The Alpha Who Faked Our Bond

The last of my clothes was folded into the leather satchel when the sound of the doorbell cut through the silence of my room. I froze, the scent of cedar smoke and cold night air drifting faintly in from the open window. My heart stuttered. Perhaps it was Xavier Moonveil? I reached for my phone, searching for a missed call, a message, some sign of him. Nothing. With a heavy exhale, I abandoned the thought and padded toward the door, the wooden floors creaking beneath my steps.

A white box rested on the stone threshold, larger than any offering I had ever seen, its silk ribbon glinting gold under the silver light of the rising moon. My name was written across the top in curling, calligraphic strokes, as though summoned from another lifetime. No note, no sender, only my name.

Curiosity, and something darker, something restless that stirred in my blood, drove me to bring it inside. I placed it on the table and untied the ribbon, lifting the lid slowly, reverently, as though afraid the contents might bite.

And then my pulse faltered.

The gown. My gown.

It was the very design I had sketched as a girl, back when I still believed Alpha Sebastian would one day claim me under the Moon, when I dreamed of a true Blood Moon Binding instead of the hollow paper contract he shoved at me years ago. Ivory silk shimmered like liquid light, the sleeves of lace spun delicately as if woven by the spirits of our ancestors themselves. My trembling fingers traced the bodice, where a name was hand-embroidered in gold thread.

AMARA.

My throat constricted. Tears blurred my vision. Could this be Alpha Sebastian’s way of making amends? Could this be his silent apology after years of distance, betrayal, and unspoken wounds? Was he ready at last to give me the binding the pack had waited for, the vows beneath the Sacred Oak, the acknowledgment that I was his mate in truth, not just convenience?

For a moment, I allowed myself to believe. My heart whispered yes.

I stepped into the gown, shivering as the silk embraced me, molding against my skin like destiny itself. In the mirror, I caught my reflection, fragile yet radiant, and pressed my hand to my chest, hearing the faint echo of my wolf stirring within, aching for recognition.

The door burst open with a violent crash.

“Amara, what in the Moon’s name are you doing?!”

I jolted, breath caught in my throat.

Alpha Sebastian filled the doorway, fury carved into every line of his face. His scent, smoke, iron, and the familiar musk of his wolf rolled through the room, stifling me. Before I could utter a word, he strode forward, his fangs flashing faintly in the corner of his mouth, and ripped the gown from my shoulder with such force I thought he might tear the fabric, or me in half.

“Why are you holding this?” His voice was a growl, raw and merciless.

“I—” My words faltered. “It has my name… it was my design. I thought… are we finally going to be bound before the pack?”

His laugh was sharp, colder than a blade dipped in winter water.

“Bound? Don’t be foolish, Amara. You and I are already mated.”

“Then why-why this?” My voice cracked.

The gown in his hands seemed to burn my eyes as he spat the answer.

“It is for Vera.”

My heart stilled.

“She deserves the ceremony. She deserves the gown. She has always dreamed of walking the aisle beneath the Moon, of pledging herself as a bride before the pack. And she is sick. She does not have long.”

The world tilted. My wolf snarled inside me, clawing against my ribs, howling at their betrayal.

“But it was my dream,” I whispered, voice shaking. “It was always mine.”

My brother Erol stepped into the room, his smirk dripping with disdain, the aura of his wolf crackling like sparks. Behind him, Vera appeared, wrapped in her blanket, her face pale and luminous as though she wanted the entire world to pity her frailty.

“For Moon’s sake, Amara,” Erol sneered. “Stop making this about you. You are strong. She is not. Let her have what she wants.”

Vera’s soft eyes lifted to mine, glistening with unshed tears. “I only wish to be wed once, Amara. To feel the Binding, even if it is borrowed. I do not mean to steal him forever. Just the ceremony. Just the dream. You are strong enough to endure. I am not.”

“Borrow my husband?” My words were ice. “Steal my dream?”

Silence. Their silence condemned them all.

“You truly disappoint me.”

Vera flinched, but I no longer cared. I turned from them, the gown slipped from my body like discarded skin, and walked away. Each step felt heavy, but fire burned inside my chest, hotter than the shame they had smeared across me.

I entered my room again and pulled everything from its drawers: the letters, the sketches of gowns I once cherished, the photographs of Alpha Sebastian holding me as if I mattered. I carried them all outside, to the iron barrel behind the pack house, and set them ablaze.

The flames roared, devouring my past, curling smoke skyward as if carrying my lost dreams to the Moon itself. My wolf shifted restlessly beneath my skin, keening with pain and fury. I remembered my brothers’ promises of protection, Vera’s false adoration, and Alpha Sebastian’s empty vows. Lies. Every last word.

Ash swallowed the final page of my sketchbook when I felt arms circle me from behind.

“Amara,” Alpha Sebastian murmured against my ear, his breath hot, his wolf pressing close. “I did not mean for it to go this far. Forgive me. Just… do this for her. She is sick. You are stronger.”

I stood motionless, the fire’s glow flickering in my eyes.

“How about this?” he whispered. “Tomorrow, I will take you out. Just the two of us. I will make it up to you. I promise.”

I had no strength to argue. “…Fine,” I breathed.

“Thank you.” His lips grazed the top of my head, but I felt nothing.

Later, when darkness wrapped me in its false comfort, sleep began to take me.

Until his voice shattered it.

“AMARA! WAKE UP!”

My eyes flew open. Alpha Sebastian Mooncrest loomed above me, frantic, his eyes wild. “We need your blood. Now. Vera needs a transfusion. You are her only match.”

“What?” My heart pounded.

“She is fading. Do not be selfish. Be useful for once. Be her blood bank.”

The command hit me like a blow. My wolf screamed inside me, not with fear, but with rage.