The girl, Rosaline, was here. My grandfather had been calling me all afternoon, urging me to go pick her up, but I’d been deliberately delaying, making excuses. In the end, I heard that he sent one of the family drivers to fetch her.
I wasn’t interested in a pack from the extreme north like Frostmoore. I would get out of this arranged marriage sooner or later.
I had been busy all day, and by the time I returned home, it was already past midnight.
Managing the pack was exhausting, and I had drunk quite a bit of wine with dinner. My wolf, Edward, was urging me to sleep, so I hastily took a shower and collapsed into bed.
The soft mattress felt heavenly, but suddenly, I realized someone was in the bed with me.
In the dark, I couldn’t see her face, but I could tell she was a woman.
I froze, then before I could react, the woman turned over and pulled me into an embrace, murmuring, “Teddy, be good, it’s time to sleep.”
I was completely still.
Why did this feel so … right?
Her scent was faint, but it was so familiar. It was a fragrance that pierced my senses, tugging at something deep inside me.
She smelled just like her …
Edward didn’t respond. At that moment, I couldn’t tell if it was the alcohol or something else, but I couldn’t resist holding her close.
I closed my eyes, letting sleep take over.
How long had it been since I’d slept so deeply? Ten years?
In my dream, I saw the image again.
In the small, dark room, a young girl’s tiny body curled around me. Her soft voice whispered, “Don’t be afraid. I’m strong. I’ll protect you.”
I dreamed about you again. Do you know I’ve been searching for you for ten years?
I hugged her tightly, and she smiled, holding me just as tightly in return. The sensation of being in her arms was so real and comforting.
Morning came too soon. A rapid knock on the door jolted me awake.
“Caden, breakfast is ready. Don’t you have a morning meeting? Get up!”
I rubbed my eyes, groggy from sleep. Queenie’s voice came from the other side of the door.
That was odd – Queenie never woke me up.
She seemed anxious, and I wondered what had made her so worked up this early.
Suddenly, I noticed something felt off. There was a faint, lingering scent in the air, and my arms felt warm and soft. I could feel strands of hair tangled around my neck.
Who was I holding?
I shot up, my mind clearing instantly. As I turned, I was met with a pair of large light brown eyes, just as shocked as I was.
She quickly scrambled out of my arms, and I could finally see her face. She was a natural beauty.
She was wearing only a thin nightgown, and she pointed at me, asking, “Who are you?”
It didn’t take long for me to recognize her. My grandfather had shown me her picture before. The moment I realized who she was, my gaze darkened, and my face soured as I glared at the audacity of this woman.
“Rosaline?”
Her expression shifted from shock to indifference. She must have figured out who I was too.
How had my so-called fiancée ended up in my bed?
I couldn’t help but laugh coldly. “You tried to seduce me the moment you arrived at the Holbrooks? Hah. The women of the Shadow Pack sure are bold.”
Rosaline looked at me blankly, as if considering my question.
The rules of Eclipse Pack were strict. As a guest and my fiancée, Rosaline should have been staying in the guest room. Seeing her here, it was obvious she’d either been set up or was trying to seduce me like some sort of prostitute.
Rosaline stood up and said coldly, “First of all, I didn’t seduce you. Queenie told me yesterday that this was my room. Mr. Holbrook, I’m not interested in you in the slightest.
“Second, I was already asleep when you came back last night. Didn’t you notice someone else in your bed? You held me while I slept, so how do you explain that? Could it be you’ve had your eye on me all along?”
Queenie was still knocking outside the door.
I had a pretty good idea of what had happened. What she said was true, and I couldn’t argue. But the coldness in her tone irked me.
I narrowed my eyes and studied her closely. Rosaline’s large light brown eyes really did resemble hers.
Rosaline smiled when she noticed me staring at her.
“What’s wrong? Mr. Holbrook, do you have something you want to say? Are you bewitched by me?”
I was speechless. She looked innocent enough, but her words were anything but likable.
I stood up and walked toward the door, opening it with a cold tone. “Get out. And don’t come back to this room.”
Rosaline sneered, grabbed her things, and walked out.
Queenie stood at the door, looking stunned when Rosaline emerged. Her exaggerated expression and poor acting made it clear – she was the one who’d led Rosaline into the wrong room last night.
But I didn’t call her out. I wanted to see how Rosaline would handle the trap Queenie had set.
Rosaline didn’t show any sign of panic. Instead, she smiled at Queenie and said, “Good morning! Just as you wished, Caden held me all night. We got along just fine.”
“You’re lying!” Queenie’s face turned beet red with anger.
Rosaline just smiled. “You can ask him.”
Queenie turned to look at me in the room. “Caden, what’s going on?”
I didn’t bother explaining. Queenie had created this mess, but Rosaline had slept in my bed, and that was something I didn’t want spreading around.
As I watched Rosaline walk down the stairs, a wave of irritation washed over me.
First impressions were everything and we couldn’t have disliked each other more.
Rosaline’s POV:
I left with a smile on my face.
Behind me, Queenie was so furious that she actually started insulting me. “You bumpkin Omega, let me tell you, there’s no way I’ll let you marry Caden and become the Luna of Eclipse Pack.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. She was so hostile to my arrival, setting up a trap for me on the very first day. It seemed like it wasn’t me who wanted to marry Caden, but her.
Caden walked out of the room, and the oppressive aura of the Alpha immediately made Queenie shrink back. She meekly called out, “Caden.”
Caden was clearly furious. I figured that Queenie, being smart, wouldn’t dare make an issue of last night, as it would hurt the reputation of both packs.
I cheerfully left seeing that Caden had taken charge and diffused the situation. But as I was heading downstairs, I suddenly remembered something and complained to Freya, “What happened last night? Why didn’t you wake me up when he got into bed?”
Freya lazily replied, “Please, you were the one more eager than me. Besides, his scent is really nice. I liked it.”
I was taken aback. This was the first time Freya had ever expressed liking the scent of a man. I asked curiously, “Could he be our fated mate?”
Freya didn’t deny it. “Why don’t we share a few more nights to confirm it?”
“No!” I immediately rejected the idea. “I don’t like him.
Caden is way too arrogant.”
Freya let out a mocking hum deep in my soul, clearly amused by my reaction.
It was infuriating that the first time sharing a bed with a man ended up like this. But we didn’t have any further contact, so it was clear that Caden wasn’t my fated mate.
The servant led me to the guest room where I unpacked before heading downstairs for breakfast.
At the table sat Eleanor, Queenie, and, of course, the heir of Eclipse Pack – Caden.
I walked over, and Eleanor spoke in a sarcastic tone, “Someone slept in late and didn’t help with breakfast. Do you think you’re officially the Eclipse Pack’s Luna?”
I glanced at Eleanor and calmly replied, “Well, I’m not your servant either.”
Do you want me to make breakfast? Dream on.
Caden hadn’t spoken a word throughout the meal. It was obvious he didn’t like me.
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