He Chose My Sister Over His True Mate

The lavender scent clings to my skin like a second layer, artificial and cloying. I hate it. It's Lainey's scent, not mine, but that's the point. I'm supposed to be her tonight.

My hands shake as I stand at the altar, the Pierce Pack house looming behind me like a fortress. Hundreds of wolves watch from the shadows, their eyes glowing in the torchlight. I can feel their judgment, their curiosity. They're wondering why their Alpha agreed to this political mating with the Wood Pack's daughter.

If only they knew the truth.

Alpha Sebastian Pierce stands across from me, and I can't bring myself to meet his eyes. He's everything the rumors promised—tall, broad-shouldered, with a presence that makes the air feel heavier. His dark hair is pulled back, revealing a face carved from stone. Cold. Ruthless. The kind of man who kills first and asks questions never.

The kind of man who will execute me the moment he realizes I'm not Lainey.

"Avery Wood." His voice cuts through my panic, and I flinch. He used my real name. Does he know? My heart hammers against my ribs. "Do you accept this bond?"

I force myself to nod. My voice comes out barely above a whisper. "I do."

His jaw tightens. For a moment, I think he's going to call it off, expose me right here in front of everyone. Instead, he steps closer, and the world narrows to just the two of us. His hand cups the back of my neck, tilting my head to expose the marking spot.

"This will hurt," he says, and there's something strange in his tone. Almost... gentle?

Before I can process it, his teeth sink into my neck.

Pain explodes through me, white-hot and all-consuming. I bite down on my lip to keep from screaming, tasting copper. The mate bond snaps into place like a chain wrapping around my soul, binding me to him in ways I don't understand. Through the agony, I feel his wolf—massive, ancient, powerful—brush against my consciousness.

And then he freezes.

His teeth are still in my neck, but everything about him has gone utterly still. I can feel his wolf's confusion, its sudden alertness. Oh God. He knows. He knows I'm not Lainey. The scent-masking herbs weren't enough.

This is it. This is where I die.

But instead of ripping my throat out, Sebastian completes the mark. His tongue soothes the wound, sealing the bond, and when he pulls back, his eyes lock onto mine. They're not cold anymore. They're burning with something I can't name—possession, maybe, or fury, or something darker.

"Mine," he says, so quietly only I can hear.

The word sends a shiver down my spine. Not fear, exactly. Something else.

The pack erupts in howls of celebration, but I barely hear them. Sebastian's hand is still on my neck, his thumb brushing over the fresh mark. His expression gives nothing away, but I can feel the tension radiating off him.

He knows. And he's