I sat at my desk, studying the finished sketch, imagining Kayden's expression when he received it.
Would he love it?
Once planted, that thought grew like wild ivy.
I began painting the scene in my mind.
The full moon. The altar. Pack members gathered in witness.
Kayden would stand there in the formal attire of the Alpha heir—raven-black hair, quicksilver eyes—like the deity who'd embraced me in countless dreams.
He would take my hand before everyone. He would declare to the Moon Goddess and all the pack that I, Layla Gray, would be his fiancée, the future Luna.
I wasn't a mistake. I was his fated mate.
Night had fallen, the full moon suspended high above, bathing everything in silver light.
A carriage brought me to the Sacred Ground—the pack's most hallowed place, where forest met cliff. Ancient trees formed a circle around a flat stone platform carved with archaic runes.
"You'll need to proceed to the preparation chamber first," Amy said, guiding me toward a small stone cottage beside the Sacred Ground. "Mr. Blackwood is already waiting inside. By tradition, you'll meet privately before the ceremony begins."
I nodded, heart hammering so violently I thought it might burst.After they departed, I stood alone before the door, trying to steady myself.
Kayden was inside. Just beyond this threshold. So close.
My fated mate. The man I'd loved in secret for ten years. The man I would spend my life with.
Come on, Layla. Be brave.
I drew a deep breath, clutched my bouquet, and approached the door with the graceful steps I'd practiced countless times.
Images cascaded through my mind—my first glimpse of Kayden, the first stirring of the mate bond, our night together, moonlight through the forest, the moment we joined.
Everything had led to this.
I pushed open the door.
"Kayden—"
His name died in my throat.
A stranger stood before me. Gaunt, pallid, with an air of sickness about him. He bore some features in common with Kayden—the same sharp jawline, similar height—but his eyes were a lifeless gray, nothing like that breathtaking silver.
He regarded me, lips curling into a sinister smile, voice rough and grating.
"Allow me to introduce myself, my bride."
"I'm Finn Blackwood. Kayden's younger brother."
Finn Blackwood.
The name struck like ice against my skull. I'd only heard it in whispered fragments among pack members, in conversations that ended when I drew near. The Alpha's bastard second son. Frail, forbidden from formal occasions. A secret shame.
"What?" The word emerged barely audible.
Finn advanced slowly, those gray eyes raking over me with an appraisal that made my skin crawl.
"Seems no one told you the truth," he said, voice laced with perverse pleasure. "You thought you were marrying Kayden? My dear, noble, perfect brother?"
