Chapter 1 Solene's Pov

I walked down the dim corridors of the Hilltop Pack mansion, my heart pounding with excitement and apprehension. Wesley had texted me beforehand, mentioning there was a surprise, and I couldn't help but smile at the prospect.

Maybe he'd ordered a bouquet of roses I loved, or perhaps he'd cooked a small meal just the two of us. Our mating ceremony was just days away, and I could tell he was as eager as I to start our life together.

We were not only the eager ones, my step parents were very eager to see me get married to the wealthy Alpha of our pack.

To my stepfather, it was an opportunity to come but once and for my Stepmom, it was the only reasonable way I could repay her and her family for bringing me into her home after her sister's death, my mother's death.

My own bare feet hardly made a dent on the plush carpeting as I crept toward Wesley's room. The door was slightly ajar, and a thrill of anticipation poked in my chest. I looked through the crack, half-hoping to see him preparing some kind of romantic entrapment.

But what I saw froze my blood.

Wesley, my Wesley was bare-chested, his wide chest packed against another person. A husky, tender laugh drifted across the air, and my belly roiled with a rage.

"Wesley, what if Solene finds us?" a sweet, mocking voice inquired, laughter in it.

I stopped. I knew that voice. Mina. My stepsister.

"Don't worry," Wesley whispered, his lips on her skin. "She won't. She loves me too much to suspect anything like this.”

I slapped a hand over my mouth to keep from gasping aloud, my heart shattering with each second that passed. This couldn’t be real. Not Wesley. Not Mina.

But then he spoke again, his voice low and full of meaning.

“I love you, Mina. Solene’s just. convenient. Once the mating ceremony is over, I’ll find a way to reject her.”

Mina smiled softly, pulling him closer. "You better," she breathed. "I'm not sharing anyone with you."

I stepped back, panting for air in short, ragged gasps. My mind reeled, trying to comprehend what I had just witnessed. The walls were closing in on me, suffocating me with the crushing weight of betrayal.

Tears blurred my vision as my chest seared from the intensity of my quiet crying. Wesley, my heart, had deceived me. My own step sister, Mina, had done the one thing I thought even she was beneath doing.

How could they?

My hands closed into the tender fabric of my dress as fury began to rage to the fore, slowly eclipsing the agony. I wasn't going to let them crush me. I wasn't going to let them have that pleasure.

I had to get away. I needed air. I left the mansion quietly.

Grasping for my coat, I fled out of the manor unobserved, meeting my weeping face with the chill night wind. I had no destination in mind, only somewhere, anywhere but here.

The next thing I knew, I was at a dive bar on the edge of town, the sort of place that none of the members of the Hilltop Pack would ever set foot in.

It was dimly lit, the neon signs casting a murky glow on worn wood tables. Music floated in the background, and the strong smell of liquor hung in the air.

I slipped into a corner booth, sipping my third drink, but it did nothing to numb the hollowness that seared in my chest.

Wesley and Mina.

Their names circulated in my mind like cruel mockery. I had given my heart to Wesley, had believed him with everything that I had. 

He was the only person that made me happy, at least I know better now. And Mina. Even though we'd been so different from the beginning, I never imagined she would betray me like this.

I squeezed my eyes shut, but tears continued to fall, quiet and unending. I wiped my tears, looking up at the bartender.

“Another.” I said, slamming the glass slightly on the wooden table.

I downed my fourth drink, the bitter stuff burning down my throat, wishing it would singe away the pain in my chest. 

I could see blurily, the room spinning dizzily but just a fraction, but still, the treachery pierced me, more sharply than any blade. I wasn't going to cry any longer.

No, I was going to celebrate. I was going to make myself forget Wesley ever breathed, even for one crazy night.

A rush of boisterous laughter from a nearby table made me scan the bar. Couples were dancing, some of them in heated clinches, others giggling and clutches of beer held in their hands. Everyone had someone, everyone but him.

My eyes landed on a lone man at the bar, nursing a whiskey on the rocks. He was tall and shouldered, with a rolled-up black shirt and bulging forearms.

 His dark hair was tousled, and his sharp jawline was dotted with a light beard. He exuded quiet confidence that was edged with danger, and unlike everybody else here, he looked… bored.

Ideal.

I stood up, the alcohol running through my veins as I walked towards him, determination driving me forward. If I was going to forget about Wesley, I might as well do it in the arms of someone who didn't quite belong here either.

"Hey, handsome," I slurred, leaning against the bar beside him, my head rising to meet his piercing blue eyes.

He barely glanced at me, his lips twitching into a faint smile. "Drunk already, little wolf?"

My eyebrows furrowed. "How did you, wait, doesn't matter." I waved a hand away, nearly spilling his glass. "You're the only man here with no lady clinging to your arm. Want to dance with me?"

He chuckled, the rich sound sending shivers down my spine. "No, thanks."

I pouted dramatically, inching closer until our faces were almost touching. "Aw, come on. Don't tell me you're too scared to dance with a girl like me."

His eyes sparked with amusement. "Scared? Hardly. I just don't waste my time on silly little games."

Silly little games? Oh, he had no idea what he was up against. Drunk or not, I wasn't going to let him brush me off so easily.

I leaned in closer, my voice falling to a taunting whisper. "What if I told you I wasn't in the mood for some silly little game?"

His eyes darkened, and I knew I had him now. There was the glint of something possibly lethal in his face, something that sent a shiver down my spine and made my heart pound.

"Watch what you wish for," he whispered, his voice raspy and velvet-smooth. "I don't merely dance."

I blinked, my addled brain scrambling to catch up and interpret what he said. When it finally did, my cheeks flushed with heat and I bit my bottom lip, startling myself at the shock spasm that swept over me. "Oh," I whispered softly.

A wicked, sensual smile stretched across his mouth. "That's what I thought."

I swallowed hard, more curious than ever now. "Then what do you do?"

He leaned back a bit, his eyes never leaving mine. "Why don't I show you?"

Before I could regret my impulsiveness, he stood up, looming over me. His big, calloused hand reached out, encircling my wrist. His hand was warm, holding me even as my heart raced.