The Alpha's Forbidden Secret Fated Mate

Elara Vance POV:

The boutique, "Martha's Gowns," was a world of silk, lace, and shimmering crystals. The owner, an older she-wolf named Martha Shaw, greeted Ryker and Seraphina with a warm, deferential smile. "Alpha. Future Luna. It is an honor."

Her eyes fell on me, trailing behind them like a shadow. She paused, a question in her expression.

Seraphina looped her arm through mine, her touch surprisingly firm. "This is Elara Vance," she announced to Martha. "Orion's daughter. She's here to be my consultant today."

Recognition dawned on Martha's face, followed by a look of deep sympathy. "Oh, the dear girl. What a good child you are." Her kindness was a fresh wave of humiliation.

Seraphina moved through the racks of breathtaking gowns with an air of excitement, Ryker following a step behind her like a devoted shadow. They looked like any other couple in love, planning the most important day of their lives. I was the awkward, out-of-place third wheel.

She pulled out a mermaid-style gown, heavy with diamond beading, and held it up against herself in front of a floor-to-ceiling mirror. "What do you think of this one, darling?" she asked Ryker.

But his gaze wasn't on her. It was on me, reflected in the mirror. He was staring at my reflection as I stood numbly by the door.

"It's beautiful," he answered, his voice distant.

Seraphina saw it. She saw where his eyes were. Her smile never wavered, but a frigid chill entered her gaze. She turned, thrusting the heavy dress into my hands. "Elara, what's your opinion? You're the one with the artistic taste."

The weight of the dress shocked me out of my stupor. The fabric was cold and heavy, like a shroud. I looked from the gown to Seraphina's expectant face.

"It would suit you perfectly, Luna," I managed to say, my voice hoarse. "It's... dazzling."

Pleased, she moved on, selecting several more. Each time, she made me hold the dress, made me pass judgment. Every touch of the fabric, every word of forced praise, was another turn of the screw.

Ryker stood by, watching it all, his brow furrowed into a deep line. But he said nothing. His silence was a form of consent.

Finally, Seraphina chose three gowns to try on. "Elara, could you take these to the fitting rooms for me?" she asked, before breezing off towards the powder room to "freshen up."

I gathered the three heavy gowns in my arms, their combined weight making me stagger slightly as I headed towards the back of the store.

"Let me," Ryker's deep voice said from beside me. He reached for the dresses.

I flinched back as if his touch would burn me, taking a sharp step away from him.

I looked up, meeting his eyes for the first time all day. I made sure mine were as cold and empty as a winter sky. "There's no need, Alpha. This is my duty."

The word "Alpha" was a wall I erected between us, solid and insurmountable.

His hand froze in mid-air. I saw the flash of hurt in his eyes, the pained recognition of what I was doing.

I pushed past him without letting our shoulders brush, my back ramrod straight. I walked into the spacious fitting room area and carefully hung each gown on a hook.

I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror—pale, pathetic, and surrounded by the symbols of his union with another woman. The irony was a bitter pill.

My wolf whimpered, a low, mournful sound of defeat. Its mate was choosing another, and there was nothing it could do.

*It's over,* I told myself, taking a deep, shaky breath. *It has to be over.*

Seraphina returned, looking pleased with the arrangement. She swept into the largest fitting room, and just before she closed the louvered door, she glanced back at me.

"You can wait out here. I'll call if I need you."

Her tone was not one of a future sister-in-law, but of a mistress to her maid.

The door swung shut, closing me out. It separated two worlds. Inside, the woman who would be his bride. Outside, me. I leaned my head back against the cool, unforgiving wall and closed my eyes. I felt my inner wolf go still and silent, as if it had died right along with the last of my hope.