Charles’ breath quickened, and his movements became more urgent. “I’m close,” he gasped in my ear, his voice breaking between moans. My own pleasure surged, and I couldn’t hold back the scream that tore from my throat. A wave of electric tingles swept through me, my temples throbbed, and the world around me faded into white…
Every pore on my body felt wide open, heat radiating from me in waves. It was surreal, as if I were in a dream, feeling everything but grasping none of it…
I could hardly believe it—I had married this man, the infamous Alpha of the Black Valley Pack, Charles McLean, and I had just slept with him.
But there was no love between us. We weren’t fated mates.
Since his first shift at eighteen, Charles McLean had never found his fated mate. And after one engagement after another, each of his fiancées had died under mysterious circumstances. Rumor had it that he wore a mask to conceal his hideous face and that he was a cruel, violent man who would kill without hesitation. People whispered that he had murdered his previous fiancées.
His last fiancée—my sister—was terrified of him. Horrified by the stories, she had vehemently refused to marry him. And just before the wedding, she found her fated mate. So, without warning or preparation, I was forced to take her place, pushed into marrying Charles in her stead, to stand as his wife in name only and the unacknowledged Luna of the Black Valley Pack…

A Substituted Bride But A Fated Luna

After Selena declared she was breaking our fated mate bond, I was devastated, coughing up blood as if my life was draining away. If it hadn’t been for Dr. Jonny’s care, I might not have survived. But, honestly, the physical injury was nothing compared to the pain of Selena’s unwavering decision to leave.


I knew she was hurting too. While she recovered, I instructed Billy to ease up on visibly watching her, but secretly, I had someone keep an eye on her. I wanted to know what she’d do when no one was holding her back.


Deep down, I hoped she’d have a change of heart. But one night, I got a report from my spy. Selena had sent away the maid guarding the bedroom door, packed her bags, and seemed set on leaving the pack house. That was it. I could no longer stay silent. I burst out of my room and confronted her in the hallway, telling her that if she chose to leave, she’d be making an enemy of me and of all Black Valley Pack.


131 Haunted by Loss