The Luna's Ugly Disguise

Chapter 2 - Evelyn

My head felt like it was spinning at the words of who I could only assume was my wolf. It was not like we had had a formal introduction. She was suddenly a voice within my head, and while my half-sister and stepmother liked to say I was insane, I was certain I was not quite at the point of losing my mind. The darkening eyes of the man at the end of the aisle narrowed as he took in the she-wolf walking proudly in front of me, to the side of our father. Continuing to earn gasps of awe, and exclamations of how beautiful she looked, just as she would have desired.

But the special guest, supposedly here to meet Celeste and make her his wife, seemed oblivious to her beauty as he tilted his head slightly once more to angle his eyes around her to where he was able to see me again, and the moment his icy pools of blue met mine, my heart felt like it skipped a beat. I swallowed anxiously, while my feet continued to move in almost automatic movements, accompanying my father and my sister.

‘Mmmm. Isn’t he handsome?’ Celeste said proudly through our mindlink. ‘And he is all mine. A powerful Alpha too. I am so glad Mummy and I had the idea to do things this way. It makes it so much more exciting!’ She added with a hint of arrogance, and my heart felt like it shattered around me. Tears filling my eyes. Not only had they orchestrated the day so that it felt like the day I came of age was a non-event, taken over by my half-sister’s wedding day. But, now on the day that was meant to be special to me, I was learning that my half-sister was going to become Luna to my fated mate.

She was arranged to marry the man the moon goddess had chosen to be mine. And I knew that these arrangements were not ones my father was going to give up easily. Neither would Celeste…

But to my surprise, Alpha Lucael shook his head as I reached up to wipe away a stray tear, he began to stride down the aisle toward my father and Celeste, causing many confused gasps and puzzled looks from the many guests seated around the room.A groom was not meant to walk down the aisle...

“Erm, Alpha, you wait at the end, that was the plan. That is how a wedding works.” My father said in a stilted, polite voice, telling me he was more than a little irritated by the unexpected actions of the Alpha. He did not like people doing what they were not meant to do. He liked things to go to plan. He liked people to do as they were told. And most certainly not show him up.

Alpha Lucael offered me a small, almost half smile, before his gaze moved toward my father and shook his head again. “This is not happening.” He said sharply, causing multiple gasps of shock, while Celeste released the most pained wail in history. Anybody close by would think she was dying.

“No!” She whimpered.

I saw my father’s body tense in front of me as his as he froze his steps, angry eyes focused upon the Alpha in front of him. But the younger man looked unphased. “Nothing had been signed.” Alpha Lucael informed my father bluntly, before pushing past Celeste to come to a halt beside me. “And this will not be happening. Not when I have found my fated.” His eyes fell to me.

How had he known from across the room? My own mind had been spinning with the overwhelming scent, and I had searched the room desperate to know where the scent was coming from. Fully aware that linked to that scent could be the man that was chosen for me. The man that would give me my freedom from the prison called my family. But only as I had met the Alpha’s eyes did I know it was him. The intensity of his gaze had been enough…

‘He is an Alpha.’ That smooth, warm voice within my mind all but purred. ‘Our Alpha. Our mate. He is skilled. Strong. And capable of knowing these things.’ She added, as if she could listen into my inner thoughts, and already she was making the man sound like a god within her eyes. But I had heard rumors of him. He was far from a god. He was ruthless. Brutal. Yet as my eyes met his, there was an intensity and charm within his gaze that was making my knees go weak.

“Her?!” Celeste demanded in disgust as she turned to look at the Alpha, clearly catching sight of how he was looking at me.

Alpha Lucael came to stand by my side now, his hand slipping to my lower back in what felt like a protective movement, and a tingling sensation spread through my entire body at the very contact of his hand. I looked up at him in shock, only to find his eyes already focused upon me, a wry smile teasing at the corner of his lips before he looked up to Celeste. “Yes. Her. My fated. The one chosen for me by our moon goddess. And the one I plan to make my wife.”

There was another almost hysterical sounding scream from Celeste, as she turned to her mother, who had wasted no time in coming to join us, with a look of disbelief. “The ugly freak does not deserve it!” Celeste wailed. “Tell him, Mum…” Her voice faltered, as she sunk to the floor, her head within her hands.

Celine’s darkened gaze fell upon me, as she strode the last few steps along the aisle to greet us. The look of disgust upon her face was worse than ever before. Like I was to blame for the situation before us. I had no control over fate, she knew that. But without a word to me, she turned toward the Alpha by my side, plastering a false smile across her face. “Now, now, Alpha Lucael. You are a wise man. Do not be fooled by dark magic.” She raised her brows as if daring the Alpha to question her, but he simply shook his head, dismissing the words of my stepmother like they were nothing.

“Fate is nothing to be messed with. My mate was chosen for me for a reason, and I am not going to go against the decision of our own moon goddess now that my fated is here.” Alpha Lucael said calmly, giving my family the coldest glare.

“But she is not worthy of you. She is weak. Feeble. Pathetic. Whereas Celeste is everything an Alpha could ask for in a mate.” My father tried.

“Do not talk of her that way!” He snapped, anger flashing within those piercing blue eyes.

I sensed the tension immediately building, and the anger of my stepmother was beyond measure as her dark eyes seared through me. She did not like to be questioned. She, like my father, did not like it when things did not go her way. I edged behind Alpha Lucael in an attempt to show weakness. Allow them to think I feared them. Let them believe I was being controlled as they expected. The way my own mother had trained me.

Playing gently with the corner of his suit jacket, I looked up to the man by my side, hoping he would understand. “It’s okay, I’m used to it anyway.” I muttered softly, so that only the Alpha could hear. But as I did so, Celeste’s gaze came to meet mine, and I could not help the slight fleetingly cold smirk that teased at my lips as I leaned my head upon the arm of the man I was now learning was my fated mate, enjoying the fact that I, for a fleeting moment felt like I had within my hands everything that she wanted.

There was a shriek, as Celeste stumbled to her feet. “You are a fool!” She stuttered in the direction of the Alpha, before turning her darkened gaze to me.

I felt unease settle over me. What if this girl were to say things to make my fated mate think twice about me? I began to panic, as the she-wolf I had the displeasure of calling my sister flung insults and abuse in my direction, earning startled glances from the many guests having the privilege of witnessing the mess that my sister's luxurious wedding had become. Yet despite my fears, Alpha Lucael stood strong by my side. His hand slid around my waist, only seeming to further enrage my crazed half-sister.

She looked at me with a burning hatred in her eyes and a searing rage across her face as she made that same pained shriek that implied she was dying. “I will kill you, I swear…” Her voice was trembling somewhere between distress and anger, as she flung herself toward me, tugging at my already tattered dress. But a cold, single glare from the man by my side seemed to freeze Celeste in her tracks, and made her instantly retreat, stumbling behind our father without so much as another word.

Alpha Lucael took a deep breath before looking toward my father with much the same coldness he had looked at my sister with. “Now, have we not come here for a wedding?” He raised his brow in question, while my father nodded sheepishly. “And I do believe the girl should have a suitable gown should she not? Even a Luna gown?” He demanded. “For what you dressed her in is far from that.”

My brow furrowed in confusion. A Luna gown? Nothing had been mentioned of this… “Erm, it was damaged in the floods we had, so there is no…” Celine began, only to be silenced with that same stare from my mate.

He stepped closer to my father. An aura of authority seeped from him as he looked down upon my father. “The gown?” He demanded.

“We shall have it brought down.” My father muttered, with a look of disdain toward the woman lingering behind him. “It has been in storage since her mother passed away.”

In a sudden hive of activity, I was swept from the room, led by the Alpha who clearly planned to one day take me as his mate, and today make me his wife. Conversations of the gown were back and forth between the staff. A dress of my mother's. One passed on through generations of her family, for the Luna's of our pack. The dress she wore to be married, and to be crowned as Luna. I could not wait to see it!

We had housemaids running alongside us, as we were taken to a small side room, where another housemaid came walking in with the most exquisite of dresses. I had thought Celeste’s dress was beautiful, but this was something else entirely. A gown of silver-tulle, inlaid with moonstones. My mate slipped from the room as I was dressed…

And it was sheer perfection! Fitted to enhance my waist, with the most perfectly cut sweetheart neckline, the sweeping fabric reached the floor and shimmered with the most stunning dream-like glow with every move. It was almost other-worldly. The housemaids adjusted my hair into delicate curls, and as I looked at my reflection there was a contented purr from the wolf within my mind.

The girl looking back at me was far from the one I had been looking at of late. I looked almost good enough to compete with Celeste, I thought with a wry smile. Suddenly a knock at the door shocked me from my daze. And Alpha Lucael had walked confidently back into the room. His eyes instantly found me, a smile spreading over his full lips.

“And there she is.” He murmured, as he stepped toward me. He reached for the delicate silver tiara which sat upon the table beside us, before placing it within my hair. “The finishing touch.” He said softly, a gentle smile appearing upon his face.

I smiled back at him, all hint of nerves disappearing, as I looked at my reflection once again. The beautiful crescent gem-adorned tiara was a family heirloom I thought was long-lost, but here it was upon my head, and it looked so beautiful. I looked beautiful. I stood tall. Prouder. And, as I felt that same tingling shooting through my body as the hand of my fated mate rested upon my back, I could not help but smile once more. The ugly girl I had been hiding behind looked every bit the noble Luna. The way my mother would have wanted.

“Shall we go and show your pack the Luna you were destined to be?” Alpha Lucael asked, offering me his hand, and I nodded, with a sudden confidence that excited me…