THE RUTHLESS ALPHA'S MARKED BRIDE

The Morning After

Lyra's Pov

The pack expects me to be glowing with new mate satisfaction, and I can barely get out of bed.

Margaret knocked on my door before the sun had fully risen. Her voice came sharp through the wood. "Your schedule begins at six, Luna. Breakfast is prepared." I lay there for a long moment, staring at the ceiling, my body heavy with exhaustion. The mark on my neck throbbed from yesterday's public claiming. My mind kept replaying Theron's words, his touch, the way he sent me to separate rooms anyway. I forced myself up and dressed quickly. The gown from the ceremony was gone. Today it was practical clothes for Luna duties. Nothing special. Nothing that hid how tired I looked.

The breakfast room was empty again. Theron had already left for pack business. I sat alone at the long table while the staff brought food. They moved quietly, but I caught the glances. The questions in their eyes. Did the Alpha touch his new bride? Did they consummate the contract? My cheeks burned. I pushed the food around my plate, appetite gone.

Celeste waited for me right after. She took me straight to a meeting with the Council of Elders. The same five older wolves from before sat around the table. They watched me even more closely now. Their eyes searched my face, my neck, my posture for signs of what happened last night.

Elder Cassius spoke first, voice smooth but cutting. "We hope the bonding night went well. A strong Luna bond strengthens the entire pack."

I felt my face heat up. I deflected as best I could. "The ceremony was... formal." The words felt weak. The elders exchanged looks. One asked about my comfort in the estate. Another asked if I had any requests for my rooms. The questions felt like probes. They wanted confirmation. Proof that the contract had become real in the traditional way.

I realized with a sinking feeling that the entire pack would soon know we had not slept together. Separate rooms in a place this heavily staffed were not a secret. The gossip would spread fast. "Contract really is just business." "Alpha does not desire her." "Poor girl." The humiliation from the Mating Day rejection came rushing back fresh. I sat there smiling politely while inside I wanted to scream.

The meeting finally ended. I stepped out feeling raw and exposed. Celeste gave me a small nod. "You handled that well enough. Now we move to your first official Luna duty."

She took me to the pack nursery. Several new mothers waited with their babies. This was traditional. Luna blessed the newest pack children. I felt completely out of place. I knew nothing about babies. My hands shook a little as the first mother placed her infant in my arms.

The baby fussed immediately, small cries filling the room. I held him closer without thinking, rocking gently like I had seen healers do. Something inside me shifted. My calming gift, the one Iris had noticed, activated on its own. The baby settled almost instantly, little eyes blinking up at me peacefully. The mother gasped softly. "You have Luna's touch. A gift of peace."

The other mothers noticed too. Children in the room seemed drawn to me, crowding closer. For the first time since arriving, I felt something positive from the pack. Celeste watched with grudging approval. "You may actually be suited for this."

I held onto that small win as we left the nursery. Maybe I could earn respect here through actions instead of just the contract.

Later that afternoon, I had enough. I demanded to see Theron. Margaret tried to deflect. "The Alpha is in important meetings."

"I am Luna now," I said firmly. "I do not need permission."

I marched to the main pack building and pushed through the guards at his office door. Theron sat at his desk with Damon and several advisors, deep in discussion about territory business. He looked up, annoyed at the interruption. "I am in a meeting."

"We need to talk," I said. "Now."

His jaw tightened. "It will have to wait."

My newfound spine held. "No. It will not."

The advisors stared in shock. No one spoke to the Alpha this way. Theron's voice dropped into a dangerous calm. "Everyone out."

The room cleared quickly. Damon shot me a warning look before closing the door. Now it was just us. Theron's Alpha presence filled the space, overwhelming.

He stood up slowly, coming around the desk. "You do not interrupt pack business for personal matters."

I faced him without backing down. "The entire pack knows we are not sleeping together. That is not personal. It is political. It undermines both of us."

"What happens in our private life is no one's concern," he said coldly.

"Except it is not private when staff gossip and elders ask probing questions," I shot back. "You made me Luna. You do not get to humiliate me publicly while playing the distant Alpha."

Theron came closer, towering over me. "What do you want from me?"

"Honesty," I said, voice shaking but determined. "If this is just a contract, fine. But stop marking me, stop looking at me like you want me, stop with the mixed messages."

His control cracked right there. "You want honesty? I can barely be in the same room without wanting to touch you. Marking you yesterday nearly destroyed my control. Sending you to separate rooms was self-preservation."

"From what?" I asked.

"From claiming you so completely you would never be free of me."

The words hung heavy between us. Tension exploded in the air. Theron reached for my face, his hand hovering close. I leaned into the almost-touch, heart racing. For one moment, everything felt possible.

A sharp knock sounded at the door. Damon's voice came through. "Alpha, urgent pack matter."

Theron dropped his hand and stepped back instantly. The mask slammed back into place. "We are done here."

"We are not," I said.

"We are," he replied. "Go practice being Luna. It is what you are here for."

The dismissal stung deep. I turned and left before I said something I would regret. My hands shook as I walked down the hallway. I was learning that Theron's control was both his greatest strength and his greatest weakness. Every time I got close to cracking it, something pulled him back. I was done waiting for permission to fight for what was mine.