Aria's pov:
According to the plan in my head, Celeste's plan wasn't supposed to work well.
It wasn't even supposed to go any mile and yet, my heartbeat fast like a war drum as I stared at my reflection in the mirror. I didn't recognize the young lady staring back at me.
Her usually scattered bun was styled all too glamorously, leaving waves to cascade down her back, her usual sunken face and even the holes beneath her eyes had been carefully covered with make up.
I didn't recognize myself, or more like my appearance but the orbs that stared right back at me could never be forgotten.
Those orbs that held a little to no hope in them, hoping to be free one day.
Celeste's dress clung to my body like a second skin. It was a silky dress, silver, and shimmered under the dim light.
The makeup I always hated to see on her face was now on mine, the same way she always did hers and there was not a single difference.
My face had been artfully smudged with makeup by her impatient hands and my mother's ever hateful glare.
I looked more like her than I ever had, and yet…I had never felt less like myself. Looking back at the mirror and not able to see my usual image but that of my sister was like a thorn in my skin.
"Stand straight!" my mother hissed from behind me, a less scornful look on her face but it was easy to tell that it was only because I now looked just like her favorite child. "You're not some pathetic Omega tonight. You're Celeste. The next Luna…and don't forget the deal we made…" And she just had to remind me of my plight and what I needed to repay her for.
I obeyed out of habit more than obedience. Her fingers tugged sharply at the necklace around my neck, lifting my chin.
How much of a fool was I to think she'd be happy with me now but she didn't smile. She never smiled at me.
"Does your little brain still remember what we discussed?" She asked, her voice low and clipped with so much venom dripping from it in that short time.
Swallowing thickly, I was about bowing my head but her hold on my chin was just making it impossible for me to bow my head in reflex.
I could only nod my head, not meeting her eyes before answering, "I meet him. We do the mating ceremony, then Celeste takes over."
A smile..a cold one, finally curled her lips. "Exactly! No mistakes, Aria. We've put too much effort into this. If anyone finds out you're not her-"
"They won't," Celeste interrupted, stepping beside me with an easygoing smile on her face that would have fooled me if I didn't know any better. "She knows better," Celeste added and I mentally nodded to myself.
I flinched as her fingers ran over my shoulder, a mock gesture of affection. No doubt to mock me for the things I usually complained I wanted.
The scent of her perfume, that of jasmine, mixed with a tinge of bloodlust, coated the air around us.
"You should be grateful," she said sweetly, but her eyes burned like coals. " You get to be not only in the presence of Alpha Kael Draven but to also be touched by him. Do you even understand what that means?"
I pressed my lips tighter together, not even saying a word and choosing to keep my mouth shut with the knowledge of how far Celeste could go. I was too busy trying to keep my hands from shaking.
I let my heart beat fall slowly to its usual rhythm, trying not to be affected by the presence of my mother and twin sister who were no doubt regretting sending me to the Alpha.
All I had to do was appear before the Alpha as my sister and hope on the moon goddess that he'd accept me(Celeste's appearance) as his mate. And then finally, I'd be free from the hold my mother had on me.
This was how simple my plan was but despite how simple it sounded…even to me, my mind raced with the thought of the Alpha.
I had heard the stories. Everyone in Shadow Claw's pack had. The Alpha, Kael Draven, the ruthless and unyielding Alpha. One who ruled with an iron fist.
I've heard whispers…whispers that he didn't smile, he didn't forgive and neither did he take choosing a mate as a tradition to be played with.
It had been no surprise that the previous Alpha, his father, had gotten fooled the same way when he was to choose his second mate, after Alpha Kael's mother's death.
Just like my mother and twin sister, a group of family had thought it good to fool the previous Alpha, assuming there was going to be zero consequences but instead, Alpha Kael, who had been in training as the next in line to rule had brutally and carefully showed himself by killing off her family, leaving only the kids to reside in our pack.
Ever since then, even before his rule, Karl Draven had been feared.
And now….I was walking straight into his den. I cursed my luck.
One hour later, as I stepped into the hall, I didn't fail to notice how it was decorated and now glowed with gold and firelight. Warriors lined the walls in silent salute, standing firm and poised and if I wasn't so nervous, I would have taken my time to admire how well they were all dressed even for warriors that they were.
A hush fell over the hall as I entered, every eye turning towards me. How could I forget? Not me but Celeste's image.
With every step I took, it seemed like I was being studied and being preyed upon.
I could almost hear voices yelling for me to mess things up but one sniff in the congested air and I could smell the sour taste of my mother's scent.
No; I needed to act right and not mess things up- this was the only way.
Willing myself, I tried not to bow my head, standing straight and tall like I had been told to.
But then, I saw him. The devil himself.
Kael Draven stood at the far end of the hall, tall and broad-shouldered, dressed in black and silver with each piece clinging tightly to his body.
His presence swallowed the hall, commanding attention even without lifting a finger. His onyx eyes locked onto my blue ones the moment I crossed the threshold.
And at that moment, I stopped breathing.
My breath ceased in my throat, and it was like I was being manipulated for my breath to remain still.
His gaze held mine and it was like being caught in a storm. His eyes remained on me while I stared right back at him.
And at that moment, I saw something flicker in his eyes. Confusion? Recognition? No…something else. Something I wanted to know for the first time.
Caught in his stare and realizing I had been doing that for too long, I bowed my head slightly, remembering the role I had to play.
Remembering the script that had been well carefully planned out for me by Celeste.
But I could still feel his burning gaze on me; almost boring holes into my cloth and I could imagine what was running through his head.
"Alpha Kael," I whispered, dipping my head into the practiced curtsy.
Silence greeted me and all of a sudden, the hall which had been full of life now seemed to have been sucked off the surface of the world.
Not even one person could be heard speaking.
With each second that passed, I wished for the ground to open up and swallow me. Please! Please! Someone save me from this awkwardness!
"Look at me," he said and like a knight in shining armor, he saved me from the silence that slowly ate away at me.
Like the sound of steel- cold and unfeeling, his voice entered my ears, running throughout my body and causing my blood to freeze.
Deep and leaving no space for refusal.
I raised my eyes, allowing myself in that very moment to just go along with whatever life was going to bring to me. But, deep down, I hoped that the moon goddess was going to have mercy on me for once and accept me- Celeste's appearance - as his mate.
In that moment our eyes met again, everything cracked.
The air shifted and it was as if the two of us only remained in this world.
It was subtle, a fleeting feeling that seemed to be playing a game of hide and seek. With my heart in my mouth, I watched his sharp jaw clench as his eyes darkened.
Now, the only thing I was trying hard to do was to calm my breathing and avoid sounding like a dog who had been on a chase.
After what seemed like a painful amount of time, he took a step forward, just as the air switched too.
And then, another step followed, until he stood right in front of me. I desperately wanted to move back but I couldn't. I couldn't take a step; almost as if I'd been trapped.
And that's when I felt it.
A spark. No, it was more like a pull. Something ancient and unbreakable lit up inside me, a rush of warmth and fire through every inch of my being. As if they had a life of theirs.
Mate!
The word whispered through me, quiet but undeniable, my wolf roaring to life.
Kael's nostrils flared, and for a heartbeat, something fierce passed over his face. Then, just as quickly, it vanished. My heart thrummed, lost for a moment.
He released my hand and turned to the gathered crowd who had been all too quiet with anticipation.
"She is accepted," he said loudly. "The Luna ceremony will proceed tomorrow at dawn."
The room erupted in cheers, but I couldn't hear them. My mind was spinning.
He knows. Goddess, he knows.
I wasn't Celeste. I hadn't told a soul. But the mate bond didn't lie.
And Kael Draven had just accepted me.
Not my sister.Not the plan.
Not the lie.
Me.