The Alpha’s Wrong Bride

Episode2

Twelve minutes. That was how long I had before Damion swept me out of the grand hall and away from the protection of the High Council's watchful eyes.

Twelve minutes to figure out how to breathe inside a corset that felt less like wedding attire and more like a metal trap designed to crush my ribs. My skin was still burning from where his heavy hand had locked around my wrist at the altar. He knew. Even if he hadn't announced it to the three hundred high-society wolves sipping champagne in the ballroom, the way his dark eyes had narrowed when they brushed past my childhood scar proved he had caught the deception instantly.

He knows you're not Wren, my wolf whimpered, pacing restlessly in the back of my mind. She was larger than she had any right to be, her golden-amber eyes flashing with a wild, untamed fury. Let me out. Let me fight him.

Shut up, I hissed back mentally, pressing a trembling hand against my ribs as the heavy oak doors of the private bridal suite slammed shut behind us with a final, echoing thud. If you fight him now, we have nowhere to go.

The sudden silence in the room felt heavy, dense with a suffocating tension that made it difficult to draw a full breath.

The chamber was draped in dark midnight-blue velvet and smelled faintly of woodsmoke, old leather, and the lingering, sharp scent of winter frost. But the luxury offered no comfort.

Damion didn't turn on the lights. He simply leaned his broad back against the heavy wooden door, crossing his arms over his chest as the shadows swallowed the sharp, dangerous angles of his face. His silver-flecked eyes gleamed in the dim moonlight filtering through the tall arched windows, fixed entirely on me with the cold, ruthless judgment of an angry wolf.

"Take it off," he commanded, his voice a low, husky vibration that filled the room.

My fingers froze where they hovered near the nape of my neck. I swallowed hard, forcing my voice to remain steady. "Alpha?"

"Don't play games with me, Mara," he snapped, pushing off the door and stalking toward me with slow, deliberate strides. The floorboards didn't even creak beneath his heavy boots.

"Your precious sister packed her bags and eloped with another man because she couldn’t stomach mating a monster. And your father, desperate to save face, shoved his disposable, unwanted twin daughter into my hands instead. You thought you could walk into my cathedral, lie to an Alpha at the altar, and cover up your family’s sin?"

I dropped my hands, letting the heavy lace veil slip from my hair to the floor. The humiliation that had burned in my chest all my life, always being the second choice, the backup plan, the slave left behind while Wren got everything, suddenly morphed into a hot, reckless fury.

"Then send me back," I spat, my voice ringing out clearly in the quiet room. "Go ahead. Hunt down my sister, drag her back by her blonde hair, or lock me in chains and ship me back to my father’s kitchen. It’s all the same to me. At least there, I knew what kind of monster I was serving."

Damion stopped inches away. He was so tall I had to stretch my neck to look at him, every fiber of his massive frame radiating an intimidating heat. Without warning, his hand shot out, his long fingers curling roughly around my throat, tilting my chin up so I had no choice but to meet his gaze. His thumb pressed directly over my racing pulse, feeling it hammer wildly against his skin.

"Send you back so your father can protect his precious runaway?" A dark, humorless laugh escaped his lips. "Oh, no. You covered for her. You stepped into her place and lied to my face in front of my entire court. The bond is sealed, Mara. You belong to the North Pack now."

His grip tightened just enough to restrict my air, sending a dizzying wave of heat and panic straight through my veins. My wolf whimpered deep inside my mind, confused, terrified, and yet aggressively aware of the hard, masculine heat radiating from his body.

"Your family treated you like trash, didn't they?" Damion whispered, his face inches from mine, his breath brushing my lips, carrying the scent of dark bourbon and pine. "Left you behind while the golden child got everything. Good. Because here, you're my prisoner. And tonight is our wedding night. If you think you're going to hide behind your defiance, you are sorely mistaken."

"I would rather let you snap my neck than willingly give myself to a tyrant who thinks he bought me," I hissed, my hands coming up to shove against his hard chest with every ounce of strength I had.

If I expected him to back off, I miscalculated completely. My defiance didn't soften him; instead it triggered him. A dark, dangerous scowl twisted his features, his nostrils flaring as his wolf caught the sharp scent of my absolute rejection. An Alpha was hardwired to demand submission, and my blatant resistance ignited a furious, possessive hunger in his eyes that was ten times more terrifying than his cold anger.

"Is that right?" Damion growled, the sound vibrating deep within his chest like a caged beast rattling its bars.

Before I could blink, his free hand caught both of my wrists, pinning them effortlessly above my head with one heavy, unyielding hand while his other arm banded around my waist, yanking me up against his hard, burning frame.

"You think you can fight the bond?" he murmured against my ear, his breath piercing my skin. "You think your little displays of rebellion mean anything to me? Every time you push me away, little ghost, you only make me want to break every single defense you have until you're sobbing my name."

"Let me go!" I thrashed against him, twisting my body, trying desperately to break free from his iron grip. But my movements only served to rub our bodies together, accidentally dragging my hips against the heavy, undeniable proof of his arousal throbbing hard against my stomach.

A sharp, traitorous shiver raced down my spine, and a tiny, breathless gasp escaped my lips.

Damion caught the sound instantly, a dark, triumphant smirk touching the corner of his mouth as he felt the immediate, humiliating betrayal of my body. "Liar," he whispered darkly, his eyes flashing with wild intent. "Your body already knows you belong to me, Mara. You can fight with your tongue all you want, but tonight, I am going to make you beg for every single touch."