The Mad Alpha's Substitute Bride

(ALICE)

I am fully determined to keep a low profile at the upcoming events and meals. However, when I enter the breakfast banquet the next morning, all eyes turn toward me.

I swallow.

"I told you we should have come later," I whisper to Mary.

Breakfast is taking place on the palace grounds. Small, round tables have been set up, and there is a buffet. People are mingling, the conversation is light-hearted and easy. But most of it fades when I arrive.

"Should we leave?" Mary asks, but before I can answer, I hear a voice from behind me.

"Do you ladies need a partner?"

I look over my shoulder and see a handsome wolf shifter. His skin is dusky, his brown eyes twinkling. Mary is gaping at him, and I wonder if I should tell her that she’s beginning to drool a little.

"We’re quite alright," I begin, but his lips turn upward in a smile.

"You do realize that the moment you approach any one of these tables, you will be swarmed by the other guests."

I cast an anxious look around the banquet area. "We’ll come back later."

"The hunting event is in two hours," the man says before holding out his hand to me. "My name is Jason Marrock. I am the alpha of the Shadow Pack."

Mary’s eyes widen. "You are the Jason Marrock?"

I cast her a questioning look, but she just shakes her head, blushing brightly. "I see your friend knows who I am. But you don’t?" He looks surprised.

Before I can try to come up with an answer, Mary takes over. "My friend here doesn’t pay much attention to pack politics. Alice, Alpha Marrock, is the youngest alpha ever in the Wolf Kingdom. He’s incredibly talented.

King Griffin even tried to recruit him into the royal army once. Jason turned him down."

I give the man before me a strained smile. "Are you here to take him up on his offer?"

Jason chuckles. "No. I came here with the hopes of finding my fated mate. I wasn’t so lucky the past few years. I’m starting to think that perhaps I should look elsewhere."

He gazes at me for a long time, and I smile awkwardly. "Well, there are plenty of eligible girls here. I’m sure you’ll find somebody you like. Excuse us."

I take Mary’s hand and drag her toward the trees, away from the crowded tables. Mary is muttering something to herself, and when I stop, out of sight of everyone, she slaps me on the arm. "What is wrong with you? He was hitting on you!"

"What?" I gape at her. "No, he wasn’t."

"That whole speech about not having found his fated mate and now deciding to look elsewhere?" Mary says in a mocking tone before smacking me on the arm again. "He was looking at you, Alice!"

"Stop hitting me!" I scowl. "What did you want me to do? I already have a fated mate. Why would he hit on me if he knows I already have someone, that someone being Darian?"

"Because Darian wasn’t around, you idiot," my friend bursts out. "He should be here, by your side, to let everyone know that you are taken. You really have no idea how this works, do you?"

I stare at her. "I think my head is going to explode."

"Fated mates verbally accept each other after the red thread appears. If they don’t, others consider them fair game. It’s something of a competition among the unmated shifters, and if one of the fated mate pairs is powerful, they try even harder to court them till the last day."

"But fated mates mostly choose each other, don’t they?" I ask slowly.

"Mostly, yes." Mary shrugs. "Anyway, I have a feeling that Willow might have spread information about you not having a wolf spirit, but I don’t know if that’ll be enough to hold off the other men. The fact that you are Darian’s fated mate makes you special. And—" She sniffs me again, frowning. "Seriously, why do you smell so good?"

I push her away. "Will you stop that?"

But Mary moves closer, her expression grim. "Wait. There’s something about your scent."

"Mary, now isn’t the time to joke around." She moves along my arm to my neck, and I turn stiff. "What is it?"

"Your scent is changing." She leans back, looking astounded. "That’s why I couldn’t put my finger on it. It’s tantalizing. To a female like me, it smells sweet, but to men, it might smell irresistible. You smell like power."

"Like power?" I repeat, wondering if she went and hit her head somewhere. "You’re going to have to explain that because power isn’t a smell!"

She gestures with her hand, frustrated. "I don’t know how to explain it. This is something I learned in one of my classes when I was in the training program to become a healer: scent is very important to male shifters when choosing a mate. The purer a scent, the more powerful a wolf shifter is supposed to be. This is especially true for female shifters. Before, your scent has always felt diluted, just a bit off. But ever since a few weeks ago, it’s begun to change. Wait..." She makes a face, thinking. "Not a few weeks. You know that day in your apartment when I told you that you smelled different? That was the first time I caught the change. I didn’t put two and two together at the time, but now, it’s growing stronger."

"You’re saying my scent is pure?" I sniff myself. "I don’t smell anything."

"I’m telling you, it’s true," Mary insists. "And if you don’t believe me, you can ask Darian. You smell strong. No other way to explain it."

"But I’m not strong," I remind her, exasperated.

She shrugs. "Don’t ask me. I’m just telling you what I’m noticing, but you should probably talk to Darian. He shouldn’t be leaving you alone like this at any of the events. Otherwise, you’ll start gaining a bunch of suitors."

"I don’t have a wolf spirit, Mary!" I enunciate each word. "What does it matter if my scent is pure or diluted? I’m not a powerful shifter."

"But you can produce powerful pups," Mary scoffs. "A lot of male shifters look for that in a mate. Some of them may not care that you don’t have a wolf spirit. Talk to Darian. It could be—" She cuts herself off, a strange look forming on her face. "Never mind. That’s not possible."

"What?"

She shakes her head. "Forget it. Let’s go grab some breakfast."

I peek out from behind the tree, mentally drained from this conversation.

Most of the wolf shifters have already eaten and left. We quickly hurry over to the buffet, and as I’m piling food on my plate, I feel a pair of eyes on me. When I look over my shoulder, I see Jason leaning against a tree in the distance, watching me. He doesn’t approach me, but his chin lifts when he catches me looking over.

I wince. "Do you think we can take this to our room?"

Mary has a piece of bacon in her mouth, and she shakes her head. "I don’t think so. Let’s just find a quiet spot to eat before the hunting competition begins. We have to get dressed for that."

We find an empty table, and as we’re eating, I catch a few shifters coming our way. However, to my surprise, Jason steps in front of them, stopping their descent toward us. He’s getting rid of them, letting us have our breakfast in peace.

When our eyes meet, he grins at me and mouths, "I’ve got this." I can’t help but smile. Maybe I misjudged him.