ONE REJECTION,TWO CLAIMS.

CHAPTER 2: COLD SHEETS

Kayla's POV

The silence that followed Lucian’s mistake down in the banquet hall lasted only a few seconds, but to me, it felt like an eternity.

He lowered his glass, his knuckles turning white around the crystal stem. He didn't offer an apology to the crowd. He didn't turn to look at me or try to laugh it off. He simply set the glass down on the wooden table with a quiet clink and looked over at Cole.

"Wrap up the reception," Lucian said. His voice was flat, devoid of any warmth.

"I have work to finish in my office."

Without another word to the guests, and without holding out his hand for me, he turned on his heel and walked off the platform. He moved quickly, his dark cape brushing against the chairs as he vanished down the side hallway.

I was left standing alone on the raised platform in front of nine hundred silent pack members. I could feel their eyes on me—some filled with pity, others with quiet amusement.

The name Hazel still seemed to float in the cold air, hanging over my head like an insult.

I forced my chin up. I grabbed the heavy sides of my white silk dress, keeping my back straight, and walked calmly down the steps. I refused to run. I refused to let them see me break.

A young pack servant girl was waiting for me near the stairs. She kept her eyes glued to the floor, too polite or too frightened to look me in the face.

"Follow me, Luna Kayla," she murmured softly. "I will show you to the master suite."

I followed her up the grand wooden staircase and down a long, dimly lit hallway in the east wing of the estate. The walls were lined with dark oak paneling and old portraits of past Ravenwood Alphas. Every step I took felt heavy, as if my feet were made of lead.

When we reached a set of large double doors at the very end of the hall, the girl stopped.

"These are the Alpha's quarters," she said softly, opening one side of the door.

"Alpha Lucian asked that you wait for him here."

"Thank you," I whispered. My throat seemed dry and tight.

She gave me a quick, sympathetic look before turning and walking away.

I stepped inside and pushed the door shut behind me.

The bedroom was massive, but it felt as cold and empty as a cave. A high four-poster bed sat against the far wall, made up with thick blankets and crisp white sheets. A fire was laid out in the stone fireplace, but no one had lit it, leaving the air chilly. The room smelled faintly of cedar, rain, and old paper.

I stood in the middle of the carpet, my hands folded in front of my dress.

This was supposed to be our wedding night. In any normal marriage, a groom would be here. He would carry his bride over the doorway, kiss her, and tell her that their new life was starting. But there was no joy here. Just an empty room and the loud, steady ticking of a tall clock in the corner.

About twenty minutes later, I heard footsteps outside in the hallway.

My heart gave a sudden, foolish jump. I spun around toward the door, holding my breath. A small part of me hoped he had come to apologize—that he had realized how cruel he had been in front of his entire pack.

The door opened, and Lucian stepped into the room. He had already taken off his suit jacket and unbuttoned his collar. He didn't walk all the way in. He stood right at the doorway, keeping one hand on the door frame, his posture stiff.

He didn't look at my face. He looked somewhere near my shoulder.

"I came to let you know I won't be sleeping here tonight," he said. His voice was completely direct, no attempt to soften the words.

I stared at him, my hands tightening into fists at my sides. "It's our wedding night, Lucian. The least you could at least do is stay in the same room with me," I lifted the sides of my gown and walked towards him. "What will the pack say if they found out their alpha didn't spend a night with his Luna?" I tried to reason with him.

"I have pack matters to handle," his voice was void of emotions.

"There was a report of rogue movement along the southern border. I need to oversee the patrol guards myself."

"Is it really a rogue movement?" I asked, my voice trembling slightly despite my best efforts to keep it steady.

"Or can you just not stand to be in the same room with me?"

Lucian’s jaw tightened. I noticed a small muscle twitched near his cheek, but his gray eyes stayed blank and hard. "Don't do this, Kayla. We made a clear agreement. You know why you are here, and I know why I took your pack's alliance. Let's not pretend this marriage is something it isn't."

"I know why I'm here," I said, feeling a sudden, sharp ache in my chest.

"I came here to keep my people safe. But you called me by her name down there, Lucian. In front of everyone who works for you. You embarrassed me." I hated the fact that a treacherous tear streamed down my face.

"It was a slip of the tongue," he said, his voice dropping an octave.

"It won't happen again. Get some rest. The pack elders will expect you at the morning assembly." He started to step back into the hallway.

"Lucian," I called out, taking a step toward him.

He paused, but he didn't turn around to face me.

"Goodnight, Kayla."

He pulled the door shut. A moment later, I heard the faint sound of his heavy footsteps fading down the hallway, leaving me completely alone.

I stood there staring at the dark wood of the door until my legs began to feel weak.

Slowly, I walked over to the tall mirror standing in the corner of the room. My reflection looked pale and tired. My eyes were wide, holding a look of hurt that I couldn't hide anymore.

I reached behind my back to unbutton my wedding dress. My fingers were shaking so badly that I could barely grip the tiny cloth buttons. One by one, I pulled them loose, feeling the cool night air hit my bare skin as the heavy silk loosened and fell to the floor around my ankles.

I stepped out of the pool of white fabric. I unpinned my hair, letting it drop over my shoulders, and pulled on a simple nightgown from my travel bag. I ignored the silky pink robes the servants had neatly laid out on the chair. I didn't want to touch anything that belonged to this house.

I walked over to the bed and pulled back the heavy covers. The sheets were smooth and freezing against my skin.

I lay down on my side, pulling the blanket all the way up to my chin. The pillow under my head was stiff and smelled like fresh laundry, completely devoid of any comfort.

The silence in the house was heavy. Back home, my father’s house was always full of noise—guards walking the hallways, laughter from the kitchen, the wind rustling the pine trees outside my window. Here, everything was quiet and dead.

A single hot tear slipped out of my eye and soaked straight into the pillow fabric. Then another followed, silent and unstoppable.

I pressed my face into the cushion, biting my lip, so no sound would escape. I didn't want the guards stationed down the hall to hear the new Luna crying on her first night.

I've been disgraced enough.

I had traded my freedom to save my father's pack. But lying here in this massive, empty bed, I realized what that sacrifice was truly going to cost me. I was going to spend my life trapped in a cold house, married to a man who looked at me and only saw the ghost of the woman he actually wanted.

Hours passed. The clock on the wall kept ticking, counting down the long, miserable hours until dawn. I lay awake, staring at the window, watching the moonlight push through the thick clouds outside.

Just as my eyes were starting to feel heavy, a sound broke through the stillness of the night.

It came from deep within the dark forest surrounding the estate—a low, rising sound that carried through the glass window and settled right in the middle of my chest.

A howl.

It wasn't a warning howl for rogues. It wasn't a call for his guards to assemble.

It was a long, mournful cry, dripping with raw pain and grief. It carried a desperate, lonely pull that made my own wolf stir uncomfortably inside my chest.

I sat up straight in bed, my heart thumping hard against my ribs. I threw off the blanket, my bare feet hitting the cold floorboards as I rushed over to the window. I pressed both hands against the cold glass, leaning in close.

Far out near the edge of the woods, standing on a high rocky ridge under the pale moonlight, was a massive dark wolf.

Lucian.

He threw his head back toward the night sky and let out another long, heartbreaking howl that echoed across the valley.

My chest squeezed so tight I could hardly catch my breath. Through the faint bond that connected us as husband and wife, the truth washed over me like icy water.

He wasn't hunting rogues.

He was standing out in the cold dark, calling out to the forest, searching for Hazel. He was reaching for a mate who was gone, pouring his heart out to a ghost—while leaving his real wife— me alone in an empty bed.