Flash Marriage with my Alpha

Eva’s eyes fluttered open. Her head throbbed. Her mouth tasted like regret and last night’s wine. The silk sheets beneath her weren’t hers. Neither was the massive bed… or the unfamiliar ceiling. Panic pushed slowly through her chest like cold water. She sat up, her body sore in places she didn’t want to think about. She was still naked. The room didn’t feel familiar—too clean, too expensive, too quiet. And she wasn’t alone. A faint warmth dented the mattress beside her, proof that someone had been there only moments ago, even though the space now lay empty. Her heart started beating too fast. Bzzzz. Bzzzz. Her phone vibrated from the floor. The sound made her jump. She leaned over, fingers trembling as she picked it up. 10 MISSED CALLS. All from: “MY BABY.” Julian. Her boyfriend. Her stomach twisted. “Oh God… what did I do?” She dragged a shaky breath in, but another fear hit her. A crisp envelope sat on the nightstand like it had been waiting for her. Inside — a cheque. A cheque with more zeroes than she had ever seen in her life. And a company logo: Moonbound Holdings. Her breath froze halfway. She tapped redial with trembling fingers, praying he’d answer even though she feared his voice more than the silence. He picked up almost instantly. “Eva…” Soft, tired and strained. Hearing him hurt more than waking up in this strange room. Guilt squeezed her chest. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I should’ve come to see you before your flight.” A long pause. “I waited,” he said quietly. “I stood at the terminal, watching the doors like a fool. I kept checking my phone. You didn’t even text, Eva.” She pressed a hand to her forehead. “I didn’t mean to— I just…” “You always just something,” he murmured, cutting her off without anger, which somehow hurt more. “There’s always a reason. But I’m always the one waiting.” Her throat tightened. “I don’t even know who you are anymore,” he added, barely above a whisper. “Please… don’t say that.” “I’ve been holding on,” he continued. “Trying to love you through the silence, the distance… through all the times you forget I exist. But I feel like I’m loving a ghost.” Tears stung her eyes. “It hurts, Eva. It hurts to love someone who’s never really there.” Her heart cracked at the softness in his voice—the kind that meant he had already made up his mind. “I think we need to end this,” he said finally. “Maybe it’s time to stop pretending this is still working.” Her lips trembled. “Are you breaking up with me?” He sighed. A defeated, final sound. “I think I already did… I just didn’t say it out loud till now.” The line went silent. Then it died. Just like that, it was over. Eva stared at the phone in her hands, vision swimming. The ache inside her chest tightened until she couldn’t breathe right. A small sob escaped her. Then her eyes drifted back to the envelope. The cheque was still there. $100,000. Her stomach knott—in confusion, shame, fear all tangled inside her. She stumbled out of bed, wrapping the sheet around her body. She scanned the room for anything familiar. Nothing. No trace of him. Not even a scent. Except the cheque. And the bitter aftertaste of a night she couldn’t remember. She had slept with a man she didn’t know. Her breath stuttered. She leaned against the wall, trying to gather herself, but flashes hit her like sparks the weight of a man’s hands on her waist… his skin warm against hers… the slow drag of his fingers on her hips that made her gasp… her body moving like it had a mind of its own… Her pulse quickened with confusion and shame. She squeezed her eyes shut. What had she done? She reached for her phone again— The door slammed open so hard she flinched. “Dad! Come and see what your precious daughter has done!” Sofia’s voice cut through the room. Too loud. Too dramatic. Eva clutched the sheets to her chest. Her stepsister stood there, eyes wide with fake shock, already recording everything on her phone. Their father walked in behind her. His face darkened the second he took in the room. “Eva…” he said slowly, disappointment dripping from every syllable. That hurt worse than anger. “I… I don’t remember anything,” Eva stammered. “I swear, I didn’t—” “You brought a man into this house?” Sofia gasped dramatically. “Dad, she defiled herself! This is against everything we stand for—our laws!” Eva shook her head, heart hammering. She didn’t remember inviting anyone. She barely remembered anything at all. Then it hit her like ice down her back. The drink. The one Sofia gave her last night. The strange bitter aftertaste. The way her limbs had gone numb. The way the world spun— “You did something to me,” Eva whispered. Sofia’s smile didn’t reach her eyes. “What are you talking about, dear sister?” Their father’s voice boomed. “Enough! I don’t care how it happened. This goes against our doctrine. No werewolf mates before the Moon chooses! You will find out who he was. Or face exile.” Exile. Eva’s blood ran cold. She was being punished for something she didn’t even choose. And whoever that man was… he had marked her. Claimed her. She didn’t know it, didn’t ask for it —but it had happened. And if she found him… If she discovered his name… She might survive. --- Eva threw on the first pair of jeans she saw and pulled a hoodie over her head. She didn’t fix her hair. Didn’t pack a bag. Didn’t breathe properly. All she carried was the cheque as she ran out of the mansion. Her hands shook as she stared at the logo — Moonbound Holdings. The signature. The name she didn’t know. She had to find him. --- The receptionist barely glanced up when Eva burst into the lobby of Moonbound Holdings. The building towered over her like a warning, but she didn’t stop. She marched straight to the desk. “I need to see your CEO,” she said, breathless. “The man who owns this place. It’s important.” The secretary raised a brow, already smirking. “Let me guess,” she said. “You slept with him and now you think you’re special.” Eva blinked. “What?” “You girls never learn,” the woman sneered. “Every week someone comes in claiming they had a one-night stand with Mateo. You think a cheque means he loves you?” “I never said he loves me—” POW!!! A sharp slap cracked through the lobby. Eva stumbled back, her cheek burning. “How dare you,” the secretary spat. “Disgusting little…..” “ENOUGH.” The voice was sharp, commanding, female. A woman stepped forward in a long white coat and silver heels. Power clung to her like perfume. The secretary paled. “Ma’am… Lady Aurora, I didn’t know—” Another slap. This time the secretary reeled. “How dare you touch her?” Aurora hissed. “Do you know who she is?” Silence dropped over the entire floor. Eva didn’t hear the rest. Her knees gave out. The room spun. The cheque slipped from her fingers. Everything went black. --- Eva’s eyes flew open. She was in a hospital bed, the faint beeping of machines grounding her. A drip was attached to her arm. “Where… where am I?” Her voice sounded small. A woman sitting beside the bed didn’t look up at first. Elegant. Cold. Completely composed. “You’re awake,” the woman said finally. “Good.” Eva swallowed. “Who are you?” “I’m Aurora,” she replied. “Alpha Mateo’s mother.” Eva froze. Aurora slipped her phone into her bag and said with a soft, terrifying smile: “You’re pregnant.” Eva’s breath caught. “What?” “I’ll ask once—will you come with me?” Aurora stood, tall and commanding. “Marry Alpha Mateo. Everything will be taken care of. You’ll have a place, a name, protection.” Before Eva could speak, Aurora already answered her phone. “Yes, Mateo,” she said. “She’s the one. You’re getting married.” No space to argue. No room to run. Her world shifted again. --- Alpha Mateo sat in his office, jaw tight as he stared at his phone. “She’s getting on my nerves,” he muttered. Beta Jack, leaning against the desk, raised a brow. “Your mother?” Mateo nodded. “She picked someone. Says I’m getting married.” Jack straightened his coat. “I’ll handle it.” Mateo’s gaze hardened. “Make sure she knows her place. She may fool my mother, but she won’t fool me.” --- Eva was still sitting on the crisp white sheets when the door opened. A tall man entered —his face calm, unreadable. “Eva,” he said. “I’m Jack. Alpha Mateo’s Beta.” He handed her a file. “What’s this?” she asked. “Prenuptial agreement. Standard protocol. Read it if you want, but nothing changes.” Her hand shook as she signed. She felt like she was signing her life away. Jack took the file. “Your wedding is in three days. Be ready.” He left her alone with the quiet hum of machines… And a thousand questions she wasn’t prepared for.