Chapter 3 Unexpected marriage

After two days of silence, the Alpha made his decision quietly without ceremony, without joy.

"She will be the one," he said to his mother and the council, his eyes colder than ever. "The wedding will be in five days."

And just like that, it began.

The mansion changed. Decorations were brought in, even though the Alpha said he didn't want anything fancy. A Luna deserved a proper wedding, his mother insisted. The staff was humming, whispering. Some said it was a contract marriage. Others said the Alpha had finally lost his mind. But no one dared speak too loudly.

Lucian said nothing. She continued her chores for the last few days as if nothing had happened, even though Lena had already told her she would no longer be cleaning after the wedding.

"You'll have your own room. You'll sit by his side at meetings," Lena whispered. "You'll become Luna, Lucian. You'll lead the pack."

Lucian didn't feel like a leader. She felt like a girl trapped in a storm she had walked into by choice.

She didn't see Alex again after that day. He didn't call her, didn't speak to her, didn't even look at her when they crossed paths. but the arrangements continued.

Dresses arrived. A stylist was called. She stood still as they took her measurements, her thoughts far away. She didn't want silk and lace. She wanted her grandmother healed and safe. She wanted peace.

By the third day, the news had spread far beyond the mansion. The whole pack knew. Even other alphas from nearby territories had heard. So had someone else. "Vanessa.

She arrived on the fourth day, in a sleek silver car that purred into the mansion's driveway like it belonged there.

Lena saw her first and froze. "It can't be..."

Lucian looked through the upstairs window just as the woman stepped out of the car.

Tall. Elegant. Dressed like she had just walked off a magazine cover. Her eyes scanned the place with a sense of ownership, like nothing had changed since she'd left. Her long hair was tied in a very beautiful ponytail, and her heels clicked confidently on the tiles as she entered.

"Who's that?" Lucian asked.

Lena's face was pale. "That's Vanessa. Alex's ex girlfriend. His first love. They were inseparable once... until she left the country."

Lucian's chest tightened. "She's... back?"

Lena nodded. "And she's not going to be happy about what she finds here."

Vanessa walked into the mansion like a storm smiling at the guards, hugging Alex's mother like a long lost daughter, and greeting the cousins as if no time had passed. But when she heard about the wedding, her smile dropped.

"He's getting married?" she asked.

The cousin nodded with a smirk. "In two days. You missed it, Vanessa. He's chosen a Luna."

"To who?" Her voice was sharp.

"The cleaner girl. What's her name again? Lucian." Alex's cousin answered.

Vanessa's eyes darkened.

Later that evening, Lucian stood quietly in the hallway, holding her new dress in her arms. She was walking back from her fitting when she heard footsteps.

Vanessa turned the corner and nearly bumped into her.

For a moment, the two women just stared at each other.

"You must be the maid," Vanessa said finally, her voice sweet but sharp.

Lucian nodded slowly. "Yes."

"I've heard interesting things about you." Vanessa turned her head. "You must be very smart to offer yourself to him like that."

Lucian stayed silent.

Vanessa stepped closer. "Let me make this clear. Alex and I have history. Deep history. What you two have it's nothing. A joke. He's doing this for the council, for the title. You think that makes you special?"

Lucian's grip on her dress tightened. "I didn't ask to be special. I just offered when no one else would."

"Exactly," Vanessa said with a cruel smile. "Because no one else had to beg for him."

She walked past her without another word, her heels clicking as she disappeared down the hall.

Lucian stood still, her chest burning

That night, she sat on her bed in silence.

She had never planned for this. Never wanted attention. She only wanted a solution. Now, she was caught in something she didn't understand with a man who didn't care for her, and a woman who wanted him back.

How long can I survive in this house? She didn't know. But she wasn't going to run, not yet.

The next day, Vanessa went into Alex's study room and closed the door behind her. No one knew what they talked about. But Lucian walked past and saw something she would never forget Vanessa's hand resting gently on Alex's chest and Alex not moving away.