Chapter 2
Her name was Claire Jones.
She was Kyle’s first love and his first mate.
Claire was the illegitimate daughter of the Alpha of the bluemoon pack.
Luna Quinn never accepted her, so her status had always been awkward and uncertain in the pack.
Unfortunately, the elders of the blood stone pack had stepped in and torn the two apart.
Claire, too proud to endure the humiliation, rejected Kyle and disappeared without a trace.
When Kyle found out I was his second chance mate, it was only because Claire and I shared some resemblance in our features. That was the only reason he didn’t reject me.
Now that Claire had returned, he obviously no longer needed a substitute like me.
And her return just so happened to coincide with the very period when Kyle had been absurdly busy these past two months.
Of course. It all added up–too perfectly, in fact.
The story was so painfully cliché that I couldn’t help but laugh bitterly and shake my head.
I never thought I’d actually end up living out one of those ridiculous “stand–in lover” plotlines.
Claire wanted to crash the bonding ceremony to make a bold declaration that Kyle belonged to her and maybe take revenge on me for holding the title of “future Luna” for so long.
Kyle, on the other hand, needed this moment to prove his undying love for Claire, to appease his furious first mate, and to force the pack elders and his Alpha parents to accept her once and for all.
And I? I was nothing more than a prop in their little play, a part of the elaborate stage they’d set with our bonding ceremony.
The world truly was just one giant over–the–top romance novel.
Honestly, it was enough to make me curse out loud.
That night, the lights in my place were still on.
Even though the bonding ceremony was set for the next day, I didn’t have a second to rest. I was
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busy packing my things.
Two hours ago, I booked a first–class ticket out of the country.
If Claire could show up to steal my mate on the bonding ceremony, then I could return the favor
with a disappearing act of my own.
Luckily, my family had moved our pack overseas not long ago.
So for this bonding ceremony, we hadn’t gone to the trouble of inviting my relatives, friends, or
pack members. Just a handful of close friends from back home.
Back then, we’d planned it this way: since our Alpha parents had already met during the engagement, we could hold a second ceremony abroad later to avoid the language barrier or the hassle of traveling for relatives and pack members,
That plan ended up being the perfect excuse for my escape from the bonding ceremony.
I briefly shared my thoughts with my best friend, Summer. She silently took the suitcase from my
hands, her expression serious.
I couldn’t hear her thoughts. Something felt off, so I asked her directly.
“Summer, are you trying to stop me?”
She rolled he
eyes and snapped at me.
⠀
“Are you out of your mind? I brought you more suitcases so you can pack more and disappear properly.”
The day of the bonding ceremony arrived.
Dressed in my ceremonial gown, I stood beside Kyle to greet the
His thoughts were so loud, they were giving me a headache.
“Is Claire here yet?”
guests.
“I can finally be with Claire. Three years, I waited three years for her. She’s finally going to be my Luna,”
“After this bonding ceremony crash, Claire will finally believe my heart has never wavered.”
His constant inner rambling made me frown at him with disgust more than once.
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Even my wolf muttered curses at him under her breath.
And yet Kyle’s face gave nothing away. He still wore that same polite, refined expression as he
turned to me with concern.
“Heather, you don’t look well. Why don’t you rest in the lounge for a while? I’ll greet the guests. You can just join us when the bonding ceremony starts.”
Honestly, that worked perfectly for me.
It was time I found a reason to make my getaway.
I nodded and started heading off to change out of my gown and into casual clothes.
But right at the doorway, I ran into Claire.
Thanks to our similar features and my mind–reading, I recognized her instantly.
I held back Summer, who was already lifting the hem of her bridesmaid dress, ready to charge in
and beat up the homewrecker.
I kept my expression calm and clueless as I said,
“You must be a friend of Kyle’s. Go ahead and head inside. Just a few hours left till the bonding ceremony begins.”
Claire’s smile vanished in an instant, clearly displeased by how affectionately I referred to Kyle.
Her words dripped with sarcasm.
“Heather, sorry
about the dress clash. Hope no one mistakes me for the bride.”
Her smug thoughts echoed in my ears at the same time.
“Keep smiling. In three hours, your groom’s leaving with me. Let’s see if you’ll still be smiling
then.”
Chapter 2
