Aria's POV
The box slipped from my fingers and crashed to the floor.
Paper decorations exploded everywhere like confetti at a party nobody wanted. Gold ribbons tangled around my ankles. White flowers scattered across the marble floor of the pack house entrance.
"Perfect," I muttered, dropping to my knees. "Just perfect."
My hands shook as I gathered the ruined decorations. Tomorrow was the engagement announcement. Tomorrow, my life would officially become a nightmare. And here I was, picking up pieces of fake flowers like they actually mattered.
"Need help?" My best friend Maya appeared beside me.
"I need a miracle," I said. "But help works too."
We worked in silence, stuffing crumpled decorations back into the box. The pack house buzzed with activity around us. Omegas rushed past carrying food trays. Warriors stood guard at every corner. Everyone prepared for the big announcement—everyone except me, the bride who didn't want to get married.
"Maybe he won't be so bad," Maya whispered.
I shot her a look. "He pushed me into a mud puddle when I was seven. He told everyone I smelled like garbage when I was ten. Last year, he tripped me at the Alpha ceremony and laughed while I bled."
"Okay, so maybe he'll be terrible."
"Thanks for the honesty."
Maya squeezed my hand. "At least you'll be Luna. That's powerful."
Power. Right. What good was power when you were married to a monster?
I stood up, balancing the box against my hip. Three more boxes waited outside. My arms already ached, but complaining wouldn't change anything. Nothing would change anything.
The front doors burst open.
My heart stopped.
Dante strode in like he owned the world. His dark hair was messy, like he'd just woken up. His grey eyes scanned the room with boredom. Three of his friends followed behind him, laughing about something.
I tried to become invisible. If I stayed very still, maybe he wouldn't notice me.
"Well, well," Dante's voice cut through the noise. "If it isn't my future wife."
Everyone nearby went quiet. Omegas froze. Warriors looked away. Even Maya stepped back, leaving me alone with the box in my arms.
I lifted my chin. "Dante."
"That's 'Alpha Dante' to you." He walked closer, each step deliberate. "Did they really make you do manual labor? How embarrassing."
"Someone has to prepare for your party," I said, keeping my voice steady.
His friends snickered behind him. I recognized them—Marcus, Jake, and Tyler. They'd tormented me almost as much as Dante had over the years.
"Our party," Dante corrected. "Remember? We're getting engaged." He said it like the word tasted bad.
"Hard to forget."
His eyes narrowed. Something dangerous flashed across his face. Before I could move, he stepped forward—right into my path.
I stumbled backward, trying to avoid him. My foot caught on a ribbon still on the floor.
Time slowed down.
The box flew from my hands. I crashed to the ground hard, landing on my side. Pain shot through my hip and elbow. The box contents exploded again, raining down on my head.
Laughter erupted around me.
"Oops," Dante said, not sounding sorry at all. "Didn't see you there."
My dress—the nice one I'd saved for weeks to buy—was covered in dust and dirt from the floor. A flower stem had torn through the fabric at my knee. My hands were scraped and bleeding.
I looked up at him, still laughing with his friends.
Rage burned in my chest, hot and fierce. Not the cold anger I'd felt before. This was different. This was volcanic.
"You did that on purpose," I said quietly.
"Prove it." He smirked. "Besides, what's the worthless Thorne going to do about it? Cry to daddy?"
The worthless Thorne.
That's what they called me. What they'd always called me. My family wasn't strong. We weren't important. We were barely hanging on in the pack, and everyone knew it.
"At least my father doesn't have to bribe people to like him," I snapped.
The laughter stopped.
Dante's face went hard. He bent down, getting close to my face. His breath was hot against my cheek.
"Watch your mouth, little Thorne. You're not Luna yet. And you can be replaced."
"Then replace me," I challenged. "I didn't want this anyway."
Something flickered in his eyes. Surprise? Anger? I couldn't tell.
"You'll regret saying that," he whispered, so quiet only I could hear.
Then he stood up and walked away, his friends following. Their laughter echoed through the entrance hall.
Maya rushed over. "Aria, are you okay?"
I wasn't okay. I was the opposite of okay. But I nodded anyway and let her help me up.
My dress was ruined. My hands hurt. My pride was shattered on the floor with the fake flowers.
But worst of all? Tomorrow I'd have to smile and pretend to be happy about marrying that monster.
"I hate him," I said, gathering decorations again. "I hate him so much."
"I know."
"I wish—" I stopped. Wishing was pointless. The engagement was happening whether I wanted it or not. Our packs needed this alliance. My family needed this alliance.
I needed to survive it.
We spent the next hour cleaning up and bringing in the rest of the boxes. Every muscle in my body screamed. My scraped hands stung. But I kept working because stopping meant thinking, and thinking meant feeling, and feeling hurt too much.
The sun was setting when I finally headed home. Our house sat at the edge of pack territory—small and old but ours. Mom would have dinner ready. Dad would ask about the preparations. I'd lie and say everything was fine.
That was my life now. Lies and pain and pretending.
I was halfway home when I heard footsteps behind me.
I turned around.
Dante stood there alone, no friends in sight. The setting sun cast shadows across his face, making him look almost dangerous. More dangerous than usual.
"What do you want?" I asked, exhausted.
He didn't answer right away. Just stared at me with those cold grey eyes.
"Tomorrow changes everything," he finally said.
"I know."
"You really don't want this, do you?"
The question caught me off guard. Was he actually asking? Or was this another game?
"Does it matter what I want?" I replied.
He stepped closer. Too close. I could smell pine and something wild—his wolf scent.
"No," he said softly. "It doesn't matter at all."
Then he pulled something from his pocket. A small velvet box.
My heart hammered. Was that—?
"Tomorrow, you'll wear this." He opened it. Inside sat a ring—beautiful, expensive, and absolutely terrifying. "And you'll smile. And you'll act like you're the luckiest girl in the world."
"Or what?"
His smile was cruel. "Or I'll make sure your family loses everything. Your father's position. Your home. Everything."
The words hit me like ice water.
"You wouldn't—"
"Try me, little Thorne." He snapped the box shut. "See you tomorrow, future wife."
He walked away, leaving me frozen on the empty road.
And that's when I knew—this wasn't just about marriage.
This was war.