Chapter 1 No.1

Scarlett POV

The air inside Moonpetal Blooms was thick with the scent of damp earth and drying lavender, a comforting perfume that usually settled my soul. But today, the silence felt heavy, like the calm before a breaking storm.

I adjusted my gloves, reaching for the rare Moonpetal sitting on the counter. Its silver-veined leaves shimmered under the shop's dim lights, beautiful but treacherous. Just as I pinched the stem, the front door chimed-not the gentle ring of a customer, but a violent rattle as if the frame itself had been struck.

Distracted, my finger slipped.

A sharp sting pierced my thumb. "Damn it," I hissed, pulling back. A single drop of blood bloomed on my skin, dark against the glowing petals. Almost instantly, a cold numbness shot up my arm, heavy and sluggish. The Moonpetal's toxin. It wasn't lethal, but it would render my muscles useless within minutes.

I reached for the antidote on the shelf, but the door was thrown open with enough force to crack the glass.

A man stormed in, bringing with him a gust of icy wind and an Alpha aura so potent it felt like gravity had doubled. He was massive, clad in a bespoke black suit that strained against broad shoulders, his eyes burning with a rage that could scorch the earth.

"You thought you could hide here, Fiona?" His voice was a low growl that vibrated in my chest.

My legs gave way as the toxin hit my knees. I gripped the counter, trying to stay upright. "Who... who are you?" My tongue felt thick.

He didn't answer. He closed the distance between us in two strides, invading my personal space with terrifying speed. He grabbed my arm to haul me up, and the moment his skin touched mine, the world exploded.

Sparks.

Violent, electric currents shot from his grip, searing through the numbness of the toxin. My heart hammered a frantic rhythm against my ribs, and a scent hit me-ozone, dark chocolate, and the wild freshness of a thunderstorm. My inner wolf, sluggish from the poison, suddenly snapped awake, whimpering in confused longing.

Mate?

No. This man was a monster.

"Stop playing the victim," he snarled, his grip tightening. He ignored the electricity arcing between us, or perhaps his fury was so great he mistook the bond for hatred. "You have a duty to fulfill."

"I'm not..." I tried to pull away, but my body was turning to stone. "I'm Scarlett..."

"Save your lies for the altar." He scooped me up effortlessly, tossing me over his shoulder like a sack of grain.

I couldn't scream. The paralysis had reached my throat. As he carried me out into the alley, I saw them-dozens of warriors in tactical gear, standing like statues beside a line of armored SUVs. The emblem on their chests was a snarling wolf entangled in thorns.

Blackwood. The most ruthless Pack in North America.

He shoved me into the back of a leather-clad SUV. The door slammed shut, sealing my fate.

The next hour was a blur of bureaucratic violence.

I was dragged into City Hall, my limbs still heavy and uncooperative. The clerk, a trembling human man who couldn't look the Alpha in the eye, pushed a document toward me.

"Sign it," the Alpha commanded.

I looked at the paper. Marriage License.

"I can't," I whispered, tears stinging my eyes. "I'm engaged. Burke..."

The Alpha leaned down, his lips brushing my ear, sending a fresh wave of unwanted shivers down my spine. "Sign the damn paper, Fiona, or I will burn this city to the ground to find whoever you're crying over."

Trembling, forced by the sheer weight of his Alpha Command, my hand moved. I signed Scarlett Monroe.

He snatched the paper, not even glancing at the signature, and threw it at the clerk. "Done. She is mine."

Mine. The word echoed in my head, a twisted mockery of the sacred claim. I was married. I had betrayed Burke, betrayed my promise, betrayed everything I believed in.

Back in the SUV, the atmosphere was suffocating. The paralysis was finally fading, replaced by a sharp, stinging pain as sensation returned.

He grabbed my left hand and shoved a ring onto my finger. The platinum band was cold, heavy, and crowned with a diamond the size of a robin's egg. It felt like a shackle.

"Why are you doing this?" I gasped, rubbing my bruised wrist. "I told you, I'm not Fiona! I don't know who you are!"

"I am Kaelen Blackwell," he said, his voice devoid of warmth. "And you are the woman who ran away on our bonding day, leaving my grandmother to die of a broken heart."

My blood ran cold. Kaelen Blackwell. The Alpha of Alphas.

"I... I don't have a grandmother," I stammered. "You have the wrong person. Please, look at me!"

He turned, his hand shooting out to wrap around my throat. He didn't squeeze, but the threat was palpable. His eyes, swirling with gold and black, bore into mine.

"My grandmother, Genevieve, is on her deathbed because of your little stunt," he hissed. "You will return with me. You will play the part of the devoted Luna. You will make her last moments peaceful."

"And if I don't?" I choked out.

"Then I will destroy the Lawrence Pack for producing a liar like you," he said softly, terrifyingly calm. "And then I will find this 'Scarlett' identity you've created, and I will erase everyone connected to it. Including that florist shop."

He released me, leaning back into the leather seat as the car sped onto the highway.

I stared at him, horror dawning on me. He truly believed I was this Fiona. And if Fiona was my twin... then my entire life had been a lie. But right now, trapped in a steel cage with a grieving, vengeful Alpha, the truth didn't matter.

Only survival did.