1

Shadow sat in front of the vanity mirror, her reflection showing no sign of life, her mind empty of thought.

Suddenly, the door swung open and her mother, Lisa, rushed in. She took in Shadow's disheveled hair and the grayness that seemed to consume her face, and her anger flared instantly.

"The Lances are here. Why haven't you changed your clothes?"

Shadow pushed up her black-rimmed glasses and stared at her mother, bewildered. "Mom, do you honestly expect me to mate with my sister's fiancé?"

Lisa's anxiety grew, her face paling with worry. The Lances were waiting outside, and a single misstep could bring ruin upon their entire family.

Kneeling down before Shadow, her voice filled with desperation, she pleaded, "Shadow, I beg of you. Your sister deserves better. Why won't you help her?"

Shadow's eyes, once filled with hopelessness, turned cold. While Lisa may have been her biological mother, she had always favored the children from her father's deceased ex-wife. Lisa knew that Shadow's sister's fiancé was repulsive and impotent, yet she still wanted Shadow to mate with him.

The pleas of the servant echoed from beyond the door. "Madam, the Lances are upstairs."

Shadow made no move to assist Lisa and replied with indifference, "Get up. I'll go."

In that moment, she had truly lost all hope in this family.

As she opened the door, a group of unfamiliar bodyguards stood waiting outside.

These were the people sent by the Lances to escort her.

Today, she would be mated to someone without a proper ceremony or a groom.

"Let's go," she stated, leading the way downstairs without hesitation.

The Lances were the wealthiest family in the Moonlight Pack, their only heir, Alpha Kilian, disfigured and impotent after a kidnapping that occurred over a decade ago.

Rumors circulated about his brutal and unattractive nature, with no woman sent into his home ever emerging alive.

There was no greater betrayal than that which came from one's own family.

Even if he were a devil, it mattered not. Her mother had abandoned her to this monster.

Shadow was entirely alone in this world.

...

Upon reaching Alpha Kilian's Castle, the bodyguards guided her into a room before departing.

It was not until darkness filled the sky outside the window that the door creaked open once more.

Shadow turned her head, her gaze meeting that of a tall and imposing man stepping into the room.

He closed the door and flicked on the lights, temporarily blinding her. As she shielded her eyes, she raised her head to take in the sight before her.

In an instant, she froze.

It wasn't due to the man's grotesque and terrifying appearance, but rather because he was astonishingly handsome.

A dark suit hugged his muscular frame, and with confident strides, he moved toward her.

His facial features were striking and flawlessly chiseled, like a work of art.

Alpha Kilian scrutinized Shadow for a few moments, his eyebrows slightly furrowing. "Quite hideous."

His tone remained calm, no trace of emotion creeping into his voice.

Shadow looked back at him in shock, his comment about her appearance barely registering. Her only focus was on defending herself as she asked, "And who might you be?"

His ink-colored eyes glimmered with intensity, his voice deep. "Do you not know who you will be mated to?"

As he drew nearer, his chilling breath sent shivers down Shadow's spine.

Though his powerful aura momentarily stifled her, she maintained her composure and straightened her posture. "Of course, I know. The person I am to mate with is known as Alpha Kilian."

Alpha Kilian heard her words, the sharpness in his eyes gradually subsiding as a flicker of clarity replaced it. Another woman who believed the rumors, destined to mate with an 'ugly and impotent' man.

Yet, unlike the others, she appeared strangely calm. This piqued Alpha Kilian's interest.

Smiling with an air of confidence, he said, "So you are my sister-in-law? I am Alpha Dominic, cousin to Alpha Kilian. I suppose no one wants to be with such a worthless man, not even you, on the night of the mating ceremony!"

..

He deliberately emphasized the word ‘worthless Alpha ’ deeply, with a hint of provocation. The man approached her intentionally, the piercingly cold aura of him got even thicker and stronger.

Shadow shifted uncomfortably, and after a moment of disbelief, she believed his words 'He was from the family for sure. After all, Alpha Kilian ’s Castle was not accessible to peasants or mere commoners.'

“He is your cousin. Please don’t talk about him like this.”

Presumably, Alpha Kilian had also had difficulties in his family. Shadow felt sympathy. Even if the Lances were top-tier socially, she sympathized with Alpha Kilian ’s situation. He must have had hard times in recent years.

Alpha Kilian ’s brown eyes quickly flashed in surprise. He didn’t expect this ugly woman to say such words.

He couldn’t help looking at her once more. The messy hair, the black-framed glasses, tattered, long cotton clothes, and the bangs on her forehead almost thick enough to cover her eyes. There were even a few small spots on her haggard face. It was repulsive to even look at.

He had heard how his betrothed would be as beautiful as a blooming rose. There was no way that this hideous woman was his rumored bride.

But the Lances did not care whether the woman who wed him was ugly or beautiful. As long as she was capable of bearing an heir. They would not care even if they had to select another.

Besides, it wasn’t as if Alpha Kilian had any intentions of treating her as his wife, Luna. All he needed was a simple and quick fuck.

He wanted to fuck her, impregnate her, she give him a hier that's it. So,she'll be more like a breeding toy.

A dark glint flashed in his eyes, Alpha Kilian extended his hand and pushed Shadow onto the bed. There was undisguised contempt and malice in his tone. “There is no one else. You don’t need to pretend. With your looks, you are probably still a virgin. I might treat you far better than that cripple!”

After he finished speaking, he reached for her directly. He was about to touch her waist. Almost.

Slap!

“Get off!” Shadow used all her strength to slap him across the face. “Don’t assume everyone is as filthy as ye. Ye’re fortunate that yer cousin hasn’t arrived yet. Leave immediately, or would ye prefer another slap?”

Although she tried her best to stay composed, her trembling hands betrayed her. She clutched the sheets beneath her, and let out a ragged breath. What in the name of the spirits did she just witness?

She had imagined how repugnant Alpha Kilian would be on the way over, how scarred and how malformed he truly was. But she never expected to encounter such a thing as this.

Her jaw clenched, and she forced herself to look up at him. ‘You can do this, Shadow .’ She encouraged herself. ‘You got this.’

Alpha Kilian wore a sullen expression and exuded a bitter chill. “No woman has ever dared to slap me.”

“Consider this yer first.” Shadow shuddered.

Because of the struggle, her glasses had fallen off, revealing a pair of unexpectedly clear and precise eyes. Her trembling eyelashes showed their owner’s tension and fear. “D-don’t come any closer!”

Seeing that, suddenly Alpha Kilian paused, and for a moment he began to feel a bit soft-hearted.

He straightened his shirt and glanced coldly at her. “You can continue to wait for that ‘worthless Alpha’ here.”

Bang!

It wasn’t until the door was closing that Shadow ’s tense nerves relaxed slightly.

Outside the door.

When the bodyguard was about to reach the Master bedroom, he saw the red mark on Alpha Kilian ’s face. With his pale complexion, the mark was incredibly visible. Even a partially blind person would be able to spot it a mile away. He froze for a moment before saying, “Alpha… Your face…”

Alpha Kilian touched his face and said bluntly, “Ran into the door.”

Doors had five fingerprints on them?

Even though his story seemed doubtful, the bodyguard did not dare to ask any further.

Instead, he respectfully handed a folder, “This is Young Madam’s personal information.”

Alpha Kilian opened the folder and saw the name on it, Shadow Eden .

Interesting. That hideous woman’s name was Shadow meaning noble. How ironic!

Her birth mother was even more interesting. Treating her stepson and stepdaughter like precious gems while being cruel to her biological daughter. Despicable.

Continuing through the document, he frowned and asked the bodyguard, “Is she really this daft?”

The bodyguard nodded.

“Check again.”

When Shadow spoke, she was clear and organized. Besides, Alpha Kilian had never seen a fool who could rise up so fiercely and fight back against a man in that situation.

Thinking of this, he lost his composure and thrust the file he was holding into the bodyguard’s hands. “If you can’t give me accurate information then don’t bother coming back to me!”