Chapter 4

After the banquet, I slipped away from the crowd, desperate for a moment alone. The strange heat coursing through my body had only intensified throughout the evening, making it difficult to think clearly. My skin felt feverish, and my formal engagement dress suddenly seemed too tight, too constricting.

I needed to find my room key and escape the stifling atmosphere of celebration. I approached the reception desk, forcing a smile despite the fever raging inside me. The clerk looked up with practiced hospitality, her smile perfectly polished.

"Excuse me, I need to pick up my room key," I said, trying to keep my voice steady.

The clerk's smile faltered slightly as she checked her computer. "Miss Aurora, there seems to be a change in the arrangements." She handed me a single key card, avoiding my eyes.

"This is for the Alpha suite—Mr. Raymond's room."

"There must be some mistake," I said, my voice strained. Every nerve in my body seemed to scream in protest at the thought of sharing space with Raymond tonight, especially after what I had witnessed in the forest clearing.

Before the clerk could respond, Alpha Marcus and my father appeared behind me, as if they had been waiting nearby all along. They exchanged knowing glances that made my stomach twist with unease.

"There's no mistake," my father said firmly, his voice carrying that same authoritative tone he had used when threatening my mother's treatment. "You and Raymond are engaged now. It's only appropriate that you share accommodations."

Alpha Marcus smiled, though his eyes remained calculating, assessing my reaction. "We've arranged for you to have the Alpha suite together. Consider it our engagement gift."

"But—" I started to protest, feeling trapped between their expectations and the reality of Raymond's relationship with Giana.

"All the other rooms are occupied," my father cut in, his tone leaving no room for argument. His eyes narrowed slightly, a warning I recognized all too well. "This is the perfect opportunity for the engaged couple to bond, isn't it?"

The heat flared inside me again, making me dizzy. My wolf stirred restlessly beneath my skin, agitated by the sensation. Something was definitely wrong with me.

Had my father done something? Had he somehow drugged me to ensure I would be compliant on my engagement night? The thought made me sick, but I couldn't dismiss it.

He had been desperate enough to threaten my mother's health—what else would he do to ensure this engagement succeeded? With no other option, I made my way to Raymond's suite, each step more difficult than the last as the mysterious heat continued to build within me.

The key card trembled in my hand as I swiped it through the lock. The light flashed green, and the door swung open. I froze at the threshold, the scene before me searing itself into my memory.

Raymond stood in the center of the room, his arms wrapped around Giana's waist, her back pressed against his chest. Her head was tilted back against his shoulder as he kissed her neck, his eyes closed in obvious pleasure. The intimate scene made my stomach twist with both pain and a strange, desperate hunger I'd never felt before.

They broke apart at the sound of the door, but Raymond didn't look particularly concerned at being caught. He kept one arm possessively around Giana's waist as if declaring his allegiance.

"Aurora," he acknowledged casually, as if I had interrupted nothing more significant than a business meeting. "I figured you'd be busy with the guests for a while longer."

I gripped the doorframe for support, the burning sensation under my skin becoming unbearable. My legs felt weak, and my vision blurred at the edges. "They... they gave me your room key."

Raymond frowned slightly, then shrugged. "I should have anticipated that. Our families are pushing this engagement hard." He sighed, glancing at Giana with obvious longing. "Our mate bond has been impossible to ignore all day. We've been suppressing it for hours, just waiting for a chance to be alone."

His callous explanation pierced through the fog of my discomfort. Did he expect me to simply leave so he could be with her? On the night of our engagement?

The night that should have been ours, had fate been kinder? Raymond finally seemed to notice something was wrong with me. His eyes narrowed as he studied my face, a flicker of concern passing across his features.

"What's wrong with you? You look feverish."

Before I could answer, Giana huffed impatiently. "She has no sense of timing," she complained, running her fingers along Raymond's chest possessively. Her eyes met mine with barely concealed triumph.

"Can't you see we're in the middle of something important?" She stood on her tiptoes and whispered something in Raymond's ear that made his eyes darken with desire. Whatever she said effectively erased any concern he might have had for my condition.

"Aurora, you need to leave," Raymond ordered, already turning his attention back to Giana. "Now."

I found myself being ushered out of the room, Raymond's hand firm but impersonal against my back as he guided me to the door. It closed firmly behind me with a definitive click, the sound of their murmured voices already resuming on the other side.

I stood in the hallway, homeless on my own engagement night, with a fire burning through my veins that intensified with each passing moment. The irony was brutal—I was the future Luna, celebrated by the entire pack tonight, yet I was the only one with nowhere to go.

Snow had begun to fall outside, thick flakes swirling against the dark sky visible through the hallway windows. The entire hotel had been reserved for our engagement celebration, and I knew no other hotels in the pack territory would have rooms available this late.

I couldn't go home—my father would be furious to find me there, would likely blame me for failing to secure Raymond again. This was my engagement ceremony, yet I had been cast aside like an inconvenience.

I wandered through the hotel corridors, each step becoming more difficult as the mysterious heat spread through my limbs. My skin felt hypersensitive, every brush of fabric against my body almost painful. My mind clouded with unfamiliar sensations and urges that frightened me with their intensity.

My wolf, normally so calm and controlled, was agitated beneath my skin, responding to whatever was coursing through my system. It felt as though she was trying to break free, to take control. I had never experienced such a loss of self-possession before.

The corridor began to spin around me, the elegant wallpaper blurring into streams of color. I reached out blindly, trying to steady myself against the nearest wall. My hand connected with something solid—a door—but as soon as I touched it, it swung open unexpectedly.

The sudden movement sent me tumbling forward into the darkness beyond. I braced for impact with the floor, my arms instinctively stretching out to break my fall, but instead found myself caught against something warm and solid—a body.

Strong hands steadied me, gripping my upper arms with surprising gentleness despite their obvious strength. I heard a familiar voice, tinged with surprise and a hint of amusement.

"What's wrong with you?"

I looked up, my vision clearing just enough to recognize who had caught me. The realization hit me like a bucket of ice water, temporarily cutting through the haze of heat and confusion.

He stood before me, his muscular torso bare except for a white towel wrapped precariously around his hips. Water droplets clung to his dark hair and broad shoulders, tracing tantalizing paths down his chest. The warm light from his suite cast golden highlights across his skin, emphasizing the defined muscles that spoke of a predator's strength.

It was Kane—standing there, wrapped in nothing but a towel, looking dangerously seductive!