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

Madelyn burst into the Red Moon packhouse, sobbing. Her face was pale, her voice trembling. I could barely process her words. Charles had gone mad? What could that even mean? I wanted to ask her for details, but before I could, she collapsed into my arms, tears soaking into my shoulder. I let her cry, gently patting her back until her breathing slowed.


After a while, Madelyn finally calmed down, though she was still sniffling. "Selena, I’m sorry I ruined your dress."


"It’s alright, Madelyn," I said softly. "Tell me what happened. Why are you here at Red Moon pack all of a sudden?"


I wondered if she knew Black Valley was preparing to attack Red Moon. Given her closeness with Billy, I assumed she might, which made her sudden arrival here puzzling.


141 Could There be Two Charleses