Aria’s POV:
I was sitting on the edge of the large, unfamiliar bed in the guest wing, tracing the patterns on the heavy quilt, when a sharp knock on the door made me jump slightly.
I had barely slept the previous night because the sounds of the pack house were so different from the forest, and every creak of the floorboards felt like a threat to my safety.
The door opened slowly, and a young maid poked her head inside, looking at me with a mixture of curiosity and pity that made my stomach turn.
“The Alpha is asking for you in his study, and he said you should come immediately because he has things that need to be signed before the midday meal,” the girl said, stepping back to let me pass.
“Thank you, I’ll be there in a moment,” I replied, standing up and trying to smooth out the wrinkles in my new dress, which felt far too expensive and heavy for someone like me.
As I followed the maid through the long, winding corridors, I tried to keep my face neutral, but my mind was racing with everything Nicolle had told me the night before.
While she was leading me to the kitchen for a late-night snack, she had whispered the history of the Hellbound Pack, telling me how the former Luna, Helen, had died five years ago during childbirth.
She described how the Alpha had shut himself away, refusing to even look at another woman, and how he had become a cold, unfeeling shadow of the man he once was.
It explained why the pack was so desperate for stability, and why the Elders were breathing down his neck for an heir, but it didn’t make me feel any better about being the one caught in the middle of his desperate plan.
We finally reached the study, and the maid bowed before scurrying away, leaving me to face the heavy wooden doors alone.
I took a deep breath and pushed them open, finding Luthor sitting behind a desk covered in papers, the morning light catching the sharp lines of his face.
He didn’t look up at first, his quill moving across a piece of parchment with steady precision, so I just stood there, feeling like a patient waiting for a diagnosis.
“Sit down, Aria,” he said finally, gesturing to the chair across from him without breaking his rhythm.
“I have drafted the contract we discussed, and I need you to read it over carefully because once you put your mark on this, there is no going back for either of us.”
I sat down and took the parchment he slid toward me, my eyes skimming over the formal language that basically turned my life into a business transaction.
It stated that I would serve as his Luna for one year, providing the appearance of a stable marriage and a pregnancy, and in return, I would receive my freedom and a significant sum of gold.
There was no mention of the breeder he had talked about, or the fact that I was his mate, which made the whole thing feel even more like a cold-blooded lie.
“No, I just… I want to make sure I’m allowed to keep working with my herbs, and that I can look after Ella like we discussed,” I said, looking him in the eye because I wanted him to know that I wasn’t just a puppet.
“You can do whatever you want within the pack house as long as it doesn’t interfere with our public image, and I have already told you that the girl is your responsibility now, so sign the paper and let’s get this over with,” he replied, handing me the quill.
I dipped the nib into the ink and signed my name at the bottom, the scratchy sound feeling like a final nail in a coffin, and as soon as the ink was dry, he took the paper back and tucked it into a drawer.
“The Elders were supposed to arrive this morning, but their carriage was delayed, so they will be here in the afternoon instead,” he explained, standing up and walking toward the window.
“I want you to be ready and available when I call for you, and you need to look the part of a woman who has just found her fated mate, so try to look less like you’re waiting for an execution.”
”I’ll do my best to pretend, Alpha,” I muttered, but he didn’t seem to hear me, or he just didn’t care.
I spent the next few hours in a state of nervous tension, wandering near the garden until a guard came to find me, telling me the meeting was about to begin.
My heart was thumping against my ribs as I walked toward the great meeting room, and when I reached the entrance, I saw Luthor waiting for me by the door.
He didn’t say anything, he just reached out and took my hand, his grip firm and warm in a way that felt entirely too real for a fake marriage.
“Follow me, and stay close to my side,” he whispered, pulling me into the room where a group of elderly, stern-looking men were seated around a long table.
The room went silent the moment we entered, and I felt the weight of a dozen pairs of eyes judging my every move, my clothes, and the way I held my head.
Luthor led me to the head of the table and pulled out a chair for me, and as I sat down, I noticed the Elders exchanging confused and surprised looks.
“I called you all here because I have an announcement that will change the future of the Hellbound Pack,” Luthor said, his voice deep and commanding as he stood behind my chair, resting his hands on my shoulders.
“I know you have all been concerned about the succession and my refusal to take a new wife, but the Moon Goddess has seen fit to provide a solution that none of us expected.”
He paused for a second, and I felt him squeeze my shoulder slightly, a gesture that looked affectionate to the men in the room but felt like a warning to me.
“I have found my second-chance mate,” he announced, his tone filled with a warmth that I knew was completely fabricated.
“This is Aria, and since the bond is undeniable and strong, I intend to marry her as soon as possible to ensure that our pack has the Luna it deserves.”
The Elders began whispering among themselves, their faces shifting from shock to a guarded kind of joy, and one of them stood up, nodding his head toward us.
“This is wonderful news, Alpha, and we were worried that the Darkmoon line would end with you, but a second-chance mate is a rare blessing from the Goddess herself.”
I watched Luthor’s face as he responded to their congratulations, laughing softly and leaning down to whisper something into my ear that meant nothing at all, and I couldn’t help but feel a chill run down my spine.
He looked so happy, so relieved, and so genuine that if I hadn’t signed that piece of paper an hour ago, I would have believed him too. Read this novel at g.com for the best experience.
He was a better actor than anyone I had ever met in the Silverfang Pack, and it made me wonder just how many other lies he was telling me with that same smile.
“We will begin the preparations for the ceremony tonight, and I want the wedding held within the week because there is no reason to wait when our souls are already tied,” Luthor said, turning back to the Elders with a look of firm resolve.
I sat there in silence, nodding when I had to and playing the part of the blushing bride, but inside, I was thinking about the former Luna and the daughter he couldn’t look at.
The meeting continued for another hour as they discussed logistics and pack laws, and by the time we were finally dismissed, my head was spinning with the sheer scale of the deception.
Luthor walked me back toward the hallway, his hand still lingering on mine until we were out of sight of the guards.
“You did well, Aria,” he said, his voice returning to its cold, business-like tone.
I pulled my hand away and looked at him, searching his face for any sign of the man who had just been glowing with happiness in front of the Elders.
“You’re very good at this, aren’t you?” I asked, my voice barely a whisper.
He didn’t answer right away, he just adjusted his cuffs and looked toward the stairs where Ella was standing, watching us with her thumb in her mouth.
“I do what is necessary for my pack,” he said simply, walking away and leaving me standing in the middle of the hall.
As I watched him go, I noticed a shadow moving at the end of the corridor, and for a second, I thought I saw a woman’s dress disappearing around the corner.
I started to follow, thinking it might be Nicolle, but then I heard a low, melodic humming coming from the direction of the old library, a sound that didn’t feel like it belonged to any of the maids I had met so far.
I took a step toward the sound, my curiosity getting the better of my fear, but the humming stopped abruptly and was replaced by the sound of a heavy door locking from the inside.
I stood there staring at the wood, wondering who else was hiding in this house of secrets, when a sudden, cold draft blew through the hall, extinguishing the candles and leaving me in total darkness.