His substitute mate.

Chapter three

'Dearly beloved, you have come together into the house of the church so that in the presence of the church's minister and the community, your intention to enter into marriage may be strengthened by........?'

From under the veil, Sheena looked forlorn and lost in thought as the church priest went on and on about the sacredness of marriage and how it binds the two involved forever.

"Forever." She thought. A word that now sent chills down her spine.

She would forever be bound to this man. A man she barely knew. Hell! A man she didn't know at all.

She knew only two things about him - his name, Dominic Ravens, and the fact that he was her cousin, Elena's fiance.

'I am supposed to be wearing my pink little gown, standing behind Elena as the maid of honor and not clad in this absolutely stunning gown meant for her. Elena should be the one standing here beside him and not me.' she thought absentmindedly.

A subtle jab to her sides brought her back from her reverie.

"Didn't you hear the priest ask you a question?" Dominic asked in a hush tone. " You better answer now before you make this day more embarrassing than it already is." He whispered.

Sheena looked at him from the corner of her eyes. His face was expressionless. He was a very handsome man, but for the very few times they had met since Elena introduced him to the family as her boyfriend and then fiance, she had never really seen him show any sort of emotion. His countenance was always the same: grim, emotionless and unnerving.

It did nothing to hide his handsomeness though. He was a very attractive man and he looked even more attractive in his navy blue tuxedo. He towered over her at 6ft2 inches, broad shoulders, strong well defined jawline, deep green eyes the color of lemon grass, dark hair, strong long legs with the stride of a very confident man whenever he walked.

"Do you Sheena Woods, take Dominic Ravens for your lawful husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?”

Sheena hesitated for a brief moment before answering "Yes, I do."

The priest then directed the question to Dom, to which he firmly answered "Yes, I do".

He blessed the marriage and just as he was about to read out the infamous 'you may now kiss the bride' line, Dom signalled to him not to. The priest quickly obliged which surprised Sheena. She could have sworn she also saw him shudder like he was scared and shaken. She wondered who Dom was and why the priest appeared afraid of him.

The priest pronounced them husband and wife, and soon after, the congregation stood as she sauntereded back down the aisle, hand in hand with her husband.

As she walked, she tried to make out the faces on the second pew at the right side of the church where the Ravens family sat. there were only four people seated there all dressed in black. "A strange choice for a wedding" she thought.

She observed a Stern looking elderly man who she assumed to be Dom's father; the second reason why she was in this situation; the first being Elena and her grand idea of eloping on her wedding day. The man looked younger than his age even with the scowl that seemed glued to his face, and he had an air of authority and power over him.

Her eyes shifted from him to the much more older woman by his side. She seemed disinterested and eager to leave. And beside her sat a beautiful blond who appeared angry. She kept staring daggers as they walked past, which made Sheena uneasy.

Before passing the pew, her eyes also rested on a handsome young man dressed in a black turtle necked sweatshirt with black jeans who was standing alone at the pew behind the Ravens family, although one could tell he was with them. He looked friendly and somewhat familiar. When she got closer, he smiled and winked at her which weirdly soothed her uneasiness a bit. From the corner of her eyes, she noticed Dom glaring at him. It made her wonder who he was. 'Dom's brother, maybe' she thought, but dismissed it, seeing that they both looked nothing alike.

Soon enough, they had exited the church and she was faced with her uncle, saying her goodbyes.

The Ravens family were very keen and particular about her coming with them across the other side of town to their family house at Brixton hill, immediately after the wedding.

"My baby, I'm so sorry for putting you in such a difficultc situation." Uncle Tom said with teary eyes. " I hope my brother forgives me for doing this to his precious little girl." He added soberly

Sheena's mind went back to their conversation earlier today.

Her uncle had just got off the phone with Mr Ravens, Dominic's dad, and he looked distraught. She had worriedly asked what was wrong.

"Mr Ravens says he can't accept the humiliation and attention Elena's disappearance would bring to him and his family. So, he proposed something outrageous and demanded that I don't refuse." He had answered.

" What did he ask?" She innocently asked.

He had hesitated for a while before reluctantly saying in a deflated voice. "He wants you to marry Dom instead."

Sheena had stood shocked and mute for over a minute.

"Why?......How?.....Why me?.....I don't...I dont understand." She stammered.

She had a bright future ahead of her, and marriage was certainly not part of her near-forseeable-future plans. She recently got a scholarship to study international wildlife biology at the Liverpool John Moore's University, in Liverpool. She was absolutely intrigued and obsessed with animals. "What was going to happen with that now?" She cried.

Her uncle had begged her profusely to accept the proposal as Mr Ravens had also threatened to harm him and his family if they refused to oblige. "He was very particular about not getting humiliated and losing face in the public's eye." He pleaded.

Her aunt Helen, Uncle Tom's wife who had never really liked and taken to her also coarsed and guilt tripped her until eventually, she reluctantly agreed.

"No, don't say that dad. It's fine. But please, do contact me when Elena gets found or eventually returns." She replied, hugging him while he kissed the top of her head.

She bid her farewell to her aunt Helen who barely acknowledged her, to her best friend in the house, her cousin Timothy, who was 16 and four years younger than her, as well as to all her other relatives and friends who knew what was ongoing.

To everyone else, it was Elena getting married as she remained under the veil until she and Dom got into the very flashy limousine that was to take her to her new home - a big mansion she knew simply as the 'Wolf Manor'.