ALINA I stared at myself in the mirror, barely recognizing the woman looking back at me. My hair was pulled back, my face carefully made up, and the dress I wore felt heavy with the weight of expectations and decisions I wasn’t even sure I believed in. It was surreal, but here I was, getting ready for a wedding. Again. I almost could not believe this was my life. It was almost as if I was a spectator in it, because I simply could not believe all of this. Two weddings in one month. It almost felt like a sick joke. Like I was watching myself from the third person point. I let out a shaky breath, my gaze drifting down to my stomach. My hands automatically pressed against the slight bulge there, a reminder of the child growing inside me. What would my baby think of me if they knew I had resorted to something so petty? That I was going through with a wedding, not out of love, but out of spite. Out of anger. My heart twisted as I thought about it. I was sure it was not going to affect th
ALINA I had to change out of my wedding dress because my mother in law had sent me another one. Normally, I wouldn’t want to change it but the dress she sent for me was prettier. They had postponed the wedding tonight, so I would get time to adjust to how I wanted to look for the wedding. I smiled when I saw my reflection in the mirror. My dress, a soft ivory silk gown, felt heavy on my body, much like the weight of the decision I was about to make. My hair was pinned up, a delicate tiara nestled in my long black, but it all felt like a façade. It wasn’t the wedding I had ever dreamed of, and the excitement I should have been feeling wasn’t there.I couldn’t help but think about Nina and Maria. I had expected them to come, to maybe offer some words of support, but they hadn’t shown up. And I didn’t blame them. I was breaking their brother’s heart, after all. Of course, they wouldn’t support this. They probably hated me for what I was doing to Kai. Jaime had moved me into a larger, mo
ALINA The wedding was over, but the night wasn’t. An after-party had been arranged, and as much as I wanted to retreat to my room and cry my eyes out for the rest of the night, I forced myself to stay. Jaime insisted on introducing me to everyone, his arm draped possessively around my waist as he guided me from guest to guest. I smiled politely, and nodded at the appropriate moments, but inside, there was a gaping hole in my chest. A void I couldn’t seem to fill, no matter how much I tried to convince myself to want to stay here just for a few hours before everyone retreated back to their beds.We mingled with Jaime’s friends, most of whom I hadn’t met before. They were polite enough, but it was clear they didn’t know what to make of me. I was going to be the new Luna. That came with a lot of respect they were showing me, but I could tell that none of them truly liked me. Like I was never going to belong here with them, as a werewolf while they were all royal lycans. I could see the
KAI I looked down at Jaime, his face bloodied and swollen, barely recognizable beneath the bruises. My fists still ached from the blows, and the adrenaline was making me feel dizzy, but I wasn’t done. I needed to make sure the bastard was still alive. I kicked him in the ribs, hard enough to get a response, but he didn’t move. His body just lay there, limp and unresponsive. The anger that had fueled me moments ago began to fade, replaced by a growing sense of unease. What had I done?I hoped I did not kill him. I sure hated him for everything, but I did not want to kill my cousin. I resented him but that not much that I would be willing to have his blood on my hands. My head spun, the alcohol I’d downed earlier mixing with the guilt, making it hard to think straight. I wanted to go after Alina. I wanted to know how she was, if he had hurt her, but I knew the last person she would want to meet right now was me. I thought of who I could send to meet her. Maybe my sisters, but I neede
ALINA I spent the entire night crying, my body wracked with sobs that didn’t seem to stop, no matter how much I wanted them to. When sleep finally came, it was restless and broken, and by the time I woke up, my head was pounding with a relentless throb. The pain was as much emotional as it was physical, and for a moment, I just lay there, staring at the ceiling, letting the memories of the previous day crash over me.Yesterday was my wedding day. The day I had tied myself to Jaime in what was supposed to be an act of revenge, but instead, it had turned into a nightmare. My chest tightened as I remembered the way Jaime had grabbed me, his rough hands pulling me down, the fear that had surged through me when he wouldn’t let go. I could still feel his hands on me, still see the way his face had twisted with drunken determination. And then, Kai had shown up, like some kind of avenging angel, tearing Jaime away from me and beating him bloody. It had all happened so fast, but the fear, th
ALINA I was going to leave to get some air for myself when I decided that I needed to go and face Kai. I was still doubting what I heard, and I knew I couldn’t just let things end like that. The weight of what Kai had said to Jaime’s family lingered in the air, and I needed to understand. My mind was racing, filled with questions and confusion. Without thinking, I followed him out of the dining room, my heart pounding in my chest as I made my way to his quarters.When I reached his room, the door was slightly ajar. I hesitated for a moment, my hand hovering over the wood. But I couldn’t walk away, not without answers. He had not even looked at me when he came in. I wondered what I was going to see when I entered to see him now. Did he blame me for doing what he did? Or would he hate me because I was the reason he disabled his cousin? I had so many questions, but I realized that I would not be able to get any of the answers if I did not go in to see him. Taking a deep breath, I pushed
KAI The next few days were hell. With Jamie’s family hurling all types of words at me, I could barely stay in the house without feeling their hate for me radiating out through the walls of the palace. Everyone blamed me. They all saw me as the wicked person, the one who could not take a loss because they all thought I beat him because he married Alina. I chose to keep the part of what he did to myself, and I decided to let them think whatever they wanted. I had told the people that mattered. My siblings and Lily knew what happened and they did not judge me for it. It was only their opinion that mattered to me. Today, the elders had called for a meeting and I already knew what they were going to tell me. I stood outside the conference room, wondering how many times I had come to the damn room for the past few weeks. I knew Elder Agnes, along with the other elders and lords, were disappointed in me. I did not really care about it. When I finally stepped inside, the room was cold. I w
ALINAI didn’t want to see him. I didn’t even know if I could handle seeing Jaime after everything that had happened, but something inside me pushed me toward his room. Maybe it was guilt, or maybe it was the need for closure. Either way, I found myself walking down the hallway, my heart heavy with dread as I approached his door.When I stepped inside, my breath caught in my throat. Jaime lay on the bed, beaten and bruised, his face swollen and covered in cuts. The sight of him like that stirred something in me—regret, pity. It was hard to tell. His eyes flicked up to meet mine, and for a moment, I saw something there that looked like remorse. He was quiet for a while. I did not know if it was his reaction to this or if his face had just turned that way because of the disfiguration in his face. “I’m sorry,” he said quietly, his voice hoarse and strained. “I shouldn’t have tried to force myself on you.”I stood frozen, unsure of how to respond. Part of me wanted to believe him, want