Chapter 2

Harper POV:

Jasper rose to his feet, his towering frame casting a long shadow across the aisle. Without a word of hesitation, his large, warm hand closed firmly around my gloved fingers.

A sharp, static spark jumped from his skin to mine, sending a sudden tremor shooting up my arm.

He turned and led me toward the altar, his stride slow, deliberate, and commanding. The guests on either side flinched backward, bowing their heads under the crushing weight of his presence.

Winston Montgomery jumped out of his pew, his face flushed with indignation. "King Jasper! This is an insult to the Montgomery Pack! You cannot simply take our castoff—"

Jasper paused. He cast a single, lethal glance over his shoulder.

The temperature in the cathedral plummeted. Winston's jaw clamped shut mid-sentence, his throat visibly working as he choked back his words under the Alpha King's silent dominance. Pale and sweating, Winston retreated back into his seat.

We stepped onto the altar together.

The Pack Elder's hands shook so badly that the ceremonial parchment rattled in his grip. He looked at Jasper, then at my thick veil, sweating through his clerical robes.

"Y—Your Majesty," the Elder stammered, "are you certain you wish to bind yourself to a wolfless daughter of the Moore Pack?"

"Proceed with the blood oath," Jasper commanded, his tone leaving no room for argument.

Behind us, Victoria watched with her mouth open, her tears instantly replaced by greedy disbelief, while my father leaned against the pew, struggling to breathe.

The Elder brought forward the sacred silver-lined chalice filled with pure spring water.

Jasper drew a small ceremonial blade from his inner pocket. With a swift, practiced motion, he dragged the edge across his palm. Thick, dark crimson blood welled up and dripped into the clear water, swirling like red smoke.

He handed the blade to me.

I took the steel, carefully slicing the tip of my index finger beneath the hem of my sleeve. I let three drops of my blood fall into the chalice.

The moment our blood mingled in the water, an intense, searing warmth rushed through my veins, striking directly at my chest.

I raised my eyes beneath the veil. Jasper was staring down at me, his golden irises glowing with a dark, predatory curiosity that made my pulse race.

"By the witness of the Moon Goddess and the blood of the ancestors," the Elder chanted, his voice echoing through the stunned silence, "I declare you bound under Pack law. The groom may seal the union."

My entire body went rigid.

I had anticipated the legal binding, but not the physical seal before an audience. If he lifted my veil, the scent-blocking spell would break, and the truth of my dormant power would flood the room.

Jasper noticed my stiffness. He stepped forward, his broad shoulders completely shielding me from the sight of the guests and the flashing media cameras.

He did not reach for my veil.

Instead, he leaned down and pressed his warm, firm lips directly against my forehead through the sheer lace.

The contact exploded through my skull like a lightning strike. A raw, electric shock tore down my spine, making my knees buckle for a split second.

The Physical Surge.

Every textbook on werewolf biology described it as the undeniable marker of the mating bond. My heart slammed against my ribs in pure shock.

Jasper's breath hitched against my veil. His pupils constricted into sharp slits, his golden eyes blazing with an intense, possessive hunger.

"You have quite the claws for a little stray," he murmured, his voice so low that only my enhanced hearing caught the vibration.

I forced my breathing to steady, taking a subtle half-step back to break the current between us. "This is a transaction, Mr. Jones."

Thunderous, polite applause broke out from the bewildered crowd, masking our exchange.

My father Reginald immediately scrambled up the altar steps, rubbing his hands together with a fawning smile. "Your Majesty! What an honor! As Harper's father, we must discuss the dowry and territorial—"

Jasper did not even spare him a look. "Clear the hall," he instructed his Beta assistant who appeared at his side.

Jasper grabbed my wrist, his grip unyielding yet carefully measured not to bruise. "To the VIP suite. Now."

I lifted my train and walked beside him, leaving my stunned family and the buzzing reporters behind as the heavy double doors of the suite slammed shut, locking the world outside.