All Chapters of The Cursed Alpha’s Fake Bride: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

*** Ariana’s POVThe lace of my wedding dress brushed the floor as mother gently pinned the last few strands of my unruly black locs in place. “At last,” she said, her voice sounding triumphant.I stared at my reflection, trying to steady my breathing. The soft hum of the pack’s mind-link buzzed faintly in the background, the excitement of preparations for the ceremony building as my bridesmaids left to help welcome the guests."Your bridesmaids look beautiful," my mother said softly, standing behind me. "And you, my love... even more so."I gave her a small smile, but the tightness in my chest wouldn’t ease. “They’ll be watching me,” I murmured. “Judging. I know what they think of me.”Mom met my eyes in the mirror, her expression softening. "The Moon Goddess does everything for a reason, Ari. If she didn’t bless you with a wolf, then the destiny she has in store for you won’t need one." Her hand squeezed my shoulder gently. "The universe is always conspiring in our favor, even if it

*** Ariana’s POVThe tires of my Audi S3 strained against the sharp turns as I pushed the car faster, desperate to put more distance between me and Stormveil. My knuckles were white against the steering wheel, and the empty highway stretched endlessly in front of me. It was just me, the winding road, and the dark forest pressing in on both sides.I tried to control my breathing, whispering the words over and over to myself. "You’re safe now. Just keep going." But the pounding in my chest told me I wasn’t safe—not yet. “Everything happens for a reason,” I repeated, clinging to my mother’s words. “Everything happens for a reason.”“What am I going to do?” I whispered to the road ahead, my voice cracking. My mind raced with questions: Where could I go? Who could I trust? What pack would take me in now?I didn’t have answers, but I couldn’t stop driving.Then it happened.An ear-splitting crash. Metal smashed against metal, and the car lurched violently to the side.A sharp gasp tore from

*** Ariana’s POVThe 12-hour journey passed in a blur. My thoughts mostly dwelled on how long I could keep this up before they discovered the truth. And why did my mind keep circling back to Alpha Draven? I could still feel the strange flutter in my chest when he stared at me from across the parking lot, his gaze piercing even through the car window.From the driver’s seat, Beta Simon’s calm voice broke through my thoughts. “Miria,” I almost didn’t respond, “I’ve been asked to let you know the bodies of your guards and party will be returned to your Hollow Ridge Pack. Our elders will send compensation to their families.”I had the urge to come clean, but the words caught in my throat at his generous tone. “Thank you,” I murmured, the lie weighing heavily in my chest.Fear of Ciaran paralyzed me. He’d tried to kill me three times already—could I survive a fourth? At least Draven’s pack had defended me. No one in Stormveil had ever done that. The more I thought about Ciaran, the more my

 *** Alpha King Draven’s POV I was thankful to arrive ahead of the caravan. It gave me time to clean up and compose myself, but all my preparation was for nothing when I saw her walking beside Simon with that soft smile on her lips. Something snapped inside me. That smile was mine. Her arm interlocked with Simon’s—was mine. A possessive surge rolled through me, my aura flaring, making Simon disengage from her instantly. I knew I shouldn’t have done it, but seeing her connecting with someone else was unbearable. She was mine, even if I couldn’t claim her. When Simon excused himself, Miria reached for my arm, but I didn’t dare touch her. Her aura shifted, disappointment flickering

*** Alpha King Draven’s POVMiria’s approving stare made me hot all over. It became apparent she’d lost herself staring at me; it had my wolf purring. “Is she wearing the same clothes we picked her up in,” my beta mind-linked me? I cursed silently. How had I let this happen? I was doing a crap job of taking care of my mate.Miria stiffened at my greeting, and it took me a moment to realize Kronos had us strutting towards the nook, where my mate was curled up and sipping her coffee.As if the mate bond wasn’t bad enough, the air around her was saturated with the smell of her arousal… and fear, fuck.I hadn’t planned on approaching her, and now that I was here, I had no idea what to say.“How about you tell her she smells good?” Kronos suggested.“Not helpful,” I growled inwardly, trying to suppress him.I cleared my throat. “Miria.” Her name rolled off my tongue with more weight than I intended. “You clearly need some supplies.”“Now, who’s unhelpful,” Kronos snickered.She looked up