minutes. It'll be over soon.

​My entire body was rigid with fear, waiting for the painful moment to begin. But nothing happened.

​One second passed. Two seconds. Three seconds.

​"Are you untouched?" Lucian's deep voice suddenly cut through the quiet room, hovering right near my ear. "Your father assured me that his daughter was untouched."

​My eyes snapped open in sheer terror. Everything inside me stopped beating.

​No one had warned me about this. Beta Levi had told me to act like Annabel, to speak how she would speak, to walk how she walked, but he had never told me this.

Of all the instructions Beta Levi had given me, make sure you have the same sexual history as the dead princess had somehow been left off the list.

​Four years ago... the night my wolf vanished... the night my entire life fell apart... I had given myself to a stranger in the woods—a man whose face I had never seen, whose name I had never known.

​Lucian's eyes narrowed. "Answer me, Annabel. Are you a virgin?"

​I couldn't breathe. Hot tears gathered in my eyes and spilled over my lashes, pouring down my temples. I couldn't lie to him—not about something he would discover in a matter of seconds anyway.

​"No," I whispered, my voice breaking.

​Lucian went completely still. "What?"

​"I'm... I'm not," I choked out, my voice breaking into pathetic sobs as I looked up at him. "I'm not a virgin."

​The little warmth that hadn't even been there in the first place disappeared entirely. The air in the room turned violently cold. Something changed in his face. His jaw clenched, and before I could understand what was happening, he turned and drove his fist straight into the wall.

​The impact cracked through the wall.

​I screamed and scrambled backward, frantically pulling the throw blanket over my bare chest. When Lucian pulled his fist away, blood streaked across his knuckles, but he didn't even look at it.

​"Your father lied," Lucian murmured, his expression twisting into pure contempt. "He promised me an untouched daughter, and he lied to my face." He gave a bitter, humorless scoff and turned away from me. "Of course he did. So you are nothing more than a whore. A spoiled princess passing herself off as pure."

​"Please—"

​"Shut up."

​I flinched, pressing my back against the arm of the sofa, clutching the blanket to my neck as tears streamed down my face.

​Lucian turned away, dragging one bloody hand through his hair before suddenly sweeping everything from his desk. Papers, books, and the glass of wine crashed violently onto the floor.

​I curled against the sofa, clutching the blanket tighter.

​"First your pack puts my sister in a coma," his voice had dropped dangerously low. "Then your father crawls to me begging for peace. And now he sends me a bride while lying about what he's giving me?"

​"I didn't—"

​Lucian spun toward me. "Did I give you permission to speak?"

​My mouth snapped shut. He wiped the blood from his knuckles against his black trousers as though the injury meant nothing, looking down at me as if I were something disgusting he had stepped on.

​"Cover yourself," he ordered, disgust clear on his face. "I had no plan to touch you in the first place. The marriage papers are already signed, so on paper, you are my wife. But there will be no wedding ceremony. No celebration. You will not be my Luna, and you will never stand beside me. Your father sent you here as payment for peace, and that is all you will ever be."

​Tears blurred my vision. "Alpha, please—"

​His hand slammed against the back of the sofa beside my head.

​I screamed.

​Lucian leaned down until his furious gray eyes were level with mine. "You haven't seen cruelty yet, Princess. But keep lying to me, and you will."

​He straightened, turning his back on me as he walked toward his desk.

​"Get your clothes on," he ordered, his voice flat and full of disgust. "Get dressed. Now."

​I scrambled frantically for my wedding gown, my hands shaking so badly I could barely hold the fabric.

​"And get out of my sight," he added, his tone merciless, "before I decide your father's peace treaty isn't worth the paper it's written on."