The Rejected Substitute: Her Secret White Wolf Identity

Ava POV:

The next few hours were a blur of cold and noise. I woke up in the back of the limousine, wrapped in blankets, but the chill of the Moon Lake had settled deep in my marrow.

I checked my internal clock. Four hours.

Four hours until the contract expired.

We were arriving at the marina. The Charity Gala. Of course. Donovan wouldn't miss it. He needed to show the world his pack was stable.

"You're awake," Donovan said. He was watching me from the opposite seat. He looked haunted. Good. "We are here. Can you walk?"

"I'm fine," I lied. My voice was raspy.

We boarded the mega-yacht. The deck was crowded with wealthy Alphas and business tycoons. Music played, champagne flowed. I stood by the railing, staring at the dark ocean.

I was invisible. No one spoke to me. They all knew I was the unwanted wife.

Donovan was circulating, but I noticed he kept glancing at me. He wasn't with Chloe. Chloe was supposedly recovering in the VIP cabin below deck.

"Enjoying the view?"

I turned. Chloe was standing there. She looked miraculously healed. The 'internal bleeding' must have been another lie, or my blood was just that powerful. She held a glass of wine, her eyes glittering with malice.

"You're supposed to be in bed," I said.

"And miss the party?" She stepped closer, lowering her voice. "You're tough, I'll give you that. Wolfsbane, silver, drowning... you just won't die."

"Why do you hate me, Chloe? I've never done anything to you."

"You exist," she hissed. "You have the title that belongs to me. And Donovan... he's starting to look at you. I see it. He's wondering."

She glanced around. The deck was empty in this corner.

"He can't wonder," she whispered. "He has to be sure."

She threw her wine glass over the railing. Then, she screamed.

"Help! She's pushing me!"

Before I could react, she lunged at me. She didn't try to fake a fall-she grabbed my dress and threw her weight over the rail, dragging me with her.

We tumbled into the dark void.

The water hit me like concrete. Again. The salt stung my eyes.

We surfaced, gasping. The yacht was moving away, but the alarm was sounding. Searchlights swept the water.

"Help!" Chloe screamed, thrashing theatrically. "Donovan! Save me!"

A lifeboat was lowered. Donovan was at the bow, looking down. The spotlight hit us.

"Grab the rope!" a sailor yelled, throwing a life ring.

It landed between us.

There was only one ring.

I looked up at Donovan. Our eyes locked across the distance. This was it. The final choice.

"Save Chloe!" Donovan's voice roared over the waves, amplified by his Alpha power. "That is an order!"

The sailors obeyed the Alpha Command. They steered the hook toward Chloe. She grabbed it, smirking at me as she was hoisted up.

The yacht kept moving. The wake pushed me back.

"Donovan!" I didn't scream it. I whispered it.

He stayed at the railing, watching me drift away into the darkness. He didn't jump this time. He had made his choice.

I stopped treading water. I was tired. So tired.

Let go, Ava, I told myself. The contract is void if you're dead.

But then, a low rumble vibrated through the water. A sleek, black speed boat emerged from the fog. It wasn't a rescue boat. It had no lights.

Rough hands grabbed me by the hair. I was hauled out of the water and thrown onto a metal deck.

"Well, well," a voice rasped. I looked up to see a man with a scarred face and yellow eyes. A Rogue. "Look what the Alpha threw away."

He leaned in, sniffing me. "Smells like money. And..." He paused, sniffing deeper. "Smells like something else. Something ancient."

I blacked out as the clock in my head ticked down.

Midnight.

The contract was over. I was divorced. I was rich.

And I was the prisoner of a Rogue pack.

But as the darkness took me, I felt a strange warmth in my chest. The potion was gone. Washed away by the lake and the sea.

Deep inside, a white fur began to glow.

I am coming, Seraphina whispered. And I am hungry.