EMILY POV

"Stop this ceremony, now!"

Everyone gasped in surprise when we saw a handsome man with so many guards surrounding him standing at the entrance, anger in his eyes. I couldn't grasp what was going on. And why does the man look familiar, like if I've seen him before? Yes, the realization struck me. He was the same man I saved from drowning when he was a small child, fragile and unable to help himself. However, he had changed.

His stare was directed at Daniel, my soon to be chosen mate and husband and rage was filled. He didn’t answer me; instead, he came closer and punched Daniel in the jaw.

As our eyes met with each other, we said unison, “Mate.”

I was shocked. How could the moon goddess play this game on my marriage? I was meeting my fated mate.

Mate? My blood ran cold. The words seemed to echo in my ears, drowning out everything else. I couldn’t believe it. He was claiming that I was his fated mate?

"No!" I shouted, shaking my head vehemently. "I don’t love you, Brian! I’ll reject you! I choose David, not you!" My voice was desperate, filled with a mix of defiance and fear. I knew the weight of rejecting a mate, the bond that could break a soul, but I didn’t care. I wanted my life with David, not a life in chains.

Brian’s expression hardened, his eyes narrowing to slits as a cold smile played on his lips. "Reject me?" he said, his voice dangerously soft. "If you dare to reject me, then your entire pack will pay the price. None of them will see the light of day again."

"You can’t do this," I whispered, horror washing over me. "You wouldn’t."

"Wouldn’t I?" Brian’s laugh was cold and hollow, filled with the madness of his obsession. "No love is greater than the mate bond, Emily. You’re mine, whether you like it or not. And anyone who stands in my way will suffer."

David, the man I loved, the man I chose, took a step forward, his jaw clenched with determination. "She doesn’t love you, Brian," David said, his voice steady, his eyes blazing with defiance. "And she never will. Let her go."

A dark chuckle escaped Brian’s lips as he shook his head slowly. "Love?" he sneered, his voice dripping with disdain. "You think love can break the mate bond? How naive."

In one swift motion, Brian’s eyes flicked to his guards, and with a single command, he sealed David’s fate. "Kill him," he ordered, his voice like ice. "He dared to touch what’s mine."

"No! Stop! Please, don’t!" I screamed, tears streaming down my face as I watched in horror. But Brian didn’t even look at me. He picked me up, threw me over his shoulder like a sack of nothing, ignoring my desperate cries as I struggled against his grip.

"Brian, please!" I begged, pounding my fists against his back, but my pleas fell on deaf ears. I was helpless, suspended in his hold, forced to witness the nightmare that unfolded before my eyes.

David’s roar filled the air as he fought with everything he had, but he was no match for Brian’s guards. They descended upon him, and in moments, David’s scream was cut short. Blood stained the earth, and I saw the man I loved torn apart, ripped in half by the merciless force of Brian's warriors.

"NO! DAVID!" I wailed, my soul shattering into pieces as I watched the light fade from his eyes. He was gone.

I turned my tear-streaked face to Brian, my voice a broken whisper. "Why? Why did you do this?"

His gaze was cold, unyielding, as he looked down at me with an expression I couldn’t read. "He had to pay for touching my mate," Brian said simply, as if that explained everything, as if that made the horror of what he’d done justified.

My heart twisted painfully, my chest heavy with grief and rage. I realized then that there was no escaping this fate, no mercy in the eyes of the man who claimed to be my mate. He wasn’t the boy I saved all those years ago. He was a monster, and I was trapped in his grasp, bound to a life I never wanted, all because of a twisted bond and a promise that turned into a curse.

As Brian carried me away to his mansion, my soul screamed for David, for the life I’d lost, for the love that had been ripped from me. And in that moment, I vowed to myself that I would never love this man, never let him into my heart, no matter what the bond said. He could claim my body, my fate, but my soul would always belong to the memory of the man he took from me.

I wished that the night I saved Brian Hawk, I had let him drown.

Days blurred into weeks as I lived in his villa under Brian’s constant watch. He wouldn’t let me out of his sight, his presence a suffocating shadow that loomed over me at all times.

He was a monster.

After so many rejections, he still didn’t give up and found my substitute Ariel, who gave to do whatever he said, and then he would tell me how she followed his orders.

“Do you know what Ariel did last night?” His voice was low and dangerous. “She came to my bed, Emily. She knows how to please her Alpha.”

I kept my expression blank, refusing to give him the reaction he was looking for. “I don’t care, Brian. You can do whatever you want with her.”

His eyes narrowed, and in an instant, he was in front of me, his grip tightening around my arm. “Liar,” he hissed. “You do care. I can see it in your eyes.”

I yanked my arm free, glaring up at him. “You’re delusional. Ariel can have you. I don’t want anything to do with this twisted game you’re playing.”

He laughed, but there was no humor in it. “You think I want her? She’s nothing but a poor substitute for you, Emily. But if you keep pushing me away, I might just make her my Luna.”

“Go ahead,” I snapped, my voice trembling with anger. “Maybe then you’ll leave me alone.”

In a flash, he grabbed my face and crushed his lips against mine, his kiss brutal and demanding.

“You’ll be mine, kitten,” he growled, his eyes dark with possessiveness. “By force or any means necessary. Do you understand?”

I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand, glaring at him. “You can try, Brian, but I will never be yours.”

EMILY POV

“Is this really where Brian keeps all his treasures, Ariel?” a shrill voice giggled, followed by a chorus of laughter.

My heart sank. When I heard those voices. Ariel and her rogues friends.

I shut the book hurriedly and got up just in time to see my room's door shoved open. With her eyes widening upon seeing me, Ariel strode in. Two more she-wolves muttered excitedly behind her, their eyes darting between the two of us.

"How in the hell?" Ariel's eyes narrowed viciously as she spat. "Who are you?"

I retreated a step, doing my best to maintain my position. "Emily is my name. You need to go; before he comes.”

"She looks just like you, Ariel," muttered one of she wolves as they leaned in to laugh. “Does Alpha Brian plan to keep her as a substitute Luna?

"Substitute?" Ariel's eyes flashed with rage as she approached closer, studying me as if I were an imposter. "Are you pretending to be me in order to whisk my mate , Brian away? Do you believe you can compete with me?

"No, it's not like that," I tried to explain, but the words hardly left my mouth when her fist slammed into my face. The sting was great, and I stumbled back, holding my cheek.

"Shut up!" she exclaimed, her voice dripping with anger. "You are nothing but a shoddy copy. Alpha Brian loves me, not a fake like you."

Ariel’s eyes flashed with anger, and she took a step closer, her voice dripping with venom. “You think you can steal Alpha Brian from me by making yourself look like me? You’re just some plastic imitation!”

I shook my head, trying to stay calm. “I’m not trying to be anyone, least of all you. You need to go before Brian—”

“Don’t you dare mention his name!” Ariel screamed, and before I could react, her hand lashed out, slapping me hard across the face. The sting burned, and I stumbled back, clutching my cheek.

“You slut,” she hissed, her voice filled with unbridled rage. “You think you can seduce him with that face? You’re just a nobody trying to climb up the ranks by pretending to be me!”

“Listen to me,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. “You don’t understand. I don’t want Brian. Just leave now, or he’ll—”

“He’ll what?” she interrupted, laughing cruelly. “Punish me? I’m his destined mate. He adores me! You’re just some pathetic omega he felt sorry for. I’m the one he wants.”

Her friends joined in, their words a twisted chorus of mockery. “Exactly! Everyone knows Alpha Brian’s head over heels for next Luna Ariel. How dare you try to replace her?”

“You’re nothing but a poor copy,” one of them sneered. “Do you really think you can compete with the future Luna of the Hawk Pack?”

“I don’t want to compete,” I said, my voice barely a whisper. “Please, just leave.”

“Compete? You don’t even stand a chance!” Ariel’s eyes glinted with malice as she grabbed a fistful of my hair, yanking me forward. Pain shot through my scalp, and I gasped.

“Let go!” I cried, trying to free myself from her grip.

“Brian is mine!” she screamed, shaking me. “I’ll make sure you remember that.”

With a vicious shove, she threw me to the ground. I hit the cold, hard floor with a thud, the impact knocking the breath out of me. My vision blurred as I tried to sit up, only to feel a sharp kick to my side, forcing me back down.

“You’ve got some nerve, pretending to be me!” Ariel sneered, her voice a cruel taunt. “I’ll tear you apart for trying to steal my place. Omega, like you, will set an example today of what happens when someone competes with Luna Ariel.”

Other she-wolves circled me, their eyes filled with excitement and cruelty. One of them leaned down, grabbing at my clothes. “Let’s see if you’ve gone all the way. Did you get your body done to look like hers too?”

“No!” I struggled, trying to push her away, but they were relentless. Hands clawed at my dress, ripping the fabric as I fought against them.

“Stop it!” I screamed, panic rising in my throat. “You don’t understand! I’m not pretending to be her—I’m Brian’s mate!”

The room fell silent. Ariel froze, her hand still tangled in my hair, her eyes wide with shock. “What did you say?” she whispered, her voice shaking with disbelief.

I looked up at her, my chest heaving, blood trickling from a cut on my forehead. “I’m his mate. The one chosen by the Moon Goddess. Not you.”

Ariel’s face twisted with fury, and she released me, stumbling back. “No! You’re lying! He said I was his true mate. He said I was the one!”

I forced myself to stand, my body aching from the assault. “He lied to you, Ariel. I’m the one he’s bound to. I never wanted any of this. He prisoned me because I have yet not accepted him as my mate.”

Her friends exchanged nervous glances, the reality of the situation sinking in. Ariel shook her head, her eyes wild with desperation. “No, no, this can’t be true. You’re just trying to make up the stories. Brian would never be your mate.”

Ariel's hand shot out like a viper, grabbing a fistful of my hair and yanking my head back. I gasped in pain, my neck straining as she pulled me closer, her face twisted with a venomous grin. “Brian is mine!” she hissed, her voice dripping with malice. “He loves me, not you! You’re nothing but a pathetic wolf trying to play Luna!”

The words cut through me like a blade, each one sharper than the last. I felt the sting of her hate, the bitterness of her jealousy. My heart twisted painfully in my chest, but I forced myself to meet her eyes, refusing to let her see me break.

"You don’t understand," I said, my voice shaking but defiant. "Ask Brian. He knows who I am. I’m not some pretender. I’m his—"

Ariel’s laughter drowned out my words, cold and mocking, filled with an icy contempt that pierced my soul. "You think you’re something special?" she sneered, her eyes blazing with triumph. "Brian only loves me! He’s never mentioned a worthless she-wolf like you! To him, you’re nothing but a joke, a broken promise he’s long forgotten."

Her words tore at my insides, leaving me raw and bleeding. Why did I save him? I thought desperately, the memories of that night flashing in my mind. Why did I ever think that small act of kindness would lead to something good?

"Let’s show her what we do to imposters," Ariel said, her voice dripping with cruelty. "Strip her."

Before I could react, Ariel's friends moved in, their hands clawing at my clothes like wild animals. They ripped at my dress, tearing it from my body piece by piece. I tried to fight back, tried to hold onto the shreds of my dignity, but they were too many, too strong. My voice broke as I screamed for them to stop, but the words seemed to fall into the cold, uncaring night.

"I’m not lying! I’m not an imposter!" I cried, my voice cracking with desperation as they tore at me. "I am his mate! I saved his life! Please, just listen to me!"