SIENNA'S POV
I reached the hotel faster than I ever thought I could, throwing the squeezed money that bastard of a Sir Daniele had given me to the driver as I rushed inside and into the elevator. Once I reached our floor, I ran down the hallway and into our room, cutting Mara off in the middle of her frantic pacing.
My skin felt like it was humming, a strange, electric buzz I couldn't shake off no matter how hard I tried. Every time I closed my eyes, I felt his hands on my waist again and smelled that intoxicating mix of cedarwood and leather, clinging to me like a curse.
"Sienna! Thank the Goddess!" Mara shrieked, nearly tackling me the moment I entered the room. She looked like she hadn't slept a wink; her hair was a bird's nest, her clothes rumpled, and her eyes were wide with frantic, barely contained energy. "Where have you been? I just heard some very powerful news." She continued pacing, running a hand through her hair. "Edward's father is attending the wedding tomorrow."
"That is what you said on the call, Mara."
She shook her head sharply. "You don't understand. We only knew Edward's family had rank. We thought maybe they were Deltas—high-level werewolves. But the news that just came out…" She swallowed hard. "Sienna, Edward's father is the one coming to the wedding. He's not just some high-ranking wolf. He's—"
She stopped mid-sentence, her nose twitching. As a werewolf, her senses were ten times sharper than mine. Her expression shifted from panic to pure, unadulterated shock as she leaned closer, sniffing the air around my neck.
"Sienna," she whispered, her voice dropping an octave. "What is that scent? And your neck…"
I turned and caught my reflection in the oval mirror on the vanity. My heart dropped straight into my stomach. There, just above the collar of my dress, was a faint but unmistakable purple bruise. A love bite. And beneath it, I knew my body was practically branded with the scent of a male so powerful it made Mara's knees tremble just standing near me.
Knowing I wouldn't escape Mara's hounded look, I started by telling her about Edward and Neve. Her shock was palpable, a sharp intake of breath and widened eyes, and then I continued, reluctantly, with the drunken escapade.
"I… I went to a bar," I muttered, looking away. "I got drunk, Mara. I did something reckless. I slept with a guy from the bar." He wasn't just a guy, but she didn't need to know that. Not yet.
"Reckless?" Mara gasped, clutching her chest. "Sienna, that isn't just some random guy. That scent… it's heavy. It feels like a mountain is standing in the room with us. Who was he?"
"I don't know," I admitted, sliding down onto the carpeted floor and burying my face in my hands. The memory of the money he threw at me stung worse than the hangover pounding behind my eyes. "He was just a man at the bar. A werewolf. He thought I was… well, he thought I was a professional. He gave me money and walked out."
Mara sat beside me, her face pale and drawn, clearly trying to process everything. Before she could speak again, my phone vibrated violently on the coffee table. The caller ID made my blood boil instantly.
Edward.
I stared at the screen for a long moment, the betrayal of the previous night rushing back—the sight of him and Neve on my wedding dress, the way he mocked my humanity without remorse. I picked up the phone and swiped 'answer' with a shaky finger.
"What do you want?" I snapped.
"Sienna," Edward's voice came through, sounding strained yet authoritative, as if he still believed he had control. "Stop this little tantrum. You aren't at the hotel, are you? Where are you?"
"I'm exactly where I should be," I sneered. "Away from a lying, cheating dog." I sneered even though I was, in fact, standing in the hotel room he expected me to obediently wait in.
There was silence on the other end. For a second, I thought he might yell, but then his voice softened. It was that same gentle, patient tone he had used for years—the one that had made me fall in love with him in the first place.
"Look, I know you're hurt," he said, and I could almost picture him rubbing his temples. "Last night was… a mistake. A moment of weakness. But we are fated, Sienna. You know you can't fight fate. Think about your father. Think about the medicine he needs. Just come to the venue. We'll get through the ceremony, and I'll make it up to you. I'll give you anything you want."
For a heartbeat, the old Sienna—the girl who lived in the slums and dreamed of a savior—wanted to believe him. Wanted to fold and pretend it was all just a bad dream. But then I remembered the way he looked at Neve while he told her I was worthless, disposable.
"The only thing I want from you, Ronald, is for you to rot," I said, my voice cold, steady, and final. "Don't call me again."
I hung up before he could respond, my chest heaving as anger and heartbreak tangled inside me.
"He's not going to let this go," Mara said softly. "Especially not now. Sienna, if the Alpha is attending this wedding, it's a massive deal. In this state, the Alpha is everything. He's the law, the judge, and the executioner. If you don't show up, it's not just a snub to Edward—it's an insult to the Alpha himself. He's known for being fair, but he's also terrifyingly powerful."
"I'm not marrying a man who uses me as a status symbol," I said, standing up straighter. "I don't care who his father is."
"Then don't marry him," Mara said, her eyes lighting up with a sudden, dangerous idea. "Go to the wedding. Show up. But when the priest asks for your vow, you tell the truth. You reject him in front of everyone. In front of the Alpha. If the Alpha is as honorable as people say, he won't force a human girl to marry a cheater who disgraced the family name before the wedding even started."
I looked at her, a slow, dangerous smile spreading across my lips. "A public rejection," I murmured. "I like that."
***
DANIELE'S POV
The leather seats of the SUV were comfortable, but I was anything but relaxed. I stared out the window as the city blurred by, my mind wandering back to the cramped restroom stall of that dingy bar.
I could still feel the way that girl's fingers had tangled in my hair. She was a human—plain, simple, and far too bold for her own good. I had assumed she was a pro, but the way she had looked at me this morning… there was a fire in her eyes that didn't match the price tag I'd left on the bed.
"Sir?"
My Beta, Marcus, was looking at me from the front seat, holding a tablet with unread notifications flashing.
"We're approaching the venue for the wedding. Your son, Edward, is already there. He's apparently a bit frantic. The bride hasn't arrived yet."
I sighed, rubbing the bridge of my nose. "Edward was always high-strung. I don't know why I agreed to this. I haven't seen the boy in a year, and now I'm supposed to bless a union with a human?"
"The girl's name is Sienna," Marcus said, scrolling through the data. "From the slums. Her father is ill. It seems like some kind of arrangement. Or maybe not. Do you want to see her profile? I have her photo here."
"No," I snapped, waving my hand dismissively. "I don't care what she looks like or where she came from. A human mate is a weakness, but if it helps Edward stabilize his rank and stop being such a nuisance, so be it. I'll give them my blessing, stay for the toast, and then I'm leaving."
"You're irritable, Sir," Marcus chuckled knowingly. "Maybe you should have stayed with that girl from last night a little longer. You've been thinking about her all morning, haven't you?"
I narrowed my eyes at him. Marcus had been with me long enough to read the subtle shifts in my scent, something few dared to comment on.
"She was a distraction. Nothing more," I said flatly. "She was a virgin, Marcus. I have a rule about that. It's too much baggage."
"And yet, you're still wearing that 'distracted' look," Marcus teased, clearly enjoying himself.
I ignored him, but my hand instinctively went to my collar. I could still smell her on me—a faint, sweet scent that my wolf was growling at, demanding I turn the car around and find her. It was irritating. I was the Alpha; I didn't get hung up on one-night stands, especially not with humans who didn't know their place.
Yet for some reason, the pretty girl from last night refused to leave my head, no matter how hard I tried to shake her memory.