The Sacred Luna

Chapter 2

(Sanya's POV)

I stand in front of the mirror. The white dress hangs on my body like a shroud.

Three days. It's only been three days since they dragged me off that empty road.

Three days since Aaron never came.

My brothers locked me in my room. They took my phone first. Then my laptop. Then even the old tablet I used to read books on.

Everything.

I tried to escape. Twice.

The first time, I waited until everyone was asleep. I tied bedsheets together and lowered myself from the window. I made it as far as the tree line before my second brother caught me and dragged me back by my hair.

The second time, I pretended to be sick. When the servant came to check on me, I shoved past her and ran for the front door. My oldest brother was waiting there. Like he knew and had been expecting for me to pull this stunt.

He didn't say anything. Just grabbed my arm and threw me back in my room.

After that, they posted a guard outside my door.

And now it's my wedding day.

I stare at myself in the mirror. The dress is beautiful. Expensive. Probably cost more than everything I've ever owned combined.

But it feels like a cage. White silk and lace, trapping me so tight I can barely breathe.

I don't even know what Tyron Stone looks like.

I've never met him. Never spoken to him. Never even seen a photo.

All I know is what my brothers told me. He's an Alpha. Powerful. Wealthy. From the Blood Moon Pack in Manhattan.

And apparently, he wants to marry me.

Though I can't imagine why. My brothers made it clear—they practically begged him to take me off their hands.

"The arrangements are already made," my oldest brother had said three days ago. "The wedding is in three days. You better prepare yourself."

As if it's that easy to prepare for a marriage I don't want. To a man I don't know.

Three days to mourn the life I'll never have with Aaron...

Aaron.

My chest burns when I think his name. Tears sting my eyes, but I blink them back. The same questions burn in my head.

Where are you? Why didn't you come?

Did you change your mind? Did you realize I wasn't worth the trouble?

Or did my brothers do something to you?

That thought terrifies me more than anything else.

The door opens behind me. I don't turn around. I already know who it is.

My oldest brother Derek steps into the room. He's wearing a dark suit, his hair slicked back. He looks at me with cold, indifferent eyes.

The same eyes our father had.

"It's time," he finally says.

I don't move.

I can't move. My feet feel rooted to the floor.

Derek's jaw tightens. "Sanya. Don't make this harder than it needs to be."

"I don't love him," I whisper.

It's the same thing I've said a hundred times over the past three days. But maybe if I keep saying it, someone will listen.

Derek walks closer. He stands behind me. We both stare at my reflection in the mirror.

"Love doesn't matter," he says. His voice is flat. Matter-of-fact. "Duty matters. Family honor matters."

"But—"

"Our parents are dead, Sanya. Brandon and I are all the family you have left. And we will not watch you throw away your future—throw away our family's legacy, reputation—for some rankless nobody with no father and a weak mother."

The words hit me like continuous slaps.

"Aaron is not—"

"Aaron Knight is nothing but a mistake." Derek's hand lands on my shoulder. His grip is firm. Almost painful. "And you will forget him. Starting today."

He grabs my arm and pulls me toward the door.

I stumble in the stupid heels they made me wear. My dress trails behind me, heavy and cumbersome.

"Derek, please—"

"Enough."

He drags me down the hallway. Down the stairs. Through the house I grew up in.

Every room holds memories. The kitchen where Mom taught me to bake. The living room where Dad used to read to us. The back porch where Aaron and I used to sit and talk for hours.

Now I'm leaving it all behind.

For a man I've never met.

We reach the front door. A car is waiting outside. Black. Sleek. Expensive.

Brandon stands beside it. My second brother. He's wearing a suit too. He won't meet my eyes.

At least he has the decency to look guilty.

Derek shoves me into the back seat. He climbs in beside me. Brandon gets in the front with the driver.

The car pulls away from the house.

I twist in my seat, looking back through the rear window. The house gets smaller and smaller until it disappears completely.

Goodbye, I think. Goodbye to everything.

The drive feels endless and too short all at once.

We arrive at a massive estate. The Alpha mansion. It's bigger than anything I've ever seen. Stone walls. Iron gates. Manicured gardens that stretch as far as I can see.

This is where I'll live now.

This is my new home.

The car stops in front of the main entrance. Derek pulls me out. My legs shake. The heels make it hard to walk.

People are everywhere. Pack members in formal clothes. Servants rushing around with flowers and decorations.

Everyone stops to stare at me.

I want to disappear.

Derek keeps his hand clamped on my arm as he leads me inside. Through hallways lined with portraits of stern-looking Alphas. Through rooms filled with antique furniture and crystal chandeliers.

Everything is cold. Beautiful but cold.

We reach a set of double doors on a side mansion, a little distance away from the Alpha Mansion. They're already open. Beyond them, I can see rows of chairs. An aisle covered in white rose petals. And an altar at the far end.

My heart pounds so hard I think it might burst through my chest.

Derek leans close to my ear. "Remember," he whispers. "Family honor is at stake. Don't embarrass us."

Then he walks me down the aisle.