Why Go for Second Best?
I spend three torturous years in a dark underground cell after taking the fall for Cole Greyhouse, a member of the nobility.
He once held my hand tightly and tearfully promised that he would wait for me to return. Then, he would take my hand in marriage.
However, he doesn't show up on the day I'm released from prison. I head to the palace to look for him, but all I see is him with his arm around another woman. He also has a mocking smile on his face.
"Do you really think a former convict like you deserves to become a member of the royal family?"
Only then do I understand that he's long since forgotten about the three years he was supposed to wait for me.
I'm devastated, and my heart dies. I accept the marriage my family has arranged for me.
On the big day, Cole crashes my wedding with his comrades and laughs raucously. "Are you that desperate to be my secret lover, Leah? How dare you put on a wedding gown meant for a royal bride to force me into marriage? You're pathetic!"
Just then, his uncle, Fenryr Greyhouse, the youngest Alpha King in Lunholm's history, hurriedly arrives. He drapes a shawl around my shoulders and slides a wedding ring onto my finger.
That's when Cole panics.