Chapter 1

Heart pounding, I emerged in the wedding gown, only to find my sister Sienna's tail coiled around my fiancé Reid's.

The tail ring—meant for me, symbol of our bond for no one else—was already on Sienna's.

I parted my lips to demand an explanation, the stylist swept past me with my bridal hairpin crown.

"This way, please, bride," she said, gesturing toward Sienna.

Sienna smiled—a shy, victorious tilt of her lips—and followed.

And Reid? My fiancé. He didn't deny it, not even a blink.

"Gale, bring the bouquet over," Sienna turned to me and said, as if she were the bride walking down the aisle days later.

I didn't move.

Then Reid walked over, frowning.

He pulled the bouquet from my stiff finger. The lily of the valley—I'd spent two hours choosing each stem—swung once in his grip.

Petals scattered across the floor.

"Move, Gale. Go check the invitations or something. I'll find you when Sienna and I finish the shoot."

I watched him walk toward Sienna, and Cole—my childhood friend—raised his camera and pressed the shutter, sealing their betrayal.

Ninety-nine previews lit up the screen. Every single frame held Sienna and Reid. Not one of me.

“Gale…”

Cole squinted through the viewfinder. "Just step back two feet. You're blocking the key light."

Was I？

I stepped back.

Two feet. Then three. Until my shoulder blades met the wall.

The wall was cold.

In that moment, I finally saw how utterly extraneous I was.

If this wedding didn't need me in it—I wouldn't be at it.

...

After changing, I picked up my leather bag from the wooden bench near the door.

I pushed open the heavy door. The brass latch clicked.

No one looked up.

Outside, the wind carried the scent of wet pine and distant asphalt.

I turned. Through the glass of the storefront, I saw them.

Sienna twirled before the mirror, Reid at her back, his paw cinching the harness at her waist. Cole's shutter clicked five times.

I walked out to my truck, starting the engine.

A messenger from the Hall of Council found me. "Hi, Gale. The matebond scroll—have you settled on the pattern?"

"Or we can let Sienna choose. She has an excellent eye for design."

My breath fogged the windshield.

I answered. "Let her."

"Perfect. Will do." He left.

I exhaled slowly, opening my phone for directions. The group chat started flooding in.

Cole was uploading the photos. I tapped the first image.

The golden light hit the side of Sienna's red-furred face, illuminating the tips of Reid's wolf collar.

They looked like a true pair of mates.

A bitter laugh escaped my throat. I drove back to my den.

On the pantry shelf, a scrap of hide read: Wedding—7 Days.

I peeled the scrap off the shelf, rolled it tight, and tossed it into the trash.