Page 102 of The Cuddle Clause

Her expression twisted. “I guess you don’t know a good thing when it’s standing right in front of you.”

I glanced toward Maggie again. She was stealing a mini croissant and trying to hide it in a napkin like she was smuggling treasure.

“Oh, I know,” I said, watching her. “I know exactly what a good thing looks like.”

That was the end of that. Seraphina huffed and stalked off toward Dwight, who looked like he’d rather be in a dental chair. I didn’t feel even an ounce of regret.

Lucien found us a few minutes later. His grin stretched too wide, his suit obscenely gold-trimmed. “There you are. It’s time.”

I could feel Maggie tense beside me.

“Follow me,” Lucien said, sweeping his arm toward the double doors at the back of the hall.

We stepped into a massive chamber bathed in moonlight and lined with pack members. Dozens of them. The air buzzed with anticipation, magic thick enough to taste.

A raised platform waited in the center. Two ornate chairs, a woven silver tapestry, and a row of elders flanking Lucien like royal courtiers. My skin started to burn.

Lucien’s voice boomed through the room, reverent and theatrical. “Tonight, we witness the most sacred rite among our kind: the bonding of mates. Joined by blood, sealed by magic, strengthened by devotion.”

I kept my eyes on Maggie, who stood across from me in her simple white dress. She looked like she belonged in every version of my future. And she had no idea.

Lucien gestured to us. “Roman. Maggie. Step forward.”

We did. I could hear Maggie’s heart thudding from where I stood. Or maybe it was mine.

“A claiming is not merely instinct. It is trust. It is choice. It is soul meeting soul and saying, ‘Yes. Even now. Even still.’” Lucien nodded at me. “Complete the bond.”

My mouth went dry. I reached into my pocket and palmed the capsule, slipping it into my mouth while I was turned. It was small, barely noticeable. Crushed wolf root and herbs, mixed with a drop of my own blood to make it smell like the real deal.

I stepped behind Maggie and traced the skin on her neck with the tip of my finger. She shivered but didn’t pull away.

“You okay?” I whispered.

“Just do it,” she whispered back.

God help me. I lowered my mouth to her skin, pressing the capsule between my teeth. The second I touched her neck, she let out an involuntary gasp.

The sound shattered something in me, and my knees buckled with the intensity of my desire to do it for real. To mark her. Claim her. Make it official in the way only magic could. Not because Lucien wanted it. Not because the pack needed it.

But because I did.

Because I loved her.

But I couldn’t. So, I bit down on the capsule and let the fake blood trickle across her shoulder. The heat of her skin against my lips nearly undid me. I pulled back slowly, my mouth stained red. Maggie reached up and touched the mark like she couldn’t quite believe it.

Lucien raised his arms and cried out, “The bond is complete!”

The crowd roared. I wanted to roll my eyes and scream.

I looked at Maggie. She was trying to smile and look like the perfect mate. But her eyes were too glassy.

Hand in hand, we stepped down from the platform, applause ringing in our ears. Couples lined up behind us, waiting to begin their own bonding. I didn’t care.

We left the mansion without watching them. I didn’t want to see another moment of someone else’s perfect fairytale.

Because mine was walking beside me, and it wasn’t real.

And I didn’t know how much longer I could pretend.