MARRIED TO THE ENEMY

JULIA'S POV I am an empty shell, existing in space with only one motive— to destroy. I stand in front of the mirror, observing my looks one last time before I take the first step on my path to destruction. To everyone else in the room with me, I am a blushing bride, who seems a bit scared of what married life has to offer. Only I know the anger and pain that resides in my mind. “Come on Lucinda, enough ogling yourself in the mirror, we are going to be late,” the woman that is supposed to be my mother warns, hiding her smile of excitement as she steps closer to me. I practise my happy smile one last time before I turn to her, “Okay mum, let’s go to my wedding.” On hearing my words, her eyes tear up, and she pulls me into a hug. “My sweet girl, I am so happy right now,” she exclaims, holding me tightly. “You are going to smear my makeup,” I reply to her a bit coldly, and she catches herself and steps back. “Okay, let’s go to the car. I am sure everyone is already waiting for us,” she says, as some maids gather around me, helping to lift my wedding dress as we head to the car. I know how this sounds, and I know you may wonder why a girl about to be married sounds this vengeful. If you think you know what happened to me, I can assure you, you don’t. My story started ten years ago in the New Moon Pack. Back then, I was a carefree princess, who occupied herself with playing and hiding from my mother to avoid chores. “Julia!!!” I heard my mother call, while I hid in Amber’s closet laughing with her. “Just ignore her, let’s just stay here,” I whispered to Amber, who gave me an uneasy smile. “I don’t know about that, she has been calling you for a while now and if she finds out that I am here with you, she will probably get pissed at me,” Amber insisted, opening the closet door. “So what are you going to do? Are you going to tell her that I am here?” I inquired with a raised brow. “No, don’t worry, I will just help her in your place,” Amber replied with a bright smile. I wanted to roll my eyes at her. Amber was such a sucker for rules, but I couldn’t blame her. She was raised in the castle with me as a maid, while I was born a princess. We clearly had different paths. “Fine,” I agreed. “Go out and help her, but don’t tell her I’m in here, okay?” “Of course,” she gave me a knowing wink, turning towards the door. “And Amber?” I called, and she paused again, turning to face me. “Come back soon.” “I’ll be back soon. I promise,” she replied with a smile before she left, banging the door behind her I had no idea that that would be the last time I saw Amber. **** “Lucinda?!” my mother calls me, cutting through my thoughts. “You have been quiet throughout the ride, are you anxious?” she asks, giving me a considerate look. I force a smile at the woman, "I am fine, I guess I’m just having pre-wedding jitters.” “Don’t worry yourself too much, Jamie loves you, and he is your mate, so you are going to be fine,” she assures me. At the mention of the man I am going to marry, my stomach sinks in dread. Jameson Montgomery, the son of the Alpha of Bloodhounds Pack, is my husband to be. Maybe if I was a different person in very different circumstances, I would be overjoyed. But Jamie is the son of the man who ruined my life. And he is the one I am going to destroy. **** After Amber left me, I came out of the closet to sit on her bed and try to bide time before she came back. Suddenly, I heard a loud scream, like someone had gotten hurt. I stood up from the bed immediately, opening the door only to find the other maids running from something. “What is going on?” I asked one of the maids in a panic. “The pack has been attacked,” she said in a shaky voice, leaving my hand and rushing towards the back door, like she wanted to escape. Attacked? That sounded bad. God, I had to find the rest of my family and Amber. I ran out of the servant quarters and headed out to the dining area immediately, hoping they were okay. They weren’t. I hadn’t gotten too far when I tripped on something on the floor. I looked down unconsciously to find my best friend, the girl that had gone out in my stead, lying on the floor motionless. “AMBER!!” I screamed out, reaching for her, trying to nudge her awake, but she stayed rigid, her lips already blue, like she was cold. This had to be a prank, I thought to myself as I shook her, unwilling to believe that she was gone. “Amber, please wake up!!” I screamed at her while tickling her body, wanting to believe that this was a joke, and she was going to stand up if I kept tickling her. “Princess,” a guard called out, rushing towards me immediately and pulling me away from Amber. “Leave me alone!!!” I kicked him angrily, wanting to go back to my friend. “Help Amber instead, please!!!” “I am sorry Princess, but she is gone,” the guard said mournfully, as he dragged me with him. “No but she…” I trailed off, as tears filled my eyes. “She said she was coming back.” The guard gave me another apologetic look as he dragged me out, leading me towards the backdoor. “Where is the rest of my family?” I asked quietly, wondering why I hadn’t seen any of my family members. “Princess they were—-” “And where do you think you are going?!” a deep voice called out, making the guard stop in his tracks immediately. The guard’s hand tightened on mine as his face froze in fear. I followed his eyes to find the biggest wolf I had ever seen standing in between us and the backdoor. “You fools thought you could escape, right?” another voice asked, and I turned back to find another large wolf, blocking our exit. We were led out to the courtyard and made to kneel down among the other servants and guards, with several wolves surrounding us. I looked around the crowd, searching for my family, and then I found them. My father, Alpha of the New Moon Pack, was tied down and made to kneel down in the middle of the crowd, with my mother and brother beside him. “Here lies your great Alpha,” a tall, imposing figure announced, standing in front of my family. “A weak and terrible leader that is unable to save you now.” Who was the man talking about my father like that? Was he the one that attacked us and left Amber dead? I wanted to rush at him with my claws, but the guard stopped me as if he could predict what I was planning to do. “Today, I Alpha Reginald of the Bloodhounds Pack will show you true strength is,” he said coldly, and before I knew what was happening, my brother rushed at him, his claws raised like he was going to strike him. And then he fell to the ground suddenly, with his throat ripped open. My mother screamed, and I watched her rush at my bleeding brother helplessly, while I knelt there paralyzed in shock. “I have just killed the last heir to the New Moon pack,” Alpha Reginald announced ruthlessly as more of his wolfmen surrounded my father, pinning him down while he licked my brother’s blood off his claws. “After I kill you both, there will be nothing left of this weak and miserable lineage.” As he spoke, my mother’s eyes found mine in the crowd and my stomach sank in dread as I realized what was about to happen. Alpha Reginald turned to her, a cruel smile on his face. “No…” I whispered as his bloody claw went to my mother’s neck. My mother gave me a small smile, like she was resigned to her fate. “No!!!” I screamed out in pain as he slashed her throat. I wanted to rush at the evil man, and claw at his eyes. I wanted him to give my family back to me. But I couldn’t. The guard’s hand held me down firmly, and I could do nothing but watch in horror as Reginald walked to my father. My father stared silently at where my mother’s body laid with a broken look in his eyes. “This is the end of the New Moon Pack,” Reginald cheered, and I broke past the guard’s grip, not wanting to sit and watch the last member of my family be taken from me. But before I could reach them, my father was killed. I stood among the crowd, watching my father fall lifelessly towards my mother and my heart broke. The guard pulled me back to the ground quickly, before any of the wolves could come for me. I wanted to break past his grip. I wanted to hurt everyone and everything that had destroyed my family. “Don’t be rash,” the guard whispered to me. “If you reveal that you are alive now, you will never be able to avenge your parents.” And then I stopped struggling. In the place where my heart once was, a fire was lit, a fire of vengeance. That fire is still burning in my heart till today. Have you figured out why I am marrying Jameson now? “Lucinda, we are here,” my mother announces as we arrive at my wedding ceremony, and I raise my veiled head with my smile hidden. Today marks the first day on my path of vengeance.