Chapter 2 I am his fiancee
The next morning came too fast.
I woke before the alarm, stomach already knotted. The black gown I chose was one of Alyssa’s favorites, sleeveless, fitted through the waist, flowing to the floor in soft chiffon. She always said it made her look untouchable. I hoped it would do the same for me. I pinned my hair up the way she liked it, loose curls escaping around my face, and added the silver wolf pendant Father had given us both on our eighteenth birthday. A reminder. A chain.
Downstairs, Father waited in the foyer. He didn’t smile. He never did when business was involved.
“Don’t disappoint me again, Amelia.”
The words landed exactly where he meant them to. The failed engagement to Asher still burned in him like an open wound. I was the one who hadn’t fought hard enough to keep it, in his eyes. Never mind that fate itself had stepped in.
“Yes, Father,” I said quietly.
He studied me for a long second, then nodded once. “The man will pick you up at the airport. His name is Raymond Dantata. You will behave as Alyssa would. Polite. Obedient. Charming. Do not speak out of turn. Do not mention your real name. Do not mention me unless he asks. Understood?”
“Yes.”
He turned away without another word. No goodbye. No, be safe—just the dismissal of someone who expected obedience and nothing else.
One of the pack drivers took me to the airport in silence. I stared out the window the whole ride, watching the forest give way to concrete, then to the roar of planes overhead. My phone stayed quiet, no messages from Joseph. I hadn’t expected any, but the silence still hurt.
The flight was short. Two hours. I spent most of it staring at the clouds, rehearsing lines in my head. Hello, I’m Alyssa. Yes, I’m so happy to meet you finally. No, I haven’t run away. That was just a silly misunderstanding. I practiced smiling in the tiny bathroom mirror until my cheeks ached.
When the plane touched down, my pulse hammered. I collected my luggage, two large suitcases filled with Alyssa’s wardrobe and stepped into the arrivals hall.
I scanned the crowd. Signs. Drivers in suits holding names. Families hugging. No one is holding “Alyssa Maximus Augusta.” No tall, imposing wolf waiting with flowers or even a scowl. Nothing.
Minutes stretched into thirty. Then forty-five. An hour.
I found a quiet corner, pulled out my phone, and called Father’s assistant, Mara.
“He’s not here,” I said when she picked up.
A pause. Papers rustling. “He must be delayed. Give me a second.”
More silence. Then, “His office just confirmed. He’s at Dantata Corporation headquarters. He expected you to come straight there if he couldn’t meet the flight. I’m sending the address now.”
A ping. The location popped up on my screen.
Raymond Dantata.
The name rang a faint bell. Dantata. Everyone knew that name. The Royal Pack wasn’t ruled by a traditional Alpha anymore, not in the old sense. It was more like a dynasty now. Wealth. Power. Politics wrapped in fur and claws. The Dantatas sat at the top: old money, older bloodlines. If Alyssa’s fiancé was one of them, Father hadn’t just arranged a marriage. He’d arranged an alliance that could shift territories.
I swallowed hard.
I hailed a cab outside. The driver glanced at me in the rearview mirror once, twice. I must have looked like trouble, pale, tense, dressed like I was going to a funeral instead of meeting my pretend fiancé.
The Dantata Corporation building rose like black glass in the center of the city, all sharp angles and tinted windows that gave nothing away. Security at the entrance eyed me as I walked in, heels clicking too loudly on marble.
“I’m here to see Raymond Dantata,” I told the woman at reception.
She barely looked up from her screen. “Appointment?”
“No, but he’s expecting me.”
A bored sigh. “Name?”
“Alyssa Maximus Augusta.”
She typed. Frowned. Typed again. “No record of a visitor by that name. Do you have a passcode or referral?”
“I’m his fiancée,” I said, voice low.
She finally lifted her eyes. Looked me up and down. A small, pitying smile curled her lips. “Honey, you’re the third one this month. The prettier ones usually get farther than the lobby. Take a seat or leave. Your choice.”
Heat flooded my face. “I’m not lying. I’m from the Golden Glow Pack. Alpha Maximus sent me.”
She rolled her eyes. “Sure. And I’m the Queen of England. Next.”
Frustration boiled over. I was tired, hungry, humiliated, and I had been wearing this damn dress for hours. I didn’t think. I just moved.
I walked past her desk.
“Hey!” she shouted. “You can’t—”
I didn’t stop. The elevator bank was straight ahead. I jabbed the button for the top floor, executive level. The doors slid open. I stepped in before she could reach me. The last thing I heard was her yelling into a phone.
The ride up felt endless. My reflection stared back at me in the polished metal. Eyes too wide. Lips pressed tight. I looked nothing like Alyssa right now. She would have laughed in that woman’s face. Flirted. Charmed her way past. I just felt small.
The doors opened onto a quiet hallway. Thick carpet. Modern art on the walls. A single set of double doors at the end with gold lettering: Raymond Dantata, CEO.
I didn’t knock.
I shoved both doors open. They banged against the stops.
Inside, a man stood behind a massive desk, mid-sentence on a phone call. Tall. Broad shoulders under a perfectly tailored charcoal suit. Dark hair swept back. Jaw carved from stone. His eyes storm-gray, snapped to me instantly.
The secretary rushed in behind me, breathless. “Sir, I’m so sorry. She just barged past me. I tried to—”
He held up a hand. The call ended with a curt word. He set the phone down slowly.
The room went silent except for my heartbeat thundering in my ears.
I lifted my chin, forced my voice steady even though it shook at the edges.
“Are you Raymond Dantata?”
He didn’t answer right away. Just watched me. Measured. Like he was deciding whether I was worth the air I was breathing.
I took one step forward.
“I am Alyssa Maximus Augusta,” I said, the lie tasting bitter on my tongue. “Your fiancée.”
His gaze flicked over me again, from hair, dress, clenched fists. Something shifted in his expression. No surprise. Not anger.
The corner of his mouth lifted. Just barely.
“Well,” he said, voice low and smooth, carrying the faintest edge of amusement. “This should be interesting.”
