Chapter 1 The Beginning of the End

Her bedroom was palatial every inch of it soaked in the kind of beauty money whispered into being. Done in creamy nudes and soft beige, with luxury French lace framing the windows and silk sheets spread across the bed like liquid gold. Soft French music hummed low in the background. A chilled bottle of vintage champagne sat untouched by the dresser. Everything looked perfect. Everything felt wrong.

She stood at the window, motionless. Wrapped in silk, diamonds at her ears, her chignon perfect. Her reflection stared back at her . A bride carved out of silk and diamonds. And yet her mind was far from this place. It drifted back to the moment it all started.

Her sixteenth birthday.

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The Shifting Ceremony was sacred. No parents allowed. Only appointed elders from the Werewolf Council stood watching, silent and still, as each teen shifted for the first time. One by one, her classmates took their turn, their wolves emerging in flashes of light and purpose. Her best friends, Donna and Stacey, had shifted effortlessly glowing with power, radiance, joy. Their mates had found them right there and then, claiming them under the silver light.

It had all happened

So fast

So surreal

So beautifully.

And Mona?

She had been the only one left standing.

Unshifted.

Unclaimed.

As the others were led out, disappearing into their new futures, Mona remained alone in the great stone auditorium. Her champagne silk gown clung to her like a second skin. Her heels hurt. The diamonds at her throat felt like chains.

She waited patiently.

But no shift came.

No mate.

No howl.

Nothing.

She was sixteen.

She had waited her entire life for this exact precious moment.

For fate.

For destiny.

For magic.

And all she got was silence.

When the last of the council supervisors exited the room, Mona was left behind, blinking against the sharp lights, trembling in her skin. The room felt too wide, too empty. She couldn't hold it in anymore.

She slipped backstage, behind the velvet curtain, pulled out her phone with trembling fingers, and called home. Her voice cracked as she whispered,

"Please come get me. Maman... please... come quickly Maman...now..."

The words stumbled out of her mouth, barely coherent. Her breath hitched, her chest tightening with every second. She slumped against the cold wall, silk pooling around her legs. Tears stained her flawless makeup. Her heart felt like it had shattered in the silence. She didn't hear anyone come in.

But she felt him.

"Are you alright?"

His voice was low.

Careful.

She looked up startled, eyes wide.

Alpha Alex Carlson stood there.

Tall.

Still.

Composed.

The rumors surrounding him were endless: fierce, dangerous, cold. He was the Alpha's son, born to dominate, raised to rule. But the man before her didn't look cruel. He looked nice , Sweet and compassionate .

He crossed the room slowly, knelt beside her without speaking, and gently pulled her into his chest. Her silk dress rustled as she folded into him. Her sobs quieted. His scent rich cedar, smoke, something ancient and strong surrounded her like armor.

He gently took the phone from her shaking hand.

"This is Alpha Alex Carlson," he said into the line. "Mona's safe. I'll bring her home myself."

He paused. Then: "Yes, sir. I understand."

He tucked the phone into his coat and looked at her again.

"You hungry?" he asked softly.

She blinked up at him, unsure if she had heard him right.

"Ice cream," he added with the smallest smile. "5th and Lennox still your favorite?"

Her breath caught in her throat. That place she hadn't told anyone about that shop since she was a child. It was her private escape, the place her father used to take her on hard days.

"How did you know?"

"I remember things about People that matter," he said.

He took her there...

The tiny shop hadn't changed. Still warm, still cozy. Mona sat across from him in her designer gown, her spoon trembling slightly as she scooped vanilla bean with strawberries. They talked about small things, simple things. He asked questions. She answered. He listened.

No flirtation.

No pressure.

Just space.

He called her parents again at midnight while he was driving her home to apologize for bringing her home late.

He didn't kiss her. He didn't touch her beyond what was respectful.

But he left her with something far more dangerous.

Hope.

________________________________________

Back in the present, Mona stood at the window of her bridal suite. Her wedding dress waited in the other room a handcrafted masterpiece of silk, lace, and pearls. Downstairs, guests were arriving. Laughter floated through the halls. Champagne glasses clinked.

She didn't move. Didn't speak.

She remembered the way he'd held her. How safe she had felt in his arms that night. How he'd swooped in like a knight in shining armor, just when she thought she was crumbling.

She thought that was the beginning of a love story.

She hadn't known it was the beginning of her ruin.