“This is a library. Stop.” Monica hissed under her breath, shoving Daniel’s hand away when he slipped an arm around her waist and kissed her forehead again.
“You want this too, don’t you?” he murmured near her ear. “Besides, everyone’s gone home.”
“I need to leave. I have a statistics exam tomorrow morning.” Monica quickly gathered the books scattered across the table.
“Monica, come on, baby.” His broad hand reached for her wrist once more.
“We already agreed. Not here. This is a public place. We said we wouldn’t do anything like this in public.” She brushed him off again and strode toward the library exit.
Her skin still burned from every touch Daniel had given her. Desire pulsed through her body, unwelcome and distracting. But the entire campus was covered by CCTV cameras. If she was caught doing anything inappropriate, she could lose her scholarship. In the worst case, she could be expelled.
“I saw you kissing in the library.”
The cold voice made her stop instantly.
“Killian?” Monica turned with a frown.
He rarely acknowledged her existence, much less spoke to her directly.
Killian was her fiercest academic rival. Both of them were fighting for first place in their faculty and for the elite scholarship that came with a generous cash award.
“Yes,” Killian said calmly. “And I took a photo of you with Daniel. If I send it to the Academic Office, then…”
“What do you want?” Monica snapped. “Trying to win like this is pathetic. And Daniel only kissed my forehead. Is that suddenly a crime?”
She still could not understand how someone as intelligent as Killian could stoop so low.
“I need your help,” he said, voice clipped, as if forcing the words out.
“With what? And you delete the photo first.”
“Afterward.” His expression remained unreadable. “Tonight is the full moon. I promised my parents I would bring my mate home and complete the betrothal ceremony.”
Monica stared at him. “You’re a werewolf?”
“Yes.”
The answer came with a short nod.
“Fine. Then what exactly do you need from me?”
“Pretend to be my mate,” Killian said. “And fake an engagement.”
“What?” She nearly laughed from disbelief. “Have you lost your mind? Killian, you’re supposed to be a genius.”
“Being a genius doesn’t magically produce a mate.” His jaw tightened. “Choose. Help me, and I delete the photo. Refuse, and it goes to the Academic Office.”
Amberbridge University accepted werewolf students alongside humans. In the province of Amberbridge, werewolves had lived openly among humans for generations under strict laws forbidding them from harming or disturbing human citizens.
An hour later, Monica stood outside Killian’s family estate.
The mansion blazed with lights. Luxury cars lined the driveway, and elegant guests moved in and out of the entrance. Everything had clearly been prepared long before tonight.
Her phone buzzed.
Don’t panic. It’s only an act.
A second message followed.
Use text only. SMS or WhatsApp. Werewolves can hear whispers.
Monica swallowed hard.
When the master of ceremonies announced the start of the ritual, she and Killian descended the sweeping staircase into the ballroom together.
She tried not to think about the gown she wore. It fit her body perfectly, as if tailored from her measurements.
Before the gathered crowd, Killian stepped forward.
“I, Killian Legiette, swear to protect the Glass Fire Pack and recognize Monica Joana as my mate and fiancée.”
He spoke before his parents, the Alpha and Luna of the pack.
The room erupted in applause. His parents looked openly emotional.
Then the celebration shifted into a traditional hunt.
Monica watched in stunned disbelief as men and women transformed into wolves. Clothes tore apart as bodies reshaped, snarls filling the night air. The hunt continued until dawn.
The following morning, Killian drove her quietly back to campus and dropped her at the dormitory.
They agreed to keep the truth of the fake engagement secret and behave normally at university.
Killian was everything girls dreamed about. Brilliant. Handsome. Polished. Magnetic.
Outside class, female students constantly found excuses to approach him or ask for photos. Monica was not immune either.
But she never let it show.
Especially because she already had Daniel.
“Did you forget to charge your phone again?” Daniel called after Geometry class a few days later.
Then he grinned. “And I bought a new brand of condoms. Don’t worry, I remembered the lubricant too.”
Monica followed him to his apartment.
Unlike Monica, who stayed in the dorms to save money, Daniel rented an expensive private unit. It was there, early in their relationship, that Monica had first stepped into a more passionate adult life.
A week later, Monica returned to Killian’s estate to continue their act.
But the night took a brutal turn.
“I reject you, Monica.”
Killian’s voice rang through the hall.
“From this moment on, you are no longer my mate. The Glass Fire Moon Pack will have no luna candidate beside its future alpha.”
Gasps spread through the room.
“Killian! What are you saying?” Luna Janette cried.
“Enough games,” Alpha Gallagie thundered. “You are my only son and the future alpha of this pack.”
“I have the right to choose my mate,” Killian said coolly. “And I am not convinced Monica is truly mine. She may only be a fake mate.”
Whispers rippled across the crowd.
But Monica barely heard them.
A crushing pain tore through her chest. Her ears rang. Her vision dimmed. Her knees gave out, and she collapsed to the floor.
She could not explain why it hurt so much.
Humiliation.
Betrayal.
Abandonment.
She had never fully believed she was his destined mate, yet his public rejection cut deep. He had asked her to play this role. He had brought her into this mess.
And now he discarded her first.
“Monica, get up.”
Killian crouched beside her and caught her arm.
“You don’t need to keep pretending anymore. Honestly, it was a brilliant last-minute solution. Thanks for helping me last week.”
She had no strength left. Even opening her eyes felt difficult.
No matter what happened, she would not let him know the truth.
Killian could never learn she had started to fall for him.
“Helping you?” she whispered.
“Yes.” He sounded almost impatient. “Last week was the full moon and the thousandth anniversary of my grandfather’s death. If I hadn’t presented a luna candidate before the Moon Goddess that night, disaster would have fallen on the Glass Fire Pack.”
His explanation barely registered through the pain.
“You used me.”
“Used you?” he said. “No. We made a deal. I kept my word and deleted the photo of you and Daniel.”
“Take me back to campus. Now.”
She kicked off her glass heels and flung them aside.
“A future alpha who rejects his luna is under no obligation to escort her home,” Killian replied. “Especially when none of this was real. You may stay here if you like.”
“I don’t care about your cursed werewolf customs.” Monica’s voice shook, but it stayed firm. “I’m human. Take me back to the dorms now.”
