Bride For The Feral Alpha

#8: SouthPoint Pack

It was red.

Not bridal red.

Blood red.

The deep red veil that covered my face reminded me just how dead I felt inside, and the red dress that hugged a little too tightly on my petite frame screamed even more death—a deadlier death if any such thing existed.

One of the older maids escorted me out of the room while the others watched in silence. If there was anything that I appreciated here, it was how silent they all were. It made it easier for me to come to terms with what I believed was to happen next.

As we moved, I tried to memorize each turn for an escape, but it was useless. Nothing stuck.

Instead, my mind kept reeling with questions.

What did Lord Aubrey’s father mean by being paraded around to the pack exactly?

Why was I dressed in red? Since this was a ritual, would they need some of my blood already?

And by mating, did these people mean the actual mating? Like the marital act?

Doing it once with a man I barely knew was everything, but with a monster?

My head began to spin, and I forced myself to take in deep breaths to steady myself again.

Rubbing my palms against the body of my dress, I glanced at the elderly maid who was leading me to the ritual. If she could feel my stare, she didn't show it.

So, I only forced myself to keep going, but when we arrived at the third flight of stairs, I couldn’t hold it in and stared at her again.

“I can feel your needless staring, child. What is it?” The maid finally broke the silence between us as she turned to face me.

Knitting my fingers together, I pressed them as hard as I possibly could as I tried my best to find the right words.

“How exactly does the mating ritual go? I know I shouldn’t exactly be asking but… please,” I admitted, my voice dangerously low, fearing that somehow Lord Aubrey and his father might be listening in on this conversation with their monster powers.

The maid looked around, more wrinkles forming on her face as though my question might have magically aged her by a few years. “Now listen, child, because I won’t repeat myself. You would have to present yourself to the elders for their inspection then, you and the Alpha Prince—”

My blood stilled.

“Alpha Prince? So I was right, they are royalty. But there is no royalty in Evenmoor. We have a town head, and that’s it, and why is there a need to add Alpha—”

“We don’t have all day, child, and clearly this isn’t Evenmoor. Welcome to SouthPoint Pack. Now let’s go.”

I took a step back, my pulse racing with every second.

“How? Wait—no… wait…. You still haven’t told me what happens in the mating ritual.”

Her eyebrows knitted into a frown as she held onto her skirts as though she was ready to carry me up at any moment if I insisted on carrying on with this.

“Then you and the Alpha Prince f**k. The elders watch. They proclaim a successful mating and everyone is happy, but by the smell of it, it already seems that you and the Alpha Prince have already gotten to that point so are you going to come with me now or would you prefer I carry you up but not without a scar or two,” the maid ended in a tone that was equally as low as it was dangerous.

My face burned. They could smell it? Smell that I’d… that we’d…

Everyone in that room would know. Would scent Lord Aubrey on me. Would know what we’d done in that tavern room.

There was no hiding here. That's how his father knew. That's how everyone else would know!

All I could do was nod and rush up the stairs before she said anything more. I had heard enough.

The maid and I only stopped when we arrived at an open space that I believed was one of the roofs of the grand castle. A gust of wind hit me, and I began to wish the material of my red dress were a tad thicker than lace. Of course, this wasn’t Evenmoor. No one could ever wear something this insulting in Evenmoor.

The roof spread wide open before me. Exposed. Nowhere to hide.

Torches ringed the space, their flames blue-white, somehow unaffected by the wind. Forty—no, fifty—people stood in a loose circle, all facing the center where a raised stone platform waited. Symbols I didn’t recognize were carved into the stone, darkened with what might have been old blood.

At the far end stood my father-in-law, draped in ceremonial robes, which made him appear even more menacing than before. He smiled when he saw me and my blood turned to ice.

And beside him was Lord Aubrey.

He stood shirtless with his hands folded behind his back and his eyes trained on a far distance as though none of this mattered at all and he was just a statue who had been forced to mark attendance here.

Behind them were seven old men in grey robes watching me even though I hadn't moved yet.

This was where I’d be claimed. In front of all of them.

Knots tied in my stomach and my breathing grew heavy. On instinct, I turned to the maid for any form of support.

“The Alpha and Alpha Prince await you. You must meet them, and we shall meet again some time soon,” were the last words she offered me before dipping into a curtsy and leaving me.

Everyone left in the end. First, it was Ophelia. Then my parents. And this maid, who looked like she wouldn't have hesitated to strike me down if I slowed her down again.

I could run. Turn around. Flee down those stairs and through the halls and out of this nightmare.

But where would I go? Back to Evenmoor, where my parents had sold me? Into the wild lands beyond, where I’d likely die within days? And could I even go far in a new land where monsters lurked in every corner?

No. The only way out was through.

I took my first step forward, spine straight, chin up. If they wanted to watch me break, they’d be disappointed.

I was a Feywin at heart, all marital nuptials aside.

And Feywins didn’t beg. Sometimes they ran, and other times, they sold their daughters, but begging? No, that was completely out of it.