The Alpha Took Me As A Stand in he regretted

YELENA

"Yay! Congratulations to the Luna of our pack!"

Nyra's scream nearly burst my eardrums. Trust her. If there were an award for loudest best friend in the whole Blue Moon pack, she'd win it with no competition.

On a normal day, I'd be screaming right beside her, probably bouncing like a crazy pup, but instead, I turned around, my cheeks heating up as I lifted my hand into the air. The diamond glinted under the fairy lights, catching the eyes of everyone around us. The ring. His ring.

Alpha Tristan's ring.

My heart still stumbled every time I thought about it, marrying him felt too big, too unreal. This was the man every she-wolf in our pack and outside our pack drooled over.

He was strong, untouchable, carved like the moon goddess herself put too much effort into one man. And somehow, out of all the she-wolves batting their lashes and wagging their tails, he picked me.

Okay... maybe "picked me" was a stretch. Maybe it had something to do with the little marriage contract our parents signed.

But he agreed, didn't he? He could've said no. And from the way his gaze lingered on me when I visited the packhouse to tend to his father, I knew... I knew he liked me too. Even if he didn't say it out loud. Yet.

"I'm so happy for you, baby! Do you realize what this means? I get to be best friends with the Luna of Blue Moon! Do you know how huge this is? Like, huuuge!"

Nyra squealed, hugging me so tightly I thought she might break a rib. Her curls smacked me in the face, and I started laughing, trying to wiggle out of her death grip.

"You're going to break my waist!" I yelled between laughs, smacking her arm playfully.

She finally let me go, grinning like she'd just won the lottery.

"Thank you, Nyra," I said, more serious now, my hand finding hers. "Really. If not for you pushing me, I might never have accepted. I thought he was too far above me, but... look where we are."

Nyra rolled her eyes dramatically, the way only she could. "Oh, please. You're gorgeous. Smart. Funny. And you've got that sweet-girl charm that makes old people throw blessings at you. You were always going to win him. The rest of those she-wolves didn't stand a chance."

I laughed, shaking my head. Nyra always made it sound easy.

Before I could say more, someone blocked our path.

"Luna," Daniel, the Beta, bowed his head slightly. His voice carried that edge of respect, but there was no smile on his face.

Heat rushed to my cheeks. Luna. I wasn't used to the title yet, and hearing it from someone like Daniel made it slam into my chest like a drumbeat.

"Alpha needs your attention," he said flatly.

The blush vanished. His tone wasn't casual. It was clipped. Serious.

"What happened?" Nyra asked before I could. Her brows arched, her hand tightening on mine.

"You'll need to see for yourself," Daniel replied, avoiding her sharp gaze.

My stomach twisted. "Okay... let's go." I gathered my gown and hurried after him, Nyra right on my heels, muttering curses under her breath.

By the time we reached the packhouse lounge, I spotted Tristan slumped on a couch, his tall frame bent unnaturally, his usually sharp eyes glassy and unfocused.

"Tristan!" I rushed forward, scooping him up with strength I didn't usually need to use. His body was heavy against mine, his heat sinking through the layers of my gown.

"Help me, Daniel!" My voice snapped sharper than I intended, but he immediately joined me, his arm sliding under Tristan's.

Alpha Tristan's hand clamped around my neck for balance, his head drooping close to mine. He muttered something low, words too broken to make sense.

We half-dragged him to his car. Not just any car. His black, glossy beast of a Bentley.

Behind us, Nyra's voice cut through the tense silence. "Oh, so our Alpha's drunk on his wedding day? Guess marriage is that exciting." Her voice dripped like venom, but I couldn't even look back at her.

My parents appeared before us, their faces lined with worry.

"What's wrong with him?" my mother asked, her eyes darting to Tristan's half-lidded gaze.