Bound to the Sleeping Beast

I didn’t cry when they shoved me into the white dress. It wasn’t mine. It was Celine’s, tailored to flatter her curves and hug her pride. On me, it sagged at the shoulders and drooped at the waist, as if even the fabric knew I wasn’t supposed to wear it. “Stop fidgeting,” Aunt Marla hissed, yanking the laces tight. “You should be grateful. Not every orphaned little Omega gets the chance to marry an Alpha.” My throat burned with the words I wanted to scream. He’s in a coma, not a coma. This isn’t a marriage—it’s a burial. But I said nothing. I stood still as she pinned Celine’s heirloom veil into my hair, my fingers clenching into the silk of the skirt. They’d washed me, scrubbed me raw until I smelled like jasmine and submission. Even my scent had been wiped clean. “Why me?” I finally whispered. “Why not just cancel the ceremony? He’s been asleep for ten years.” Aunt Marla didn’t flinch. Her reflection in the mirror was cold and sharp, her dark eyes slicing through mine. “Because this was supposed to be Celine’s fate. And she’s still your blood. We’re giving you a place in this world, Arya. You’ll be Luna. A blessed Luna. All you have to do is lie still beside a sleeping man and bear his name. How hard can that be?” I swallowed the lump rising in my throat. “You want to trap me in a lie for the rest of my life.” “That Alpha was fated to our family,” she snapped. “You must keep the bond alive, even if the Moon Goddess has cursed him with silence.” “You’ll be Kael Blackthorn’s wife before midnight,” Mirella continued, voice soft as poison. “Or we’ll tell the entire pack about your family.” “I’m not her,” I breathed. “I’m not Celine.” A hand cracked across my cheek before I could finish. My head snapped to the side. The sting radiated through my skin like fire. I barely had time to process the pain before Uncle Hadrian stormed in, fists clenched, his wolf simmering beneath the surface. “What’s this now? Doubting the ceremony?” His voice was thunder in a storm. “You ungrateful little rat.” “I didn’t choose this,” I began, but the second slap came harder. Stars burst behind my eyes. Blood touched my tongue. “You will do as you’re told, or I swear, we’ll toss you into the woods and let the rogues tear you apart like they did your parents.” My hands trembled. My lips stayed shut. He straightened his coat and spat near my feet. “Fix her face. The elders are waiting.” They left me alone in the bridal room, the door locking with a sharp click behind them. I pressed a hand to my bruised cheek. My reflection looked like a ghost, haunted eyes, red-rimmed with fury. I wasn’t a bride. I was an offering. And my groom was a beast in a coma. The wedding was held in the ancient cathedral at the edge of Blackthorn Ridge. Night had fallen, and the moon hung heavy above us like a silent witness. I was surrounded by a few elders, two old pack priests, nobles, and silent onlookers who dared not speak of the farce unfolding before them. Even Celine’s handmaidens stared at me with undisguised pity. Everyone knew this ceremony was a formality. A farce. Alpha Kael Blackthorn lay still in the sacred chamber, his body draped in ceremonial robes, his face untouched by time. Ten years of sleep had preserved him like a statue carved by the Goddess herself, sharp jawline, lashes like shadowed fans, and dark hair swept across his pale forehead. He looked regal. Untouchable. Dead. “Do you, Arya Hale, take Kael Blackthorn as your lawfully wedded mate, under the blessing of the Moon Goddess and the blood rites of the pack?” My lips parted. The words stuck in my throat. From the corner of my eye, I saw Aunt Marla nod slowly, expectant. Uncle Hadrian stood behind her, arms folded, jaw set. Watching me like a hound waiting for weakness. “I…” My voice faltered. No one moved. “Yes,” I forced out, barely a whisper. “I do.” The elder priest gave a short nod. “Then by the rites of Luna and the sacred vows of this pack, we now bind your spirits under moon and oath.” A cut across my palm. A smear of my blood against Kael’s cold hand. He didn’t bleed, didn’t twitch. A bond was offered, but not accepted. A marriage written in lies. Cheers didn’t follow. No one clapped. Just a smothered silence. There was no kiss. No vows from the other side. No groom to carry me across a threshold. Just cold silence and a knot tightening in my throat. I was now the Luna to a man who didn’t even know my name. The castle halls swallowed me whole. Each step felt like walking deeper into my own grave. I was led to the east wing, the Alpha’s wing, by a stoic maid who wouldn’t meet my eyes. My wedding dress trailed behind me like a funeral shroud. I hadn’t spoken since the ceremony, not even when the pack’s Beta offered me congratulations that sounded more like condolences. “His chambers are through here,” the maid said stiffly. “The elders say you may spend the night. But don’t expect him to wake.” She paused. “No one ever wakes him.” Then she was gone, and I was alone. The chamber doors creaked open. Cold air brushed my skin. There he was. Kael Blackthorn, the Sleeping Alpha. He lay in the center of a massive bed, dark silk sheets tucked neatly around him, his chest bare beneath a fur-lined throw. Even in sleep, he looked like he ruled the world. I stepped inside, hesitant. They expected me to lie beside him tonight. To curl up against the man who hadn’t moved in a decade and pretend this was love. That this wasn’t a punishment wrapped in white lace. I hovered beside the bed. My fingers itched. I wanted to scream, to tear the veil from my hair and run into the woods and never stop. But I had no home. No parents. No escape. The necklace around my throat felt heavier than it should’ve—an heirloom from my mother. Another part of my secret. I sat on the edge of the bed and stared at him. He didn’t look cursed. He looked like he was waiting. “Who are you?” I whispered. “And what would you say if you knew the truth? That the girl you were meant to marry gave you away like an unwanted toy?” I turned toward him slowly. A finger twitched. Just one. Barely there, but I saw it. I felt it. A chill rushed down my spine. I backed away from the bed, breathing hard. The Sleeping Alpha had moved. And I was the only one here to see it. Was it the blood?