Chapter 5

Isla

The ballroom was filled with chatter, music and laughter.

I stood there, glittering like a borrowed jewel, I'm a dress that wasn't mine and a future I never asked for.

I saw the way they all looked at me.

A few gasps.

Some pitying glances.

Most disbelief.

"Isn't she the Omega girl?" Someone whispered.

"Yes. She's Raya's daughter. An omega who dared to show her face here." Another scoffed.

Raya, my late mother, was an Omega too. One everyone loathed enough to leave to die. They said I looked like her — ginger hair, sparkling blue eyes, and freckled face.

Some believed I was my mother's reincarnation beacuse we resembled each other and so were treated the same.

The whispers got louder and I wanted to disappear.

My stepmother, Liana, smiled sweetly as she took center stage, holding a crystal glass like she was the queen of the damn universe.

"We all hoped tonight would be joyous announcement," she began, her voice elegant and loud. "While our precious Viviana is temporary indisposed,". A lie, she ran away and they Al knew it. "We are proud to present Isla as Alpha King Tristan's temporary bridetobe."

The room didn't clap. They blinked. They whispered.

"She's no Luna." Someone said. Out loud.

"She doesn't even shift properly." Another said

My hands clenched behind the soft folds of the gown.

Then Father standing confidently at her side, delivered the killing blow. "Isla may not be strong like her sister... or graceful. But she will do. For now."

People chuckled. The fake kind.

I swallowed hard. My chest burned.

Tristan stood tall beside me now. I hadn't noticed him.

I kept.my eyes forward even though I could feel the wright of his gaze on me.

That's when it hit me.

The bond.

It flickered in my chest like a sudden spark catching flame. The him beneath my skin. The pull. The scent that made my wolf stir for the first time in years.

Mate.

The realization made my heart leap . It had been muted this morning, blurred by alcohol and confusion. But now, it was undeniable.

I glanced at Tristan, and I knew.

He'd known all along. From the moment I stumbled into his arms the night before.

He knew yet he hadn't said a word.

Why?

After the party, when the guests had retreated to their gossip and champagne, I stood at the far end of the garden, staring at the moon and trying not to fall apart.

"Come with me," a low voice said behind me.

I turned to find Tristan. Still composed. But different from the man I'd spoken to this morning.

I followed him without a word.

We walked in silence until we reached a small study tucked deep in the estate. No one else was around. Just him, me, and a familar paper placed on the desk.

He picked it up and held it out to me.

"The contract," he said.

I looked at it. It was the same one I'd refused to sign this morning.

"You want me to sign it now?" I asked, puzzled.

His jaw tightened. "You're the only one left. Vivian's gone. And the elders need a Luna beside me, even if temporarily."

I forced a bitter laugh. "And you think I'm qualified to be anyone's Luna let alone yours?"

"You're not," he said coldly. "But you're obedient. You do as you're told."

The words stung more than I expected

"I thought we were..." I stopped myself. Mates... I couldn't say it. Not when he hadn't.

He exhaled like he was tired of the conversation already. "Incase you're not aware of it, this alliance was important to your grandfather. He agreed to this union. If you walk away, you'll be disrespecting the only man who's ever stood by you."

My heart clenched.

Grandfather.

The only one who'd visited my room on birthdays. Who once told me I deserved a world bigger than the one they boxed me into.

"If I sign this," I said slowly. "what happens when Viviana comes back?"

"You step aside. Quietly." he said, as if it were the simplest thing in the world.

"And our bond?" I asked, forcing the words out. "Do you even feel it?"

Tristan looked at me. I finally looked at me. "I knew the second I touched you. But you weren't meant to be my mate. Viviana was."

I blinked. "But earlier, you said… you tried to trick me, didn't you? Try to pull the goddess bullshit on me

Now, it didn't work out, you want to use emotional blackmail? If anything Viviana isn't your mate. I am."

He didn't deny it but he didn't confirm it either. Instead, he handed me a pen. "Sign the damn thing, Isla."

I looked down at the paper. The ink might as well be blood.

He wants me to be his Luna.

His place holder. Step aside when the real Luna returns.

For the same of the pack. For the alliance. For my grandfather.

I took the pen.

My fingers trembled as I signed my name.

When I looked up, Tristan was already walking towards the door. He paused just before stepping out.

"One more thing," he said Without turning around. "Starting tomorrow, you will move into my chambers."

My heart jumped into my throat. "What?"

He didn't answer me. He just walked away, leaving me with a signed contract, a branded mate bond and a million unanswered questions.