Chapter 0003

Fiona

Having changed into smart-looking black slacks and a pale blue blouse, I sat down to read all my texts. Many spoke of the shame I brought the Red Moon pack. Anger twisted in my chest. I hadn’t called off the wedding Baron had. I had been ready and willing to fulfill the wedding contract my father had set with Baron’s pack.

If anyone should be ashamed, it should be Baron. He could have kept Lily as a mistress as most alphas did, but instead, he had chosen love over the obligation to his pack. I didn’t understand it at all. There was never a time when a male tempted me to turn away from my duty as a Luna.

After about the twentieth text from my father, I stopped reading, feeling empty and numb. I put on oversized sunglasses and a floppy-brimmed hat and told Nina goodbye.

I kept my head down as I checked out at the front desk. The grand reception hall I had so expertly decorated yesterday with silk, lace, and lights emptied out one Tulip floral arrangement at a time.

My heart ached at all the work that had gone into designing the hall, and I pressed my lips. I peered around, hoping not to run into anyone, but to my surprise, the lobby was as empty and cold as my chest.

When I returned home, my parents and younger brother, Liam, were waiting in the living room. I hurried past them, going straight to my room, but my father caught my arm in his meaty grip. I dropped my bags.

“Don’t you run past me, young lady. It is unacceptable. You are a Luna. You have explaining to do,” says my father sternly.

“What is there to explain? Baron called off the wedding.” I tugged my arm free. Red marks are already forming. I placed a mask of indifference upon my face. I will not let him see how his words cut me.

“You disappeared before the wedding rehearsal. Everyone started to ask questions. That kind of behavior is damaging to the family's reputation and to your brother. I am an Alpha; I must have control of my family.”

In an even tone, I say, “Father, Baron didn’t show up to the rehearsal, or did you not notice? I went to go find him. How does that look poorly upon Liam or you? When I found Baron with another woman, he said the wedding was off. So I went to my room. What else could I do?”

“You should have come to me. I should not have found out the day of the wedding at breakfast with everyone else. As if I was some Omega.”

“Father, he doesn’t want to marry me. Please let it go. We can find another pack to form an alliance with.”

My father's face darkened with disgust. I took a step back.

“Do not speak to me about forming a different alliance. You have no idea what this alliance means to our pack. No low Omega will break the alliance.”

My eyes narrowed. “Did you already know about Baron and Lily's affair?”

He turned his back to me and locked his hands behind it.

“You did.”

“Some Alphas have one or two lovers among the nobles. It is a normal thing. If you didn’t want to share him, you should have kept a better eye on him.”

I clenched my teeth. “I don’t care if he has a mistress. I know my duty to my pack. But Baron loves her. He doesn’t want me at all. Not as a lover or a Luna. There is nothing I can do.”

“We can find another alliance,” cries my mother across the room. Pushing to her feet to come to stand beside my father.

“No, we can’t. She must marry Baron.” He walked past my mother. “Without the support of the Blue Moon pack, Liam can't maintain his position as the new Alpha.”

My mother grew pale and sat back down on the couch. Not making another sound. My brother frowned at the news of his father's confession.

“You will marry Baron. I have already spoken with his father. If he does not marry you he will be turned away from the Blue Moon pack and then you will marry his cousin.”

My father turned and glared at me. My blue eyes dig into his matching ones.

“No.”

A screaming pain rips through my mind, and I can’t breathe. I staggered back, grabbing my head. I knew it was my father’s Alpha control. I tried to fight him, but it only brought more pain. It was no use. I couldn’t push his hold over me away.

He stood over me and growled low. “You will marry Baron whether he loves someone else or not. The wedding is already rescheduled for two weeks from now. So you will be there at the altar looking poised and perfect.”

My mother was at my father’s side. She rested a hand on his forearm but didn't say a word. My father’s alpha control is released.

And I pulled in a breath. That is the first time he used his power against me, and my heart broke. He didn’t care that Baron didn’t want me as a lover or a Luna.

I didn’t care about being Baron’s lover. But I was one of the strongest Lunas among the nobles. I had done everything to ensure my pack's well-being, and my parents not understanding that, disappointed me in a way I could not recover from. I picked up my bags and walked to my room.

I could not respect those who did not see my value. I was done listening to my family.

Third-person

In the presidential suite on the hotel's top floor, the hotel manager wiped the cold sweat from his brow while apologizing to the man sitting on the couch before him. The handsome man had a pile of money on the table and held a note up to the manager's face.

“I don't want to hear an apology. I just want to know who the girl was that came to my room yesterday,” he said, looking irritated. He pointed at the money. “She thought I was a call boy.”

“I searched through the hotel database and found one guest named Fiona. She was here for her wedding,” said the manager.

“Wedding,” cried the handsome man.

“Yes, sir, she is from the Red Moon pack and was supposed to marry into the Blue Moon pack.”

“What do you mean supposed to marry? Did something happen?”

The manager cleared his throat and adjusted his bowtie. He took a step closer to the handsome man. “The wedding was canceled this morning but was then rescheduled a few hours later for two weeks from now.”

“I see. Thank you, you can go.”

After the manager left, a lean, tall male entered the room. Hair as black as night, a warrior's braid running down the center, the sides cut to the skin.

“So, what now, Alex?" said the man, leaning against the wall biting into an apple. “Are you looking for revenge against the Red Moon pack so soon? We have only been home for a few days. I hoped to have a little fun before another war broke out.” He took another bite of the apple.

“For a beta, Kayden, you sure are a whiner.” Alexander pushed to his feet and read the note for the tenth time. He inhaled the scent that lingered on the note. His body hardened like a rock.

All he could think about was last night and the woman that had broken into his room, looking sexy as hell in that dress and all that silver hair. His wolf form pushed at his skin, wanting to shift.

Alexander pushed his wolf urges down. He scrubbed a hand down his face.

The Red Moon pack's Alpha had conspired with the king’s father’s mistress, Scarlet, to persuade Alexander’s father, King Alpha, to send him to fight against the vampires. So that he might die and Alexander’s half-brother, Lucas, could gain the throne.

After Alexander had been sent away, his mother, Queen Luna died, and he didn’t get to say goodbye.

Alexander took a final whiff of the note before emotionlessly scrunching it into a ball. With a sarcastic chuckle, he remarked.

"Oh, how intriguing. The wedding of the Red Moon's luna – such an enthralling affair. How could we ever pass up attending it?"