The Mad Alpha's Substitute Bride

(ALICE)

That night, I wait for Darian.

Mary goes to bed sulking. There was a dance event this evening, and she discovered that if I didn’t attend, she couldn’t, either. She kept insisting that I go with her, but when Jimmy refused to let us leave the suite, she finally went to bed with a pout on her face. I can’t blame her. She wants to enjoy herself. She had a grand time at the picnic today, and I’m glad for that.

It does make me a little envious that I have to sit things out, but then again, I probably wouldn’t enjoy them the way she does.

I wait till the early hours of the morning, but Darian does not show up. The next night is the same. No Darian.

I ask Jimmy, but all he tells me is that Darian has been called away by the king for diplomatic purposes and is simply not around. I try to text him, but my messages don’t go through.

There’s only one more event left.

"You’re overthinking," Mary tells me as she helps me into the light green dress. "The white witches arrived this morning. I heard they would be attending the last event. He must’ve been busy with them. You know how much importance the Wolf Kingdom gives to the white witches’ coven."

As I put on the jewelry that Darian gifted me, I recall the sweet words he whispered to me in the early hours of the morning after our night together. He meant them. We talked about the future and all the things he wanted to show me, the places he wanted to take me. He spoke of wanting an enormous family.

I smile brightly.

I need to have more confidence in myself. He’s just busy. This is not the time to feel insecure.

There’s a guard waiting for us outside. "Where’s Jimmy?" Mary demands.

"He got called away by the prince," the guard explains. "I’ve been asked to escort you two ladies to the ballroom."

There’s a thrum of excitement in the air when we enter the ballroom. I can understand it. Tonight, the fated mate couples will announce their engagements. Those who have chosen other partners will do the same.

Despite everything, I can’t help but feel a little excited, as well. Today will mark the beginning of the rest of my life. Spending my life with Darian is beginning to feel like a wonderful dream. I’m happy, I realize, more so than I ever have been before.

As the event begins to unfold, the king and Darian arrive. One look at the king has me feeling faint.

It was him. He was the man in the garden.

He looks in my direction, and his lips curve kindly. I quickly lower my eyes. When I sneak a glance at Darian, he’s not looking at me. His expression is stiff.

I frown. What’s wrong with him? As he walks past me, he doesn’t even acknowledge my presence, and it worries me. I hope he’s alright.

"He looks a bit tired," Mary observes.

"You’re right," I whisper back to her. "Maybe he was busy with the coven." Mary nudges me, smirking. "Look at you, being all concerned."

My face feels hot. "I am not—" I pause. He’s my fated mate. I have every right to be worried about him. "Stop messing with me, Mary."

She laughs. "I’m just so excited for you. It’s not every day my best friend gets engaged to the prince of the Wolf Kingdom. Everything you’ve suffered so far in life has led to this. Nobody will ever be able to look down on you after tonight, Alice."

I wet my lips, looking in Darian’s direction. "I don’t think that’s what matters to me. I just never thought I would get the chance to fall in love with somebody or have somebody love me back. It was one of those dreams that seemed too far out of my reach. Now that it’s happening, I still have a hard time believing it."

My friend’s eyes glisten with emotion. "Well, it is happening, and if you need help believing that this is not a dream, I am more than willing to pinch you."

"Keep your hands away from me," I warn her, giggling.

The king gets to his feet, and I suddenly feel nervous. "All the young couples have had their time with each other, and tonight we announce the engagements," he announces. "Young men, you may begin."

Apparently, it is custom for the males to announce their chosen female. The practice seems a little archaic, but then, the Wolf Kingdom is big on tradition. One by one, the men start walking over to their fated mates and taking their hands. As they do, they announce the female they have chosen.

My heart is pounding. Darian is last, and when he finally steps forward, my whole body trembles. Warmth blooms within me as I recall the words he spoke to me that night, the dreams he showed me, and my heart feels like it will burst from joy.

He walks toward me, and I can see no one but him. I begin to smile as he approaches me. He’s just a few steps away, and I move forward, lifting my hand...

But he walks right past me.

For a moment, I stay frozen in place, bewildered.

"I, Prince Darian Wild, take"—I turn around to see him holding another female’s hand, and it’s not just any female—"Willow Elvin as my future mate."

"I don’t understand," I murmur. Reality hasn’t sunk in yet.

What is he doing? Why is he saying Willow’s name? Why is she leaning against him like that, smiling?

"Darian?" My voice is small as I try to make sense of what is happening.

He doesn’t look at me. His eyes are on Willow, and cold comprehension forms within me.

He was toying with me.

All this time, he was only toying with me. That night we spent together meant nothing to him. Was it all just another way for him to gain my trust, or had getting me in bed been his end goal all along?

Suddenly it makes sense that he never got in touch with me again after that night. I feel nauseated as I stare at him. Mary’s fingers dig into my arms, and I let the pain center me.

Willow is looking at me now, smiling triumphantly.

I wish I could control my expression, but I don’t think I can hide the devastation in my heart. For the first time, I truly wish my parents had killed me instead of giving me away. I wish I had never met Darian. I wish, when Cyrus shoved me off the roof, I hadn’t survived. I wish, when Thomas beat me within an inch of my life, he had completed the job.

Is this what it feels like to have your spirit break completely?

Silence falls across the ballroom as all eyes turn toward me. I stand there motionless, Mary’s hands holding me steady. There’s a growl in her throat.

I hear the king’s voice boom from across the room. "Will you explain to me why you have chosen another aside from your fated mate, Prince Darian?"

I don’t have the strength to turn and look at the king, but for a moment, it sounds like he’s not very happy. I’m apparently quite good at imagining things, though, so he’s probably thrilled. Maybe he orchestrated this whole thing. But then, why would he ask? Why would he care? I’m nothing to anyone. Or maybe both father and son want to put me in my place for even daring to consider myself worthy of standing next to the prince.

My heart is aching so badly that it feels like it will collapse. There are no tears in my eyes. I’m trying to gather myself, but I don’t know how. I’ve been so badly shattered that it’s as if I’m standing in an eternal darkness, shards of the person I used to be scattered around me in a thousand pieces.

"I asked you a question, Prince Darian," King Griffin demands. "The royal family has always taken fated mates, if you recall. I hope you have a good reason for choosing another female as your intended."

My eyes lift from the floor to look at Darian as everyone waits for his answer. He still has the same face, I muse to myself dully, the same handsome features, those startling green eyes that held so much love and laughter in them.

Yet, I don’t recognize the man standing a few feet from me. I’m looking at a stranger right now, as he finally meets my gaze. There is not an ounce of affection in his eyes, none of the warmth that always existed when he looked at me.

No. All I see is disgust.

"I do not want my fated mate," he says tightly. "I reject my fated mate based on my discovery of what she is. She does not have a wolf spirit."

His words hit me like a ton of bricks, crushing me.

My knees buckle, and I would fall to the floor were it not for Mary holding me up.