Chapter 1
Eileen's POV:
On the day of our mating ceremony, I arrived at the Silver Moon Pack's Alpha mansion right on time.
The plan was simple: final hair do and makeup here, family photos, then head to the venue with Damon.
The limo was already parked by the side entrance, but Damon kept dragging his feet on sending someone to let me in.
"Just wait a little longer."
I figured they were still wrapping up last-minute prep inside.
I sat there waiting for a whole hour, until Leah came barreling out of the mansion in nothing but a rumpled bathrobe.
"Eileen, I'm so sorry! My apartment building got locked down out of nowhere last night, I had nowhere to go, so I crashed here for the night," she babbled.
"I only meant to sleep for a couple of hours, but I slept right through my alarm."
Before I could even get a word in, Damon was already smiling as he tucked a strand of her messy hair behind her ear.
"I knew it. No one can wake you up once you're out cold."
Leah shot him a playful glare.
Damon just grinned wider. "Take it easy, no rush. I'm not leaving you behind, okay?"
I glanced down at my watch.
"The mating ceremony starts at eleven. If we drag this out any longer, the elders and all the guests are going to be waiting for us."
Damon didn't even bother turning around.
"Chill out, Eileen. It's our big day. It's not like I'm gonna ditch you, right?"
I stared at his back for a long beat. No anger, no tears, just a cold, heavy weight settling in my chest. I pulled out my phone and fired off two quick texts to my parents.
Eileen: Cancel all the arrangements at the venue. I'm not showing up to the mating ceremony today.
*****
Five years back, the first time Damon tangled his fingers with mine, he'd sworn something I'd never forgotten.
Even if we weren't the Moon Goddess's fated mates, I was the only one he'd ever choose.
Today was supposed to be the day we made that bond official. Once the ceremony wrapped, I'd become the Luna of the Silver Moon Pack.
But right now, it looked like Leah was the one who belonged at the Alpha's side.
I hit send, and when I looked up again, Damon was standing outside the car, smoothing down her loose hair.
Leah was scrambling all over the place, patting her pockets for a hair clip, then patting her bag for a missing pair of earrings.
She was in a total fluster, while he stayed oddly, unfailingly patient.
The two of them moved so smoothly around each other, it was like they'd been living under the same roof for years.
I leaned against the car window, and didn't bother rushing them. Damon finally noticed the dark look on my face.
"Don't be like that. Leah's our witness for the ceremony today. She can't show up in front of the elders looking like a total mess, right?"
Leah immediately threw her hands up.
"Forget it, I'm not fixing this anymore. The more I rush, the messier it gets. I can't even get my hair up properly."
I thought for sure Damon would at least have the sense to send someone to take me into the mansion first. Turns out he just called over the stylist I'd booked months in advance.
"Do Leah's hair and makeup first, yeah?"
Leah blinked, clearly taken aback. "That's not right, is it? She's the one Eileen hired."
I spoke up to remind Damon. "Adding a last-minute client means extra fees, you know."
Back when I'd first booked this stylist, Damon had complained nonstop that I was wasting too much money on a single ceremony.
Now? He didn't even hesitate for a second.
"So we pay the extra fee. If Leah shows up in the group photos with that messy head of hair, she'll nag me about it for a whole year."
Leah burst out laughing and gave him a playful shove on the arm. "Who would nag you for a whole year?"
Damon caught her wrist easily. "Oh, who was it that called me at two a.m. sobbing for two hours straight because she got a bad haircut?"
"Shut up! Don't bring that up!"
The two of them laughed so hard they could barely catch their breath.
I sat frozen in the car, my mind drifting back to three years ago. Back then, Damon complained constantly about what a handful Leah was.
She took wrong turns every time she drove, never remembered her keys, and called people for help over every tiny problem.
He acted like she was a total nuisance to his face. But whenever she got lost, he was the one who went to pick her up.
Whenever she forgot her keys, he was the one who drove across the city to bring her a spare. Whenever she moved, he was the one who showed up early to help her get settled.
Every time I got upset about it, he'd say the same thing.
"I'm only helping her so she doesn't come bugging you later. I'm doing this all to save you the hassle, remember?"
Once, I'd bought that garbage line hook, line, and sinker. Now? Thinking back on it just felt ridiculous.
My phone vibrated. It was a reply from my dad.
Dad: Got everything sorted at the venue. Turns out another couple was scrambling for a last-minute space, so I handed our time slot over to them. I've already let the elders know too. Just get to the entrance of the hall, and we'll pick you up to head straight home.
I typed back a single word: Okay.
Leah finally finished getting ready. Damon sauntered over to the car door, reached in, and lifted me out of the seat.
But no sooner had my feet touched the ground than Leah let out a sharp, quiet gasp. The side of the dress in her hands had split wide open right at the waist.
"Oh no."
Her face went white as a sheet.
"I must've pulled too hard when I was changing just now. Ripped the stitching right out."
Damon's face immediately creased into a frown. "Do you have a backup?"
Leah shook her head. "My other dress is at my apartment. I left in such a hurry last night, I didn't grab anything."
"Even if we send someone to grab it right now, we'll definitely miss the start of the ceremony." I spoke up.
Damon was just about to open his mouth when Leah's eyes locked on the long box sitting in the cloakroom.
"Wait, doesn't Eileen have that spare wedding dress? Maybe I can borrow that for now? At least that way no one has to wait around longer because of me."
The air went dead silent in an instant. I turned my head to look straight at Damon. He didn't turn her down.
Instead, he asked me. "What do you think?"
