The Mad Alpha's Substitute Bride

I stand at the window of my office, watching the palace grounds below, where workers are already preparing for the mating ceremony next month. The gardens bloom with summer flowers, their colors bright against the emerald lawns.

It has been two months since Maya’s transformation, two months of watching her adapt to her new reality with the same determination she brings to everything.

A knock at the door interrupts my thoughts. "Enter," I call, turning from the window.

Erik steps inside, his expression tight with barely concealed anger. "Aria’s been lingering out here trying to get an audience with you. If you don’t sort this out now, my head will explode."

I suppress a sigh. "Give me a couple of minutes, then send her in."

Three minutes later, Aria glides into my office with practiced elegance. She curtsies deeply, the gesture precise and formal. "Griffin," she says, her voice honey sweet. "I’m so pleased you could see me on such short notice."

"Aria," I acknowledge her with a nod. "I understand you’ve recovered from your illness."

She straightens, a smile that doesn’t quite reach her eyes curving her lips. "Yes, fully recovered, thanks to the antidote. The healers tell me I was quite fortunate. Others weren’t so lucky."

"Indeed. Why are you here?"

Aria settles into an armchair with fluid grace. "The elders are growing concerned, Your Majesty. There have been...rumors circulating about your intentions regarding this upcoming mating ceremony. It is said that you have not yet declared the name of the woman to whom you will be mated."

I stare at her, astounded. After our last exchange, does she truly believe I will choose her? Is it not common knowledge that Maya, my fated mate, resides in the palace, specifically in my personal chambers?

I sit behind my desk, keeping my expression neutral. "I don’t see what that has to do with your visit."

"You have someone in mind," she says, watching me carefully. "The elders believe you should choose a mate of noble birth. One who understands our ways, our traditions." She leans forward slightly. "The elders feel strongly that such a choice would stabilize the kingdom at a time when strength and unity are paramount."

"The elders are overstepping," I say mildly. "The choice of mate is mine alone to make."

"Of course," Aria agrees smoothly. "But surely you understand their concern. A king’s mate isn’t merely a personal choice. She becomes queen, with all the responsibilities that entails. The noble families have been preparing their daughters for such roles since birth."

"As they have made abundantly clear," I reply, remembering the parade of eligible noblewomen presented to me over a decade ago, before my captivity. "But I’m afraid they’ll be disappointed. I already have a mate."

Aria’s smile freezes. "I beg your pardon?"

"I said," I repeat calmly, "I already have a mate."

The door connecting my office to the adjacent study opens, and Maya steps through. She carries herself with a quiet dignity that outshines Aria’s carefully constructed elegance. Or maybe I’m just biased.

Aria’s head whips around, her eyes widening as she recognizes Maya. She rises from her chair so quickly it nearly topples backward. "Her?" she hisses, turning back to me with disbelief etched across her features. "The human scientist? This is whom you’ve chosen?"

Maya approaches calmly, coming to stand beside my chair. Her hand rests lightly on my shoulder, a gesture both possessive and reassuring.

"This human scientist," I say, my voice hardening slightly, "is the one who just saved all three kingdoms. If anyone deserves to be queen, it is Maya. And I don’t understand why you’re surprised, Aria. You knew Maya was my fated mate. Did you really think I’d choose someone else when the woman the Goddess chose is before me?"

Aria’s face contorts with fury. "This is unacceptable! She’s not one of us. She doesn’t understand our ways, our history. The noble families will never accept this!"

"They will," I say with quiet certainty, "because they have no choice. The bond is already formed, the mark already given."

"She’s human," Aria spits, as if the word itself is dirty. "Fragile. Weak. How long do you think your precious queen will last?"

I feel my control slipping, my wolf stirring at the insults and veiled threat to my mate. "Is that why you had people set fire to her cottage?" I ask, my voice dangerously low. "Because you thought Maya would burn alive inside?"

Aria’s expression flickers, guilt and fear darting across her face before she masks them with indignation. "I don’t know what you’re talking about."

I open the top drawer of my desk and withdraw a thin file, the same one Erik delivered to me the last time Corrine and Locke were here. I throw it onto the desk between us, and papers spill out across the polished surface.

"I know everything," I say coldly. "Every detail, every accomplice. Your father was given a choice: save you or save himself. He chose himself. He won’t be protecting you anymore."

Aria’s face drains of color, but fury quickly replaces fear. "You can’t possibly believe these lies! I would never—"

"Spare me," I cut her off. "The evidence is irrefutable. You arranged for the fire that killed Helen Sorin. You assumed Maya would be asleep inside, as well."

"You have no proof," Aria insists, though her voice wavers.

I push one particular document toward her: a signed confession from one of the guards she bribed. "I have more than enough."

Aria’s composure cracks completely. "I deserve to be by your side!" she shouts, her carefully cultivated poise evaporating. "Not her! I’ve done everything right! Everything I was supposed to do! My bloodline is pure and my position secure. You were going to marry me before you disappeared, we both know it!"

"I never intended to marry you, Aria," I say wearily. "It was your father pushing for it, not me. I told you repeatedly, even as teenagers, that I wasn’t interested."

"You’re lying!" she screams, her hands curling into fists. "She has poisoned you against me! She is nothing—a scientist, a human—"

She lunges suddenly, not at me but at Maya, claws extended toward my mate’s throat. I rise to intercept, but Maya is faster, astonishingly fast for one so newly turned.

A ripple of energy surges through the room as Maya shifts, her human form melting away in a blur of motion. In her place stands a wolf, smaller than mine but no less formidable, her fur a rich auburn that catches the light like fire. She meets Aria’s attack with teeth bared, slamming the woman to the floor with surprising strength.

Aria sprawls on her back, eyes wide with shock. "Impossible," she gasps.

Maya shifts back to her human form, standing over Aria with cold fury in her eyes. "I’m going to make you pay for my mother’s death," she says, her voice steady despite the rage I can feel pulsing through our bond. "The best revenge would be for you to die the same way she did, surrounded by flames, choking on smoke, terrified and alone."

I move to Maya’s side and place a hand on her shoulder. "Guards!" I call. Two palace guards rush in, already summoned by the commotion.

"Take Lady Aria to the prison cells," I order them. "She is to stand trial for murder, attempted murder, and treason."

"You can’t do this!" Aria shrieks as they pull her to her feet. "I am of noble blood! My father will—"

"Your father has disowned you," I interrupt her coldly. "The evidence of your crimes has been presented to him. He has chosen to save himself rather than face punishment alongside you."

Aria’s face crumples, reality finally crashing down on her. "Griffin, please—"

"Take her away," I tell the guards, turning my back to her. The door closes behind them, cutting off her desperate pleas. When we’re alone, Maya turns to me, her eyes troubled. "Do you think my punishment is too cruel? Burning her alive?" I pull her into my arms, feeling her tremble slightly against me. "I would do something worse," I admit. "Far worse."

She tucks her head under my chin, and I breathe in her scent—still lavender, but wilder now, with an earthy richness that calls to my wolf. "I never thought I could be this angry," she murmurs. "This...vengeful."

"It’s the wolf in you," I explain gently. "Our emotions run deeper, stronger. You’ll learn to control them with time."

"Will I?" She pulls back slightly, looking up at me with uncertainty in her eyes. "Sometimes I don’t recognize myself anymore, Griffin. What if I lose who I am in this transformation?"

"You won’t," I promise, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "You’re still Maya—brilliant, compassionate, fierce. The wolf hasn’t changed your soul, only your form."

"But if it has?" she persists. "What if I become someone else?"

"Then, I’ll love that person, too," I say simply. "Because she’ll still be you, at her core. And you’re my mate, in any form you take."

A small smile touches her lips. She leans forward, wrapping her arms around my neck. "So, what happens now?" My lips curve at the teasing tone in her voice. "Now?" I hoist her up and sit her on my desk.

"You know, once the mating ceremony is over."

"You mean at night?" I reach for the button of her blouse, toying with it. "Depends. It’s not going to be the full moon, but mated couples usually lock themselves in their chambers for days. We’ll have to see how much stamina you have in you."

There’s a competitive gleam in her eyes. "I can outlast you any day, wolf king."

"Can you now?" I press my lips to the corner of her mouth. "You’ve been making me wait till the mating ceremony, so I have every intention of tiring you out."

Her laugh is husky. "Bring it on." Anticipation burns within me.

But not yet. Not tonight.