The Werewolf's Pretend Fiancée

Fairytale Proposal and The Villain That Ruins It

"TWENTY-FIVE!"

The crowd continued counting, unaware of the scene unfolding on the dimly lit balcony.

The hand around her neck tilted Sophie's head back, forcing her to meet glowing electric blue eyes that glared down at her with such intense rage her knees buckled when she tried to get away.

“TWENTY THREE!"

His arm caught her by her middle before she went tipping over the edge, but her relief was short-lived as he spun her around, forcing her to face him.

The new position left her pressed against him from knee to very hard chest, along with a lungful of overindulgence in the alcohol being served downstairs and the same cocoa-scented body wash she had been enthusiastically lathering her skin with not too long ago.

"Oh, Goddess." She gasped, her face turning pale.

His lips curled, baring his fangs as he growled. "There isn't a deity out there that can save you from what I..."

"Nicholas!" Called out a woman's voice from inside the bedroom. "Please don't be like this! At the very least, listen to what I have to say without running off like a child."

So close to him, Sophie could see every emotion that flashed in his glowing eyes. Betrayal, hurt, and anxiety were all quickly masked by the same rage that had once been directed at her.

She then understood that it had not really been about her.

The unknown woman finally made her appearance on the balcony. There was a beat of silence as her eyes fell on their position, Sophie crowded in by the large man against the stone rail, his arm wrapped around her waist while their faces were so close it could be mistaken for something else if looked at from an angle.

The new woman must have seen that ‘something else’ because her voice became a higher pitch than it had been as she screamed, "What the hell is going on here?!"

Sophie turned to her only when her captor pulled his paralyzing gaze away to glare at the strange woman, and her eyes widened at the familiar blue dress still covered in the wine spill.

"Leave, Georgia. My room and my damn life, you f*****g vulture!"

He spat, his arm growing worryingly tight around Sophie who was trying to make herself as small as possible.

"Why? So you can f*ck away your sorrows with your little mistress, here. Cheating b*stard!"

"Oh, that is rich coming from you," he responded with a bark of humorless laughter that resonated from deep within his chest.

The same chest a confused Sophie was being squished into.

"Wait! Haven't I seen you somewhere...I have! You're the b***h who ruined my dress down in the ballroom. Ugh! Your rebound is one of the servers?" The other woman spat with such disgust that Sophie was too embarrassed to even be upset.

Nicholas glanced down at her with a curious lift of his brows, wondering if she really was a server or why a server was taking showers in his room and putting on his robes; she could not tell.

"TEN!"

The sound of the crowd finally returned to Sophie and she had the fleeting thought that she was supposed to be with Ava counting down.

Blue eyes suddenly lit up, and Sophie could almost see the devil horns sprouting out of his slicked-back blonde hair.

"We were playing a game to set the mood for later. weren't we, darling?" He teased with a cheeky smile at the gobsmacked woman in his arms.

"Is this a joke, Nicholas? Because I have to tell you it is the farthest thing from funny." Georgia sneered.

"Of course, you would think it's a joke, Georgia. How could I possibly love another woman when I'm so busy groveling at your feet like a desperate little schoolboy? Holding your dress up so it does not get in the way when my brother bends you over my f*****g desk!"

Georgia flinched like she had been slapped, her eyes brimming with tears that did not fall.

If she had been hoping tears would make him more forgiving, she had missed the mark as all it did was encourage his rage

Things were getting heated and personal, and Sophie wanted to give the pair their space, but Nicholas' hand was like a shackle around her waist that seemed to grow tighter and more painful the angrier he became.

"How long has this been going on, then?" Georgia gestured with an aggressive swinging of her finger between them—what little space there was, that is.

"Months, years? Or did it start after you found out about me and Nicholas."

Nicholas remained silent for a few seconds and Sophie thought, hoped, he would come clean and let her leave so they could talk.

"Long enough for me to want more of her."

Sophie’s brows rose to her hairline. He finally let go of her to fish something out of his pocket.

She was finally free but Sophie did not dare move away from him, frightened by what Georgia, who was standing by the only exit, would do if she came within reach of her when she thought she had ruined her dress and stolen her man on the same night.

She-wolves were a breed of vicious that even their male counterparts were cautious of; something about needing sharper instincts to protect pups, and Sophie wasn't keen on learning more about their infamy.

"Enough for me to want you in every moment of my life without having to hide you away."

He continued as his hand emerged from his pocket with a suspiciously small box in hand.

Sophie grew light-headed, her eyes flickering between the box and the 'love' in his eyes.

She wanted to put an end to it. To him, it was just a silly way to get back at his ex, but his words were like sandpaper on her raw heart after seeing Stephen downstairs.

But something, perhaps longing to be told those words, kept her silent and standing still.

"FIVE"

"I wanted this to be more romantic but it seems the Goddess had other plans." He popped open the box revealing a beautiful ring that Sophie couldn't truly appreciate under such dim lighting.

"Nicholas! You...Please, don't do this!" Georgia’s voice was raw with anguish, that cloud of nastiness that had hovered over her fading away in the face of losing her love.

Sophie almost felt sorry for her, would have, if she did not see the delight in Nicholas’ eyes at destroying someone who had hurt him, and feel so connected with that thirst for revenge that it felt like they had become one.

She finally understood him enough to want a part in doing the hurting because she knew Stephen had climbed higher than she could ever reach him again.

"What do you say, darling," he took her hand, small and soft in his large, calloused hand, “Be my wife."

Nicholas did not ask, he commanded. Neither did he go down on his knees, and there was a warning glint in his eyes that dared her to ruin his fun.

But those things did not matter because Sophie had no plans of saying no.

"TWO."

"Yes." Her eyes locked with vindictive blues, void of any of the love she had once dreamt of when Stephen asked to be his lifemate.

The thought made her delight dull to heartbreak but she had already said the word.

"One."

Fireworks exploded in the sky as soft lips pressed against hers, and the sounds of howls filled the air.

Lots of thoughts swirled around in Sophie's head but the one that stuck was the painful realization that in all five seconds of their emotionless press of lips, neither of them had closed their eyes.

They pulled apart, Nicholas’ glee softening to confusion and apprehension as he realized what he had just done.

His hand finally slipped away from her hand, but he did not have time to investigate his feelings as Georgia snarled, and the whole scene quickly descended into chaos.

What happened next was a bit of a blur to Sophie who struggled to keep out of the fight when all Georgia wanted was to make sure she was in it.

Walls were broken, windows standing no chance, and furniture shattered to pieces as the screaming, crying woman tore through the room quite literally.

Not even Nicholas, standing taller and larger than her, could control Georgia's rage, and after scarcely dodging a vicious swipe at her neck by razor-sharp claws, Sophie made a quick escape.

With Nicholas' help, she was able to slip out the door. In the same second, Georgia shifted into her wolf form in a choir of bones cracking and vicious growls.

Her feet carried her as she raced down the hall, her heart beating like a drum in her chest. The thrill of escaping death left her too excited to remember the things she had left back in her room or the rung still on her finger.