2
1157 Words
“I will marry her.”
Those four words kept echoing in my skull long after Chase whispered them. The world around us blurred. The guests gasped. The cameras clicked. The Luna Council exchanged shocked glances. Every single person in the hall had witnessed a moment that would be replayed across every news channel for days.
My breath trembled behind the veil. My hand felt tiny and fragile inside Chase’s as he guided me toward the center of the altar. His grip was firm, steady, unshakeable. Too steady. Too sure. It sent a shiver up my spine.
Did that mean he knew?
Did he know I was not Cassandra?
My sister had spent months planning this ceremony with him. They had done interviews together. Posed for magazine covers. Walked red carpets side by side. Chase Valtor was no fool. He was the Alpha of the Silverfang bloodline, captain of the national hockey team, a man who could read a room and read a soul with one glance.
So how could he not sense the difference?
How could he not feel that the woman beside him was not the one he had been promised?
Fear curled inside me like a fist. My pulse beat so wildly I thought he might hear it.
Chase moved with the quiet authority of someone used to being obeyed. He positioned me gently but firmly in front of him, his hand still wrapped around mine. For a moment, I felt the warmth of his skin bleed into mine, grounding me even as my thoughts spun out of control.
The officiant cleared his throat nervously. The crowd hushed. Chase’s grip tightened for a heartbeat, and I swallowed hard. My knees were shaking beneath the heavy fabric of Cassandra’s gown. I could barely keep myself upright. My fingers were trembling inside my gloves.
O moon goddess, please help me get through this.
I made a silent prayer, the kind whispered by desperate wolves who knew they were standing at the edge of a cliff. I was about to marry a man who was not mine. A man who belonged to my sister. A man who might tear me apart the moment he learned the truth.
But I had no choice. I had been pushed into this by fear, by family pressure, by a runaway bride who had abandoned her world without warning.
I closed my eyes for a brief moment, letting the veil shield me from everything. In werewolf weddings, the bride never lifted her veil until the night of the bonding, when the husband unveiled her in private. It was one blessing I clung to with both hands. As long as the veil stayed in place, I had time. A few hours. A little air to breathe before my life shattered.
The ceremony began.
Voices echoed around me. Blessings. Vows. Ritual chants. Words spoken in the ancient language of the Silverfang line. I barely heard any of them over the pounding of my heart. My mind drifted in and out as each part of the wedding moved forward.
Chase stood tall beside me, silent, unreadable, collected in a way that made my stomach twist. He did not waver. He did not hesitate. He spoke his responses with a low, steady voice that rolled through the hall like thunder.
When it was my turn, I forced the words out, even though they scraped my throat raw. I did not trust my voice to remain steady, but it somehow did.
“Do you, Alpha Chase Valtor, accept this bride as your chosen mate under the eyes of the moon goddess?”
“I do.”
His voice was so deep it vibrated through the air. It hit me like a wave. I shivered beneath the veil.
“And do you, Cassandra Hayes, accept Alpha Chase Valtor as your fated husband, to honor and walk beside him as the moon goddess wills?”
For a moment, the world turned silent. I felt every heartbeat inside the hall pause. My name was not Cassandra. The lie felt thick on my tongue.
But I said it anyway.
“I do.”
My voice trembled, but it was loud enough. Clear enough. Strong enough to bind me to a fate I had not chosen.
The officiant nodded and lifted the ceremonial binding rope. It was silver, braided with moonlight strands that shimmered under the hall’s lights. Chase extended his arm without hesitation. I followed, though my knees threatened to give out.
The rope was tied around our wrists, linking us together in a symbol of unity and eternal promise. The magic pulsed faintly, brushing my skin with warmth. It recognized Chase’s bloodline. It recognized the Luna bond. But it hesitated around me.
My breath caught.
Could the magic sense the truth?
Could the ancient spirits feel my lie?
But the rope stayed in place. The glow dimmed. The crowd relaxed, relieved the ceremony had not collapsed.
I dared not look up at Chase, but I felt his eyes on me. Heavy. Searching. He had not let go of my hand for even a second.
Did he know?
Was he waiting for the veil to lift?
Was he testing me?
My stomach tightened with dread.
The ceremony moved to the traditional blessing. Elder wolves stepped forward, chanting old prayers. The room filled with the scent of burning herbs and wolfbane flowers. The smoke curled around us in soft tendrils, blessing the new union.
I felt lightheaded, trapped between fear and disbelief. Everything was happening too fast. Too intensely. Too impossibly.
The officiant finally stepped forward to complete the last ritual.
“Present your hands,” he said.
Chase turned his palm upward. I placed mine on his. His skin was warm, firm, steady. Mine was trembling like a leaf in a storm.
The officiant pressed a silver seal against our joined hands. A faint glow spread across our palms, marking the bond. The crowd erupted in applause.
I felt a wave of dizziness crash over me. My throat dried. My body shook. I had just bonded with a man who did not know my real name. A man who could tear me apart with a single command. A man whose entire legacy now rested on a lie.
My vision blurred behind the veil. I gripped Chase’s fingers instinctively to stay upright.
He did not pull away.
Instead, his thumb brushed over my knuckles slowly, almost lightly, as if grounding me. As if he sensed my panic. As if he knew I was struggling to breathe.
But the gesture only made my fear spike higher.
Did he know?
Was this comfort?
Or was it a warning?
The officiant stepped back with a wide, relieved smile.
“With the blessing of the moon goddess and the witness of our community…”
The hall grew silent. My pulse throbbed painfully in my ears.
“I now present you, Mr and Mrs Alpha Chase.”
- Writer
