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Accidentally murdered the bride? Check. Forced to marry the cursed Alpha who’s lost six wives? Check. Now wearing her dress, dragged to his bed, while the pack waits outside for proof he’s fvcked me raw? Double check. Remi was just trying to catch her cheating boyfriend in the act. Instead, she tripped, ripped lace, and cracked a skull. Now Alpha Nero Blackwater owns her. “Bride for bride,” he growls. “You owe me a wedding… and a womb.” The curse ki11s his mates before dawn. Unless he plants an heir fast. But something’s wrong. What if there was never a curse at all? One night to survive. One claiming to break everything. One Alpha who’ll fvck her senseless… even if it’s the last thing she feels. TEXT Chapter 1: Some Kind Of Deranged Stalker "Are my t!ts out?" Zaya barely glanced over. "A little. Fix the left one." I yanked up the neckline of my dress for the third time. It was too tight, too low-cut, and stole from my sister who apparently had the body of a Victoria's Secret model. I did not. "Remind me why we're doing this again?" Jade whispered from behind the hedge. "Because Marcus said I couldn't come to his uncle's wedding," I said, wobbling on heels that were definitely a mistake. "Something about it being Moonstone Pack only." "So we're crashing another pack's wedding to prove what exactly?" "That I'm not some embarrassing girlfriend he has to hide because I'm from Riverside Pack." I peeked through the gap in the bushes. The ceremony was already starting. White chairs, string lights in the trees, at least two hundred guests in expensive clothes. Jade snorted. "Or he's going to be p!ssed and dump you in front of everyone." "Then at least I'll know where we stand." "You're insane," Zaya muttered, but she was grinning. She lived for this kind of chaos. If I'd known what was about to happen, I would've turned around right then. I spotted Marcus in the third row. Dark hair, broad shoulders, wearing a suit that probably cost more than my rent. We'd been dating for eight months. The guy who currently had his arm around another girl. My heart stopped. "Is that Sophie?" Zaya's voice went up an octave. "No." I leaned closer, squinting. "That can't be Sophie. He said only Moonstone Pack could attend. She's from Landravers pack, but he swore they were just—" Marcus leaned over and kissed her. On the m0uth. For way too long. "That's definitely Sophie," Jade confirmed. "Oh my god." My stomach dropped into my feet. "Oh my god, that's Sophie. He's—they're—" "Okay, new plan," Zaya said quickly. "We leave. Right now. We go home, eat ice cream, and you block his number—" "He LIED to me." My voice cracked. "Remi, we need to go—" "I can't believe this. I borrowed these torture heels. I’m sneaking in like some kind of deranged stalker—" I stepped back, gesturing wildly. My heel caught on something. A root. Or a rock. I didn't know. Didn't matter. I was falling. "REMI—" I grabbed for the hedge. The br@nch snapped in my hand. And then I was rolling. Down the hill. Through decorative flowers. Over what might have been a speaker and what I think was the cake table because something creamy slapped my face on the way down. My dress was ripping, my hair was in my face, and all I could think was this is how I die. Death by heartbreak and bad footwear choices. I hit the aisle runner with a thud that knocked the air from my lungs. For one beautiful, horrible second, everything went silent. I was face-down on white fabric. There were shoes nearby. I lifted my head. I was at the altar. The bride was three feet away, mid-vow, staring at me with her m0uth open. "What the—" I tried to get up, but my hand was tangled in something. White fabric. Lace. The train of her dress. "Wait, I'm sorry—" I yanked my hand fre e. And then the train ripped. The bride stumbled backward with force. Her heel caught on the t0rn fabric. She fell. Everything happened in slow motion. Her arms windmilling. Her head tilting back. The sickening crack when her skull hit the stone pavement. Then silence. She wasn't moving. "Oh my god," someone whispered. A man rushed forward. He knelt beside her, pressing f!ngers to her neck. Checking for a pulse. He looked up at the groom. His face was pale. "She's... she's not breathing." My ears started ringing. This wasn't happening. This couldn't be happening. Someone in the crowd laughed. "Well. That's a new record." "She didn't even make it an hour," another voice added. "Didn't even get marked." "Poor Nero. Six times. Has to be some kind of curse." My br@in was short-circuiting. Six? What did that mean? “Remi?” Marcus stepped forward, still holding Sophie’s hand like she was his emotional support slvt. “What are you doing here?” I blinked up at him. Frosting dripped down my cheek. “I should’ve tripped on you instead.” Strong hands grabbed my arms. Hauled me to my feet. I looked up. The groom was standing in front of me. And he was... jesus. He was beautiful. No, that was the wrong word. Devastating. The kind of face that made you forget your own name. He was tall—taller than Marcus, taller than any wolf I'd ever met.. Sharp jaw. Dark hair that looked like he'd run his hands through it too many times. And his eyes—silver. Actual silver, glowing faintly. Alpha eyes. My wolf stirred. Interested. Very interested. Not now, I told her. We literally just ki11ed someone. I forgot where I was. I forgot what I'd just done. All I could think was: Holy sh!t, he's hot. "Are you LISTENING to me?" I blinked. "Sorry. You're just very... hot." His eye twitched. Hot." "Yeah. Aggressively. It's distracting." "You just ki11ed my bride and you're commenting on my face?" Oh. Right. The bride. The murder. Reality came crashing back like a bucket of ice water. From somewhere in the bushes, I heard my friends completely losing it. "OH MY GOD SHE KI11ED SOMEONE—" "WE NEED A LAWYER!" "RUN, REMI! RUNNNN!" "NO, STAY! CONFESS! IT'S MANSLAUGHTER AT MOST—" "Was that her SPINE?! I heard cracking!" "That was a br@NCH, you idi0t—" The groom's grip on my arm tightened. His alpha presence pressed against me, suffocating. My wolf wanted to submit immediately. I shoved her down. His voice dropped to something dangerous. "What pack are you from?" "Riverside," I squeaked. "I'm—I'm nobody. This is a mistake. I didn't mean to—the br@nch broke and I fell and.." "You're from Riverside?" he smirked. "And you crashed a Moonstone Pack wedding?" "Technically, I crashed through the wedding—" "You ki11ed my bride." "That was an accident—" "She's dead." "I KNOW." My voice broke. "I know, okay? I know. I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. I'll do anything—" "Anything?" He looked at me—really looked. Taking in my t0rn dress, my smeared makeup, the way I was shaking. An old woman stepped forward from the crowd. She was smiling. "Congratulations, Alpha Nero," she said cheerfully. "Seems the Moon Goddess has chosen your seventh bride." I choked. "SEVENTH?!" "The other six are dead," he said flatly. My blood went cold. "Six. You've had SIX wives. And they're all DEAD?" "Yes." "And I'm number seven?" "Correct." "IS THIS A MARRIAGE OR A SURVIVAL GAME?!" His jaw ticked. "Both." Then, to the guards nearby: "Get her cleaned up. We're finishing the ceremony." "I'M NOT MARRYING YOU—" "You ki11ed my bride." His voice was cold. Final. "You owe me a wedding." "That's not how marriage works!" "It is when you ki11 an alpha's intended." He leaned close. So close I could feel his breath on my face. "Of all the idi0ts who could've ki11ed her," he said quietly, "it had to be the one with spicy eyes." My br@in stuttered. "Sp!cy... eyes?" "Get her dressed," Nero told the guards. "Ten minutes." "Wait—" He was already walking away. Then he looked back over his shoulder. "Try not to die tonight," he said, eyes lingering on my face. “I’m curious about you.” Then he was gone. Guards grabbed my arms and started dragging me toward a side building. "WAIT—" I twisted, trying to see my friends in the bushes. "Jade! Zaya! DON'T LEAVE ME—" But they were already running. I saw them disappear into the trees. Smart girls. I was being pulled through a doorway. Into a room with a vanity and a wedding dress hanging on the wall. The dead bride's dress. A woman appeared with makeup and pins in her hair. She was a wolf too—I could smell it. Moonstone Pack. "We need to work fast," she said, eyeing me critically. "You're smaller than she was. We'll have to take in the wa!st." "I'm not actually doing this," I said. My voice sounded dreamlike. "This is insane. You can't force someone to marry—" "You ki11ed his bride," the woman said simply, like that explained everything. "Bride for bride." "It was an accident—" "Doesn't matter." She started unlacing my t0rn dress. "You're here now. And trust me, honey, you do NOT want to refuse Alpha Nero." "Why? What happens if I refuse?" She met my eyes in the mirror. And for the first time, I saw genuine pity there. She pulled the wedding dress off the hanger. “Let’s just say the last wolf who refused him didn’t walk away.” My blood ran cold. "He ki11ed them?" "Ki11ing is an understatement." She held up the dress. "Now put this on. Your groom is waiting." I stared at the dress. Somewhere outside, music started playing. The wedding march. My wedding march. I looked at my reflection in the mirror. T0rn dress. Smeared mascara. Leaves in my hair. This morning I'd woken up planning to surprise my boyfriend at his uncle's wedding. Now I was about to marry an alpha with six dead wives. And if I refused, he would probably ki11 me. "This is not happening," I whispered. The woman smiled sadly. "Honey, it already did." She sl!pped the dress over my head. And I realized I just accidentally murdered my way into a cursed marriage with the most dangerous alpha. I was so fvcked. Chapter 2: The Wedding Night "Do you take this woman—" "I've done this six times already," Nero interrupted. "Just skip to the end." The priest's face went pale. "But Alpha, the sacred vows require…" "Five minutes ago, she ki11ed my last bride. I think we can bypass the sacred part." I stood there in a dead woman's dress, leaves still tangled in my hair, and wondered if this was actually happening or if I'd hit my head harder than I thought when I fell. The priest cleared his thr0@t nervously. "Do you, Alpha Nero Blackwater, take this woman as your bride?" "Sure." "And do you—" He squinted at me. "I'm sorry, what's your name?" "Remi," I whispered. "Remi Olandria Cross." "Do you, Remi Olandria Cross, take Alpha Nero Blackwater as your husband?" I opened my m0uth, but nothing came out. Nero's hand tightened. "She does," he said. "Actually, I should probably—" "She does," he repeated, louder this time. His eyes met mine. The priest hurried through the rest. Something about the Moon Goddess and eternal bonds and pack law. I wasn't listening. I was staring at the white sheet covering the bride's body twenty feet away. They'd carried her off to the side. Out of the way. Like she was furniture. "I caught a glimpse of her hand before they covered it. Something green under her f!ngernails. Like... plant residue? Or something else?" "You may now kiss the bride." My head snapped up. "Wait, we don't have to—" Nero leaned in close enough that I could smell him. "Your parents," he said quietly. "Your siblings. Those two friends who ran away. I know where they all live." My blood went cold. "So you're going to kiss me," he continued, "And you're going to make it convincing. Understand?" I stared at him. "Understand?" he repeated. I nodded. His hand came up, f!ngers tilting my chin. And then he kissed me. I'd kissed Marcus plenty of times. Sweet kisses. Soft kisses. The kind that made you feel warm and safe. This wasn't that. This was heat and possession and something that made my wolf sit up and pay attention. His m0uth moved against mine and my br@in short-circuited. I forgot where I was. Forgot the crowd watching. Forgot everything except the way his thumb brushed my jaw and how my whole body leaned into him without permission. Finally, my wolf purred. More of this. Shut up, I told her. We're being threatened. He tastes good though. He did taste good. d@mn it. Nero pulled back. There was a smirk on his face. "Are you sure you're my nephew's girl?" he said, just loud enough for me to hear. My face burned. "fvck you." "Good. We're off to a great start." Drums started beating. The crowd shifted, forming lines on either side of us. The priestess stepped forward, holding a ceremonial bowl. She was dressed in white robes, her face painted with symbols. "The consummation will now proceed," she announced. "The pack will remain here until confirmation of the Alpha's heir." Wait. What? "I'm sorry," I said. "Did you just say—" Oh god. They were waiting for us to— "No," I said. "No, no, no—" "NERO." An older woman's voice cut through the crowd. Her eyes were the same silver as Nero's. "Mother," Nero said flatly. "Stop this. Now." "Not really the time—" "She's not one of ours." His mother looked at me with pure disdain. "She's not even Moonstone Pack. She's riverside trash. She won't last the night—" "YOU chose the last six brides," Nero interrupted. His voice dropped to dangerous. "Every single one. All dead within days. So forgive me if I don't trust your judgment anymore." His mother's face went tight. "Your father would roll over in his grave if he knew—" "My father is dead. And you're done picking my brides." He pulled me closer. "This one's mine." She stared at him for a long moment. Then her eyes slid to me. "Mark my words," she said quietly. "This one won't survive till morning." Then she turned and walked away. I looked up at Nero. "Your family's great. Really warm." Nero started walking. I stumbled after him, still in bare feet, the wedding dress dragging on the ground. The pack parted for us, forming a processional line. We reached a set of massive doors with guards standing on either side. The Alpha chambers. My stomach dropped. "Wait—" I tried to stop, but Nero kept moving, pulling me with him. The pack filed in behind us, lining the hallway. More drums and witnesses. This is like a horror movie, I thought wildly. Or one of those dark romance novels where the her0ine dies in Chapter three. Finally, we reached another door. Nero opened it. A massive bedroom with a four-poster bed, dark walls, and candles everywhere. He pulled me inside. We were alone, but I could hear the pack waiting outside. Waiting for proof that we'd— "Okay," I said, my voice too high. "So we don't actually have to do this, right? You just go back out there and say it's done and they leave—" Nero turned to face me. "No." "No?" "Evidence must be submitted to the priestess." "Evidence?" My voice cracked. "What kind of evidence?" "My seed. Proof of consummation." The room tilted. "I'm a v!rg!n," I blurted out. "I know." "How do you—" I stopped. "You know what, I don't want to know. This is insane. You can't actually expect me to—" He stepped closer. I stepped back. "My bloodline fights the curse. If I leave an heir in you tonight, you have a fighting chance." "The other six didn't survive." “Luck isn’t something my brides have." He took another step. "We're doing this tonight." YES, my wolf said immediately. Finally. Yes. Absolutely yes. "Did you miss the part where six women DIED?" I said to her. But he's so— "Don't even finish that sentence." Nero was watching me. He started unbvttoning his shirt. "Strip." "Excuse me?" "We're running out of time. The longer we wait, the stronger the curse gets." "This is—I can't just—" He pulled his shirt off. Oh. Oh no. He was built like he spent every day fighting bears. Broad shoulders. Defined chst. Abs that should be illegal. See? my wolf said smugly. Death wish. Totally worth it. "Stop staring," Nero said. "I'm not staring." "You're staring." "You took your shirt off in front of me. That's on you." He almost smiled. Then he turned around, giving me privacy. I stared at his back. At the way his muscles moved under his skin. At the scars crisscrossing his shoulders. He'd been in fights. Real ones. My f!ngers went to the laces of my dress. I hesitated. "I can hear your heartbeat," he said, not turning around. "You're terrified." "Six dead wives. You do the math." "Fair point." I unlaced the dress. Let it pool at my feet. I was standing in just my undergarments, shaking. I'd been planning to surprise my boyfriend Now I was half-n@ked in a stranger's bedroom, about to have sx to maybe-possibly-probably-not survive a curse. Nero unbuckled his belt. I should've looked away. I didn't. He pushed his pants down. Stepped out of them. He was in just his briefs now, and I could see everything. The muscles in his th!ghs. His @ss, which was unfairly perfect. Such a wild imagination for someone about to die, my wolf teased. And didn't your boyfriend just cheat on you? "He's objectively attractive," I muttered. "That's just facts." Nero climbed into bed. Pulled the sheet over himself. Then he turned to look at me. His eyes went wide. For the first time since I'd met him, his control cracked. His pupils dilated. His breathing changed. I watched his body react under the sheets—watched his arousal become very, very obvious. He was BEAUTIFUL. Oh god. He was hard. Very hard. And there was... a lot of him. "fvck," he breathed. I froze. He stared at me like I was the only thing in the world. Like he'd forgotten how to think. "You're—" He shook his head, like he was trying to clear it. "fvck." "That's not a complete sentence." He moved fast. Suddenly, he was right there, knee1ing in front of me on the bed, his hand coming up to cup my face. "You're fvcking beautiful," he said. "Spicy eyes." My breath caught. He leaned in, and His thumb traced my b0tt0m l!p. "I'm going to—" "His hand slid down my stomach. Lower. I stopped breathing. This was happening. This was actually— Then he stopped. His hand dropped, and His whole body went rigid like he'd just remembered something "Get dressed," he said. "What?" He grabbed my clothes. Threw them at me. "Get dressed. Now." "I thought you said we had to—" "Change of plans." He climbed out of bed, wrapping a towel around himself. "But the evidence. The people outside—" "I'm the Alpha." His voice was cold again. Distant. "They listen to me. Not the other way around." "But this gives me a fighting chance against the curse—" He spun on me. His eyes flashed silver. "Maybe I don't want you to fight it," he said quietly. "Maybe I want you dead." I flinched. He stared at me for another second. Then he grabbed his pants, pulled them on, and headed for the door. "Wait—" The door slammed behind him. I heard the lock cl!ck from the outside. He locked me in. I stood there, half-n@ked, holding my dress, and stared at the door. Outside, the music was still playing. The pack was still waiting. But he'd left me here. Alone. I pulled my dress back on. My hands were shaking. "I'm not dying here," I said out loud. "I'm not one of those stvpid romance novel her0ines who dies for some cursed alpha. fvck that." I needed to get out. Get back to my parents. To Jade and Zaya. To people who actually gave a sh!t if I lived or died. I searched the room. Looked for another exit. A window I could climb out of. A key. Anything. Nothing. I was about to start trying to pick the lock when I spotted something under the bed. A book. No. A sketchbook. I pulled it out. There were Pages and pages of drawings. Creatures. Wolves mid-transformation, but wrong. Twisted. Their bones breaking in ways that shouldn't be possible.. Notes scribbled in tight handwriting. Symbols I didn't recognize. Runes, maybe. He was studying the curse. I kept fl!pping. More sketches. More notes. Then— I stopped. The page was crumpled. Like someone had tried to throw it away and then changed their mind. I smoothed it out. It was a drawing of a woman’s face. Beautiful. Detailed. Drawn with care. My face. My heart stopped. I fl!pped back through the book, searching for a date. There In the corner of the page. Three months ago. Three months before I'd ever crashed that wedding. Three months before I'd ever heard the name Nero Blackwater. My hands started shaking. Outside, the music finally stopped. The pack was leaving. Giving up on the consummation. I stared at my own face in the drawing. "This wasn't an accident," I whispered. Chapter 3: Black Lace Th0ng Alpha NERO POV "fvck." I slammed the door to my father's office so hard the windows rattled. I was trying to ignore the fact that I was still hard. Still thinking about her. About the way she'd looked standing there in nothing but scraps of lace, all curves and those fvcking eyes that made my wolf want to— "Rough night?" I spun around. My brother Kade was leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed, looking far too amused for someone who'd just watched another wedding turn into a sh!tshow. "Get out." "That's no way to talk to your Second." He pushed off the frame, strolling into the room. "Especially when I'm here to help." "I don't need help." "You just walked away from a gorgeous woman who was n@ked in your bed." He dropped into the chair across from my desk. "Trust me, brother, you need all the help you can get." I glared at him. Kade was two years younger than me, lighter in every way—lighter hair, lighter eyes, lighter approach to life. Where I carried the weight of the pack, he carried designer clothes and an iPad full of interior design apps. "She was willing," he continued, studying his nails. "She was n@ked. You were very obviously into it. And yet here you are, pacing around Dad's office like a caged animal while she's locked in your room. So what happened?" "None of your business." "Actually, it is my business. I'm your Second. And also your brother. And also the one who's going to have to dea1 with the very angry priestess and the very confused pack tomorrow morning when they find out you didn't complete the consummation ritual." He tilted his head. "Again." I turned away, staring out the window at the dark forest beyond. "I had my reasons." "Which were?" "Kade—" "Come on. This isn't like you. You usually take every opportunity to sleep with your brides. Especially one that hot." He paused. "Why'd you stop?" I pressed my palms against the desk, trying to find words for something I didn't understand myself. "You remember the woman from my dreams?" Silence. Then: "The one you've been sketching for months? The face you keep seeing?" "Yeah." "What about her?" I turned to face him. "It's her." Kade blinked. "It's… who?" "Remi. The girl downstairs. She's the woman from my dreams." His eyebrows shot up. "You're kidding." "I didn't recognize her at first. Her eyes are different—warmer in the dreams. Kinder. And her hair…" I ran a hand through my own hair, frustrated. "But when she took off the dress, I saw the scar. On her. Same placement as in my dreams." Kade leaned forward. "Nero—" "She's the one. The face I see every time I close my eyes. And tonight she just… appeared. Crashed a wedding, ki11ed my bride, and ended up in my bed." I laughed, but there was no humor in it. "Tell me that's not suspicious." "So you think what? She's a spy? Someone sent her?" Kade was quiet for a moment. Then he pulled out his phone. "I did some digging after the ceremony." "And?" "She's nobody, Nero. Like, actually nobody. Works as a bartender at some dive in Riverside territory. Comes from a big family. Father drinks too much. Mother does… let's just say ‘sketchy business’ and leave it at that." "A bartender," I repeated. "From Riverside. The poorest pack in the region." He looked up. "So the question what the he11 was our nephew doing with her?" That was a good question. "Or," Kade said slowly, "the Moon Goddess has a twisted sense of humor." I shot him a look. Fair point. We sat in silence for a moment. "You should've slept with her," Kade said finally. "Consummation would give her a fighting chance against the curse. You know that." "Don't remind me of my mistake." "Oh, it was a mistake?" Kade’s eyebrows rose. "So you DO want to sleep with her." "You can't imagine how much I'm regretting not finishing what I started." "Nero—" I thought for a moment. "Prepare a peace offering basket for the dead bride's parents. The usual—gold, apology letter, blood money." "And for Remi's family?" "Same thing. They'll need it for her funeral." Kade froze. "You really think she's going to die tonight." "They all do." My voice was flat. "Might as well dig both graves now. Same plot as the others. Save time." "That's dark, even for you." Kade studied me. A clock chimed. It was almost midnight. "sh!t," Kade said. "Nero, we need to—" "I know." I was already moving toward the door. "Your room. Now." We reached my chambers—not the ones where I'd left Remi, but my real chambers. The ones with reinforced walls and chains built into the bedframe. Kade locked the door behind us. "Lie down," he said. He moved quickly, securing the chains around my wrists. Heavy iron, blessed by the priestess. The only thing strong enough to hold an Alpha. He finished with my wrists and moved to my ankles. The chains were long enough that I could move, but not long enough to break fre e. Not long enough to hurt myself or anyone. "Make sure she doesn't leave," I said. Kade looked up. "Remi?" "And Kade?" "Yeah?" "Make sure the chains are tight. I don't want… incidents." He tested each lock again, yanking on them hard enough to make sure they held. "Tight enough?" Kade asked. I tested them, pulling hard. The chains held. "Good." Kade squeezed my shoulder. "Get some sleep. Or, you know, whatever passes for sleep when you're chained to a bed." Then he was gone. I was alone. I closed my eyes and thought about her. About Remi. About the way she'd looked at me right before I'd told her I wanted her dead. I'd lied. REMI POV That Night I was still staring at the drawing when I heard footsteps outside the door. I grabbed the first thing I could reach—a heavy candlestick—and pressed myself against the wall beside the door. If someone was coming to ki11 me, I was going out swinging. The lock cl!cked. The door opened. A man walked in. Not Nero. This one was leaner, prettier, and moved like a dancer. "he11o, sister-in-law," he said cheerfully. I raised the candlestick. "Take one more step and I'll bash your skull in." He looked at the candlestick. Then at me. Then he smiled. "Oh, I REALLY like you. Nero's going to have so much fun with this one." "Who the fvck are you?" "Kade. Nero's brother." He held up a shopping bag. "I come bearing gifts." "I don't want gifts. I want answers." "Can't help you there. But I can help you out of that tragic dress situation you've got going on." He tossed me the bag. "You can't sleep in a dead woman's wedding gown. That's just depressing." I caught the bag reflexively. "Nero sent you?" "Nero's… busy." Something fl!ckered across his face. "I'm here on my own." I opened the bag slowly and pulled out what was inside. A black lace th0ng. Matching br@. And absolutely nothing else. "Are you KIDDING me?" I held up the th0ng. It was basically a string. "Where's the rest of it?" Kade grinned. "That is the rest of it." "This is lingerie." "That IS clothes. Very expensive clothes, actually. You're welcome." I threw the th0ng at his face. He caught it, laughing. "I'm not wearing this," I said. "Your choice. But the alternative is sleeping in that." He nodded at the bloodstained wedding dress. "And trust me, that's not doing you any favors." I glared at him. Then at the dress. He had a point.. "Has anyone ever told you that you're annoying?" He laughed. "I like you. You've got bite." "I've got questions. Are you going to answer them or not?" "Not." He pushed off the frame. "But I will tell you this: my brother's not the monster everyone thinks he is." "Six dead wives would suggest otherwise." "Six cursed wives," he corrected. "There's a difference.You're still alive, aren't you?" "You should get some sleep." He backed toward the door. "Big day tomorrow. Assuming you survive the night." "Wait—" "Goodnight, sister-in-law. Try not to die before breakfast." He closed the door. I couldn't sleep for hours. I lay on the bed, thinking about how I got into this mess. Then, A sound came from outside my door. Then again. Chains rattling. It was coming from down the hall. From Nero's direction. Whatever monster lived in that room… I was married to it now. Chapter 4: A wh0re To My Uncle REMI POV "Okay, Remi. What are we doing?" I was talking to myself like a crazy person. Which was appropriate given my current situation. "Zaya would calculate the odds. She'd say something smart like 'the probability of you dying if you investigate creepy chain sounds is seventy-three percent.'" I mimicked her voice. "And then Jade would tell me to stop being dramatic and just go look." The chains rattled again. Louder this time. Like someone was dragging them across stone. "And my mom would say 'Remi Olandria Cross, you better not go looking for trouble.'" I looked at the door. "Which obviously means I'm about to go looking for trouble." I glanced down at the wedding dress crumpled on the floor. Bloodstained. T0rn. And that green stain near the neckline—the same color I'd seen under the dead bride's f!ngernails. "Yeah, no. I'm not wearing a dead woman's dress. Even I have standards." Which left me with option two. The lingerie. I picked up the black lace th0ng and br@ that Kade had brought. Held them up to the candlelight. "Oh, fvck no. This is basically string with delusions of grandeur." The chains rattled again. "Okay, okay. String it is." I stripped off the innerdress of the gown and pulled on the lingerie. The lace felt expensive against my skin—nothing like the cheap cotton I usually wore. I caught my reflection in the mirror and stopped. Holy sh!t. I looked... good. Better than good. The black lace made my curves look hot. My @ss looked amazing in the th0ng. My wa!st looked tiny. My b00bs actually looked fuller. Marcus had bought me clothes before—nice things, expensive things—but they always felt like costumes. Like I was playing dress-up as someone I wasn't. This felt like me. "d@mn," I said to my reflection. "Maybe I should almost-die more often." The chains dragged across stone again. Closer now. I grabbed the bed sheet and wrapped it around myself like the world's sxiest toga. "fvck it. Let's go save a cursed alpha or die trying. What's the worst that could happen?" I tried the door. It opened. "Okay, not locked. That's... either good or very bad." I stepped into the hallway. The palace was dark, lit only by torches along the walls. The chain sounds were coming from my left. I took two steps and heard someone clear their thr0@t behind me. I spun around. Marcus was standing there, looking like he'd been lurking outside my door for hours. His hair was messy, his shirt untucked, and he had that desperate puppy-dog look that used to make me melt. Now it just p!ssed me off. "What the he11 are you wearing?" His eyes dragged over me. Over the sheet that was barely covering the lingerie. "Are you already a wh0re for my uncle?" My jaw dropped. "Excuse me?" "You heard me." He stepped closer. "End this, Remi. Tell him it was a mistake. Tell him you were confused. He'll understand—" "I'm your aunt now, Marcus." I crossed my arms. "Better show some respect." His face twisted. "Stop saying that—" "Aunt Remi. Has a nice ring to it, don't you think?" "This is insane!" He grabbed my arm. "You don't belong here. You belong with me. I'll announce it to everyone—tell them who you are to me. My family will accept you—" "Marcus!" We both turned. Sophie was standing at the end of the hallway in a silk nightgown, looking perfectly composed even at whatever-the-he11-hour this was. "I couldn't sleep," she said sweetly. "I have a terrible headache. Can you get me something?" Marcus looked between us. T0rn. "Marcus," Sophie called again, sharper this time. He hesitated for one more second. Then he turned and walked toward her. Just like I knew he would. I watched them disappear around the corner, Sophie's hand sliding possessively around his arm. "Exactly like in the books," I muttered. "Foolish girl in love with her boyfriend while he gets manipulated by the scheming other woman through acts of fake kindness. Classic." I shook my head. "Not my problem anymore." The chains rattled again. I followed the sound down one hallway—past rooms with closed doors and sleeping guards who didn't even notice me. And then I saw him. Nero was in the middle of the corridor, chains dragging behind him from both wrists. But his eyes were empty. Glazed over like glass. Like he was looking at something I couldn't see. His chst was bare, covered in sweat, and he was walking straight toward the open balcony at the end of the hall. Straight toward a four-story drop onto stone courtyard. "Nero!" He didn't respond or even blink. "NERO, STOP!" Nothing. He kept walking. I ran toward him. "Hey! Cursed Alpha! I'm talking to you!" Still nothing. I grabbed his arm. He was burning up—fever-hot and trembling. "Nero, please. It's me. It's Remi. You need to wake up." His eyes stayed empty. He took another step toward the balcony. Ten feet away now. "Okay, fvck this." I planted myself in front of him. Pushed against his chst. "I'm the one who's supposed to die from this stvpid curse, not you. So stop trying to steal my thunder." He walked right through me. Literally pushed me aside like I weighed nothing. I was panicking now. What the he11 was I supposed to do? I couldn't physically stop him—he was twice my size and clearly not conscious. "Think, Remi. Think." And then it hit me. "Oh god. This is so cliche. This is the most cliche thing I've ever done in my entire life." He was three feet from the edge. "But I've been dying to kiss him anyway, so..." I grabbed his face with both hands and kissed him. For a second, nothing happened. He was still walking forward, still pulling me toward the drop, and I was thinking well, this is it, we're both going over— Then his eyes snapped open. But they weren't his eyes. They were glowing silver. Pure wolf. He kissed me back. Hard. Like he'd been starving for it. His hands came up, one sliding into my hair, the other gripping my wa!st. He turned me around and slammed me against the wall so hard I gasped against his m0uth. The sheet fell. I was in nothing but the lingerie now, and his hands were sliding down my sides, gripping my th!gh, pulling me closer. "Nero—" He cut me off with another kiss. Deeper this time. His t0ngve swept into my m0uth and my br@in short-circuited. Holy sh!t. This wasn't a gentle kiss. His wolf had taken over, and it wanted me. My own wolf was howling with approval, practically doing backfl!ps. His hand slid higher up my th!gh, f!ngers digging into my skin. I should've stopped him. Should've pulled away. Instead, I kissed him back harder. My hands explored his bare chst, his shoulders, the hard planes of his back. He made a sound low in his thr0@t—half-growl, half-gr0an—and it sent heat straight through me. His m0uth moved to my neck. To the spot where a mate mark would go. "fvck," I breathed. He bit down. Not hard enough to break skin, but enough to make me gasp. Enough to make my knees weak. I was literally melting against him. His hand slid up my ribs, thumb brushing the underside of my breas+ through the lace— "WHAT IN THE MOON GODDESS'S NAME IS HAPPENING OUT HERE?" We froze. Nero's mother was standing at the end of the hallway, flanked by two guards and looking absolutely scandalized. "Nero Blackwater, you remove your hands from that girl RIGHT NOW—" "I was saving his life." I said, trying to catch my breath. My l!ps felt swollen. My hair was a mess."Saving his—" She looked like she might explode. "You expect me to believe—" "He was sleepwalking," I interrupted. "About to walk off that balcony." I pointed at the open drop behind us. "I stopped him. You're welcome." His mum looked down. At the chains. At the broken locks dangling from the cuffs. "How..." Her voice went quiet. Dangerous. "How did you open the chains?" "I didn't—" "They were locked to his bedframe. Blessed iron. They don't just open." She grabbed one of the cuffs, examining it. "Someone unlocked them. Who?" "I don't know!" I looked at Nero. "I found him like this—" Nero's eyes finally focused. On me. On where we were. On how close we were standing. On the fact that I was half-n@ked and his hands were still on my body. He stepped back like I'd burned him. "What..." His voice was rough. Confused. "What just happened?" Everyone looked at me. My face burned. "I... kissed you." "You what?" "It worked in movies," I said defensively. "I didn't know what else to do." Nero stared at me. Then at the balcony. Then back at me. "No one's ever..." He shook his head. "No one's ever been able to wake me from the sleepwalking curse before. Ever." "Well, apparently kisses work," I said. His mother made a disgusted sound. "This is absurd. She probably unlocked the chains herself to stage this whole—" "I didn't unlock anything!" I snapped. "I found him like this. I stopped him from ki11ing himself. And frankly, a 'thank you' would be nice." Nero was still staring at me. His eyes dragged over me—over the lingerie, the flushed skin, my swollen l!ps. Then his face went cold. "Who are you?.. Who sent you?" he said quietly. I blinked. "What?" I stared at him. At this man who'd just kissed me like he was drowning and I was air. "No one sent me," I said. "I'm just a bartender who made a really stvpid decision to surprise her cheating boyfriend." "I don't believe you. Everyone go to bed. I’ll address this tomorrow" Nero commanded That hurt more than it should have. My l!ps still tingled from his kiss. My skin still burned where he'd touched me. And my wolf was howling because our mate—and he WAS our mate, I could feel it now. "fvck my life," I whispered. My wolf whined in agreement. Chapter 5: You Were My Favorite REMI POV "You stink." I jolted awake to find Nero hovering over me in bed. Actually hovering. Like a creep. "What the—" I shoved at his ch*st. "Is this your kink or something?" "I needed to confirm you were still alive." He didn't move. Just kept staring at me with those intense silver eyes. " You made it to day two." "Congratulations to me. Now get off." "Your breath," he said flatly. "It smells like something died in your m0uth." My face burned. "Well, you locked me in here without clothes or a toothbrush, so excuse me for not being minty fresh." He leaned closer. Inhaled at my neck this time. "Nero, what are you—" "Your scent. Underneath the bad breath and fear." His voice was rough. "It's distracting." Heat flooded through me. "Distracting how?" His eyes met mine Hungry. "The kind of distracting that makes me want to keep you tied in this bed all day." My breath caught. Then he pulled back and stood. "But you still need to fix that breath situation. I'll have my mother send clothes." "Wait, about last night—" "Last night is irrelevant." His voice went cold. "Oh, and I already sent your family the peace offering. For your death." "My what—" The door slammed. He left. I sat there, stunned. He'd just told me he wanted to keep me in bed all day. Then sent my family a death notice. What the actual fvck. Then I smelled my own breath. "Oh god. He's right. I smell like a dumpster." An hour later, I was sneaking through the palace hallways wrapped in a bedsheet like the world's worst toga. No clothes had arrived. My breath was still toxic. And I remembered my grandmother's remedy—tunise leaves. I'd seen a garden yesterday. I found it easily. Rows of herbs and flowers. And there—tunise, growing wild near the fountain. I plucked a handful, rubbed them between my palms, and started chewing. That's when I heard it. m0aning. "Oh, for fvck's sake," I muttered. "What kind of palace is this?" I moved toward the sound and froze. A man who looked exactly like Nero had a maid bent over a stone bench. Her dress hiked up. His pants around his ankles. He was fvcking her. Hard. Heat shot through me. I should've left. Should've turned around. But I couldn't stop watching. And worse—I couldn't stop imagining. Nero's hands instead of his. Nero's body. Nero bending me over that bench, his breath hot on my neck, his voice rough: "You've been driving me insane since you fell into my life." His hand sliding up my th!gh. Higher. "Tell me you want this." My th!ghs clenched. My wolf purred. Last night's kiss had awakened something hungry in me. Something that wanted him to stop holding back and just— "Enjoying the show?" I snapped back to reality. The man had stopped. The maid scurried away, adjusting her dress. He was staring directly at me. Smirking. "I wasn't—I didn't mean to—" "You're flushed." He grinned. "I'm Abel," he said. "Third-in-command. Nero's younger, better-looking brother." I stared at him. "You look exactly like him." "Except I'm handsome. And I actually know how to satisfy a woman. My face burned hotter. "Your whole family is sick. I'm leaving." "Says the girl wrapped in a bedsheet, watching strangers fvck in gardens." He tilted his head. "Did Nero fvck you so hard you're walking around with no clothes? Or is he just keeping you ready for whenever he wants another round?" "He didn't—we didn't—" "Really? Because you kissed him last night. Pretty desperately from what I heard." His eyes dragged over me. "And the way you were watching just now... you definitely want him to." "I'm leaving." "Running away? That's disappointing." He leaned in, voice dropping. "My brother's an idi0t, by the way. If you were mine, I wouldn't let you out of bed long enough to need clothes." I turned and practically ran. His laughter followed me. "Nice @ss, by the way! Nero's a lucky b@stard!" I was almost to my door when I saw her. Nero's mother. Leaving my room. A handkerchief pressed to her face. "Allergies," she said curtly when she noticed me staring. She walked past without another word. Inside, I found a dress laid out on the bed. Beautiful. Way nicer than I expected. Deep burgundy silk that looked expensive. I expected something ug1y. Like in the books where the evil mother-in-law gives the bride rags. There was a note attached: Wait to be summoned. I picked up the dress. It smelled like lavender and something sweet. Probably just expensive perfume. I bathed and dressed. The fabric felt amazing against my skin. I looked like a princess in the mirror. Maybe his mother was warming up to me after all. I was summoned an hour later. The council chamber was massive. At the head of the table sat Nero, flanked by Kade and Abel. On the other side of the table: other Alphas. Including Alpha Manuel from Riverside. My pack. And at the far end—Nero's mother. No. Wait. Two of her. Identical. Same silver hair. Same cold eyes. Same everything. Twins. When had there been two? Which one left my room this morning? "Remi Olandria Cross." Nero's voice cut through my confusion. "You have been summoned to answer charges of murder. Priscilla Ashford, my former bride. Her family is present." He gestured to a group of stone-faced wolves across from me. "How do you plead?" "Murder?" My voice cracked. "I thought—we're married. You said bride for bride—" "Yes, I married you. But you haven't been marked. You're not my mate. You're not the Luna of this pack." His voice was ice. "So you will answer for your crimes." He'd kissed me last night like I was everything. And now he was looking at me like I was nothing. A woman from Priscilla's family stood. "She ki11ed my sister deliberately. To steal her place as Luna. She should be handed over to us for punishment." "I didn't mean to—it was an accident—" "An accident?" The woman's voice rose. "You crashed a wedding, destroyed our family's honor, and murdered our daughter. Alpha Nero will do what's right. Won't you, Alpha? Or will you risk your position as Alpha of Alphas to protect a murderer?" Every eye in the room turned to Nero. He stood. Walked toward me slowly. Stopped inches away. "You want the truth?" His voice dropped low enough that only I could hear. "I was curious. You fell into my life and I wondered if maybe you were different. If you could break the curse." He paused. "But you can't. You're going to die like the rest. And I'd rather hand you over now than watch you die in my arms. "Each word was a knife. Don't cry. Don't give him the satisfaction. "Funny. You didn't seem to think that when your hands were all over me last night. Or was that growling I heard just indigestion?"I shot back Someone gasped. Priscilla's brother stepped forward. "Since she's just your bride and not your mate or Luna, it's time to let us have her. As payment for ki11ing our sister, she'll be taken to our pack. Punished. Disgraced. Ki11ed." I was shaking. Nero looked at me. Something fl!ckered in his eyes. Then it was gone. "Yes," he said. "Take her. She was going to die anyway." No. Priscilla's brother grabbed my arm. Yanked me toward him. "Come here, slvt. You thought you could seduce your way into the Alpha's bed..My brothers will have fun between your legs." Nero moved faster than I'd ever seen anyone move. His fist connected with the man's jaw. The crack echoed through the chamber. "Don't you EVER." Nero's voice was deadly quiet. "Call. My wife. A slvt." He looked at the rest of Priscilla's family. "Touch her, and I'll personally castrate every male in your bloodline." Everyone froze. "Nero," Kade said carefully. "People are watching. You have to choose—peace with the alphas, or her." "I don't care." Nero's eyes flashed silver. "I'm the Alpha of Alphas. Everyone here answers to me. She's not going anywhere." My heart was pounding. He'd just—he'd defended me. After everything he'd said. Then the room started spinning. "Remi?" Kade's voice sounded distant. Heat. So much heat. Like my blood was boiling. I touched my nose. Came away with blood. "The curse," someone whispered. "It's taking her." My legs gave out. Nero caught me before I hit the ground. "No." His voice cracked. "Not yet. You're supposed to be special—" More blood. From my eyes now. My ears. Everything hurt. "I thought she was the one," I heard Kade say. "I guess she wasn't." Nero lifted me. I felt him moving. Carrying me. His room. His father's old room. He laid me on the bed. "You were my favorite," he whispered, touching my face. I wanted to tell him I'd figured it out. The dress. The taste of tunise still bitter on my t0ngve. But the darkness was pulling me under. My eyes closed. My heart stopped. Everything went black. Complete and total silence. The seventh bride was gone. The curse had won again. Nero walked to the door and stopped with his hand on the handle. Looked back one last time at her body on the bed. Then left. The door cl!cked shut. Darkness. Minutes passed. Then— My f!nger twitched. Just once. So small anyone watching would've missed it. But no one was watching. My ch*st rose. Fell. Rose again. A breath. Shallow. Weak. But alive. I gasped awake, screaming. Black liquid poured from my m0uth, splattering the sheets, moving, crawling, and carving runes that looked like the drawings in Nero’s sketchbook. “NERO!” I screamed. My hands flew to my thr0@t, claws digging in as blood spilled. “I was poisoned,” I whispered. “There is no curse.” The runes pulsed once more on the sheet—then vanished into my skin. Whatever poisoned me... it wasn't done. The door creaked open. Nero’s mother stood in the threshold, handkerchief still clutched in her hand. Her silver eyes widened in shock. She stepped inside, closing the door softly behind her. “You’re supposed to be dead,” she said “All of them were.” Footsteps thundered down the hall..Nero, too late. Her l!ps curved. “But I can fix that.”

I was a product of r@pe. My mom died of giving birth to me. No one wanted me; my four brothers insulted me, tearing me apart bit by bit with their words. For sixteen years, I lived like a mouse, carefully obeying every rule they wrote on paper. Until I made up my mind: I would leave this place and start living a life that belonged to me. And that was when they lost their minds. “You are nothing but a walking curse.” My four brothers made sure I never forgot I was a product of raape. Mom also died of giving birth to me. From that moment, every day they tore into me with words—sharp, casual, endless. For sixteen years, I lived like a mouse, carefully obeying every rule they wrote on paper. The only time I could breathe was when the blade sliced my skin. Until the day I decided to leave forever. I would go somewhere no one knew my name, somewhere I could finally exist without apology. This should be exactly what they wanted, right? But why did they lose their minds? - I was an illegitimate child, the product of raape. My mom gave her life to bring me into this world. Since then, my four brothers took much delight in reminding me that I killed our mom and destroyed the family the moment I took my first breath. No one wanted me. I was the sinner of this family. I had long since accepted this fact, but it still hurt. Today was my 16-year-old birthday, also the day I dread most in the year. I admired my brothers, who can laugh and rejoice on their birthday. Cake. Presents. People singing off-key and laughing. But I didn't deserve any of it, and I never would. In my room, I curled myself in the corner, pulled my knees up, wrapped my arms around them as tears fell down and made a little puddle on the floor. My eyes drifted up to the crumpled paper on the wall across where I sat. It was the rules my brothers set for me. They were boldly written in red marker against the dirty yellow paper to represent me, dirty and unwanted. Rule 1: Do NOT speak to us unless we speak to you first. They rarely talk to me, and even when they do, it's just to insult me. Rule 2: Do NOT look at us in the eye. I don't deserve respect. Rule 3: Do NOT stay in the same room with us for more than 5 minutes unless it's mealtime. But there were times when I was just eating normally, and they'd still curse at me and punish me anyway. So clearly, they were the rules themselves. At the bottom of the rules was written in bolder than the rules: IF VIOLATED, THE CONSEQUENCES WILL BE AT YOUR OWN RISK. They made sure I understood from a very young age that I wasn't worthy of love. They never laid a hand on me physically, but they broke me with verbal abvse and emotional manipulation. That was all they knew how to do. I told myself I should feel grateful they never hurt my body. I wiped my face with the sleeve of my hoodie. The fabric was already damp. I looked at my arms where were covered in self-harm scars. The fresh cuts were still healing under the long sleeves. The pain from those cuts gave me a tiny bit of relief from the constant agony I endured every day. I remember the first time I tried to end it, I was eight. I didn't know what raape meant back then. Then I read the definition on the internet, read what it did to women, read what it meant for kids born that way. That night I took a kitchen knife and sat on the floor of my room trying to figure out where to put it. My eldest brother Ryder found me, and he took me to the hospital. When I woke up in bed with the white sheets and the beeping machines, he was sitting in the chair. He looked at me coldly and his every word felt like a slap. "You already ruined our lives once," he said. "You really trying to do it again? You made us spend money on you for nothing. Stupid and selfish. Remember that, without my permission, you're not allowed to die." Just thinking about it makes it hard to breathe. I closed my eyes and tried to slow my breathing. When my heart finally stopped hammering so hard, Lily's face appeared in my mind. She was my cousin. One year younger than me. The only person who was ever kind to me. Whenever she comes over, she finds a way to slip upstairs. Sometimes she brings little bags of chips or candy bars she bought with her allowance. Sometimes she brings books she finished and thinks I'll like. Most of the time she just sits on the floor with me and talks. About school. About stupid TikTok videos. About anything that isn't this house. She always says the same thing before she leaves. "This wasn't your fault. It's no one's fault." I wanted to believe her so badly. But when she left and the house got quiet again, the words felt farther away. The wall clock ticked causing me to glance up. It was 5 o'clock, and in another half an hour, my relatives would arrive to commemorate my mother's death anniversary. I had to be there, not because I was needed but because they needed someone to blame. I'm used to it. I stood up from the corner, and my legs felt numb from sitting curled up for too long. I stumbled into the bathroom and leaned against the sink, staring up at my thin reflection in the mirror, from the small frame to the red eyes and pale skin, I looked so emaciated, and yet, they still called me ‘fat pig'. Whenever they wanted to punish me, my brothers would withhold my food for days, causing me to starve. I got used to it over time that eating made me sick sometimes. I became anorexic, as the internet said. Lily got scared when she knew that. She started texting me at night. "Please eat something, Harp. Even just a little. I don't want to lose you." I didn't want to lose her either. So I started sneaking down to the kitchen after midnight when everyone was asleep. I'd open the fridge, grab whatever was left, like cold rice, a piece of chicken someone forgot to throw away, or half a sandwich, and force it down standing at the counter. I opened the drawer under mirror and took out the concealer I'd bought with the little money Lily slipped me last month. I dotted it under my eyes, patted it in with shaky fingers. Then I rolled up my sleeves just enough to cover the worst of the scars and smeared more over them. Layer after layer until the red lines disappeared. They didn't need to know. I didn't want to give them one more reason to tell me how ugly I was. I knew better than anyone how worthless I was. Chapter 02 Harper's POV I changed into my black skirt. Downstairs, voices drifted up. I knew relatives came the second I heard my name mixed in with swear words. The way they said "Harper" made it sound like a curse. I could almost feel the hate leaking through the walls and into my room. The door opened without a knock. Our maid, Mina stood there, arms crossed, looking at me like I was something stuck to the bottom of her shoe. "Go downstairs, bestard," she said. Then she made a face, twisting her lips. She would never dare speak to me this way in front of my brothers, in front of them, she played the dutiful maid. But when they weren't around, she made my life a living hel in all the small, cruel ways she could manage. Not that my brothers would care if they knew. "Coming," My voice came out hoarse. Mina didn't move from the doorway, forcing me to squeeze past her. I took a deep breath at the top of the stairs, trying to prepare myself for what was coming. ‘Just survive it as usual' I tried hard to calm myself. Each step down felt like walking toward my own execution. "Oh, look, the bestard's here." Their sharp voices drifted over. Even I kept my head lowered, eyes fixed on the stairs beneath my feet, I could feel their stares that could drop me to the ground. I just wanted to die. Ryder sat at the head of the table after Dad passed away last year. He never hit me or yelled at me, but his indifference was somehow worse. He let my brothers do whatever they wanted and never said a word to stop them. I walked past him cautiously and found my seat. Across from me sat Grayson and Colton, my third and fourth brothers. Only three years older than me, but they hated me the most. They were the ones who came up with the rules. The ones who made sure I followed them. . To my left was my second brother Logan. He didn't say mean things out loud as much as the others, but he did other stuff like destroyed my things, putting something bad in my water or meal. To my right sat Aunt Vanissa. Lily's mom. Everytime she stared at me like I was the murdered to kill her sister. Maybe I was. My plate had almost nothing on it. A few soggy vegetables. Two small pieces of bread. No meat. I picked up my fork and tried to eat. My stomach twisted right away. I swallowed it once, twice. Then a small retch escaped before I could stop it. Aunt Vanissa laughed. Sharp. "Oh look, the princess thinks the food isn't good enough for her. If it's not to your taste, darling, maybe you shouldn't eat at all." Colton leaned forward, grinning. "Seriously. She's been mooching off us since the day she crawled out and killed Mom." The words landed like punches. I gripped my fork tighter and my knuckles turned white. ‘Just ignore them' I said in my heart. Aunt Vanissa reached over suddenly. She grabbed my plate and tipped it. Hot soup poured straight onto my lap and chest. It soaked through my dress instantly. The burn hit hard, sharp, stinging pain that spread across my skin. I gasped. Tears rushed to my eyes, but I blinked them back fast. Everyone laughed. Just quiet chuckles, like they were sharing a joke I wasn't allowed in on. Lily was the only one who didn't laugh. I lowered my head more and kept picking at the hem of my shirt, trying to breathe through the pain. "I still don't understand," Colten said, his voice casual, "why Mom even kept you in the first place? What's the point?" "She's useless anyway. She belongs curled up in the corner like a dog, eating whatever scraps we leave behind." "Oh, today's your birthday, right? Happy birthday to our walking curse!" "Curse!" I didn't even know who said them. Their voices blended into the laughter, stabbing me over and over like blades straight to the heart. And finally, they made it, they broken me. I couldn’t take it anymore. My chair scraped violently against the floor as I shot to my feet. I didn't say anything nor look at anyone. I just moved, stumbling toward the stairs, desperate to escape. Then my foot caught on something. Someone had stuck their leg out their leg and suddenly I was falling. My knees cracked against the tile. Pain exploded up my legs. My palms hit next, skin scraping. "Oops," someone said behind me. Colten or Grayson, I could barely recognise their voice in pain. "Did you trip, Harper?" Another voice, mocking. "You should really watch where you are going." I wiped my face with the back of my hand. Slowly, I pushed myself up. My knees shook. My palms burned. I walked the rest of the way without looking back. I reached my room. I slammed the door shut and locked it, then immediately collapsed against it, sliding down until I was sitting on the floor. My breathing came in short, broken pieces. Then my eyes landed on the wall. There was a new photo of my mother. Someone had printed it big and taped it up. She looked beautiful while smiling. Next to it was a picture of me. My school photo from last year. Someone had drawn over my face with black marker with ugly lines and crossed-out eyes. And in bright red pen, right across my forehead: MURDERER. I didn't know when and who put it there, but everything I'd been holding back broke loose. I lunged forward. My hands shook as I ripped my photo off the wall. The tape tore. Pieces fluttered to the floor. I kept tearing up until nothing was left but scraps. Then I dropped to my knees in front of my mother's picture. Tears fell fast. "Why…" My voice came out hoarse. "Why did you give birth to me? Why didn't you just… let me die with you?" I stared at her face. But she kept smiling. Like she didn't know what she'd left behind. Chapter 03 Harper's POV I opened the drawer with trembling hands and took the knife hidden in it. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, pressing the cold blade against my skin. I felt numb as it cut through. I watched the blood drip down and I didn’t feel the sting. Not really. The physical pain was nothing compared to the ache that lived inside me every second. This just made the inside hurt a little less for a few minutes. That was all I wanted. I tried my best to limit it to once a week, but it was hard. I cleaned the blade and returned it to the drawer. Then I took off my clothes, pulled out the gauze I kept and began wrapping and dealed with the scald. Outside, birds flew past in small groups. They looked so free. I had tried to leave more than once, but every single time they dragged me back and punished me even more severely. Gradually, I accpeted my fate, but still couldn't control myself to dreame that my family would love me, accept me, treat me as one of their own instead of the daughter of a raapist. I've dreamed that on this day, they'd celebrate my birthday with joy. But I was wrong. Dreams don't come true. Not for me. Maybe it was time to end it. I let out a long breath, and picked up the pen to write something for my brothers. Then the knock at my door made me freeze and hide the letter in my drawer. My heart was released when I heard the five rhythmic taps. Lily. I rushed to unlock the door. She slipped inside quickly, her eyes darting nervously down the hallway before she closed and locked it behind her. "Harper, are you okay? God." She took my hand gently and pulled me to sit on the bed, her fingers carefully examining the angry red marks. "I already treated them," I told her softly. "It's no big deal. They'll heal." She exhaled shakily. Then she reached into her pocket and pulled out several small bags of dried prunes, pressing them into my hands like precious treasures. "I brought these for you," she said. "I know you haven't eaten anything real today." I smiled. She knew that these sweet-and-sour dried fruits were one of the few things I could force down. "Thank you," I whispered. She leaned in and hugged me tight. Her arm brushed against the fresh cut I'd just made. I flinched before I could hide it. She froze. Then she grabbed my arm, turning it toward the light. The gauze had a bright red spot blooming through. Her mouth dropped open. "Harper…" Her voice cracked. "You promised. You promised you wouldn't do it again." "I really am trying to quit, Lily. But it's… It's too hard. I can't—" Tears spilled down her cheeks. She was crying for me again, she was always crying for me. She shook her head hard and wrapped her arms around me again. "It's going to be okay," she whispered into my hair. "It has to be okay." "Really?"I buried my face in the crook of her neck. For a second, I let myself feel it, the warmth, the safety, and the one good thing in this whole house. Then I pulled back and looked at her. "I'm leaving." She blinked. "What?" "I'm leaving this place," I said more firmly, "This helhole. I don't know where I'll go yet, but anywhere has to be better than here. But I need your help." Lily was silent for a long moment as she held my hand. "I support you," she said, voice shaking. "Whatever you need, I'm with you." Ryder's POV I jerked awake with a scream caught in my throat. "Mom!" I was sitting up in bed, chest heaving, sheets twisted around my legs. In my hand I held the old photo I kept on my nightstand where Mom was smiling with her arms around the four of us boys. No Harper. The picture was taken two months before she got pregnant. Before everything went wrong. I stared at her face in the dim light from the hallway. Yesterday had been the anniversary. Sixteen years since she died giving birth to that… thing. Sixteen years since I lost her. In the dream she was back in the hospital bed. Pale. Weak. Machines beeping. She reached up with a shaky hand and touched my cheek. "Ryder," she whispered. "Promise me. Promise you'll take care of your little sister. Treat Harper like family. Like your sister." I shook my head hard. "No. That monster isn't one of us. She did this to you. She made you suffer." Mom's eyes filled with tears. "She's innocent, Ryder. She didn't ask for any of this. She's your sister. Please." Her hand slipped off my face. Her eyes closed. The machines flatlined. I screamed her name in the dream, same as I screamed it now. I pressed the photo to my chest. My breathing was ragged. I hadn't slept right in years. Not since that day. Every night I saw her face. Every day I saw Harper's. If it was up to me, Harper wouldn't carry our last name. She wouldn't live in this house. She wouldn't breathe the same air we did. She ruined everything. She took Mom away and left us with nothing but pain and anger. On the day of the funeral I stood by the grave with my brothers and made a promise to myself. I would make sure Harper paid for it. Every single day. I would make her life so miserable she'd wish she'd never been born. Chapter 04 Ryder's POV I still don't get it. Why did Mom want her in the first place? Harper. The name alone makes my stomach turn. Except for Lily, no one in this family can stand the sight of her. Not really. Dad used to pretend she didn’t exist. The twins treated her like a punching bag. Logan did his quiet, twisted games. And me? I'd spent years making sure she felt every bit of the poison she brought into this house. After Dad passed away due to illness last year, I took over the Wilson Group. I grabbed my phone from the nightstand. Today's schedule popped up right away. I was to meet Damon Ashford, CEO of Ashford Group. Our companies have been competitors for years, smiling at each other in public and knives out behind closed doors. Dad was always said before we can't push too hard yet. Ashford's bigger, has deeper pockets. But if we can land even one joint project, Wilson Group gets a real shot at turning the tables down the line. I wasn't excited. I was just ready to get it over with. I showered fast, shaved, pulled on a dark gray suit, white shirt, no tie. Professional. Dad likes me to look when we're dealing with people like Damon. When I came down the stairs, the house felt off. Too quiet. Normally this time of morning I'd hear the twins already going at it, laughing and throwing insults at Harper while she sat there shrinking into her chair. Today? Nothing. Just the clink of forks and low voices. I stepped into the dining room. Colton looked up from his plate. "You're late." I ignored him. He was nineteen going on twelve sometimes. Still acted like everything was a game. I scanned the table. Then, without really thinking why, I asked, "Where's Harper?" The question hung there. My brothers looked at me like I'd grown a second head. I never asked about her. I never cared where she was. The less I saw of her, the better I felt. Grayson raised an eyebrow. "Why do you care?" "I don't," I said flatly. "Just asking." Colton snorted. "Probably still hiding in her room like the coward she is." Grayson turned his head toward the doorway. "Mina!" The maid appeared almost instantly. "Yes, sir?" "Call Harper down," Grayson said. "Tell her breakfast is ready." Mina nodded and disappeared up the stairs. We waited. I poured myself coffee and leaned back in my chair, already half-checked out. Let them have their fun. I'd watch. Same as always. A few minutes later Mina came back. She looked nervous. "She didn't answer, sir. I knocked. Called her name. Nothing." Colton laughed. "What, now she's too good to come down? Lazy pig." Grayson smirked. "When she finally drags herself out, we should make her cry extra hard today. Birthday hangover." I stayed quiet. Sipped my coffee. Let them talk. But something felt wrong. The quiet wasn't right. I set the mug down harder than I meant to. "I'll check." I stood up. My brothers exchanged looks but followed anyway. We climbed the stairs in a line, me first, then Grayson, Colton, and Logan trailing behind. I didn't knock when we reached her door. I just pushed it open. She was gone. "What the hel?" Grayson breathed. I moved further into the room, my eyes taking in every detail. Colten walked to her desk, then froze. "There's blood here," he said, pointing at dark spots on the floor. Grayson opened her desk drawer and pulled out a small knife. The blade was stained with dried blood. He stared at it in disbelief and maybe fear. He turned to me, eyes wide. "She cut herself." "What?" I felt my jaw tighten. She cut herself just for a small teasing? Colton was already at her closet. He pulled the doors open. "Everything is here. She took off with nothing but what she was wearing." Logan stayed near the door, arms crossed. He didn't say anything. I didn't know what I was supposed to feel. This was what we wanted, wasn't it? Her gone. Out of the house. Out of our lives. No more reminder. No more walking curse. So why did my chest feel tight? At that moment, hurried footsteps echoed from downstairs. Lily burst into the room, panting heavily, clutching her phone tightly. "Harper! She…" Lily's voice cracked. "What's wrong with her?" I asked. Tears spilled down her face in an instant. "Last night Harper told me she wanted to go see the ocean… I thought she just needed some time alone… I didn't think… when I woke up, I saw this." She thrust the phone toward me, her hand shaking violently. I snatched it from her. The words on the screen hit like a blade straight to the chest. Dear Lily, By the time you read this, I will already be sleeping in the sea. Please don't be sad for me. Be happy instead. Because I'm finally free! Under my pillow there's a letter that I wanted to say to my brothers. Please make sure they get it. Don't miss me. I wish you all the happiness in the world. "No!" Colton was the first to shout, his voice in panic. Grayson's face was pale. He stood frozen. Logan's eyes were already red. He lifted the pillow and pulled out the letter. I took it from him. My fingers shook so badly I could hardly unfold the paper. Line after line, the words exploded in my mind like bombs.

“You are nothing but a walking curse.” My four brothers made sure I never forgot I was a product of raape. Mom also died of giving birth to me. From that moment, every day they tore into me with words—sharp, casual, endless. For sixteen years, I lived like a mouse, carefully obeying every rule they wrote on paper. The only time I could breathe was when the blade sliced my skin. Until the day I decided to leave forever. I would go somewhere no one knew my name, somewhere I could finally exist without apology. This should be exactly what they wanted, right? But why did they lose their minds? - I was an illegitimate child, the product of raape. My mom gave her life to bring me into this world. Since then, my four brothers took much delight in reminding me that I killed our mom and destroyed the family the moment I took my first breath. No one wanted me. I was the sinner of this family. I had long since accepted this fact, but it still hurt. Today was my 16-year-old birthday, also the day I dread most in the year. I admired my brothers, who can laugh and rejoice on their birthday. Cake. Presents. People singing off-key and laughing. But I didn't deserve any of it, and I never would. In my room, I curled myself in the corner, pulled my knees up, wrapped my arms around them as tears fell down and made a little puddle on the floor. My eyes drifted up to the crumpled paper on the wall across where I sat. It was the rules my brothers set for me. They were boldly written in red marker against the dirty yellow paper to represent me, dirty and unwanted. Rule 1: Do NOT speak to us unless we speak to you first. They rarely talk to me, and even when they do, it's just to insult me. Rule 2: Do NOT look at us in the eye. I don't deserve respect. Rule 3: Do NOT stay in the same room with us for more than 5 minutes unless it's mealtime. But there were times when I was just eating normally, and they'd still curse at me and punish me anyway. So clearly, they were the rules themselves. At the bottom of the rules was written in bolder than the rules: IF VIOLATED, THE CONSEQUENCES WILL BE AT YOUR OWN RISK. They made sure I understood from a very young age that I wasn't worthy of love. They never laid a hand on me physically, but they broke me with verbal abvse and emotional manipulation. That was all they knew how to do. I told myself I should feel grateful they never hurt my body. I wiped my face with the sleeve of my hoodie. The fabric was already damp. I looked at my arms where were covered in self-harm scars. The fresh cuts were still healing under the long sleeves. The pain from those cuts gave me a tiny bit of relief from the constant agony I endured every day. I remember the first time I tried to end it, I was eight. I didn't know what raape meant back then. Then I read the definition on the internet, read what it did to women, read what it meant for kids born that way. That night I took a kitchen knife and sat on the floor of my room trying to figure out where to put it. My eldest brother Ryder found me, and he took me to the hospital. When I woke up in bed with the white sheets and the beeping machines, he was sitting in the chair. He looked at me coldly and his every word felt like a slap. "You already ruined our lives once," he said. "You really trying to do it again? You made us spend money on you for nothing. Stupid and selfish. Remember that, without my permission, you're not allowed to die." Just thinking about it makes it hard to breathe. I closed my eyes and tried to slow my breathing. When my heart finally stopped hammering so hard, Lily's face appeared in my mind. She was my cousin. One year younger than me. The only person who was ever kind to me. Whenever she comes over, she finds a way to slip upstairs. Sometimes she brings little bags of chips or candy bars she bought with her allowance. Sometimes she brings books she finished and thinks I'll like. Most of the time she just sits on the floor with me and talks. About school. About stupid TikTok videos. About anything that isn't this house. She always says the same thing before she leaves. "This wasn't your fault. It's no one's fault." I wanted to believe her so badly. But when she left and the house got quiet again, the words felt farther away. The wall clock ticked causing me to glance up. It was 5 o'clock, and in another half an hour, my relatives would arrive to commemorate my mother's death anniversary. I had to be there, not because I was needed but because they needed someone to blame. I'm used to it. I stood up from the corner, and my legs felt numb from sitting curled up for too long. I stumbled into the bathroom and leaned against the sink, staring up at my thin reflection in the mirror, from the small frame to the red eyes and pale skin, I looked so emaciated, and yet, they still called me ‘fat pig'. Whenever they wanted to punish me, my brothers would withhold my food for days, causing me to starve. I got used to it over time that eating made me sick sometimes. I became anorexic, as the internet said. Lily got scared when she knew that. She started texting me at night. "Please eat something, Harp. Even just a little. I don't want to lose you." I didn't want to lose her either. So I started sneaking down to the kitchen after midnight when everyone was asleep. I'd open the fridge, grab whatever was left, like cold rice, a piece of chicken someone forgot to throw away, or half a sandwich, and force it down standing at the counter. I opened the drawer under mirror and took out the concealer I'd bought with the little money Lily slipped me last month. I dotted it under my eyes, patted it in with shaky fingers. Then I rolled up my sleeves just enough to cover the worst of the scars and smeared more over them. Layer after layer until the red lines disappeared. They didn't need to know. I didn't want to give them one more reason to tell me how ugly I was. I knew better than anyone how worthless I was. Chapter 02 Harper's POV I changed into my black skirt. Downstairs, voices drifted up. I knew relatives came the second I heard my name mixed in with swear words. The way they said "Harper" made it sound like a curse. I could almost feel the hate leaking through the walls and into my room. The door opened without a knock. Our maid, Mina stood there, arms crossed, looking at me like I was something stuck to the bottom of her shoe. "Go downstairs, bestard," she said. Then she made a face, twisting her lips. She would never dare speak to me this way in front of my brothers, in front of them, she played the dutiful maid. But when they weren't around, she made my life a living hel in all the small, cruel ways she could manage. Not that my brothers would care if they knew. "Coming," My voice came out hoarse. Mina didn't move from the doorway, forcing me to squeeze past her. I took a deep breath at the top of the stairs, trying to prepare myself for what was coming. ‘Just survive it as usual' I tried hard to calm myself. Each step down felt like walking toward my own execution. "Oh, look, the bestard's here." Their sharp voices drifted over. Even I kept my head lowered, eyes fixed on the stairs beneath my feet, I could feel their stares that could drop me to the ground. I just wanted to die. Ryder sat at the head of the table after Dad passed away last year. He never hit me or yelled at me, but his indifference was somehow worse. He let my brothers do whatever they wanted and never said a word to stop them. I walked past him cautiously and found my seat. Across from me sat Grayson and Colton, my third and fourth brothers. Only three years older than me, but they hated me the most. They were the ones who came up with the rules. The ones who made sure I followed them. . To my left was my second brother Logan. He didn't say mean things out loud as much as the others, but he did other stuff like destroyed my things, putting something bad in my water or meal. To my right sat Aunt Vanissa. Lily's mom. Everytime she stared at me like I was the murdered to kill her sister. Maybe I was. My plate had almost nothing on it. A few soggy vegetables. Two small pieces of bread. No meat. I picked up my fork and tried to eat. My stomach twisted right away. I swallowed it once, twice. Then a small retch escaped before I could stop it. Aunt Vanissa laughed. Sharp. "Oh look, the princess thinks the food isn't good enough for her. If it's not to your taste, darling, maybe you shouldn't eat at all." Colton leaned forward, grinning. "Seriously. She's been mooching off us since the day she crawled out and killed Mom." The words landed like punches. I gripped my fork tighter and my knuckles turned white. ‘Just ignore them' I said in my heart. Aunt Vanissa reached over suddenly. She grabbed my plate and tipped it. Hot soup poured straight onto my lap and chest. It soaked through my dress instantly. The burn hit hard, sharp, stinging pain that spread across my skin. I gasped. Tears rushed to my eyes, but I blinked them back fast. Everyone laughed. Just quiet chuckles, like they were sharing a joke I wasn't allowed in on. Lily was the only one who didn't laugh. I lowered my head more and kept picking at the hem of my shirt, trying to breathe through the pain. "I still don't understand," Colten said, his voice casual, "why Mom even kept you in the first place? What's the point?" "She's useless anyway. She belongs curled up in the corner like a dog, eating whatever scraps we leave behind." "Oh, today's your birthday, right? Happy birthday to our walking curse!" "Curse!" I didn't even know who said them. Their voices blended into the laughter, stabbing me over and over like blades straight to the heart. And finally, they made it, they broken me. I couldn’t take it anymore. My chair scraped violently against the floor as I shot to my feet. I didn't say anything nor look at anyone. I just moved, stumbling toward the stairs, desperate to escape. Then my foot caught on something. Someone had stuck their leg out their leg and suddenly I was falling. My knees cracked against the tile. Pain exploded up my legs. My palms hit next, skin scraping. "Oops," someone said behind me. Colten or Grayson, I could barely recognise their voice in pain. "Did you trip, Harper?" Another voice, mocking. "You should really watch where you are going." I wiped my face with the back of my hand. Slowly, I pushed myself up. My knees shook. My palms burned. I walked the rest of the way without looking back. I reached my room. I slammed the door shut and locked it, then immediately collapsed against it, sliding down until I was sitting on the floor. My breathing came in short, broken pieces. Then my eyes landed on the wall. There was a new photo of my mother. Someone had printed it big and taped it up. She looked beautiful while smiling. Next to it was a picture of me. My school photo from last year. Someone had drawn over my face with black marker with ugly lines and crossed-out eyes. And in bright red pen, right across my forehead: MURDERER. I didn't know when and who put it there, but everything I'd been holding back broke loose. I lunged forward. My hands shook as I ripped my photo off the wall. The tape tore. Pieces fluttered to the floor. I kept tearing up until nothing was left but scraps. Then I dropped to my knees in front of my mother's picture. Tears fell fast. "Why…" My voice came out hoarse. "Why did you give birth to me? Why didn't you just… let me die with you?" I stared at her face. But she kept smiling. Like she didn't know what she'd left behind. Chapter 03 Harper's POV I opened the drawer with trembling hands and took the knife hidden in it. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, pressing the cold blade against my skin. I felt numb as it cut through. I watched the blood drip down and I didn’t feel the sting. Not really. The physical pain was nothing compared to the ache that lived inside me every second. This just made the inside hurt a little less for a few minutes. That was all I wanted. I tried my best to limit it to once a week, but it was hard. I cleaned the blade and returned it to the drawer. Then I took off my clothes, pulled out the gauze I kept and began wrapping and dealed with the scald. Outside, birds flew past in small groups. They looked so free. I had tried to leave more than once, but every single time they dragged me back and punished me even more severely. Gradually, I accpeted my fate, but still couldn't control myself to dreame that my family would love me, accept me, treat me as one of their own instead of the daughter of a raapist. I've dreamed that on this day, they'd celebrate my birthday with joy. But I was wrong. Dreams don't come true. Not for me. Maybe it was time to end it. I let out a long breath, and picked up the pen to write something for my brothers. Then the knock at my door made me freeze and hide the letter in my drawer. My heart was released when I heard the five rhythmic taps. Lily. I rushed to unlock the door. She slipped inside quickly, her eyes darting nervously down the hallway before she closed and locked it behind her. "Harper, are you okay? God." She took my hand gently and pulled me to sit on the bed, her fingers carefully examining the angry red marks. "I already treated them," I told her softly. "It's no big deal. They'll heal." She exhaled shakily. Then she reached into her pocket and pulled out several small bags of dried prunes, pressing them into my hands like precious treasures. "I brought these for you," she said. "I know you haven't eaten anything real today." I smiled. She knew that these sweet-and-sour dried fruits were one of the few things I could force down. "Thank you," I whispered. She leaned in and hugged me tight. Her arm brushed against the fresh cut I'd just made. I flinched before I could hide it. She froze. Then she grabbed my arm, turning it toward the light. The gauze had a bright red spot blooming through. Her mouth dropped open. "Harper…" Her voice cracked. "You promised. You promised you wouldn't do it again." "I really am trying to quit, Lily. But it's… It's too hard. I can't—" Tears spilled down her cheeks. She was crying for me again, she was always crying for me. She shook her head hard and wrapped her arms around me again. "It's going to be okay," she whispered into my hair. "It has to be okay." "Really?"I buried my face in the crook of her neck. For a second, I let myself feel it, the warmth, the safety, and the one good thing in this whole house. Then I pulled back and looked at her. "I'm leaving." She blinked. "What?" "I'm leaving this place," I said more firmly, "This helhole. I don't know where I'll go yet, but anywhere has to be better than here. But I need your help." Lily was silent for a long moment as she held my hand. "I support you," she said, voice shaking. "Whatever you need, I'm with you." Ryder's POV I jerked awake with a scream caught in my throat. "Mom!" I was sitting up in bed, chest heaving, sheets twisted around my legs. In my hand I held the old photo I kept on my nightstand where Mom was smiling with her arms around the four of us boys. No Harper. The picture was taken two months before she got pregnant. Before everything went wrong. I stared at her face in the dim light from the hallway. Yesterday had been the anniversary. Sixteen years since she died giving birth to that… thing. Sixteen years since I lost her. In the dream she was back in the hospital bed. Pale. Weak. Machines beeping. She reached up with a shaky hand and touched my cheek. "Ryder," she whispered. "Promise me. Promise you'll take care of your little sister. Treat Harper like family. Like your sister." I shook my head hard. "No. That monster isn't one of us. She did this to you. She made you suffer." Mom's eyes filled with tears. "She's innocent, Ryder. She didn't ask for any of this. She's your sister. Please." Her hand slipped off my face. Her eyes closed. The machines flatlined. I screamed her name in the dream, same as I screamed it now. I pressed the photo to my chest. My breathing was ragged. I hadn't slept right in years. Not since that day. Every night I saw her face. Every day I saw Harper's. If it was up to me, Harper wouldn't carry our last name. She wouldn't live in this house. She wouldn't breathe the same air we did. She ruined everything. She took Mom away and left us with nothing but pain and anger. On the day of the funeral I stood by the grave with my brothers and made a promise to myself. I would make sure Harper paid for it. Every single day. I would make her life so miserable she'd wish she'd never been born. Chapter 04 Ryder's POV I still don't get it. Why did Mom want her in the first place? Harper. The name alone makes my stomach turn. Except for Lily, no one in this family can stand the sight of her. Not really. Dad used to pretend she didn’t exist. The twins treated her like a punching bag. Logan did his quiet, twisted games. And me? I'd spent years making sure she felt every bit of the poison she brought into this house. After Dad passed away due to illness last year, I took over the Wilson Group. I grabbed my phone from the nightstand. Today's schedule popped up right away. I was to meet Damon Ashford, CEO of Ashford Group. Our companies have been competitors for years, smiling at each other in public and knives out behind closed doors. Dad was always said before we can't push too hard yet. Ashford's bigger, has deeper pockets. But if we can land even one joint project, Wilson Group gets a real shot at turning the tables down the line. I wasn't excited. I was just ready to get it over with. I showered fast, shaved, pulled on a dark gray suit, white shirt, no tie. Professional. Dad likes me to look when we're dealing with people like Damon. When I came down the stairs, the house felt off. Too quiet. Normally this time of morning I'd hear the twins already going at it, laughing and throwing insults at Harper while she sat there shrinking into her chair. Today? Nothing. Just the clink of forks and low voices. I stepped into the dining room. Colton looked up from his plate. "You're late." I ignored him. He was nineteen going on twelve sometimes. Still acted like everything was a game. I scanned the table. Then, without really thinking why, I asked, "Where's Harper?" The question hung there. My brothers looked at me like I'd grown a second head. I never asked about her. I never cared where she was. The less I saw of her, the better I felt. Grayson raised an eyebrow. "Why do you care?" "I don't," I said flatly. "Just asking." Colton snorted. "Probably still hiding in her room like the coward she is." Grayson turned his head toward the doorway. "Mina!" The maid appeared almost instantly. "Yes, sir?" "Call Harper down," Grayson said. "Tell her breakfast is ready." Mina nodded and disappeared up the stairs. We waited. I poured myself coffee and leaned back in my chair, already half-checked out. Let them have their fun. I'd watch. Same as always. A few minutes later Mina came back. She looked nervous. "She didn't answer, sir. I knocked. Called her name. Nothing." Colton laughed. "What, now she's too good to come down? Lazy pig." Grayson smirked. "When she finally drags herself out, we should make her cry extra hard today. Birthday hangover." I stayed quiet. Sipped my coffee. Let them talk. But something felt wrong. The quiet wasn't right. I set the mug down harder than I meant to. "I'll check." I stood up. My brothers exchanged looks but followed anyway. We climbed the stairs in a line, me first, then Grayson, Colton, and Logan trailing behind. I didn't knock when we reached her door. I just pushed it open. She was gone. "What the hel?" Grayson breathed. I moved further into the room, my eyes taking in every detail. Colten walked to her desk, then froze. "There's blood here," he said, pointing at dark spots on the floor. Grayson opened her desk drawer and pulled out a small knife. The blade was stained with dried blood. He stared at it in disbelief and maybe fear. He turned to me, eyes wide. "She cut herself." "What?" I felt my jaw tighten. She cut herself just for a small teasing? Colton was already at her closet. He pulled the doors open. "Everything is here. She took off with nothing but what she was wearing." Logan stayed near the door, arms crossed. He didn't say anything. I didn't know what I was supposed to feel. This was what we wanted, wasn't it? Her gone. Out of the house. Out of our lives. No more reminder. No more walking curse. So why did my chest feel tight? At that moment, hurried footsteps echoed from downstairs. Lily burst into the room, panting heavily, clutching her phone tightly. "Harper! She…" Lily's voice cracked. "What's wrong with her?" I asked. Tears spilled down her face in an instant. "Last night Harper told me she wanted to go see the ocean… I thought she just needed some time alone… I didn't think… when I woke up, I saw this." She thrust the phone toward me, her hand shaking violently. I snatched it from her. The words on the screen hit like a blade straight to the chest. Dear Lily, By the time you read this, I will already be sleeping in the sea. Please don't be sad for me. Be happy instead. Because I'm finally free! Under my pillow there's a letter that I wanted to say to my brothers. Please make sure they get it. Don't miss me. I wish you all the happiness in the world. "No!" Colton was the first to shout, his voice in panic. Grayson's face was pale. He stood frozen. Logan's eyes were already red. He lifted the pillow and pulled out the letter. I took it from him. My fingers shook so badly I could hardly unfold the paper. Line after line, the words exploded in my mind like bombs.

Chapter 1: Some Kind Of Deranged Stalker "Are my t!ts out?" Zaya barely glanced over. "A little. Fix the left one." I yanked up the neckline of my dress for the third time. It was too tight, too low-cut, and stole from my sister who apparently had the body of a Victoria's Secret model. I did not. "Remind me why we're doing this again?" Jade whispered from behind the hedge. "Because Marcus said I couldn't come to his uncle's wedding," I said, wobbling on heels that were definitely a mistake. "Something about it being Moonstone Pack only." "So we're crashing another pack's wedding to prove what exactly?" "That I'm not some embarrassing girlfriend he has to hide because I'm from Riverside Pack." I peeked through the gap in the bushes. The ceremony was already starting. White chairs, string lights in the trees, at least two hundred guests in expensive clothes. Jade snorted. "Or he's going to be p!ssed and dump you in front of everyone." "Then at least I'll know where we stand." "You're insane," Zaya muttered, but she was grinning. She lived for this kind of chaos. If I'd known what was about to happen, I would've turned around right then. I spotted Marcus in the third row. Dark hair, broad shoulders, wearing a suit that probably cost more than my rent. We'd been dating for eight months. The guy who currently had his arm around another girl. My heart stopped. "Is that Sophie?" Zaya's voice went up an octave. "No." I leaned closer, squinting. "That can't be Sophie. He said only Moonstone Pack could attend. She's from Landravers pack, but he swore they were just—" Marcus leaned over and kissed her. On the m0uth. For way too long. "That's definitely Sophie," Jade confirmed. "Oh my god." My stomach dropped into my feet. "Oh my god, that's Sophie. He's—they're—" "Okay, new plan," Zaya said quickly. "We leave. Right now. We go home, eat ice cream, and you block his number—" "He LIED to me." My voice cracked. "Remi, we need to go—" "I can't believe this. I borrowed these torture heels. I’m sneaking in like some kind of deranged stalker—" I stepped back, gesturing wildly. My heel caught on something. A root. Or a rock. I didn't know. Didn't matter. I was falling. "REMI—" I grabbed for the hedge. The br@nch snapped in my hand. And then I was rolling. Down the hill. Through decorative flowers. Over what might have been a speaker and what I think was the cake table because something creamy slapped my face on the way down. My dress was ripping, my hair was in my face, and all I could think was this is how I die. Death by heartbreak and bad footwear choices. I hit the aisle runner with a thud that knocked the air from my lungs. For one beautiful, horrible second, everything went silent. I was face-down on white fabric. There were shoes nearby. I lifted my head. I was at the altar. The bride was three feet away, mid-vow, staring at me with her m0uth open. "What the—" I tried to get up, but my hand was tangled in something. White fabric. Lace. The train of her dress. "Wait, I'm sorry—" I yanked my hand fre e. And then the train ripped. The bride stumbled backward with force. Her heel caught on the t0rn fabric. She fell. Everything happened in slow motion. Her arms windmilling. Her head tilting back. The sickening crack when her skull hit the stone pavement. Then silence. She wasn't moving. "Oh my god," someone whispered. A man rushed forward. He knelt beside her, pressing f!ngers to her neck. Checking for a pulse. He looked up at the groom. His face was pale. "She's... she's not breathing." My ears started ringing. This wasn't happening. This couldn't be happening. Someone in the crowd laughed. "Well. That's a new record." "She didn't even make it an hour," another voice added. "Didn't even get marked." "Poor Nero. Six times. Has to be some kind of curse." My br@in was short-circuiting. Six? What did that mean? “Remi?” Marcus stepped forward, still holding Sophie’s hand like she was his emotional support slvt. “What are you doing here?” I blinked up at him. Frosting dripped down my cheek. “I should’ve tripped on you instead.” Strong hands grabbed my arms. Hauled me to my feet. I looked up. The groom was standing in front of me. And he was... jesus. He was beautiful. No, that was the wrong word. Devastating. The kind of face that made you forget your own name. He was tall—taller than Marcus, taller than any wolf I'd ever met.. Sharp jaw. Dark hair that looked like he'd run his hands through it too many times. And his eyes—silver. Actual silver, glowing faintly. Alpha eyes. My wolf stirred. Interested. Very interested. Not now, I told her. We literally just ki11ed someone. I forgot where I was. I forgot what I'd just done. All I could think was: Holy sh!t, he's hot. "Are you LISTENING to me?" I blinked. "Sorry. You're just very... hot." His eye twitched. Hot." "Yeah. Aggressively. It's distracting." "You just ki11ed my bride and you're commenting on my face?" Oh. Right. The bride. The murder. Reality came crashing back like a bucket of ice water. From somewhere in the bushes, I heard my friends completely losing it. "OH MY GOD SHE KI11ED SOMEONE—" "WE NEED A LAWYER!" "RUN, REMI! RUNNNN!" "NO, STAY! CONFESS! IT'S MANSLAUGHTER AT MOST—" "Was that her SPINE?! I heard cracking!" "That was a br@NCH, you idi0t—" The groom's grip on my arm tightened. His alpha presence pressed against me, suffocating. My wolf wanted to submit immediately. I shoved her down. His voice dropped to something dangerous. "What pack are you from?" "Riverside," I squeaked. "I'm—I'm nobody. This is a mistake. I didn't mean to—the br@nch broke and I fell and.." "You're from Riverside?" he smirked. "And you crashed a Moonstone Pack wedding?" "Technically, I crashed through the wedding—" "You ki11ed my bride." "That was an accident—" "She's dead." "I KNOW." My voice broke. "I know, okay? I know. I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. I'll do anything—" "Anything?" He looked at me—really looked. Taking in my t0rn dress, my smeared makeup, the way I was shaking. An old woman stepped forward from the crowd. She was smiling. "Congratulations, Alpha Nero," she said cheerfully. "Seems the Moon Goddess has chosen your seventh bride." I choked. "SEVENTH?!" "The other six are dead," he said flatly. My blood went cold. "Six. You've had SIX wives. And they're all DEAD?" "Yes." "And I'm number seven?" "Correct." "IS THIS A MARRIAGE OR A SURVIVAL GAME?!" His jaw ticked. "Both." Then, to the guards nearby: "Get her cleaned up. We're finishing the ceremony." "I'M NOT MARRYING YOU—" "You ki11ed my bride." His voice was cold. Final. "You owe me a wedding." "That's not how marriage works!" "It is when you ki11 an alpha's intended." He leaned close. So close I could feel his breath on my face. "Of all the idi0ts who could've ki11ed her," he said quietly, "it had to be the one with spicy eyes." My br@in stuttered. "Sp!cy... eyes?" "Get her dressed," Nero told the guards. "Ten minutes." "Wait—" He was already walking away. Then he looked back over his shoulder. "Try not to die tonight," he said, eyes lingering on my face. “I’m curious about you.” Then he was gone. Guards grabbed my arms and started dragging me toward a side building. "WAIT—" I twisted, trying to see my friends in the bushes. "Jade! Zaya! DON'T LEAVE ME—" But they were already running. I saw them disappear into the trees. Smart girls. I was being pulled through a doorway. Into a room with a vanity and a wedding dress hanging on the wall. The dead bride's dress. A woman appeared with makeup and pins in her hair. She was a wolf too—I could smell it. Moonstone Pack. "We need to work fast," she said, eyeing me critically. "You're smaller than she was. We'll have to take in the wa!st." "I'm not actually doing this," I said. My voice sounded dreamlike. "This is insane. You can't force someone to marry—" "You ki11ed his bride," the woman said simply, like that explained everything. "Bride for bride." "It was an accident—" "Doesn't matter." She started unlacing my t0rn dress. "You're here now. And trust me, honey, you do NOT want to refuse Alpha Nero." "Why? What happens if I refuse?" She met my eyes in the mirror. And for the first time, I saw genuine pity there. She pulled the wedding dress off the hanger. “Let’s just say the last wolf who refused him didn’t walk away.” My blood ran cold. "He ki11ed them?" "Ki11ing is an understatement." She held up the dress. "Now put this on. Your groom is waiting." I stared at the dress. Somewhere outside, music started playing. The wedding march. My wedding march. I looked at my reflection in the mirror. T0rn dress. Smeared mascara. Leaves in my hair. This morning I'd woken up planning to surprise my boyfriend at his uncle's wedding. Now I was about to marry an alpha with six dead wives. And if I refused, he would probably ki11 me. "This is not happening," I whispered. The woman smiled sadly. "Honey, it already did." She sl!pped the dress over my head. And I realized I just accidentally murdered my way into a cursed marriage with the most dangerous alpha. I was so fvcked. Chapter 2: The Wedding Night "Do you take this woman—" "I've done this six times already," Nero interrupted. "Just skip to the end." The priest's face went pale. "But Alpha, the sacred vows require…" "Five minutes ago, she ki11ed my last bride. I think we can bypass the sacred part." I stood there in a dead woman's dress, leaves still tangled in my hair, and wondered if this was actually happening or if I'd hit my head harder than I thought when I fell. The priest cleared his thr0@t nervously. "Do you, Alpha Nero Blackwater, take this woman as your bride?" "Sure." "And do you—" He squinted at me. "I'm sorry, what's your name?" "Remi," I whispered. "Remi Olandria Cross." "Do you, Remi Olandria Cross, take Alpha Nero Blackwater as your husband?" I opened my m0uth, but nothing came out. Nero's hand tightened. "She does," he said. "Actually, I should probably—" "She does," he repeated, louder this time. His eyes met mine. The priest hurried through the rest. Something about the Moon Goddess and eternal bonds and pack law. I wasn't listening. I was staring at the white sheet covering the bride's body twenty feet away. They'd carried her off to the side. Out of the way. Like she was furniture. "I caught a glimpse of her hand before they covered it. Something green under her f!ngernails. Like... plant residue? Or something else?" "You may now kiss the bride." My head snapped up. "Wait, we don't have to—" Nero leaned in close enough that I could smell him. "Your parents," he said quietly. "Your siblings. Those two friends who ran away. I know where they all live." My blood went cold. "So you're going to kiss me," he continued, "And you're going to make it convincing. Understand?" I stared at him. "Understand?" he repeated. I nodded. His hand came up, f!ngers tilting my chin. And then he kissed me. I'd kissed Marcus plenty of times. Sweet kisses. Soft kisses. The kind that made you feel warm and safe. This wasn't that. This was heat and possession and something that made my wolf sit up and pay attention. His m0uth moved against mine and my br@in short-circuited. I forgot where I was. Forgot the crowd watching. Forgot everything except the way his thumb brushed my jaw and how my whole body leaned into him without permission. Finally, my wolf purred. More of this. Shut up, I told her. We're being threatened. He tastes good though. He did taste good. d@mn it. Nero pulled back. There was a smirk on his face. "Are you sure you're my nephew's girl?" he said, just loud enough for me to hear. My face burned. "fvck you." "Good. We're off to a great start." Drums started beating. The crowd shifted, forming lines on either side of us. The priestess stepped forward, holding a ceremonial bowl. She was dressed in white robes, her face painted with symbols. "The consummation will now proceed," she announced. "The pack will remain here until confirmation of the Alpha's heir." Wait. What? "I'm sorry," I said. "Did you just say—" Oh god. They were waiting for us to— "No," I said. "No, no, no—" "NERO." An older woman's voice cut through the crowd. Her eyes were the same silver as Nero's. "Mother," Nero said flatly. "Stop this. Now." "Not really the time—" "She's not one of ours." His mother looked at me with pure disdain. "She's not even Moonstone Pack. She's riverside trash. She won't last the night—" "YOU chose the last six brides," Nero interrupted. His voice dropped to dangerous. "Every single one. All dead within days. So forgive me if I don't trust your judgment anymore." His mother's face went tight. "Your father would roll over in his grave if he knew—" "My father is dead. And you're done picking my brides." He pulled me closer. "This one's mine." She stared at him for a long moment. Then her eyes slid to me. "Mark my words," she said quietly. "This one won't survive till morning." Then she turned and walked away. I looked up at Nero. "Your family's great. Really warm." Nero started walking. I stumbled after him, still in bare feet, the wedding dress dragging on the ground. The pack parted for us, forming a processional line. We reached a set of massive doors with guards standing on either side. The Alpha chambers. My stomach dropped. "Wait—" I tried to stop, but Nero kept moving, pulling me with him. The pack filed in behind us, lining the hallway. More drums and witnesses. This is like a horror movie, I thought wildly. Or one of those dark romance novels where the her0ine dies in Chapter three. Finally, we reached another door. Nero opened it. A massive bedroom with a four-poster bed, dark walls, and candles everywhere. He pulled me inside. We were alone, but I could hear the pack waiting outside. Waiting for proof that we'd— "Okay," I said, my voice too high. "So we don't actually have to do this, right? You just go back out there and say it's done and they leave—" Nero turned to face me. "No." "No?" "Evidence must be submitted to the priestess." "Evidence?" My voice cracked. "What kind of evidence?" "My seed. Proof of consummation." The room tilted. "I'm a v!rg!n," I blurted out. "I know." "How do you—" I stopped. "You know what, I don't want to know. This is insane. You can't actually expect me to—" He stepped closer. I stepped back. "My bloodline fights the curse. If I leave an heir in you tonight, you have a fighting chance." "The other six didn't survive." “Luck isn’t something my brides have." He took another step. "We're doing this tonight." YES, my wolf said immediately. Finally. Yes. Absolutely yes. "Did you miss the part where six women DIED?" I said to her. But he's so— "Don't even finish that sentence." Nero was watching me. He started unbvttoning his shirt. "Strip." "Excuse me?" "We're running out of time. The longer we wait, the stronger the curse gets." "This is—I can't just—" He pulled his shirt off. Oh. Oh no. He was built like he spent every day fighting bears. Broad shoulders. Defined chst. Abs that should be illegal. See? my wolf said smugly. Death wish. Totally worth it. "Stop staring," Nero said. "I'm not staring." "You're staring." "You took your shirt off in front of me. That's on you." He almost smiled. Then he turned around, giving me privacy. I stared at his back. At the way his muscles moved under his skin. At the scars crisscrossing his shoulders. He'd been in fights. Real ones. My f!ngers went to the laces of my dress. I hesitated. "I can hear your heartbeat," he said, not turning around. "You're terrified." "Six dead wives. You do the math." "Fair point." I unlaced the dress. Let it pool at my feet. I was standing in just my undergarments, shaking. I'd been planning to surprise my boyfriend Now I was half-n@ked in a stranger's bedroom, about to have sx to maybe-possibly-probably-not survive a curse. Nero unbuckled his belt. I should've looked away. I didn't. He pushed his pants down. Stepped out of them. He was in just his briefs now, and I could see everything. The muscles in his th!ghs. His @ss, which was unfairly perfect. Such a wild imagination for someone about to die, my wolf teased. And didn't your boyfriend just cheat on you? "He's objectively attractive," I muttered. "That's just facts." Nero climbed into bed. Pulled the sheet over himself. Then he turned to look at me. His eyes went wide. For the first time since I'd met him, his control cracked. His pupils dilated. His breathing changed. I watched his body react under the sheets—watched his arousal become very, very obvious. He was BEAUTIFUL. Oh god. He was hard. Very hard. And there was... a lot of him. "fvck," he breathed. I froze. He stared at me like I was the only thing in the world. Like he'd forgotten how to think. "You're—" He shook his head, like he was trying to clear it. "fvck." "That's not a complete sentence." He moved fast. Suddenly, he was right there, knee1ing in front of me on the bed, his hand coming up to cup my face. "You're fvcking beautiful," he said. "Spicy eyes." My breath caught. He leaned in, and His thumb traced my b0tt0m l!p. "I'm going to—" "His hand slid down my stomach. Lower. I stopped breathing. This was happening. This was actually— Then he stopped. His hand dropped, and His whole body went rigid like he'd just remembered something "Get dressed," he said. "What?" He grabbed my clothes. Threw them at me. "Get dressed. Now." "I thought you said we had to—" "Change of plans." He climbed out of bed, wrapping a towel around himself. "But the evidence. The people outside—" "I'm the Alpha." His voice was cold again. Distant. "They listen to me. Not the other way around." "But this gives me a fighting chance against the curse—" He spun on me. His eyes flashed silver. "Maybe I don't want you to fight it," he said quietly. "Maybe I want you dead." I flinched. He stared at me for another second. Then he grabbed his pants, pulled them on, and headed for the door. "Wait—" The door slammed behind him. I heard the lock cl!ck from the outside. He locked me in. I stood there, half-n@ked, holding my dress, and stared at the door. Outside, the music was still playing. The pack was still waiting. But he'd left me here. Alone. I pulled my dress back on. My hands were shaking. "I'm not dying here," I said out loud. "I'm not one of those stvpid romance novel her0ines who dies for some cursed alpha. fvck that." I needed to get out. Get back to my parents. To Jade and Zaya. To people who actually gave a sh!t if I lived or died. I searched the room. Looked for another exit. A window I could climb out of. A key. Anything. Nothing. I was about to start trying to pick the lock when I spotted something under the bed. A book. No. A sketchbook. I pulled it out. There were Pages and pages of drawings. Creatures. Wolves mid-transformation, but wrong. Twisted. Their bones breaking in ways that shouldn't be possible.. Notes scribbled in tight handwriting. Symbols I didn't recognize. Runes, maybe. He was studying the curse. I kept fl!pping. More sketches. More notes. Then— I stopped. The page was crumpled. Like someone had tried to throw it away and then changed their mind. I smoothed it out. It was a drawing of a woman’s face. Beautiful. Detailed. Drawn with care. My face. My heart stopped. I fl!pped back through the book, searching for a date. There In the corner of the page. Three months ago. Three months before I'd ever crashed that wedding. Three months before I'd ever heard the name Nero Blackwater. My hands started shaking. Outside, the music finally stopped. The pack was leaving. Giving up on the consummation. I stared at my own face in the drawing. "This wasn't an accident," I whispered. Chapter 3: Black Lace Th0ng Alpha NERO POV "fvck." I slammed the door to my father's office so hard the windows rattled. I was trying to ignore the fact that I was still hard. Still thinking about her. About the way she'd looked standing there in nothing but scraps of lace, all curves and those fvcking eyes that made my wolf want to— "Rough night?" I spun around. My brother Kade was leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed, looking far too amused for someone who'd just watched another wedding turn into a sh!tshow. "Get out." "That's no way to talk to your Second." He pushed off the frame, strolling into the room. "Especially when I'm here to help." "I don't need help." "You just walked away from a gorgeous woman who was n@ked in your bed." He dropped into the chair across from my desk. "Trust me, brother, you need all the help you can get." I glared at him. Kade was two years younger than me, lighter in every way—lighter hair, lighter eyes, lighter approach to life. Where I carried the weight of the pack, he carried designer clothes and an iPad full of interior design apps. "She was willing," he continued, studying his nails. "She was n@ked. You were very obviously into it. And yet here you are, pacing around Dad's office like a caged animal while she's locked in your room. So what happened?" "None of your business." "Actually, it is my business. I'm your Second. And also your brother. And also the one who's going to have to dea1 with the very angry priestess and the very confused pack tomorrow morning when they find out you didn't complete the consummation ritual." He tilted his head. "Again." I turned away, staring out the window at the dark forest beyond. "I had my reasons." "Which were?" "Kade—" "Come on. This isn't like you. You usually take every opportunity to sleep with your brides. Especially one that hot." He paused. "Why'd you stop?" I pressed my palms against the desk, trying to find words for something I didn't understand myself. "You remember the woman from my dreams?" Silence. Then: "The one you've been sketching for months? The face you keep seeing?" "Yeah." "What about her?" I turned to face him. "It's her." Kade blinked. "It's… who?" "Remi. The girl downstairs. She's the woman from my dreams." His eyebrows shot up. "You're kidding." "I didn't recognize her at first. Her eyes are different—warmer in the dreams. Kinder. And her hair…" I ran a hand through my own hair, frustrated. "But when she took off the dress, I saw the scar. On her. Same placement as in my dreams." Kade leaned forward. "Nero—" "She's the one. The face I see every time I close my eyes. And tonight she just… appeared. Crashed a wedding, ki11ed my bride, and ended up in my bed." I laughed, but there was no humor in it. "Tell me that's not suspicious." "So you think what? She's a spy? Someone sent her?" Kade was quiet for a moment. Then he pulled out his phone. "I did some digging after the ceremony." "And?" "She's nobody, Nero. Like, actually nobody. Works as a bartender at some dive in Riverside territory. Comes from a big family. Father drinks too much. Mother does… let's just say ‘sketchy business’ and leave it at that." "A bartender," I repeated. "From Riverside. The poorest pack in the region." He looked up. "So the question what the he11 was our nephew doing with her?" That was a good question. "Or," Kade said slowly, "the Moon Goddess has a twisted sense of humor." I shot him a look. Fair point. We sat in silence for a moment. "You should've slept with her," Kade said finally. "Consummation would give her a fighting chance against the curse. You know that." "Don't remind me of my mistake." "Oh, it was a mistake?" Kade’s eyebrows rose. "So you DO want to sleep with her." "You can't imagine how much I'm regretting not finishing what I started." "Nero—" I thought for a moment. "Prepare a peace offering basket for the dead bride's parents. The usual—gold, apology letter, blood money." "And for Remi's family?" "Same thing. They'll need it for her funeral." Kade froze. "You really think she's going to die tonight." "They all do." My voice was flat. "Might as well dig both graves now. Same plot as the others. Save time." "That's dark, even for you." Kade studied me. A clock chimed. It was almost midnight. "sh!t," Kade said. "Nero, we need to—" "I know." I was already moving toward the door. "Your room. Now." We reached my chambers—not the ones where I'd left Remi, but my real chambers. The ones with reinforced walls and chains built into the bedframe. Kade locked the door behind us. "Lie down," he said. He moved quickly, securing the chains around my wrists. Heavy iron, blessed by the priestess. The only thing strong enough to hold an Alpha. He finished with my wrists and moved to my ankles. The chains were long enough that I could move, but not long enough to break fre e. Not long enough to hurt myself or anyone. "Make sure she doesn't leave," I said. Kade looked up. "Remi?" "And Kade?" "Yeah?" "Make sure the chains are tight. I don't want… incidents." He tested each lock again, yanking on them hard enough to make sure they held. "Tight enough?" Kade asked. I tested them, pulling hard. The chains held. "Good." Kade squeezed my shoulder. "Get some sleep. Or, you know, whatever passes for sleep when you're chained to a bed." Then he was gone. I was alone. I closed my eyes and thought about her. About Remi. About the way she'd looked at me right before I'd told her I wanted her dead. I'd lied. REMI POV That Night I was still staring at the drawing when I heard footsteps outside the door. I grabbed the first thing I could reach—a heavy candlestick—and pressed myself against the wall beside the door. If someone was coming to ki11 me, I was going out swinging. The lock cl!cked. The door opened. A man walked in. Not Nero. This one was leaner, prettier, and moved like a dancer. "he11o, sister-in-law," he said cheerfully. I raised the candlestick. "Take one more step and I'll bash your skull in." He looked at the candlestick. Then at me. Then he smiled. "Oh, I REALLY like you. Nero's going to have so much fun with this one." "Who the fvck are you?" "Kade. Nero's brother." He held up a shopping bag. "I come bearing gifts." "I don't want gifts. I want answers." "Can't help you there. But I can help you out of that tragic dress situation you've got going on." He tossed me the bag. "You can't sleep in a dead woman's wedding gown. That's just depressing." I caught the bag reflexively. "Nero sent you?" "Nero's… busy." Something fl!ckered across his face. "I'm here on my own." I opened the bag slowly and pulled out what was inside. A black lace th0ng. Matching br@. And absolutely nothing else. "Are you KIDDING me?" I held up the th0ng. It was basically a string. "Where's the rest of it?" Kade grinned. "That is the rest of it." "This is lingerie." "That IS clothes. Very expensive clothes, actually. You're welcome." I threw the th0ng at his face. He caught it, laughing. "I'm not wearing this," I said. "Your choice. But the alternative is sleeping in that." He nodded at the bloodstained wedding dress. "And trust me, that's not doing you any favors." I glared at him. Then at the dress. He had a point.. "Has anyone ever told you that you're annoying?" He laughed. "I like you. You've got bite." "I've got questions. Are you going to answer them or not?" "Not." He pushed off the frame. "But I will tell you this: my brother's not the monster everyone thinks he is." "Six dead wives would suggest otherwise." "Six cursed wives," he corrected. "There's a difference.You're still alive, aren't you?" "You should get some sleep." He backed toward the door. "Big day tomorrow. Assuming you survive the night." "Wait—" "Goodnight, sister-in-law. Try not to die before breakfast." He closed the door. I couldn't sleep for hours. I lay on the bed, thinking about how I got into this mess. Then, A sound came from outside my door. Then again. Chains rattling. It was coming from down the hall. From Nero's direction. Whatever monster lived in that room… I was married to it now. Chapter 4: A wh0re To My Uncle REMI POV "Okay, Remi. What are we doing?" I was talking to myself like a crazy person. Which was appropriate given my current situation. "Zaya would calculate the odds. She'd say something smart like 'the probability of you dying if you investigate creepy chain sounds is seventy-three percent.'" I mimicked her voice. "And then Jade would tell me to stop being dramatic and just go look." The chains rattled again. Louder this time. Like someone was dragging them across stone. "And my mom would say 'Remi Olandria Cross, you better not go looking for trouble.'" I looked at the door. "Which obviously means I'm about to go looking for trouble." I glanced down at the wedding dress crumpled on the floor. Bloodstained. T0rn. And that green stain near the neckline—the same color I'd seen under the dead bride's f!ngernails. "Yeah, no. I'm not wearing a dead woman's dress. Even I have standards." Which left me with option two. The lingerie. I picked up the black lace th0ng and br@ that Kade had brought. Held them up to the candlelight. "Oh, fvck no. This is basically string with delusions of grandeur." The chains rattled again. "Okay, okay. String it is." I stripped off the innerdress of the gown and pulled on the lingerie. The lace felt expensive against my skin—nothing like the cheap cotton I usually wore. I caught my reflection in the mirror and stopped. Holy sh!t. I looked... good. Better than good. The black lace made my curves look hot. My @ss looked amazing in the th0ng. My wa!st looked tiny. My b00bs actually looked fuller. Marcus had bought me clothes before—nice things, expensive things—but they always felt like costumes. Like I was playing dress-up as someone I wasn't. This felt like me. "d@mn," I said to my reflection. "Maybe I should almost-die more often." The chains dragged across stone again. Closer now. I grabbed the bed sheet and wrapped it around myself like the world's sxiest toga. "fvck it. Let's go save a cursed alpha or die trying. What's the worst that could happen?" I tried the door. It opened. "Okay, not locked. That's... either good or very bad." I stepped into the hallway. The palace was dark, lit only by torches along the walls. The chain sounds were coming from my left. I took two steps and heard someone clear their thr0@t behind me. I spun around. Marcus was standing there, looking like he'd been lurking outside my door for hours. His hair was messy, his shirt untucked, and he had that desperate puppy-dog look that used to make me melt. Now it just p!ssed me off. "What the he11 are you wearing?" His eyes dragged over me. Over the sheet that was barely covering the lingerie. "Are you already a wh0re for my uncle?" My jaw dropped. "Excuse me?" "You heard me." He stepped closer. "End this, Remi. Tell him it was a mistake. Tell him you were confused. He'll understand—" "I'm your aunt now, Marcus." I crossed my arms. "Better show some respect." His face twisted. "Stop saying that—" "Aunt Remi. Has a nice ring to it, don't you think?" "This is insane!" He grabbed my arm. "You don't belong here. You belong with me. I'll announce it to everyone—tell them who you are to me. My family will accept you—" "Marcus!" We both turned. Sophie was standing at the end of the hallway in a silk nightgown, looking perfectly composed even at whatever-the-he11-hour this was. "I couldn't sleep," she said sweetly. "I have a terrible headache. Can you get me something?" Marcus looked between us. T0rn. "Marcus," Sophie called again, sharper this time. He hesitated for one more second. Then he turned and walked toward her. Just like I knew he would. I watched them disappear around the corner, Sophie's hand sliding possessively around his arm. "Exactly like in the books," I muttered. "Foolish girl in love with her boyfriend while he gets manipulated by the scheming other woman through acts of fake kindness. Classic." I shook my head. "Not my problem anymore." The chains rattled again. I followed the sound down one hallway—past rooms with closed doors and sleeping guards who didn't even notice me. And then I saw him. Nero was in the middle of the corridor, chains dragging behind him from both wrists. But his eyes were empty. Glazed over like glass. Like he was looking at something I couldn't see. His chst was bare, covered in sweat, and he was walking straight toward the open balcony at the end of the hall. Straight toward a four-story drop onto stone courtyard. "Nero!" He didn't respond or even blink. "NERO, STOP!" Nothing. He kept walking. I ran toward him. "Hey! Cursed Alpha! I'm talking to you!" Still nothing. I grabbed his arm. He was burning up—fever-hot and trembling. "Nero, please. It's me. It's Remi. You need to wake up." His eyes stayed empty. He took another step toward the balcony. Ten feet away now. "Okay, fvck this." I planted myself in front of him. Pushed against his chst. "I'm the one who's supposed to die from this stvpid curse, not you. So stop trying to steal my thunder." He walked right through me. Literally pushed me aside like I weighed nothing. I was panicking now. What the he11 was I supposed to do? I couldn't physically stop him—he was twice my size and clearly not conscious. "Think, Remi. Think." And then it hit me. "Oh god. This is so cliche. This is the most cliche thing I've ever done in my entire life." He was three feet from the edge. "But I've been dying to kiss him anyway, so..." I grabbed his face with both hands and kissed him. For a second, nothing happened. He was still walking forward, still pulling me toward the drop, and I was thinking well, this is it, we're both going over— Then his eyes snapped open. But they weren't his eyes. They were glowing silver. Pure wolf. He kissed me back. Hard. Like he'd been starving for it. His hands came up, one sliding into my hair, the other gripping my wa!st. He turned me around and slammed me against the wall so hard I gasped against his m0uth. The sheet fell. I was in nothing but the lingerie now, and his hands were sliding down my sides, gripping my th!gh, pulling me closer. "Nero—" He cut me off with another kiss. Deeper this time. His t0ngve swept into my m0uth and my br@in short-circuited. Holy sh!t. This wasn't a gentle kiss. His wolf had taken over, and it wanted me. My own wolf was howling with approval, practically doing backfl!ps. His hand slid higher up my th!gh, f!ngers digging into my skin. I should've stopped him. Should've pulled away. Instead, I kissed him back harder. My hands explored his bare chst, his shoulders, the hard planes of his back. He made a sound low in his thr0@t—half-growl, half-gr0an—and it sent heat straight through me. His m0uth moved to my neck. To the spot where a mate mark would go. "fvck," I breathed. He bit down. Not hard enough to break skin, but enough to make me gasp. Enough to make my knees weak. I was literally melting against him. His hand slid up my ribs, thumb brushing the underside of my breas+ through the lace— "WHAT IN THE MOON GODDESS'S NAME IS HAPPENING OUT HERE?" We froze. Nero's mother was standing at the end of the hallway, flanked by two guards and looking absolutely scandalized. "Nero Blackwater, you remove your hands from that girl RIGHT NOW—" "I was saving his life." I said, trying to catch my breath. My l!ps felt swollen. My hair was a mess."Saving his—" She looked like she might explode. "You expect me to believe—" "He was sleepwalking," I interrupted. "About to walk off that balcony." I pointed at the open drop behind us. "I stopped him. You're welcome." His mum looked down. At the chains. At the broken locks dangling from the cuffs. "How..." Her voice went quiet. Dangerous. "How did you open the chains?" "I didn't—" "They were locked to his bedframe. Blessed iron. They don't just open." She grabbed one of the cuffs, examining it. "Someone unlocked them. Who?" "I don't know!" I looked at Nero. "I found him like this—" Nero's eyes finally focused. On me. On where we were. On how close we were standing. On the fact that I was half-n@ked and his hands were still on my body. He stepped back like I'd burned him. "What..." His voice was rough. Confused. "What just happened?" Everyone looked at me. My face burned. "I... kissed you." "You what?" "It worked in movies," I said defensively. "I didn't know what else to do." Nero stared at me. Then at the balcony. Then back at me. "No one's ever..." He shook his head. "No one's ever been able to wake me from the sleepwalking curse before. Ever." "Well, apparently kisses work," I said. His mother made a disgusted sound. "This is absurd. She probably unlocked the chains herself to stage this whole—" "I didn't unlock anything!" I snapped. "I found him like this. I stopped him from ki11ing himself. And frankly, a 'thank you' would be nice." Nero was still staring at me. His eyes dragged over me—over the lingerie, the flushed skin, my swollen l!ps. Then his face went cold. "Who are you?.. Who sent you?" he said quietly. I blinked. "What?" I stared at him. At this man who'd just kissed me like he was drowning and I was air. "No one sent me," I said. "I'm just a bartender who made a really stvpid decision to surprise her cheating boyfriend." "I don't believe you. Everyone go to bed. I’ll address this tomorrow" Nero commanded That hurt more than it should have. My l!ps still tingled from his kiss. My skin still burned where he'd touched me. And my wolf was howling because our mate—and he WAS our mate, I could feel it now. "fvck my life," I whispered. My wolf whined in agreement. Chapter 5: You Were My Favorite REMI POV "You stink." I jolted awake to find Nero hovering over me in bed. Actually hovering. Like a creep. "What the—" I shoved at his ch*st. "Is this your kink or something?" "I needed to confirm you were still alive." He didn't move. Just kept staring at me with those intense silver eyes. " You made it to day two." "Congratulations to me. Now get off." "Your breath," he said flatly. "It smells like something died in your m0uth." My face burned. "Well, you locked me in here without clothes or a toothbrush, so excuse me for not being minty fresh." He leaned closer. Inhaled at my neck this time. "Nero, what are you—" "Your scent. Underneath the bad breath and fear." His voice was rough. "It's distracting." Heat flooded through me. "Distracting how?" His eyes met mine Hungry. "The kind of distracting that makes me want to keep you tied in this bed all day." My breath caught. Then he pulled back and stood. "But you still need to fix that breath situation. I'll have my mother send clothes." "Wait, about last night—" "Last night is irrelevant." His voice went cold. "Oh, and I already sent your family the peace offering. For your death." "My what—" The door slammed. He left. I sat there, stunned. He'd just told me he wanted to keep me in bed all day. Then sent my family a death notice. What the actual fvck. Then I smelled my own breath. "Oh god. He's right. I smell like a dumpster." An hour later, I was sneaking through the palace hallways wrapped in a bedsheet like the world's worst toga. No clothes had arrived. My breath was still toxic. And I remembered my grandmother's remedy—tunise leaves. I'd seen a garden yesterday. I found it easily. Rows of herbs and flowers. And there—tunise, growing wild near the fountain. I plucked a handful, rubbed them between my palms, and started chewing. That's when I heard it. m0aning. "Oh, for fvck's sake," I muttered. "What kind of palace is this?" I moved toward the sound and froze. A man who looked exactly like Nero had a maid bent over a stone bench. Her dress hiked up. His pants around his ankles. He was fvcking her. Hard. Heat shot through me. I should've left. Should've turned around. But I couldn't stop watching. And worse—I couldn't stop imagining. Nero's hands instead of his. Nero's body. Nero bending me over that bench, his breath hot on my neck, his voice rough: "You've been driving me insane since you fell into my life." His hand sliding up my th!gh. Higher. "Tell me you want this." My th!ghs clenched. My wolf purred. Last night's kiss had awakened something hungry in me. Something that wanted him to stop holding back and just— "Enjoying the show?" I snapped back to reality. The man had stopped. The maid scurried away, adjusting her dress. He was staring directly at me. Smirking. "I wasn't—I didn't mean to—" "You're flushed." He grinned. "I'm Abel," he said. "Third-in-command. Nero's younger, better-looking brother." I stared at him. "You look exactly like him." "Except I'm handsome. And I actually know how to satisfy a woman. My face burned hotter. "Your whole family is sick. I'm leaving." "Says the girl wrapped in a bedsheet, watching strangers fvck in gardens." He tilted his head. "Did Nero fvck you so hard you're walking around with no clothes? Or is he just keeping you ready for whenever he wants another round?" "He didn't—we didn't—" "Really? Because you kissed him last night. Pretty desperately from what I heard." His eyes dragged over me. "And the way you were watching just now... you definitely want him to." "I'm leaving." "Running away? That's disappointing." He leaned in, voice dropping. "My brother's an idi0t, by the way. If you were mine, I wouldn't let you out of bed long enough to need clothes." I turned and practically ran. His laughter followed me. "Nice @ss, by the way! Nero's a lucky b@stard!" I was almost to my door when I saw her. Nero's mother. Leaving my room. A handkerchief pressed to her face. "Allergies," she said curtly when she noticed me staring. She walked past without another word. Inside, I found a dress laid out on the bed. Beautiful. Way nicer than I expected. Deep burgundy silk that looked expensive. I expected something ug1y. Like in the books where the evil mother-in-law gives the bride rags. There was a note attached: Wait to be summoned. I picked up the dress. It smelled like lavender and something sweet. Probably just expensive perfume. I bathed and dressed. The fabric felt amazing against my skin. I looked like a princess in the mirror. Maybe his mother was warming up to me after all. I was summoned an hour later. The council chamber was massive. At the head of the table sat Nero, flanked by Kade and Abel. On the other side of the table: other Alphas. Including Alpha Manuel from Riverside. My pack. And at the far end—Nero's mother. No. Wait. Two of her. Identical. Same silver hair. Same cold eyes. Same everything. Twins. When had there been two? Which one left my room this morning? "Remi Olandria Cross." Nero's voice cut through my confusion. "You have been summoned to answer charges of murder. Priscilla Ashford, my former bride. Her family is present." He gestured to a group of stone-faced wolves across from me. "How do you plead?" "Murder?" My voice cracked. "I thought—we're married. You said bride for bride—" "Yes, I married you. But you haven't been marked. You're not my mate. You're not the Luna of this pack." His voice was ice. "So you will answer for your crimes." He'd kissed me last night like I was everything. And now he was looking at me like I was nothing. A woman from Priscilla's family stood. "She ki11ed my sister deliberately. To steal her place as Luna. She should be handed over to us for punishment." "I didn't mean to—it was an accident—" "An accident?" The woman's voice rose. "You crashed a wedding, destroyed our family's honor, and murdered our daughter. Alpha Nero will do what's right. Won't you, Alpha? Or will you risk your position as Alpha of Alphas to protect a murderer?" Every eye in the room turned to Nero. He stood. Walked toward me slowly. Stopped inches away. "You want the truth?" His voice dropped low enough that only I could hear. "I was curious. You fell into my life and I wondered if maybe you were different. If you could break the curse." He paused. "But you can't. You're going to die like the rest. And I'd rather hand you over now than watch you die in my arms. "Each word was a knife. Don't cry. Don't give him the satisfaction. "Funny. You didn't seem to think that when your hands were all over me last night. Or was that growling I heard just indigestion?"I shot back Someone gasped. Priscilla's brother stepped forward. "Since she's just your bride and not your mate or Luna, it's time to let us have her. As payment for ki11ing our sister, she'll be taken to our pack. Punished. Disgraced. Ki11ed." I was shaking. Nero looked at me. Something fl!ckered in his eyes. Then it was gone. "Yes," he said. "Take her. She was going to die anyway." No. Priscilla's brother grabbed my arm. Yanked me toward him. "Come here, slvt. You thought you could seduce your way into the Alpha's bed..My brothers will have fun between your legs." Nero moved faster than I'd ever seen anyone move. His fist connected with the man's jaw. The crack echoed through the chamber. "Don't you EVER." Nero's voice was deadly quiet. "Call. My wife. A slvt." He looked at the rest of Priscilla's family. "Touch her, and I'll personally castrate every male in your bloodline." Everyone froze. "Nero," Kade said carefully. "People are watching. You have to choose—peace with the alphas, or her." "I don't care." Nero's eyes flashed silver. "I'm the Alpha of Alphas. Everyone here answers to me. She's not going anywhere." My heart was pounding. He'd just—he'd defended me. After everything he'd said. Then the room started spinning. "Remi?" Kade's voice sounded distant. Heat. So much heat. Like my blood was boiling. I touched my nose. Came away with blood. "The curse," someone whispered. "It's taking her." My legs gave out. Nero caught me before I hit the ground. "No." His voice cracked. "Not yet. You're supposed to be special—" More blood. From my eyes now. My ears. Everything hurt. "I thought she was the one," I heard Kade say. "I guess she wasn't." Nero lifted me. I felt him moving. Carrying me. His room. His father's old room. He laid me on the bed. "You were my favorite," he whispered, touching my face. I wanted to tell him I'd figured it out. The dress. The taste of tunise still bitter on my t0ngve. But the darkness was pulling me under. My eyes closed. My heart stopped. Everything went black. Complete and total silence. The seventh bride was gone. The curse had won again. Nero walked to the door and stopped with his hand on the handle. Looked back one last time at her body on the bed. Then left. The door cl!cked shut. Darkness. Minutes passed. Then— My f!nger twitched. Just once. So small anyone watching would've missed it. But no one was watching. My ch*st rose. Fell. Rose again. A breath. Shallow. Weak. But alive. I gasped awake, screaming. Black liquid poured from my m0uth, splattering the sheets, moving, crawling, and carving runes that looked like the drawings in Nero’s sketchbook. “NERO!” I screamed. My hands flew to my thr0@t, claws digging in as blood spilled. “I was poisoned,” I whispered. “There is no curse.” The runes pulsed once more on the sheet—then vanished into my skin. Whatever poisoned me... it wasn't done. The door creaked open. Nero’s mother stood in the threshold, handkerchief still clutched in her hand. Her silver eyes widened in shock. She stepped inside, closing the door softly behind her. “You’re supposed to be dead,” she said “All of them were.” Footsteps thundered down the hall..Nero, too late. Her l!ps curved. “But I can fix that.”

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