Isla’s POV
For years, I was cursed. I was the bad omen, I was blamed for everyone’s misfortune. But I had finally broken free from that label.
The day I found my mate, Nikolai, was the best day of my life. Even though it had been over a month, it still felt like it happened yesterday.
I loved the way he made me feel. I loved how his presence turned my dark days into light.
I may be Isla Jazmin Grey, daughter of the most feared alpha in the Southern packs, but I had always been a disappointment to him.
I lost my mother at birth, and my father blamed me for it. He never let me forget it. When I turned six, my second brother died trying to protect me during a rogue attack. Since then, I was known as the bringer of doom.
But that was just the beginning because I was unfortunately a late bloomer despite being an alpha’s daughter. They all felt it was the moon goddess’ way of punishing me for killing my mother and brother.
When I finally shifted, they didn’t care. It didn’t change anything.
To make matters worse, I never found my mate on my 18th birthday like others. I attended several mating balls for four years until I finally gave up.
Then I found Nikolai. That was like finding the missing piece of myself. The day I realized he was my mate, everything changed. I finally gained respect from my pack.
“Isla, come here. What do you think of this dress?” Chloe, my best friend, called out snapping me out of my reverie.
“Huh? Dress?” I asked, confused as I had been lost in my thoughts.
She gave me a look of disbelief before shaking her head and sighing. “Forget it. You’re impossible.”
“Oh! But—” I started.
Chloe raised her hand, cutting me off. “You need to go ring shopping now. Nikolai is expecting you!” She grabbed my arm and pulled me toward the exit before running off to handle other wedding plans.
The cool afternoon breeze hit me as I stepped out, the faint sound of laughter and movement around the pack grounds.
Nikolai’s apartment was at the far edge of the pack grounds, tucked away in an area reserved for visitors and council members. Getting there, I didn’t knock. The door creaked open with a slow groan, and I stepped inside.
It felt like the air had been sucked from the room.
Nikolai wasn’t alone.
His so-called cousin, Evelyn, was draped across his lap, laughing as her fingers toyed with the buttons of his shirt. His hands rested too comfortably on her hips. Her lips brushed his ear, as she whispered, and he smirked—smirked—like she was the only person in the world.
My breath hitched. The pain hit harder. "Nikolai?"
His head snapped up, the smirk vanishing, replaced by something like guilt—though not nearly enough of it. The girl straightened, unconcerned, her bold gaze sliding over me with the lazy disdain of someone who knew she’d already won.
“Isla,” Nikolai began, his tone cautious, but I didn’t stay to hear the rest.
I stumbled out, the walls spinning around me, the sharp sting of humiliation burning my skin. My feet barely touched the ground as I ran back to my room, slamming the door shut behind me.
The tears came fast, hot and angry, choking me as I sank onto the bed. My fingers clawed at the sheets, every word he’d spoken before, every promise, unraveling like threads snapping one by one.
The door opened again not long after, his scent flooding the room before he even spoke.
“You’re overreacting,” Nikolai said, his voice cold.
I shot up, my tear-streaked face burning with fury. “Overreacting?” I spat, the word venomous. “I walk in on you with another woman, and I’m overreacting?”
His jaw tightened, and for a moment, there was something almost like regret in his eyes. But it passed, replaced by that cold, calculated mask I’d seen before.
“Our mating was never meant to be about love, Isla,” he said bluntly. “You’re the daughter of a powerful alpha. I needed you for alliance purposes. That’s all.”
I staggered back, his words felt like a blow. “You—you said—”
“I said what I needed to,” he interrupted, his voice sharp. “This whole relationship and accepting you was only for the pack. For appearances. But you and I both know the truth—no one else would ever want you.”
My chest heaved, sobs choking me. I felt… broken. Even if I didn’t expect much from everyone, I never expected this… not from my mate.
“You told me you loved me, Nikolai. I asked you. Why?” I questioned, tears streaming down my cheeks.
“I’m sorry but I love Evelyn. She’s not even greedy. She’s willing to let you be my wife and Luna. But she gets me. Be happy.”
I stared at him, every word cutting deeper, his face calm like he wasn’t destroying me. “Be happy?” My voice cracked, a mix of disbelief and agony. “How the hell am I supposed to be happy with this?”
Nikolai sighed, as if I was exhausting him, as if my heartbreak was an inconvenience. “You’ll have the title, Isla. Respect. Security. Isn’t that enough for someone like you?”
“Someone like me?” I echoed, my voice barely above a whisper. My chest burned, rage and despair clawing their way out of me. “You think this is about titles? About respect? I thought—” My voice caught, my breath shuddering. “I thought you were my mate. My person. My everything.”
His expression softened for a fleeting second before it hardened again. “You’re delusional if you think being mates guarantee love,” he said coldly. “You’ve been sheltered too long, Isla. This is how the world works. Evelyn understands that. She doesn’t need to cry over every little thing.”
“Get out,” I said, my voice trembling.
“What?”
“Get out!” I screamed, hurling a pillow at him. It hit his chest, but he didn’t flinch. He just stood there, watching me fall apart like I was some broken object he couldn’t wait to discard.
“Fine,” he muttered, turning toward the door. “Just remember, Isla. You agreed to this. You’ll be Luna. That’s more than most would ever give you.”
The door clicked shut behind him.
I crumbled to the floor, the sobs I’d been holding back ripping out of me. My hands clawed at the carpet, my wolf howling in my head, furious, hurt, betrayed.
He wasn’t just my mate. He was supposed to be my salvation. My peace.
Now, I truly had nothing.
The days after passed in a haze. Chloe tried to comfort me, but nothing she said could fix it. Every glance at the preparations for the wedding ceremony felt like acid burning my skin. Every whisper of Nikolai’s name felt like a dagger was being stabbed into heart.
And then the day came.
The wedding dress felt heavy on my shoulders, suffocating. The weight of the pack’s stares, the expectations, made my knees weak.
Nikolai stood at the altar, dressed in black, his expression unreadable. Evelyn was standing right there at the front with a huge grin as though mocking me and showing me my place.
“Do you, Isla Jazmin Grey, accept Alpha Nikolai Xander Feodorov as your mate, bound in spirit and law, to lead the Mystic Shadow Pack together?” the officiant asked.
My throat closed up. The room spun. Every instinct screamed at me to run, to say no, to fight back against this injustice.
