The Mad Alpha's Substitute Bride

(ALICE)

"The companions of the attendees have to stay at the very back of the room," Mary sighs. "I didn’t even see the king and his son. I know they retired pretty quickly, but the only people I saw were my sister and my brother-in-law. I don’t think I saw Darian at the after-party, either—at least, no one matching his description. But there were so many people."

"I see."

But Mary has her own questions. "What are you going to do if Darian chooses you as his mate? That would mean you’re no longer going to leave, right?"

"I don’t know." I look out the window again. "To be honest, Mary, I still don’t believe this is happening. I mean, he came out of nowhere and is suddenly saying all these things. I want to believe him, but my experience has always been that life is not kind to me. What if it’s just some big sham? What if he’s just—"

My friend wraps her hand around mine, giving me a tight smile. "If anything happens, I have your back. But I want you to believe in him. He’s gone above and beyond for you. He even faced off against Thomas and Willow for you. And somehow, he was able to keep the two of them away from you. That has to count for something, doesn’t it?"

She has a point. "I just can’t seem to stop the self-doubt from creeping in. It’s like I’m living somebody else’s life right now."

Mary beams at me. "Don’t worry. If he decides to be an asshole, I bet there will be others showering you with attention. I don’t know what you’ve been doing lately, but you smell freaking fantastic. And you’re very pretty, Alice."

I look at my reflection, the red hair and blue eyes. "I’m a freak. Maybe among humans I might be considered pretty, but according to our kind, I’m nothing short of a freak."

Mary pats my shoulder. "You know, whatever happens, you should probably get therapy, as well."

I bat her hand away as she snickers. "I don’t need therapy!"

"Then stop insulting yourself." She gives me a long look. "Just because you don’t meet the standard of everybody around you doesn’t mean you’re not beautiful in your own way. And if it were just good looks that mattered,

Willow would be the most popular girl in the pack."

"She is the most popular girl in the pack," I point out dryly.

Mary rolls her eyes. "She’s not popular in that way. The only reason men surround her is because of her father. She could be blind as a bat and have the looks of a troll, and she would still be popular. Power speaks. But none of the men who pay attention to her like her for herself. The few people you have in your life actually like you for you. And that’s what pisses Willow off. She has never been able to make anybody like her. You’ve always had this charm about you. Those who don’t keep you at arm’s length automatically gravitate toward you."

I squeeze her hand. "Okay, stop. I think that’s enough praise for one day. I don’t need therapy; I just need you telling me how I’m one vote away from winning the title of prom queen because of my apparently sparkling personality."

My friend laughs.

By the time we reach the palace, the sun is setting, and we are ushered to our rooms. Mary and I will be sharing a suite with two bedrooms. Her eyes widen. "You were given one of the nicer suites."

"What are you talking about?" I ask as I put down my suitcase—and hers, since she was too busy gawking at everything to carry her own stuff.

"This is the room that alphas get, and not just any alphas. The ones that come from other lands. We’re in the east wing. Only very important people get to stay in this part of the palace. I should know; there were some dignitaries here from Europe last time I attended the gathering, and they were allowed to stay in the east wing. There should be nobody on this floor but us."

"That’s not possible." I frown. "Should we go check?"

There’s a knock on the door just then, and Mary hurries to open it. A man is standing in the hall. He looks like a butler, and he announces, "Gifts have been sent for Miss Lane."

"Gifts?" Mary sounds shocked, and she nearly falls over her own feet in an attempt to step out of the way as footmen start entering the room, carrying large gift boxes.

"What’s happening?" I look at the butler, who is supervising everything. "Who sent these?"

He gives me a half smile. "Sir Darian."

Once the door closes behind us, Mary rushes to my side and grips my arm. "You said Darian was someone who worked in the royal palace. What position is he in?"

I shake my head. "I don’t know."

"He has to be someone powerful," Mary murmurs, "to be able to send gifts within the palace. Who have you gotten yourself involved with, Alice?"

I stare at the piled boxes on the floor and whisper, my breath trembling, "I really don’t know."

*****

According to Mary, for fated mates to be linked, it has to be done at a very specific time under the moon. An hour shy of midnight, we are led to the palace ballroom. The dress Mary bought me is a silver gown with sequins and beautiful beadwork. It pales in comparison to the dresses Darian sent

me, but my friend chose it with great care and love. It leaves my upper arms and collarbones bare, and it flows down the length of my body, thankfully covering my ankle.

Plenty of guests have already arrived, and as Mary and I are announced and make our entrance, I don’t understand how this place can be called a ballroom. The ceiling is open to the sky, and there are chandeliers hanging in the air with no support.

"Magic," Mary whispers to me. "The royal palace works with the white witches."

Despite the open sky, the light from the chandeliers is dazzling.

"Is it a retractable roof?" I whisper back to her. "Once the event ends, does the ceiling go back into place?"

I expect her to mock me for my silly question, but instead, she nods.

"Believe it or not, I saw it happen. I don’t know how they do it. Magic is bizarre to me."

We don’t mingle with the other guests, choosing a spot by the wall to hang out.

"So, what is going to happen?" I ask Mary.

"Once the moon is in position, it’s going to shine on that stone in the center of the room. The moonlight will be there for at least thirty minutes. The males will step forward first, and if they have fated mates in the room, the red thread I told you about will appear and find them. During my sister’s gathering, everything was really rushed, for some reason. By the end of the night, those who wanted to reject their mates had to do so. Not that anyone did. But I think tonight, according to the schedule you received, once the fated mates are declared, there are going to be events where everybody will mingle, and those who want to choose mates will be able to. And at the end, the engagements will be announced. It’s going to be a fun week!"

I try to smile. Fun? Sounds more like hectic to me. "Look who it is."

I hear a familiar voice, and my heart nearly stops.

Cyrus Black.