Chapter 1 The Bride Left

Elizabeth's POV:

I was standing in a hotel suite with a thousand wedding guests waiting downstairs when Mrs. Sinclair asked me to marry her first son.

If anyone had told me my day would end up this way, I would have laughed hard and called them a fool. This morning, after making breakfast for the Sinclair family, I left the house and headed to the university to write my college entrance exam. Afterwards, I went shopping with my best friend.

Mrs. Sinclair insisted I get a wedding gift for Jaxon and Talia’s wedding, but I didn’t see the point—I wasn’t even familiar with either of them. Jaxon Sinclair grew up with his grandparents, so I never had the chance to meet him.

After rummaging through several shops, I finally settled on a pair of couple’s mugs and had them nicely wrapped. I went home, freshened up, and hurried to the most luxurious hotel in the country, where the wedding was to be held, dressed in a short, cream-white flowery gown with my hair pulled back in a ponytail.

As soon as I stepped into the hall, Mrs. Sinclair dragged me straight into the elevator. Her grip tightened on my arm as the elevator climbed, her knuckles white. It made me wonder what on earth had happened? We arrived at a private suite on the top floor, where Mr. Sinclair, their younger son Talon, and Mr. Sinclair’s father—Old Sinclair—were all waiting. Each of them wore the same tense expression as Mrs. Sinclair. 

I stood there, expecting someone to explain what was going on, but I couldn’t help feeling uncomfortable with the way Old Sinclair looked at me.

I wasn’t familiar with him either; he only returned for Jaxon’s wedding. His lips twisted, and he pointed a finger at me. “Is this what you all call a solution?”

I swallowed and glanced at Talon—a tall, athletic, brown-haired 23-year-old who was always kind and playful. He’d always treated me like a little sister since I grew up in their home, though I’d always wished he could see me as something more.

Well, snap out of it, Beth. Back to the matter at hand.

Mrs. Sinclair clung to my arm. “Beth, you know today is Jax’s wedding, right?”

I nodded. That was the reason for the fancy hotel and why they’d invited over a thousand high-profile guests. Paparazzi were swarming the entrance like mad.

“Well, Jaxon is in his suite. Dressed and ready, waiting for his bride.”

Okay… That sounded sweet and romantic. But why were they telling me this?

Mrs. Sinclair bit her lower lip. “The thing is, the bride left a note and fled the country.”

What? That was insane. How could Talia just leave on her wedding day, with over a thousand guests waiting downstairs? The headlines tomorrow would be a nightmare.

“Here’s the note,” Talon said, stepping forward and handing me a neatly folded piece of white paper. I opened it and read:

Dear Jaxon,

I’m sorry I had to leave. I really love you, but how can I survive your temper? You’re never satisfied with anything I do; you always scold me and ignore my feelings. I’m sorry, but just spending money on me isn’t enough. I can’t do this.

After reading the letter, I knew I should feel bad for Jaxon, but honestly, I felt worse for Talia. She had to endure his temper and was still expected to marry him. I wouldn’t have been able to do that.

Just thinking about his face made me shiver unconsciously. I handed the letter back to Talon and wondered why everyone looked so surprised Talia had left. Wasn’t it common knowledge that Jaxon Sinclair had the temper of a feral Lycan? True, I had only met Jaxon Sinclair occasionally, I’d seen the staff at home flinch when his name came up.

“Here’s the thing, Beth,” Mr. Sinclair—who had always been a father figure to me—walked over and stood next to me. “It would be humiliating to call off the wedding. It could ruin the family’s reputation and hurt the business.”

That was true enough, but what choice did they have?

“That’s why we want you to walk down the aisle and take Talia’s place,” Mrs. Sinclair blurted out. My brows furrowed. Did I hear her right? I stared at her in shock as she gave me a weak smile. Did she just ask me to marry Jaxon Sinclair?

“Listen, dear, haven’t the Sinclair family done a lot for you? Would you really stand there and watch our reputation crumble when you could do something about it?” she added. My eyes burned, tears threatening to fall, but I bit my lip, refusing to cry.

I’d always considered them family—they took me in when I was just twelve—so I thought they saw me as a daughter by now. But they dared to use that love against me?

“Please, Beth, do it for the family,” Talon said quietly—the same Talon I’d had a crush on since I was fifteen—seemingly unconcerned about the weight of what they were asking me to do.