THE ALPHA'S REJECTED MATE

FITTING THE WEEDING DRESS

CHAPTER 5: FITTING THE WEDDING DRESS

The dress was white. Of course it was white.

Pure. Innocent. A lie.

It hung in my room in the Alpha mansion. A room that used to be mine 3 years ago.

Before he rejected me.

Now I was back. As his "Luna."

Three days until the wedding.

Three days of pretending.

Three days until I had to say "I do" to the man who said "No" on live TV.

Knock knock.

"Come in," I said, not looking up.

The door opened. And closed.

Silence.

I turned.

Alpha Damian Blackwood was standing there.

In a black tux. Hair still wet from a shower. Mate mark peeking above his collar.

And his eyes... his eyes were on me.

I was in my slip. The seamstress had just left. Pins were still in my mouth.

The wedding dress was half-zipped, hanging off one shoulder.

"Get out," I snapped. Heat crawled up my neck. "You’re not supposed to see the bride before the wedding."

He didn’t move. "This isn’t a real wedding, Ava."

"Then why are you here?" My voice shook.

"Because the council is watching." He stepped closer. "And we need to sell it."

Sell it. Right.

He stopped in front of me. Close enough that I could smell cedar and soap.

Close enough to see the scar on his chest. The one I stitched.

His hand lifted. Slow. Like asking permission.

I didn’t stop him.

His fingers brushed my bare shoulder. Pushed the dress up. Zipped it.

Slow. One tooth at a time.

The sound was the only thing in the room.

When he was done, his hands didn’t leave. They rested on my waist.

Through the silk. Burning.

"You look..." He cleared his throat. "You look like a Luna."

I laughed. Bitter. "I look like a fool."

"Don’t." His voice went low. "Don’t do that."

"Don’t do what? Tell the truth?" I looked up at him. "You called me weak. You humiliated me. And now you want me to play dress-up for your pack?"

His jaw clenched. "I know."

"You know?" I stepped back. His hands fell. "Do you? Do you know what it felt like to stand there while 5 million people watched you destroy me?"

He went still. "Every day."

The honesty in his voice knocked the air out of me.

Before I could answer, the door burst open again.

Luna Selene.

Her eyes went wide. At me. In the dress. At him. Hands at my waist a second ago.

"Oh," she said. Voice dripping with fake sweetness. "Am I interrupting the happy couple?"

Damian’s mask snapped back on. Alpha. Cold. Perfect.

"Mother," he said. "We were just going over the ceremony."

"Of course you were." She smiled at me. Poison. "The dress is lovely, dear. Shame it’s all a show."

She left. Door closing behind her.

And just like that, the moment was gone.

Damian turned to leave too.

"Wait," I said.

He paused.

"Rule number four," I whispered. "No lying. Not to me. Not during this."

He looked over his shoulder. Silver eyes dark.

"Deal," he said.

Then he was gone.

I looked at myself in the mirror.

White dress. Head held high.

The weak girl was gone.

In her place stood a woman about to marry her enemy.

And I was going to make him pay for every second.

END OF CHAPTER 5

Word Count: ~1295

CLIFFHANGER: Luna Selene saw them. The wedding is in 3 days. And he admitted it hurt him every day.