Chapter 2

I believed him.

"Okay," I whispered. "We pretend. Just for a little while."

Something flashed in his eyes. Satisfaction? Relief?

"Good." He glanced at his watch. "I'll have someone take you home. We should maintain distance tonight. Make it seem natural."

"Right. Natural."

When the car arrived, he opened the door for me. I caught his scent again as I slid past.

"Lyra," he said quietly, just before closing the door. "Next time you need saving from a bad date, just call me. No need for dramatic lies."

I stared at him. "You're joking."

"Am I?"

The door closed before I could respond.

As the car pulled away, I pulled out my phone. A text from my mother: How did it go with Garrett?

I stared at it for a long moment.

Then I turned my phone off.

Tomorrow's problem. Tonight, I just needed to figure out how I'd accidentally fake-mated myself to the most powerful Alpha in the territory.

And why my wolf seemed so damn pleased about it.

I didn't sleep that night. Couldn't.

Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Kael's face—that unreadable expression when he'd covered for my stupid, impulsive lie. By dawn, I'd convinced myself I was going to be exiled from the pack. Or worse, he'd publicly call out my deception and humiliate me in front of everyone.

So when Dorian appeared at my apartment at 8 AM with a summons to Kael's office, I knew my time was up.

"He wants to see me," I repeated dumbly.

Dorian's grin was absolutely wicked. "Oh, he definitely wants to see you."

Thirty minutes later, I stood in front of Kael's desk, palms sweating, trying not to fidget under that intense silver stare.

He was on the phone, gesturing for me to sit. I perched on the edge of the chair like I might need to run at any moment.

"—handle it," he was saying. "No, mother, I don't need you to—" He paused, listening. His jaw tightened. "We'll discuss this later."

He hung up and finally looked at me properly.

"Trouble sleeping?" he asked.

How did he—right. Alpha senses. He could probably smell the exhaustion on me.

"Something like that," I managed.

He came around the desk, leaning against it in front of me. Close enough that I had to tilt my head back to meet his eyes.

"Having second thoughts?"

"About twenty of them." I forced myself to hold his gaze. "Are you here to tell me this was a terrible idea?"

"It probably is." His expression was unreadable. "But I'm not backing out if you're not."

I let out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding. "So we're really doing this."

"That depends on you." He crossed his arms. "I need you to understand what you'd be helping me with."

"The political alliance. Elara Moonshadow."

"Yes." He moved to the window, hands in his pockets. "Our families have been allies for generations. When I became Alpha three years ago, the elders decided a mating alliance would strengthen both packs."

"And you don't want that."

"Elara is an excellent Alpha. Competent. Strategic. Respected." He glanced back at me. "And we have absolutely nothing in common beyond pack politics."

"So you'd rather have a fake mate than marry her."

"I'd rather have time to find someone I actually want to spend my life with." His eyes held mine. "This arrangement buys us both that time. You help me dodge the alliance, I help you dodge whatever disasters your mother has lined up next."

It made sense. Cold, practical sense.

"How long would we have to pretend?"

"A few weeks. Maybe a month. Long enough for the families to back off and start looking elsewhere."

"And then?"

"We end it quietly. Irreconcilable differences. People gossip for a week, then move on."

I chewed my lip, thinking. "What about work? You're my boss."

"I'm aware." A slight smile tugged at his mouth. "I've kept personal and professional separate before. Can you?"

Could I? I had no idea. But the alternative was facing my mother's next candidate, and after Garrett, I wasn't sure I could survive another one.

"What would we have to do?" I asked. "To make it convincing?"

"Be seen together. Pack dining hall a few times. Maybe I pick you up from work occasionally." He counted on his fingers. "Act like a couple in public. Nothing excessive."

"Define excessive."

"Hand-holding. Standing close. Maybe some light scent-marking if necessary." His tone was matter-of-fact, like we were discussing a work project. "Whatever sells the relationship without crossing actual boundaries."

Scent-marking. The intimate act where mates mixed their scents. My wolf perked up at the thought.

Down, girl.

"And in private?" I asked.

"In private, we maintain professional distance. This is a business arrangement, Lyra. We both need to remember that."

Right. Business. Not real.

So why did part of me feel disappointed?

"Okay," I said. "I'm in. What do we do first?"

Relief flickered across his face, gone so quickly I almost missed it.

"First, we deal with the fallout. My mother wants to meet you. Your mother—"

"Will want to plan our entire future," I groaned. "She's probably already picking out names for grandpups."

"We tell them we're taking things slow. That we value privacy." He moved back to his desk. "Most wolves will respect boundaries when an Alpha sets them."

"You haven't met my mother."

"I've dealt with pack elders trying to dictate my personal life for three years. I think I can handle one determined parent."

The confidence in his voice was almost reassuring.

"There's one more thing you should know," he said, his tone shifting slightly. "About why I really need this arrangement to work."

I leaned forward. "What?"

"Elara isn't just any Alpha. She's—"

I was about to ask how long this charade would last when the door burst open.

Dorian stood there, phone in hand, looking far too gleeful. "Sorry to interrupt, but the whole pack is blowing up. Everyone wants to know about you two—when it happened, how you kept it secret—"

"Dorian," Kael's voice was a warning growl.

But his Beta was already backing out with a shit-eating grin. "Too late, boss. I may have confirmed a few things in the group chat. You know, to make it convincing."

The door clicked shut.

Kael's jaw tightened. "It seems our arrangement is now very public."

I groaned. "My mother is going to call."

"Mine already did." He stood, moving around the desk. "There's a pack gathering this weekend. Full moon. We'll need to make an appearance."

My stomach dropped. "Together?"

His scent wrapped around me as he leaned against the desk—pine and earth and something darker. "Together, Lyra. If we're doing this, we do it right."

Then his phone buzzed. He glanced at it and his expression shifted—something I couldn't read.

"What?"

"Ronan Thornfield will be at the gathering. With the Northwood delegation." He met my eyes. "I believe you know him?"

Oh. Oh no.