Elder Drake stood there. Moonlight silvered his white hair. Formal robes, pack elder staff in hand. He'd never come to my shack; in twenty-five years, Drake never glanced my way.
But now, he smiled.
"Miss Gray," he said, with respect I'd never heard. "Congratulations."
"One month from now, on the full moon night, you'll be engaged to Mr. Blackwood."
Chapter Two
Layla
The gold-embossed letter trembled in my hands. Or perhaps it was my hands that were trembling.
I sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the elegant wax seal—the Blackwood family crest, a silver wolf howling at the moon. Moonlight streamed through the window, catching the silver emblem and making it seem to glow.
Drake had delivered it himself—a letter bearing the Alpha's authority, proof that this engagement was real and binding. I'd been staring at it for a full hour, yet still couldn't summon the courage to break the seal.
"In one month, you will be engaged to Mr. Blackwood."
Drake's words echoed in my mind. Mr. Blackwood. Kayden. He'd changed his mind. He must have changed his mind.
My fingers traced the wax seal before carefully prying it open. The paper unfolded in the moonlight, revealing flowing calligraphy:
"On the night of the full moon, at the Sacred Ground, an engagement ceremony shall be held. Layla Gray will be united with the Blackwood family, becoming part of its honored legacy. According totradition, the groom will present his bride with the spoils of his hunt to demonstrate his loyalty and strength."
My vision blurred.
He was really going to marry me. Kayden was really going to marry me.
What happened that night by the lake wasn't a mistake. It wasn't him losing control while drunk. It wasn't merely a "physical reaction." He'd felt it, just as I had—that mate bond, that soul-deep call.
He'd just needed time. Time to overcome his fear, to convince his father, to accept what fate had ordained.
And now, he'd done it.
I pressed the letter to my chest, feeling my heart race. All the pain and despair of this past week suddenly held meaning—it had been darkness before dawn, merely a test. And now, at last, the sun was rising.
"One month," I whispered to myself. "Just one more month."
In one month, I would no longer be that wretched hybrid orphan. I would be Kayden Blackwood's fiancée, his mate, the one he'd chosen.
All that past humiliation and suffering would finally mean something—because it had led me to him, taught me strength, made me worthy of standing at his side. And I would finally know happiness—not because of some Luna title, but because Kayden loved me.
I clutched the letter tight, allowing myself to sink into this beautiful dream. The world outside remained cruel and cold, but in this moment, I let myself believe in fairy tales.
The days that followed felt like walking on clouds—too beautiful to be real.
Drake personally escorted me to new quarters, calling it the Alpha's directive. A standalone cottage nestled among ancient oaks, its windows overlooking the shimmering expanse of Mirror Lake.
Two girls from Beta families—Amy and Lina—were assigned as my attendants. They kept their eyes lowered, movements gentle,addressing me as "Miss Gray." At first, I couldn't adjust to being waited upon. Each time they approached, I instinctively tensed, as I had for twenty-five years whenever facing pack members, bracing for the inevitable contempt or cruelty.
But nothing came.
They brushed my hair with tender care, afraid of causing pain. When Amy noticed the faded but still visible burn scar on my arm, she actually gasped, genuine sympathy in her eyes.
I slept in a room with plush velvet bedding, ate meals prepared in the kitchen and delivered on silver trays. No one called me "mongrel" or "pup" anymore. It was as if that fated bond hadn't just connected me to Kayden—it had rewritten my entire existence.
During the day, I studied the etiquette for the engagement ceremony. Drake sent an instructor to teach me how to walk, how to stand, how to curtsy with grace.
