He Sent His Twin to Marry Me, But I Ended Up Marrying the Alpha King

My name is Selena Hartley. On the day of the Luna Ceremony, the groom standing at the altar was not my Alpha, Blake Sinclair. It was his twin brother, Leo Sinclair. Leo realized I had recognized him, and dropped the act. "Luna, my brother had something more important to deal with, so I'm standing in for him to go through the motions." What could possibly be more important than the Moon Goddess Ceremony of the Silver Moon Pack? A few sharp-eyed pack members whispered among themselves, "The Alpha actually sent Leo to perform the ceremony?" "Because Iris is back with the pack. The Alpha rushed off to welcome her." To welcome Iris?! So this was what mattered more to Blake than our Moon Goddess Ceremony. I swallowed my anger and typed out a message. Selena: Owen, that marriage arrangement. I accept. Owen replied quickly. He would come for me in three days. I turned off the screen. But a notification popped up. It was a social media post from Ethan Ward, Blake's second-in-command. In the photo, Iris Mercer was clinging to Blake's arm in front of a boutique on Belmont Row. I had asked Blake countless times to take me shopping there. Every time, he'd turned me down, claiming pack business kept him too busy. I stared at the photo for two seconds, then casually tapped the like button. Seconds later, my phone rang. It was Blake. I answered. His composed, measured voice came through the speaker. "Selena, since you already know, just do as you're told and finish the ceremony." "The ceremony?" I shot back. "You mean the ceremony where even the groom can be replaced by a stand-in?" Blake went quiet for two seconds. He clearly hadn't expected pushback from someone who had always been so obedient. "Iris just came back to the pack. She deserves to be looked after. It's just a formality. Be generous, Selena. You know you're the only one who will ever be the Luna of the Silver Moon Pack." Once, a promise like that would have made my heart sing. But knowing he could send someone else to stand in at his own wedding, I suddenly felt that being Luna wasn't worth it at all. While I stood there lost in thought, the crowd in the distance had already started cheering again. "Blake, we're done. Since you think being with Iris is so perfectly reasonable, why don't you come perform this ceremony with her yourself?" I didn't wait for his response. I hung up. Just as I was about to announce the cancellation, the High Priest of the Silver Moon Pack approached me. "Miss Hartley, it's nearly time. Please put on the wedding gown and complete the ceremony." As he spoke, several guards stepped forward carrying a box. My gaze fell on it. Inside was a wedding gown, but it wasn't the one I had spent months designing. Noticing my stare, the High Priest's expression flickered with guilt. He lowered his voice. "Miss Mercer took a liking to the gown you designed, so the Alpha gave it to her." Seeing my expression darken, he quickly added, "This gown was also carefully selected by the Alpha. I'm sure you'll look beautiful in it." The irony was almost laughable. Blake never put thought into things like this. The High Priest was simply trying to spare me the embarrassment. I looked away and spoke, enunciating every word. "This ceremony is canceled." I turned and headed for the exit, only to hear Leo's mocking voice behind me. "It's just a dress. I really don't know what my brother sees in a petty woman like you." I ignored him and kept walking. When I reached the dressing room, the door was suddenly thrown open. Blake stood in the doorway, breathless from rushing over. Seeing the resolve on my face, a rare flash of panic crossed his eyes. "Selena, what are you making a fuss about now? Do you have any idea how important this ceremony is?" He frowned slightly, as if dealing with a child throwing a tantrum. "You're the one who sent Leo to take your place, Blake. I thought I made myself perfectly clear on the phone." I moved past him, but he grabbed my wrist. "Selena, there's a limit to how far you can push this." When I didn't respond, he softened his tone. "I know this one's on me. Haven't you always wanted to see the ocean at Solvara Coast? Once I've got Iris settled, I'll buy you an entire beachfront villa to make it up to you. How does that sound?" He tilted his head down, amber eyes fixed on mine. For a fleeting moment, I was transported back to the day I'd stared into those same eyes through the glass of a protective suit in the ICU. A rival clan had attacked, and Blake had taken a silver bullet from a vampire to shield me. Even delirious with pain, he'd still tried to reassure me that everything would be fine. My fingertips trembled involuntarily. The rejection that should have come easily got stuck in my throat. Just as I wavered, Blake's communicator buzzed, shattering the moment. He picked it up, ready to dismiss it, but caught the name on the screen. He answered, and his voice dropped to a softness I had never heard before. After hanging up, he turned to me. "Selena, there's been a problem with a shipment from the Bloodfang Pack. I need to take care of it. Just bear with it and finish the ceremony with Leo. Stop making a scene, alright?" He didn't even wait for my answer before turning and walking away. My heart sank completely. A wolf's sharp hearing had already told me exactly who had been on the other end of that call. It was Iris. I cursed myself for wavering even for a second. I opened my phone and sent a cancellation notice to every single vendor involved in the ceremony.