My Mate Tried to Kill Me

The crate of wine bottles dug into my palms as I stumbled after the other servants through the grand entrance of the Silver Lake Pack's ceremonial hall. My arms screamed in protest, muscles burning from the two-hour journey carrying supplies that should have been transported by cart. But Omegas didn't get carts. Omegas got splinters and contempt.

"Move faster, Anderson!" Beta Thomas's voice cracked like a whip behind me. "You think the Wedding of the Century waits for useless baggage?"

I bit down on my tongue hard enough to taste copper. Three years ago, he would have called me "Miss Estelle" and bowed his head. Now I was just Anderson—not even worth a first name.

The Silver Lake Pack's neutral territory was breathtaking, all marble columns and crystal chandeliers that caught the afternoon light like captured stars. Under different circumstances, I might have appreciated the beauty. Instead, all I could think about was how my worn servant's dress—gray and shapeless—looked against the opulent backdrop. How perfectly it advertised my fall from grace.

"Listen up." The head servant, a stern she-wolf with silver streaking her dark hair, gathered us in the service corridor. "This is the most important pack alliance in a decade. Shadow Creek Pack's Alpha is marrying Crescent Moon's true daughter. You will be invisible. You will be silent. You will not embarrass your packs." Her eyes landed on me with particular emphasis. "Some of you especially."

Heat crawled up my neck. Even here, hundreds of miles from home, my shame preceded me.

They handed me a tray of champagne flutes filled with golden liquid that probably cost more than I'd earn in a year. "Cocktail hour. Circulate. Don't speak unless spoken to. Don't make eye contact with anyone above Delta rank."

I nodded, throat too tight for words.

The ballroom was a sea of elegant wolves in designer suits and silk gowns. Alphas from a dozen packs mingled, their powerful auras creating an almost visible pressure in the air. I kept my eyes down, my wolf whimpering softly inside me—she'd always been weak, barely able to manifest even when I'd been the Alpha's daughter. Now she was nearly silent, broken by years of searching for a mate who'd vanished without a trace.

I wove through the crowd, offering champagne with mechanical precision. Accept. Move. Repeat. Don't think. Don't feel. Don't remember that three years ago, I was supposed to be planning my own Mating Ceremony.

"More champagne here," someone called from near the raised platform where the ceremony would take place.

I turned, balancing my tray carefully as I approached. The groom stood with his back to me, surrounded by well-wishers. He was tall, broad-shouldered, commanding even in stillness. Something about the set of his shoulders made my breath catch, but I shoved the feeling down. Every Alpha looked the same from behind—powerful, untouchable, nothing to do with me.

"Excuse me," I murmured softly, extending the tray.

He turned.

The world stopped.

Kieran.

Those storm-gray eyes I'd known