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

Convincing Selena to accept help from Fjord Pack’s warriors was almost too easy, and she agreed without hesitation. After all, what other choice did she have? With Red Moon Pack’s current forces, Quinn could easily crush them with Black Valley Pack’s army.


Thank you, Selena, for cooperating so perfectly with my plan.


From finding Quinn to igniting a war between the two packs, every move has aligned flawlessly with my intentions. I can hardly contain my satisfaction, imagining my carefully laid plans soon becoming reality. A laugh escapes me, rich and full—something I haven’t done in years. For so long, I’ve practiced smiling in the mirror, refining every angle, keeping up an elegant and gentlemanly facade. Somewhere along the way, I’d forgotten what it felt like to genuinely laugh.


But now, I’m free to laugh. I can laugh loudly, without restraint! Ha! Haha!


139 The Game Begins