The Alpha's Bride Swap

Elowen My heart pounded beneath the corset dress as I stared at my reflection in the mirror. It felt weird wearing it because it wasn’t mine. This moment wasn’t supposed to be mine either. It belonged to someone else: my best friend, Alyssa. “You’re going to stand in for Alyssa until we can find her,” Alpha Corven said. I’d been hesitant to go ahead with the plan, begging to be left out of this, but I was standing by the dresser with her wedding dress on and a bouquet in my hand. The feeling of betrayal made my stomach churn. This was Alyssa’s day, but I was about to steal it from her. I couldn’t do this, and I couldn’t go ahead with it, but the pack was being threatened. “Then you know that we can’t disappoint him?” Alpha Corven’s words echoed in my head. By him, he meant Alpha Draven Stormveil, the leader of the Stoneborn—a powerful figure who always got what he wanted. The guests were waiting for me in the hall. Everybody was there. They all thought I was Alyssa. They all thought I was the one getting married to Alpha Draven. But they were wrong. *** One day earlier... Weddings. They were my favorite events of the year. The joy of seeing people tying knots with people they loved always left me fantasizing. But this one was going to be different. Why? Because it was my best friend who was getting married this time around. Alyssa. “Do I look fat?” Alyssa asked, turning away from the mirror to face me. She was dressed in a white gown that stuck to her slender body. Her wavy blond hair fell on her shoulders and also spun like a Ferris wheel when she turned to me. We were shopping for gowns today. We had gone around stores every day grabbing things that she felt she needed for the wedding. She was the Alpha’s daughter, so she got whatever she wanted. She was spoiled, but I never complained. Why? Because she was the only one who gave a crap about me in this pack. I smiled broadly as her blue eyes locked onto me waiting for an answer. “It’s perfect!” I said, clapping my hands together. Alyssa’s lips stretched into a smile before she turned back to the mirror. I watched her sway her body as she stared at her reflection in the mirror admiringly. I was envious of her. She wasn’t just getting married. She was getting married to an Alpha. His name was Draven Stormveil. Everybody dreaded him because of how ruthless he was, but Alyssa loved him regardless. I was envious of how. I wondered if I was ever going to find someone like that. Maybe. Maybe not. “Mira. I love this,” Alyssa said to the shop owner who stepped into the room. Mira wiped her damp hands on her jeans before nodding with a smile on her face. “Would you need anything else?” She asked, eager to make a sale. “No,” Alyssa said shaking her head, “I’ll just go with this. I might change my mind later on.” Mira chuckled and left the room to get her gown wrapped. I sat on the only chair in the room wondering if I was ever going to get married. Mira had come into the room but barely noticed me. That was how I lived my whole life. I got used to it so it didn’t hurt much like it did when I was younger. And this bugged me every time. It always made me wonder….Would I ever fall in love? “Space station to Elowen,” Alyssa called at me, snapping her fingers. I snapped out of my thoughts to find her staring at me, her face displaying how appalled she was. “You know you’re supposed to be helping me with this, Elowen. This is not the time to be lost.” I sighed and rubbed my forehead as I rose from the chair. “I’m sorry about that, Alyssa,” I apologized coming towards her. “Sorry for yourself. Just help me get the dress off.” I nodded and unzipped the dress but it still felt tight on her body. How was she going to move around in this by tomorrow? Maybe I should tell her to pick another one. But that sounded like a bad idea. She was going to get mad, and I didn’t want that. I pulled her out of the dress and she breathed in heavily before slipping on her jeans and the mint colored shirt she came in. “Thank you, Elowen,” she said, heaving a sigh of relief. “So where to next?” I stared at the ceiling for a moment recalling her schedule for today. “Next. Your hair and your nails,” I reminded her. She stared at the window and saw how high the afternoon sun stood. “It’s still too early for that. I don’t want to ruin my hair before tomorrow,” she said, reaching for her purse on the rugged floor. “I think we should have lunch, and then we should go for the pedicure.” I smiled at her and shrugged. “It’s your wedding.” *** The next day came in a flash. Alyssa’s Wedding Day. I wasn’t getting married but I felt nervous for her. As I worked around the house and the hall checking if things were in order, a wave of sadness hit my gut. The realization that this was the last day I was going to spend with Alyssa as friends hit harder than I expected. After this, she was going away to stay with the Alpha. This meant I was going to be all alone. But that didn’t matter now. I didn’t want to be sad on Alyssa’s happiest day. It would look narcissistic. I hurried down the hallway heading to her room to check on her. As I arrived, I found her empty with the maids sitting by the dresser waiting for her. I was perplexed. Why wasn’t she here? I took a glance at my watch and the time said 10:15am. That was an hour and forty-five minutes before the wedding started and she wasn’t yet ready. I walked into the room. “Where’s she?” I asked one of the maids. “We were about to ask you the same thing, Elowen. We have seen her all morning,” she replied. My heart lurched as I heard that. Alyssa was missing? Last night we had come home drunk together and I had put her to bed before I left. There’s no way she would have snuck out in the night. So where the hell was she? I was panicking. Alyssa wouldn’t dare do this. Not on her wedding day. What if she had been kidn*pped? No. There was no way. She was around here somewhere. I had to check. I rushed out of the room and searched every nook and cranny in the mansion. She wasn’t there. I tried sending a few guards to look for her but they all ignored me. My heart was thumping hard against my ribs. I was petrified by the thought of Alyssa missing her wedding day. The Alpha wasn’t going to be pleased when he realized that she was gone. But I couldn’t find her. An hour later, I was back in her room seated on her bed with my hands on my face wondering where she could have gone. The maids had become impatient and had left. It was only me in her large bedroom. “Alyssa,” I called softly. And then, I heard footsteps approaching the door. I looked up with hope that it would be her, but all I found was the Alpha with a grim expression on his face. My heart squeezed in fright as the inevitable question came. “Where’s Alyssa?”