THE DEVIL'S ALPHA BRIDE

I learned that love could be sold for a debt. I learned it on a rainy Thursday evening, when my mother placed a black dress on my bed and told me I was getting married the next morning. Not asked. Told. I stared at her, waiting for the joke. It never came. “Married to who?” My mother's eyes dropped to the floor. “Kael Draven.” The name meant nothing to me at first. Then I remembered the stories. Everyone in our town knew the Dravens. Their family owned businesses, land, and properties across the eastern district. People lowered their voices whenever their name was mentioned. Nobody spoke badly about them in public. Not because they respected them. Because they were afraid. And Kael Draven was the name parents used to frighten children into sleeping. Behave, or Kael Draven will come for you. Don't wander outside after dark. Don't go near the eastern district. Don't make trouble. I had heard those stories since I was little. And tomorrow, I was supposed to marry him. My stomach twisted. I almost cried. My mother sat beside me. “Your father borrowed money from them.” “How much?” She hesitated. “Enough.” I laughed once. There was nothing funny about it. “You're selling me?” Her face broke. “No, Lena.” “That is exactly what you're doing.” She reached for my hand. I pulled it away. “Our house is already gone,” she whispered. “The papers were signed this afternoon. If we refuse, we lose everything.” I stared at her. “We already lost everything.” Silence filled the room. Outside, thunder rolled across the sky. I looked at the dress lying on my bed. It was beautiful. That somehow made it worse. “I don't even know him.” “You'll know him tomorrow.” “That isn't an answer.” “No.” Her voice cracked. “It isn't.” She stood and walked toward the door. “Mom.” She stopped. “Is he really as dangerous as people say?” She didn't turn around. That was my answer. She left. I waited until her footsteps disappeared down the hallway before opening the window. Cold rain struck my face. For a moment, I considered running. I could climb down. Disappear. Never see Kael Draven. Never wear that dress. Never become someone's payment. Then I remembered my little brother sleeping downstairs. My mother. The empty cupboards. The house that wasn't ours anymore. I closed my eyes. I wasn't running. Not tonight. I stayed awake for most of the night. By the time sleep finally came, the rain had become nothing more than a distant tapping against the window. When I opened my eyes again, sunlight was already spilling through the curtains. I had slept until eleven. Not because I was rested. Because some childish part of me had hoped that if I slept long enough, the wedding would somehow disappear. It hadn't. By noon, the house was filled with strangers. Women carried flowers through the hallways. Men moved furniture. Servants I had never seen before walked in and out of rooms like they owned the place. Guards stood near every entrance. Even the servants spoke quietly. As if raising their voices might anger someone. Him. I stayed upstairs. I didn't want to meet Kael before I had to. That lasted exactly twenty minutes. The bedroom door opened. I turned sharply. A man stood in the doorway. Kael Draven. He was taller than I expected. He wore black from head to toe. No smile. No greeting. Nothing. His expression was unreadable. Almost emotionless. He simply looked at me. I hated that silence more than shouting. “So,” I said, forcing my voice to remain steady, “you're the man I'm supposed to marry.” His eyes didn't leave mine. “Tomorrow.” “Right.” I folded my arms. “The debt.” Something flickered across his face. It disappeared before I could understand it. I studied him. He didn't look like the monster from the stories. That almost made him worse. Monsters were easier to understand. “Why did you agree to this?” He was silent for a moment. Then— “Because refusing wasn't an option.” “For you?” “For either of us.” My fingers tightened around my sleeve. “You could've said no.” “So could your father.” That shut me up. Kael turned toward the door. I didn't know why, but I called after him. “Kael.” He stopped. I hesitated. “What happens after tomorrow?” He looked back at me. His face remained cold. “You'll find out.” Then he left. I stared at the closed door. I already hated him. Maybe that was easier than being afraid of him. --- By evening, the house no longer felt like home. It felt like a prison dressed for a wedding. My mother helped me into the black dress. Her hands trembled as she adjusted the fabric around my shoulders. “You look beautiful,” she whispered. I stared at myself in the mirror. The girl looking back at me didn't look beautiful. She looked trapped. “Mom.” She stopped. “I don't want to do this.” Silence. For a moment, neither of us moved. Then she looked away. “I know.” Those two words hurt more than anything else. I swallowed the lump in my throat and looked back at the mirror. Outside the bedroom, unfamiliar voices echoed through the mansion. Men dressed in black moved through the corridors. Guards watched every entrance. Servants lowered their heads whenever they passed. Nobody laughed. Nobody celebrated. There was no excitement. No happiness. Just silence. And fear. I touched the veil resting against my shoulders. Tomorrow, I would stand beside a man I barely knew. Tomorrow, I would become Kael Draven's wife. I took one last breath. Then— Three slow knocks sounded against my bedroom door. My mother froze. I turned toward her. “Mom?” She didn't answer. Another knock. Three seconds passed. Then my mother grabbed my wrist. Her face had gone completely pale. “Don't open it.” My heart began pounding. “Why?” She stared at the door. And when she finally spoke, her voice was barely a whisper. “Because no one is supposed to know you're here yet.”