Mated to My Intended's Enemy

Victoria

As Enzo helped me from the car-his grip bruisingly tight on my elbow-despair washed over me in waves. There would be no escape, no last-minute reprieve. This was happening.

"Enzo Howlthorne and Victoria Howlthorne," Beta Tiny announced formally. "Alpha Moretti welcomes you to Shadow Pack territory."

His eyes met mine briefly, and I thought I detected a flicker of something-pity perhaps?-before his professional mask fell back into place.

"Victoria will now enter the ceremonial circle to be claimed by our Alpha," Tiny continued. "As is tradition, her family will remain outside the circle during the binding."

Enzo released my arm with obvious reluctance. "Remember what I said," he hissed in my ear before stepping back.

Pack members formed a path before me, leading to a stone circle set in the center of the lawn. My legs felt like lead as Tiny escorted me forward, each step bringing me closer to a fate I hadn't chosen.

The gathered wolves fell silent as I entered the circle. I could feel their curiosity, their judgment-some looking at me with disdain, others with curiosity, a few with something like pity.

And then he appeared.

Leo stepped into the opposite side of the circle, and my breath caught in my throat. He wore a black suit that emphasized the breadth of his shoulders and the lean strength of his body. His dark eyes found mine immediately, intense and unreadable.

Tiny stepped to the center of the circle. "We gather today to witness the claiming of a Luna for the Shadow Pack. Alpha Leonard Moretti has chosen Victoria Howlthorne as his mate, to stand by his side and bear his children, to strengthen our pack and ensure our future."

The formal words washed over me as Leo approached, his gaze never leaving mine. Leo stopped before me, towering over my smaller frame. His scent enveloped me.

"Victoria Howlthorne," Tiny intoned. "Do you accept the claiming of Alpha Leonard Moretti? Do you consent to become Luna of the Shadow Pack, to bind your life and fate to his?"

Before I could answer-before I could find my voice to protest or agree-Leo spoke, his deep voice carrying across the hushed gathering.

"I, Leonard Moretti, claim Victoria Howlthorne as my mate, my Luna, my equal in all things. I pledge to protect her, provide for her, and honor her as the mother of my children and the heart of my pack."

My heart thundered in my chest as realization crashed over me. This wasn't just some business arrangement or debt settlement-Leo was claiming me as his true mate, his Luna. The same man who had touched me so intimately at the club, who had made me feel things I'd never experienced before, was now binding himself to me before his entire pack.

"This isn't right," I whispered, my voice trembling. "You don't even know me."

Leo's eyes darkened, a muscle ticking in his jaw. "I know enough," he replied, his voice low enough that only I could hear. "I know what you taste like. What you feel like. How you sound when you come apart in my hands."

Heat flooded my cheeks as memories of our night together rushed back. "That was before I knew who you were," I hissed. "Before I knew you had arranged this with my brother."

"Arranged?" Leo's brow furrowed slightly, confusion flickering across his features before his expression hardened once more. "Your consent is required, Victoria. Say the words."

I looked around desperately, seeking any ally, any escape. The pack members watched with eager anticipation, Enzo stood at the edge with barely concealed triumph on his face, and Leo-Leo waited with the confidence of a predator who knew his prey was cornered.

"And if I refuse?" I challenged, lifting my chin despite my terror.

A dangerous smile curved Leo's lips. "Then I'll convince you. Here. Now. In front of everyone."

I terrified and strangely drawn to his dominance. "You wouldn't dare."

"Try me, little half-wolf." His voice dropped even lower, a seductive growl that sent shivers down my spine. "I've claimed you already in every way but this formal declaration. Your body knows who you belong to, even if your mind is still fighting it."

Tears of frustration and fear burned behind my eyes. "This is about my trust fund, isn't it? The money my father left me. Once we're bound, you control everything."

Something flashed in Leo's eyes-surprise, perhaps, or anger. "You think this is about money?" He stepped closer, his massive frame blocking out the rest of the world. "I could buy and sell your family's assets a hundred times over without blinking. This isn't about your trust fund, Victoria."

"Then what?" I demanded, my voice cracking. "Why me? Why force this?"

His hand came up to cup my cheek, the gesture surprisingly gentle despite the steel in his eyes. "Because from the moment I saw you, I knew. And that night at the club only confirmed it." His thumb brushed away a tear I hadn't realized had fallen. "You're mine, Victoria. You have been from the start. The sooner you accept that, the easier this will be for both of us."

Tiny cleared his throat discreetly. "Alpha, the Luna must consent."

Leo's eyes never left mine as he spoke. "She will."

I felt trapped in his gaze, my options dwindling with each passing second. If I refused, what then? Enzo would make my life hell, and Leo... Leo clearly wasn't a man accustomed to being denied. But if I agreed, I would be signing away my freedom, my future, my very self.

"Victoria," Leo murmured, his voice softening just for me. "I won't hurt you. I'll protect you-even from your own family. But you have to choose. Now."

"I..." My voice faltered as I looked into his hazel eyes. In them, I saw desire, determination, and something else-something that looked almost like... hope? "I, Victoria Howlthorne..." I swallowed hard, my throat dry with fear and anticipation. "I accept the claiming of Alpha Leonard Moretti. I consent to become Luna of the Shadow Pack."

The words left my lips, and immediately I felt something shift in the air around us, as though the very elements acknowledged our binding.

Leo's expression transformed, fierce triumph lighting his features as he pulled me against him. "Mine," he growled, before capturing my lips in a searing kiss that sent fire racing through my veins.

The pack erupted in cheers and howls as Leo's arms encircled me, his scent and heat surrounding me completely. Through the haze of sensation, one thought burned clear in my mind:

I had just tied my fate to a man I barely knew, a dangerous Alpha with secrets I couldn't begin to understand. A man who had somehow known me, wanted me, claimed me from the moment we met.

And as his kiss deepened, my wolf howled in recognition, in submission, in a primitive joy I couldn't comprehend.

I was now Luna of the Shadow Pack. Leo Moretti's mate.

And Moon help me, I had no idea what that truly meant.