3 Chapter 3: Betrothal and Betrayal

Hannah’s POV

Returning home puts me right back in the slump I was in when I left yesterday.

Upon my arrival back on Blue Moon lands, my father has his people waiting to escort me home.

I drop into bed and dream of full lips, and a hard body pressed underneath me.

When I wake up to the news that my father has set a meeting up between me and Luke alone, I wish for nothing else but to be back in that bar. I hold off for as long as I can, but I don’t believe that Luke won’t try to barge into my room.

I don’t dress up for him— in fact, if I could get away from sweat pants and a hoodie, I’d go in that. But that’s our going-out-in-the-human-world kind of outfit. Here, our style is more cultured and traditional. It’s beautiful in its own right, but I could really go for something that didn’t constantly bring out the green flakes in my gray eyes. I didn’t want to look pretty for him. This dress is simple and yet still hides any goods he might try to peep at.

Dragging my heels, I head for the room my father set aside for this meeting. I wonder if it was his idea— or did Luke truly believe that he would be able to woo me to his side? I look forward to popping that bubble.

I don’t have a hangover, but this definitely could have been done at a later time. The sun is barely up, and I’m more of a midday kind of girl.

I push the door open, as unladylike as I can be.

I find him instantly, but it’s the jolt in my chest that halts me.

My heart pounds as he turns to face me, his smile fighting against his usual somber expression. I hate how I react to it, but my body doesn’t seem to notice.

Why am I feeling this way? Maybe it’s just my nerves.

He’s dressed to impress, and if I didn’t hate his very essence, I might be. Thankfully, he doesn’t have any flowers or gifts to try to soften the truth.

He turns to me, his smile infuriating.

“Hello Hannah,” he greets me.

I work my jaw and cross my arms defensively. “Luke,” I reply.

His chuckle gives away his nervousness.

“Listen, I know this is a lot to take in, but I promise I’m different now. I’ve matured.”

“So you do remember how you treated me?” I ask, glad to know I’m not the only one with those memories.

He exhales and works his shoulders, his uneasiness plain to see.

“I was a stupid kid back then,” he says. “I was trying to fit in myself.”

I scoff, turning away from him.

“No, I’m serious,” he continues. He runs a hand through his hair in agitation, looking away. “I got some bad advice on how to deal with girls you like, and my friends had no idea I was crushing on you and took the teasing too far,” he continued.

My jaw drops, and my ears shut off. Crushing?

“Are you saying you bullied me because you liked me?” I ask, speaking deliberately and clearly.

He grimaces and nods.

“Bullsh*t!” I yell. “You don’t steal my books or knock my lunch out of my hands because you liked me. You don’t draw a penis in my notebook or spread a rumor that I’m adopted because my skin is darker than my father’s!”

“That was Kaden,” he deflects.

“But did you stop him? No. You stood there, laughing, kicking my book further down the hall as I scrambled for it. You can blame Kaden all you want, but I know the truth— and don’t insult me by saying you liked me,” I hiss at him.

He clenches his jaw, and his blue eyes darken as he glares at me.

“I’ll have plenty of time to make up for my childish behavior when we are married and mated,” he says through clenched teeth.

“If you think I’ll ever marry you, then you’re just as crazy as you once tried to make everyone think I was,” I snarl at him. “I hate you, Luke Butler. My father can give you the alpha title, but you’ll never have me.”

He starts toward me, but I back away.

“What? Adding physical violence to the list of your transgressions?” I snap.

He recoils as if I slapped him.

“I would never hurt you, Hannah,” he says, his voice firm and even.

I force out a chuckle. “Too late,” I hiss.

His hands ball in a fist at his side as he exhales slowly, catching my eyes again.

“I mean, I could never hurt you. Hannah, you—”

He clears his throat and blinks slowly as I hold my breath for whatever he’s about to say next.

“I’m what?” I ask impatiently.

“You’re my fated mate,” he whispers. “I feel it. I know it.”

He looks me in the eye, the glint in them dead serious.

I can’t help but laugh.

“Well, I feel nothing— meaning, as always, you’re lying!” I yell.

That seems to trigger him, and he stalks me. He doesn’t raise his hands, but I do, and I shove him back.

“I’m not lying,” he insists. “I’m a year older than you, and when you turned eighteen, I felt it. We are fated to be together.”

“Keep telling yourself that. You want the title that is gained by marrying me. Well, I won’t ever give someone like you that much power— not over the people I care about, and definitely not over me. Marry you, mate with you? I could never.”

He cuts his eyes at me, clearly getting pissed, my words hitting his nerves and pushing him.

I can see the tension building in his shoulders, but I can’t stop. He thought he could call a meeting, lie about always liking me, and then joke about us being fated, and I’d be his. As if it were that simple.

“You really want me to believe you’ve been in love with me this whole time?” I scoff at him.

His nose flares out. Clearly, he’s not enjoying my mockery of his confession.

“I have. I went about it the wrong way, clearly,” he says.

“You have no idea what it was like there…” my voice drops down low. “I got close to death by exposure, and that wasn’t even the worst of it. The lack of food and water, the darkness… the eerie forest noises that were my only companion and for three days as I wasted away in that pit.”

My voice dies out. I don’t want him to know how I lost touch with my wolf— we’ve only just recently begun to heal.

“I didn’t mean for that to happen,” he murmurs, unable to look me in the eye. “Every day, I say thanks that I got you out in time.”

“Oh, my knight in shining armor, am I supposed to be grateful?” I mock.

“Then why didn’t you blame me?” he suddenly asks. “Why tell your father you slipped?”

I come up short.

I should have told the truth about who was to blame for me getting trapped in the pit— if I had, I wouldn’t be in this situation now. But I didn’t. Not because I didn’t want them to get punished, but because I didn’t want my father to think of me as weak.

I am the daughter of the alpha, and though I may only be a pawn in the larger scheme of things, I refused to weaken my father’s image by not even being able to deal with bullies. I knew it would reflect badly on him, and he already got a lot of sh*t for raising me on his own. I couldn’t put him through anything more.

“Trust me, it wasn’t to save your *ss,” I finally say. “Perhaps I’ll go and tell him now and end this little game you’re playing.”

“I’m not playing a game, Hannah,” he snaps at me. “We’re fated.”

“Like hell, we are,” I shoot back.

Apparently, I can’t read him as well as I thought. He should be pissed, so why do I see guilt instead?

I scoff and turn to leave.

But then fingers wrap around my wrist and yank me back. I let out a yelp before his lips meet mine.

His arm wraps around my back, pressing me up against his chiseled form. He tastes of honey, his lips sliding across mine like butter.

I’ll never believe the moan that slips past my lips.

I reach to grab his shoulder for support as he arches my back. He breaks the kiss-off and is leaning in for another one when my senses return.

I shove on his shoulder, pushing him away from me. The smile on his face kills me, and I slap him before I can think better of it.

I dart out of the room, hoping my heart stops racing as I put more distance between us.

How dare he!