The Alpha's Forgotten Bride

Chapter 5: What the Elders Forgot to Ask

Wren's POV

"On your knees, omega," the visiting elder said. Loud. The hall went still around his words.

My knees bent before my mind caught up. Old habit. Floor pressed cold through my dress. I kept my eyes down. The string in my chest pulled tight toward the other end of the hall. Toward him.

Gideon stood near the far doors. I felt him move before I saw it. Boots crossed the stone. Steady.

"Omega," the elder continued. "Tradition demands respect when elders speak. Show it."

I stayed down. My hands pressed flat on my thighs. "Respect. I show it. Every day in this pack."

Another elder laughed from the side. "Every day. Until your prince dropped you for your sister. Now you wear Drummond colors and pretend rank."

Gideon stopped three paces away. Towered. His shadow covered me. "Pretend. Choose your next words with care."

The first elder lifted his chin. "Care. This tests the new bond. She kneels like the omega she is. You allow it. Interesting."

I lifted my gaze to Gideon's boots. Then higher. "Allow it. Or wait to see what I do."

Gideon shifted. One hand flexed at his side. "Stand, Wren."

The elder stepped closer. "She stays down until I release her. Tradition."

"Tradition." Gideon said the word flat. He reached down. His hand closed around my arm. Lifted. Gentle. Firm. "My mate stands when I say."

I rose. My legs shook once. Then held. The pull in my chest eased a fraction with his hand still on me. I wanted to pull away. I wanted to lean closer. Both feelings twisted behind my ribs.

" Mate," the elder repeated. Mocking. "Bought with a rejected bond. The Drummond men never protected omegas before. Not like this."

Gideon kept his hand on my arm. "Never. Until now. Question my bond again. In my hall. See what happens."

The second elder cleared his throat. "Happens. We only test strength. The pack watches. They need to know her place."

I looked at the elder. Then at Gideon. "Place. I thought the vows decided it. Or did the Moon Goddess miss something?"

Gideon pulled me to his side. Our arms brushed. "Missed nothing. She stands with me. That is her place."

A murmur moved through the court. Someone dropped a cup. It clattered. No one picked it up.

The first elder smiled thin. "Stands. Yet she dropped to her knees at my first word. Like the old days. When everyone knew her rank."

I pressed my thumb into my palm. Hard. "Old days. I remember them. Every laugh. Every whisper. The worst part was not the words. It was how long I believed them."

Gideon’s grip tightened. Not painful. Anchor. "Believed. No more. She belongs here."

"Belongs." The elder looked between us. Eyes narrowed. "Something sits off about this match. The way you move toward each other. Even now."

I shifted my weight. My shoulder touched Gideon’s arm. The string pulled again. Stronger. I did not step away. He did not either.

Gideon spoke low. "Left Or right. Either way. My house. My rules."

The elder waved a hand. "Rules. We record this. The protection. The claim. Drummond breaks pattern."

I turned my head toward Gideon. "Pattern. They say your family never did this. For any omega bride."

He looked down at me. Guarded. "Never. Until you."

The words landed low in my stomach. Warm. Unsettling. I wanted to ask why me. I wanted to stay quiet. My mouth opened anyway. "Until me. After years of watching. After blocking offers. Why break pattern now?"

Gideon released my arm. But stayed close. "Now. Because the bond demands it."

The elder laughed. Short. "Demands. Or you do. Either way. The court sees. The prince hears."

Mention of the prince made my shoulders tighten. I straightened them anyway. "Hears. Let him. I kneel for no one else today."

Gideon gave one nod. "No one. This ends."

The elder stepped back. "Ends. For today. But questions remain. About this... union."

They moved away. Whispers followed them. I stayed beside Gideon. The hall emptied slow. People glanced back.

I touched my arm where his hand had been. Still warm. "Questions. They multiply every day. You give half answers. The blanket. The orders. The watching."

Gideon walked. I matched his steps. "Half. Enough for now."

"Enough." I kept pace. My voice dropped. "Enough for them. Not for me. I heard the elder. Drummond men never protected omegas. Never claimed them like this. What changed?"

He stopped in the side corridor. Turned. "Changed. The Moon. The pack. You."

You. The word sat high in my throat. I swallowed it. "Me. The wrong sister. The one they mocked for years. And you stand for me in front of them all."

Gideon looked down the hall. Then back. "Stand. Yes. Walk with me. Away from their eyes."

We moved. My hand brushed his once. Accidental. Neither pulled away. The string in my chest followed every step.

A servant passed. Bowed low. "Alpha. The evening meal waits."

Gideon waved him on. "Later. My mate and I talk."

Talk. I almost laughed at the word. Awkward sound caught in my chest. "Talk. Or give more pieces. The elder spoke truth. Your family never did this. Why her? Why me?"

He stopped near a window. Light cut across his face. "Why. The question returns."

I faced him. "Returns. Because you never answer full. I knelt today. Old me. New me. Both at once. And you lifted me. In front of everyone."

Gideon’s fingers flexed. "Lifted. Yes. No more kneeling. Not here."

I touched the wall beside us. Cool stone. "They will test again. The court. The prince. Everyone. What happens when they push harder?"

He leaned closer. Voice clipped. "Push. They meet me. Not you."

Me. The word pulled again. Deeper this time. Under my sternum. I believed him. I doubted him. Both feelings fought while I stood inches from the man who broke generations of rules for me.

A door opened down the hall. Another elder stepped out. Spoke to his companion. Voice carried just enough.

"Drummond men have never protected an omega bride before. This one... changes things."

I froze. Gideon heard it too. His jaw tightened. The truth hung there. Bigger than the hall. Older than the bond. And I still had no idea how deep it went. Or what it would cost us when the rest of the pack learned the full story.