Chapter 4

(Tyron’s POV) She's more beautiful than the photographs. I watch her as I lead her down the hallway to our bedroom—my bedroom, now ours—and catalog every detail. The way the wedding dress clings to her curves. The delicate line of her neck where my mark will soon rest. Those eyes, emerald green and wide with fear. Good. Fear means respect. Fear means obedience. The reception was perfect. Every Alpha from the neighboring territories witnessed my claim. Saw her standing beside me, wearing my ring, bearing my name. Sanya Stone. It has a nice sound to it. The incident with Maya was... unfortunate. An old college friend, she'd said. And a male friend at that. Aaron Knight. The name tastes bitter in my mouth. I don't share. Never have. The thought of another man touching what's mine makes my wolf snarl beneath my skin. But it's fine. Whatever happened in the past stays in the past. She's mine now, and I'll make sure she forgets that rankless nobody ever existed. Tonight, I'll claim her properly. Mark her. Make her understand exactly who she belongs to. Anticipation coils in my chest as I open the bedroom door. Then everything goes to hell. The scent hits me first—sweet, cloying, wrong. My throat starts to close before my brain even processes what I'm seeing. Moon leaves. Hundreds of them, scattered across the bed like some kind of sick joke. "What—" I can't finish the sentence. My airway is constricting, skin breaking out in hives wherever the pollen touches. I stumble backward, lungs screaming for oxygen that won't come. "Guards!" The word comes out strangled. "GUARDS!" They come running. Servants, family members, all crowding into the hallway to see what caused their Alpha to roar like a wounded animal. "Get them out!" I point at the bed, vision starting to blur at the edges. "Now! All of them!" Servants scramble into the room, scooping moon leaves into dustbins with shaking hands. One girl—young, new to the household—trembles so badly she drops her dustbin. Moon leaves scatter across the floor. I pin her with a glare and watch her fall to her knees, head bowed in submission. "I'm sorry, Alpha. I'm sorry, please, I didn't—" "Get. Out." My voice is barely human. "All of you. Clean this mess and find out who did this." They flee like rabbits from a wolf. My mother appears in the doorway, taking in the scene with those calculating eyes that miss nothing. "Tyron." Her voice is carefully neutral. "Your medication is in the bathroom. Take it before the reaction gets worse." I push past her into the ensuite, yanking open the medicine cabinet with more force than necessary. The antihistamine goes down dry, scraping my already raw throat. In the mirror, my reflection is a mess. Hives crawling up my neck, eyes watering, face flushed with rage and allergic reaction both. Someone did this. Someone in this house knows about my allergy—information only family possesses—and deliberately sabotaged my wedding night. Someone wanted to humiliate me. To make a fool of Tyron Stone on the night I claim my bride. When I find out who... I grip the edge of the sink until my knuckles turn white. Control. I need control. Can't let them see me like this—weak, vulnerable, reacting to a handful of plants like some pathetic omega. Deep breaths. The medication is already working, opening my airways, calming the worst of the reaction. By the time I return to the bedroom, it's been stripped. Fresh sheets, fresh pillows, every trace of moon leaves removed. Servants are bringing in a second bed—smaller, clearly meant for Sanya. She stands in the corner, arms wrapped around herself, watching everything with those wide eyes. "Did you do this?" The question comes out harsh. "What? No! I don't even know what—" "Moon leaves." I stalk toward her and watch her press back against the wall. Good. She should be afraid. "Someone covered our bed in moon leaves. Funny thing about moon leaves—they're rare. Hard to find. And most people don't know that the Alpha of Blood Moon Pack is deathly allergic to them." Her face is pale. "I didn't know. I swear, I had nothing to do with—" "Convenient." I stop inches from her, close enough to smell her fear beneath the floral perfume. "You arrive in my pack and suddenly someone tries to humiliate me on my wedding night. You don't think that's suspicious?" "I've been locked in a car and paraded around all day! When would I have had time to—" "Enough." I turn away from her before I do something I'll regret. "Separate beds tonight. Consider yourself fortunate I'm feeling generous." Generous. Right. Like I have a choice when my throat is still closing and my skin feels like it's on fire. The servants finish setting up the second bed and flee without meeting my eyes. I point to the smaller bed. "You sleep there. Don't move until morning." "But—" "I said don't move." The command in my voice makes her flinch. "And Sanya? If I find out you had anything to do with this, you'll learn very quickly what happens to people who cross me." I storm out before she can respond, slamming the door hard enough to rattle the frame. The hallway is empty now. Everyone's scattered, probably gossiping about their Alpha's ruined wedding night. Perfect. Just perfect. "Tyron." My mother steps out of the shadows, and I realize she's been waiting. "Not now, Mother." "Someone wanted to humiliate you on your wedding night," she says quietly, falling into step beside me. "Someone who knew about your allergy. That's information only family has." "I'm aware." "Are you?" She stops, forcing me to face her. "Because your new bride seems like the obvious suspect. You know nothing about her. Who her allies are. What she's capable of." The suggestion makes my wolf snarl. Sanya looked genuinely confused when she saw the moon leaves. Terrified, even. But my mother isn't wrong. I don't know this woman I just married. Don't know what secrets she's hiding beneath that frightened exterior. "I'll handle it," I say. "See that you do." She touches my arm briefly. "And Tyron? Don't let sentiment cloud your judgment. She's a tool. A means to an end. Nothing more." She glides away, leaving me alone in the darkened hallway. A tool. Right. That's all she is. All she'll ever be. So why does part of me feel... something, when I think about her terrified face? No. I crush the feeling before it can take root. Sentiment is weakness. And Tyron Stone doesn't do weakness. I should go to my study. Deal with pack business. Let her stew in fear for a few hours. Instead, I find myself walking back to the bedroom. The door is slightly ajar—one of the servants must not have closed it properly. Through the crack, I can see her. She's sitting on the smaller bed, still wearing that wedding dress, looking small and lost. Her shoulders shake slightly. Crying, probably. Good. Let her cry. Let her understand what her life is now. But then she does something strange. She reaches toward the nightstand where one of the servants must have missed a moon leaf. Her fingers hover over it for a moment, hesitant, before making contact. The leaf glows. Silvery light, faint but unmistakable, pulses from where her skin touches the plant. What the hell? She jerks her hand back, eyes wide, glancing around like she's afraid someone saw. The leaf looks normal again. Ordinary. But I saw it. I definitely saw it glow. I back away from the door, mind racing. Moon leaves don't glow. They're plants. Rare, yes, but still just plants. They don't react to touch with supernatural light. Unless... Unless my new bride isn't just hiding a past with another man. Unless she's hiding something else entirely. My wolf stirs, caught between territorial possessiveness and suspicion. She's mine—my wife, my Luna, my property. But what exactly did I claim? I need information. Need to find out what this woman is capable of, what power she's hiding beneath that innocent act. Because Tyron Stone doesn't tolerate secrets in his house. And if she thinks she can use whatever this is against me, she's got another thing coming. I turn away from the door, already making plans. Tomorrow, I'll start investigating. Her past, her family, that rankless wolf she supposedly loved. Every secret she's hiding, I'll drag into the light. And then... Then we'll see exactly who Sanya Stone really is.