The Preparation
1065 Words
Amanda's POV
The three weeks leading up to the wedding were a whirlwind of activity, yet for me, they were shrouded in a strange, isolating quiet.
My parents, now driven by the logistics of the 'strategic alliance,' handled the expansive guest lists and venue bookings with cold, practiced efficiency.
They treated the entire affair like a major acquisition essential, profitable, and devoid of sentiment.
I was relegated to the background. My mother selected the dress, a heavy, lace gown that was elegant but ultimately conservative.
I didn't mind; I felt so light with happiness that I could have worn a sackcloth and still felt regal.
The details didn't matter; the man waiting for me did.
Scott remained exactly the same. He gave me no gifts, no affectionate glances, and no words of courtship.
When he needed a schedule update or a signature, he would address me, still, as "Amanda" or "Secretary."
I kept waiting for the intimate moment, the shared joke, the lingering look, the acknowledgment that our professional boundary was dissolving into a marital bond. It never came.
I rationalized it as his Alpha focus, his commitment to privacy, or perhaps even his shyness.
He was a man of action, not sentiment. I decided I would be patient. I had waited two years; three more weeks of silence were easy.
The biggest pang of regret, however, was the continued absence of Aurora.
My Omega twin was the only person I truly wished could share this bizarre, beautiful moment with me.
Our dynamics had always been opposed as sun and shadow but our bond had always been steadfast, if unequal. But I still loved her regardless.
I finally managed to catch her on a video call late one Saturday night, navigating the six-hour time difference to her European university.
Aurora’s face appeared on my screen, lit by a soft lamp. She looked stunning, her exhaustion softened by the perpetual glow that Omegas seemed to possess. “Mandy! You look... overwhelmed,” she chuckled, her voice carrying that subtle, soothing frequency unique to her class.
“I have news,” I whispered, my voice thick with emotion. “Massive news. I'm getting married, Rory.”
Aurora’s bright eyes widened.
“Married? Mandy, that's wonderful! To whom?”
“Guess. Guess. Guess” I whispered shyly to her.
“Come on, don't keep me in the dark. There's no one I'm thinking about at this moment. You had always devoted yourself to your work” Aurora sighed.
“Scott,” I said, unable to keep the sheer triumph out of my voice. “Scott Knight. We're getting married in two weeks.”
A flash of something unreadable crossed Aurora's face, dread, hate, perhaps surprise, perhaps faint confusion before it smoothed out into perfect, beautiful happiness but I could still see that her lips were pinned into a strained smile.
“Scott! Oh, Mandy, that's... that’s incredible! He’s always been your focus. I am so, so happy for you. Finally, you’ll get the loyalty you deserve.”
“I know,” I sighed, tears pricking my eyes. “I just wish you could be here. The wedding is going to be grand, and I need you to stand with me.”
Aurora’s smile dimmed slightly.
"I wish I could, Mandy, truly. But my dissertation defense is scheduled right in the middle of that week. My professor…well…he’s an uncompromising Alpha and won't allow me to postpone. It's the final push before I come home.” She lifted a heavy volume.
“I'm buried under seven hundred pages of research.”
"I understand," I lied, the disappointment was sharp.
Of course, her high-level academic work, her true intellectual pursuit, was more important than a Beta’s wedding. That was the natural order of things.
“I’ll make it up to you,” Aurora promised, her soothing scent barely transferring through the digital connection.
“We'll celebrate properly when I get back. You send me pictures of everything, promise? And Amanda, you deserve this happiness.”
We said our goodbyes, and the screen went dark.
I stared at my own reflection. I was immensely happy, yet profoundly alone.
The one person whose unconditional (if demanding) affection I relied upon couldn't be there. It felt like a small, necessary sacrifice to the vast altar of my new beginning. I would be walking down the aisle without my twin, but I told myself that she was my past, and Scott was my future.
I threw myself into final arrangements, picking up my wedding bands from the jeweler and signing the last of the family documents my father had requested minor inheritance papers, he’d called them, necessary for consolidating assets before the marriage.
They were tedious and confusing, I had not even bothered to read what it was because I had trust in my parents' agenda.
Everything was in place. The gown was hung. The rings were secured. The contracts were signed. Aurora was absent, but I told myself she was only one phone call away.
I made my way towards the mall after work to get some stuff I could use to groom myself before the day was over. I made my way towards the stocked goods and chose some things and put it into my cart just then, I heard some whispering.
“Isn't that the future Mrs. Knight”
“Yeah. That's her”
“Wow! I can't believe the knight family is making their heir marry a worthless beta”
“Yes! You might be right. We all know that Mr. Knight barely spare her a glance”
“For all you know, this might even be a contract marriage”
The word ‘contract’ stored an uncomfortable feeling in my heart. I closed my eyes to soothe myself that Scott liked me enough to even put me by his side. I soothed myself that, if he didn't like me, he wouldn't have accepted the proposal.
“I mean just look at her. She is nothing special”
“You are absolutely right on that one. She has this raw plain look nothing special”
My heart sank to the bottom again as the two omegas gossiped about me.
But I cheered myself that everything will be worth it.
Contracted or not.
- Writer
