WEDDING STAINED IN RED
1839 Words
ASTRA
“You’ll regret associating yourself with that man, Astra.”
Kaiden’s last words before he turned his back and stormed out of the hall made me scoff. The doors slammed shut behind him, rattling through his force, but I didn’t flinch or look back. I refused to give him the satisfaction.
Regret?
I had felt regret the moment I saw him with another woman. Two years of love, devotion, and loyalty were crushed away like dust.
But this? Walking toward Draven Marwood and choosing a future no one expected me to take was not regret.
The elder officiant cleared his throat, an old man with silver hair peeking from his ceremonial headdress.
“Proceed,” Alpha Draven ordered.
The elder immediately nodded, “Very well. We continue.”
The ceremony started with formalities, a series of words from the officiant that no one really pays attention to, but everyone pretends for the sake of it.
Until the most crucial part finally came in.
“Astra Wynfell, do you accept Alpha Draven Marwood as your husband and take your place as Luna of the Bloodveil Pack?”
Eyes bore into me from every direction. Wolves from one of the strongest, most feared packs in the entire region. Once I accept, I’ll be the Luna of this pack despite all of them knowing who I originally was.
Kaiden’s mate. Their Alpha’s son’s mate. And now… Draven’s.
Some couldn’t hide their repugnance, others were curious, and many were amused more than expected. They were all waiting, probably even expecting me to back out because of the drama and crumble in shame under the scandal of choosing my ex-mate’s father.
“Yes, I do,” I responded almost immediately without much hesitation.
I kept my chin high as the whispers exploded behind me.
“She really said yes…”
“Does she even know what she’s stepping into?”
“It doesn’t matter. This is madness.”
Draven turned around, and the whispers quickly died down.
The elder turned toward Draven, proceeding without any further delay, “Alpha Draven Marwood, Alpha of Bloodveil Pack, do you accept Astra Wynfell as your wife and Luna of the Bloodveil Pack?”
“I do.” His answer came instantly, unbothered despite everyone’s doubts.
Another elder stepped in, carrying a ceremonial tie and reached out to me first, looping the tie around the heirloom I still decided to wear, and then the other end was looped directly around Draven’s wrist.
The physical symbol of our unlikely union.
“By the Goddess’ will, I pronounce you husband and wife. Luna and Alpha of our esteemed Bloodveil pack. May the Moon Goddess favor your union and leadership.”
Just like that, I had crossed a line I could never return from.
Draven stepped closer, almost towering over me. His broad shoulders seemed to swallow the world behind him. He reached out, cupping my cheek in a gesture far gentler than anyone expected from a man rumored to be merciless.
“Astra,” he called, only for me to hear, “welcome to your new pack.”
He leaned closer and sealed our union with a kiss. I knew it was coming, but I was still surprised. But just when I thought it would be the most surprising thing that would happen tonight, the world immediately proved me wrong.
A distressed howl was suddenly heard from far away. One of Draven’s betas promptly approached us, surprisingly calm despite the urgency of the situation.
“Alpha,” he called and lowered his head, “There’s a northern border breach. Unidentified wolves, likely paid rogues.”
My heart skipped a beat, and it wasn’t the good kind. Everyone was calmer than they should be, especially Draven, who looked more pissed off that we were interrupted instead of the attack.
The commotion sounded closer and closer, and soon after, a warrior rushed in, blood already staining his shoulder. “Alpha-”
The man couldn’t finish his report as the sound of the windows crashing to our sides suddenly stole everyone’s attention. A group of masked rogues entered, intruded on the place, and chaos quickly ensued.
The tables and chairs, neatly arranged, are now crashed everywhere. Warriors among the crowd already jumped into the fight while the rest scrambled to get back, some nearly tripping.
Draven reached out to the ceremonial tie that binds us and removed it on his end with one clean swipe of his claws, but still kept a close distance with me.
I stood frozen, heart in the same chaos as the one in front of me. Every instinct screaming at me to move, to run, and to shift, but I’d never seen war this close.
Draven, however, was frighteningly calm.
“Stay close to me,” he ordered and immediately joined the fight.
They clashed with the intruders, making me realize just how peaceful it was in a humbler pack. Anywhere I looked, there was chaos, weapons clashing, and bodies being slammed wherever.
And Alpha Draven… he was built for battle.
He grabbed one attacker by the throat, snapping the person’s neck without flinching. Another swung at him with a dagger. Draven dodged and fought without any weapons, but proved that his fangs and claws are way more dangerous.
I continued staring at him in a mix of terror and admiration to the same degree. Unfortunately, standing in the middle of chaos could easily attract someone wanting a quick kill from the opposite side.
A rogue got past Draven and charged towards me without hesitation. I couldn’t move despite knowing I’d die if I just stood around. He was a few steps away, but all I could do was close my eyes.
I heard a choked grunt and a splatter of sticky liquid on my skin, not from me, but from the rogue who tried to attack me. When I opened my eyes, Draven’s claws had already sliced through the man’s throat, merely a few steps from me.
The scent of blood grew heavy, almost making me nauseous than I already was. Droplets of blood have splattered across my face, and a heavier spray reached my wedding gown. The rich navy blue gown is now streaked with red.
The attacker collapsed at my feet, body twitching till he had finally passed.
Draven didn’t look away from him until he was certain the man was dead. Only then did he turn to me, eyes blazing with a lethal, controlled fury that wasn’t aimed at me, but at anyone who had dared to get this close.
“Touching my Luna,” he said, voice melding with his wolf, “was the last mistake you could do.”
My hands trembled. Not from fear of him, but from the realization of what I had married into and what being his wife truly meant. Of being with an alpha who would kill without hesitation if I were threatened.
Power, blood, protection, and consequence. A lot of the latter.
“Stay close,” He repeated, and all I could do was nod.
For a moment, I just spaced out while he quickly went back to battle, but a sharp growl of pain at a short distance yanked me out of the haze.
I spun toward the sound and saw one of our pack’s warriors slumped against a pillar, blood gushing from a deep gash along his abdomen. His breathing was shallow, his eyes unfocused, and he was close to passing out.
He wasn’t healing fast enough and was losing a lot of blood.
Without thinking, I ran to him. He flinched at first, but once he got a good look at me, he was more confused than ever.
“My Luna?” he rasped, startled to see me kneeling beside him.
“Stay still. You’re bleeding a lot.” I said, already pressing my hand over the wound.
Warm blood seeped through my fingers instantly, but I immediately willed my wolf to help. A soft glow blossomed from my hand as I closed my eyes.
“Your wolf…” He trailed off.
“Yes, I have a healer wolf.” I confirmed as I open my eyes, “Now calm down. You’ll be okay in no time.”
The torn flesh began knitting together under my hand, sealing like the body’s normal healing. The bleeding has already slowed down, but I still ripped a thick strip from the hem of my gown and wrapped it tight around his waist.
He stared at me in slight worry, but I simply assured him. “You’ll be okay. You’ll live.”
His eyes darted toward Draven, and I quickly figured out the real reason he’s worried. I inched away from him, only because I knew he was no longer in a critical condition, and I saw another wounded warrior nearby.
Without hesitation, I reached the next wounded patient, tending to their wounds and using my abilities if needed. My gown is now torn from being used as a temporary bandage, but it was soiled with blood anyway.
When I finally looked back toward Draven, he was already watching me. The enemies have mostly fallen. Bodies lay around him, some dead, others luckily just knocked out.
Draven’s lips curled into a slow, dark grin. Not mocking, but pleased.
“You’re full of surprises, wife,” he drawled, amused by how quickly I had adapted. Maybe even impressed.
Before I could retort, he turned and started ordering his betas.
“Secure the perimeter and interrogate any survivors. Make sure they spill who hired them.” He instructed his betas.
“Yes, Alpha!”
They all scrambled into motion, dragging unconscious bodies, restraining those still trying to resist, and the pack healers tending to the wounded.
One of the servants quietly approached me, offering a clean towel to wipe off the blood from my hands. Draven was the same, and right after that, he purposely approached me.
The adrenaline I felt earlier quickly died down, allowing me to calm down, but I also staggered from the loss of motivation.
In one sudden motion, he lifted me off the ground, one arm under my knees, the other bracing my back.
A gasp escaped me. “Alpha!”
“Settle down,” he murmured, tightening his hold a bit, “I got you.”
My body sagged in sudden relief with his words. I would have already collapsed on my knees if he hadn’t lifted me.
He glanced down at my shredded gown, the fabric stained with blood.
“Your first hour as my Luna,” he said with an ironically satisfied hum, “and you’re already drenched in blood.”
His eyes flicked up to mine, “You handled yourself well.”
My heart instantly jumped to my throat with his words. I could feel everyone’s gaze once again.
“I was only doing my job.” I said, forcing myself to calm down.
Draven smirked, already walking away from the scene. “And I’ll be doing mine.”
- Writer
