Dominic's penthouse office was unnervingly quiet, broken only by the soft ticking of a wall clock and the clinking of porcelain as tea was poured into delicate china cups neither of them would drink.
Luna sat opposite him, arms crossed tightly, her back stiff in the too-soft leather chair. "So let me get this straight," she said slowly, "you want me to pretend to be your wife—for the press, the pack, and your Board of Directors?"
Dominic leaned forward, fingers steepled beneath his chin, and nodded. "Correct. For one year."
"A year?" she scoffed. "That's a long time to fake love."
His jaw ticked. "Love doesn't enter into this. It's a business arrangement."
She narrowed her eyes. "And what exactly do I get in this little arrangement?"
Dominic handed her a sleek contract—black leather folder, gold-embossed edges.
Typical Alpha CEO. "A new identity. A clean record. An apartment in the city. And your father's hospital bills covered in full." His voice lowered. "You said he's on the transplant list. That kind of money isn't easy to come by."
Luna froze. Her throat tightened. "How do you know about my father?"
"I do my research," Dominic said coolly. "You have debts, Luna. Skills, too. But no connections. And I happen to need someone nobody will suspect."
She flipped through the contract with trembling fingers. Every clause was clear—too clear. Too perfect. "And what do you get out of this, Dominic?"
He looked her dead in the eyes. "Time."
That single word hung heavy between them.
She bit her lower lip. "You're hiding something. Why me, really?"
He hesitated. "Because you don't belong to any pack. You're invisible in our world. And that makes you the perfect shield."
Shield.
The word stung.
Luna stood. "Let's say I agree. What happens then?"
"You move into my house. We announce our engagement publicly. In three days, we're 'married' in a binding ceremony before my Elders." He paused. "It's mostly symbolic.
But I need you to say the vows. Stand beside me. Appear in photos. Let them see the mark."
She frowned. "What mark?"
He stood too, towering above her. "Every mated pair bears a mark. It appears on the skin when the bond is recognized, even in fakes."
Her brow furrowed. "You mean… it appears whether we're actually mates or not?"
"No. Only when it feels real."
His gaze was unreadable.
"I don't like games," she murmured.
"Then don't play," he said, voice sharp.
"Walk away. But understand, this offer won't come again."
Her heart pounded.
A fake bond. A year of lies. But her father… her freedom…
She nodded once. "Fine. I'll sign."
The moment the pen touched the paper and her signature curved into the final line, a pulse rippled through the air. The temperature dropped. Luna gasped.
A searing sensation bit into her collarbone.
She cried out, stumbling backward.
Dominic cursed under his breath, clutching his shoulder as if burned.
Their eyes locked.
In slow horror, they looked down—and saw it.
A silver crescent moon etched over her collarbone, glowing faintly, pulsing. His shirt shifted, and there—on the right side of his chest—a matching mark, identical in size and glow.
"No," he whispered. "This… this wasn't supposed to happen."
Luna trembled. "What did you do to me?!"
"I didn't—this shouldn't have happened. Not with a fake bond." He backed away, visibly shaken.
"You said the mark appears when it feels real," she snapped. "But I don't even like you."
He didn't answer. Couldn't. His eyes were on the mark, wide and disbelieving.
She touched it with trembling fingers. It tingled. Warm. Alive.
"This isn't normal," she whispered. "What are you?"
Dominic's voice dropped, dangerous and broken. "The better question is—what are you, Luna?"
She blinked.
"What do you mean?"
"No human has ever triggered a mating mark. Not unless they're part of the bloodline."
She stepped back, fear rising. "You think I'm a werewolf?"
He gave a humorless laugh. "No. I think you're something rarer. Something the moon chooses."
Luna's pulse raced. A chill ran down her spine. That old nightmare again—moonlight pulling her awake, her mother's whispers of "curse" and "gift." She had ignored it. Buried it.
Now, it had returned.
Dominic walked slowly toward her, gaze intense. "This changes everything."
"I didn't agree to this," she said.
"Neither did I," he admitted. "But the bond is real. Which means…"
He didn't finish. He didn't have to.
The silence between them was thick with new tension—no longer just fake partners in crime, but something ancient and terrifying.
Their fates had been rewritten.
The door swung open.
Marcus entered, his Beta face paler than usual. "Sir. The Elders just summoned you. They… they felt the mark."
Dominic didn't flinch. "Of course they did."
Luna felt like the floor dropped out from under her. "You said it would be fake," she hissed.
"I lied."
"Why?"
He looked at her, haunted and raw. "Because I thought I had no soul left to bind."
The room crackled with unseen energy. And deep within her chest, Luna felt something awaken—a voice she hadn't heard since she was a child.
The Moon speaks, daughter.
And it has chosen him.