Mated to My Alpha Uncle

Chapter 4 The Wedding Day

Laura's POV:

After five long, grueling days, I finally stumbled up from the basement.

My body was aching, every muscle screaming in protest, and my heart was a seething cauldron of hate as I faced the Watson family gathered in the living room.

Brian's face contorted in discomfort the moment our eyes met, his gaze flickering away like a man caught in the act.

His fiancée, Sara, was perched right beside him, and as Brian's eyes darted to hers, she flashed a sugary smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

I watched the scene with a cold, detached gaze. Not too long ago, Brian's mere presence would have set my heart ablaze. Now, the sight of him with Sara felt like a twisted joke.

Bella leaned forward, her fingers toying with the sapphire necklace that dangled suggestively between her breasts. She was dressed to the nines in a low-cut dress that left little to the imagination, the glittering gemstone drawing every eye to her chest.

But I couldn't bring myself to care about her little display. My gaze was locked on Carter, my adoptive father—the man who had ended my parents' lives.

Both Carter and Mabel looked pale, their nervousness almost palpable. It was clear they were scrambling to plug the leak that had threatened their secrets.

Two guilty souls scrambled to erase their sins.

But they'd never suspect it was me who'd overheard their scandal because they'd locked me away in that basement.

Mabel's cold, disdainful eyes bored into me as she called for the maids to take me away to clean up and change into something more presentable.

"Your wedding is this afternoon. You better behave in front of Matthew Smith, or you'll regret it," Mabel warned, her voice like ice.

I nodded, my face a mask of feigned fear, careful not to let my true feelings show.

The maids led me to a room where a steaming bath awaited.

I waved them away, stripped down, and sank into the warm water.

For a moment, I let the heat seep into my bones, soothing the ache in my body. It had been so long since I'd felt this at ease.

But the fire of vengeance still burned in my heart.

I was going along with Mabel's plan to marry Matthew Smith, but the thought of him being my uncle sent a shiver down my spine. How could I marry my uncle?

Yet, I had no choice but to follow Mabel's orders, and I needed to get close to Matthew to uncover the truth behind my parents' deaths.

The maids helped me into a stunning pink gown and twisted my hair into an elegant updo. The mirror reflected a stranger—radiant on the outside, hollow within.

My mind was a whirl of thoughts about Matthew Smith, a storm of anticipation and dread churning in my gut. What kind of man was he? Could he be trusted? Did he even know my parents were gone?

The wedding was to be held at the Watson family villa, per Matthew's request.

He wanted to keep this marriage under wraps, so the ceremony was intimate, with just a few of the Watsons' close friends in attendance. Did Matthew know he was getting a substitute bride? Would he lose his temper when he found out Bella had been replaced by a stranger?

"Laura, you look absolutely stunning!" Mabel gushed, gripping my hand with a sickly sweet smile. She was laying it on thick, playing the doting mother for the crowd.

Carter piped up, "Laura, don't forget the generosity the Watson family has bestowed upon you. After all, we're the ones who raised you."

"Yes, Laura, you mustn't forget us. We're all going to miss you so much," Mabel added, her voice syrupy with fake sentiment. "We've treated you just like Bella. And that education of yours—that cost us a fortune!"

It was all lies. They were just trying to score more points with Alpha Matthew. I bit my tongue, my fists clenched as I glared at their phony smiles.

Carter and Mabel kept boasting to the guests about how well they'd treated me, and how reluctant they were to see me married off. Mabel even managed to squeeze out a few tears, earning awed murmurs from the onlookers.

But Bella, never one for subtlety, couldn't resist.

In front of everyone, she sneered, her voice sharp and mocking, "My sister Laura is already nineteen, and she is still Wolfless!"

The whole room turned to me, their stares weighted with judgment.

Bella smirked, her face glowing with triumph as her plan to humiliate me worked like a charm.

In the past, her words would have cut deep, leaving me bleeding and broken.

But now, I met her gaze with fiery defiance, stepping forward to snap, "You've got no right to talk about me, Bella Watson! You're just a coward, plain and simple! Why don't you admit it to everyone? You're so scared of Matthew Smith that you're making me marry him in your place!"

"Shut your mouth!" Bella's face turned crimson with rage, her eyes narrowing into venomous slits as she hissed. "You wretched little—"

Brian cut in with a frown, his tone stern, "Enough, Laura. You shouldn't say such things to hurt Bella. She's your sister!"

I let out a cold, mocking laugh. "Cut the crap, Brian. You know exactly what you did to me!"

Brian's eyes widened, and then he shot me a furious glare before storming off without another word. He was terrified I'd expose his dark secret in front of Sara—the truth about how he'd tried to force himself on me.

Carter and Mabel shot me warning looks, silently commanding me to fall in line like before. But those days were over. I wasn't their puppet anymore.

Just then, Bella charged at me, her hand raised high, ready to slap me across the face. It was her signature move—public humiliation, just like she'd done so many times at school. Even here, at my wedding, she couldn't resist.

But this time, her hand was caught mid-swing, trapped in a firm grip by someone else. It was Matthew Smith.

He'd just arrived, and the crowd parted like the Red Sea before him. Everyone, that is, except Bella, who'd been too busy trying to put me in my place to notice his presence.

I'd never seen Matthew before, but the second I laid eyes on him, I knew exactly who he was.

Bella, however, looked like she'd seen a ghost, her face draining of color. Her voice trembled as she stammered, "Let me go!"

Matthew's icy blue eyes swept over her, unimpressed, before he released her hand. Bella scurried behind Mabel, cowering like a child.

Mabel stepped forward, her smile weak and nervous as she addressed Matthew. "Alpha Matthew, please understand, Bella was just playing around with her sister."

Matthew barely glanced at her, his silence cutting deeper than any words. Instead, his gaze fixed on me, and my chest tightened as his piercing blue eyes met mine.

I didn't know how to face him—this man who was supposed to become my husband... and my uncle.

"What's your name?" he rumbled, his voice deep and commanding as his eyes took me in.

I swallowed, my throat dry as I managed to whisper, "Laura."

Matthew was nothing like the rumors had painted him. He wasn't cruel, nor was he ugly. In fact, he was breathtakingly handsome, his looks putting even Brian's charm to shame.

Yet, there was a wild, untamed energy about him, like a storm waiting to break, warning you to keep your distance.

My body reacted before my mind could catch up, and I took an involuntary step back. But Matthew closed the gap in a single stride, his towering presence overshadowing me.

I couldn't bring myself to meet his gaze, but his hand shot out, his fingers cold yet unyielding as they gripped my chin, forcing my face upward. "Laura," he said, his voice calm yet carrying the weight of a command, "from now on, you're my wife."

My chest constricted, a maelstrom of fear, anger, and confusion churning inside me.

I wanted to scream, to tell him I couldn't be his wife. But the words stuck in my throat, silenced by the scent that surrounded him—a scent that wrapped around me like a spell, both alien and hauntingly familiar.

It was earthy and strong, like the forest after a snowfall, with a sharp chill that oddly soothed my nerves. It was intoxicating, drawing me in like a moth to a flame, a scent that felt like it was mine alone.

I'd never smelled anything like it on anyone else, not even Brian, the man I'd once thought I loved.

Suddenly, a lesson from my school days came back to me, as clear as day. Our teacher had said, "If you ever catch a scent on someone—one that's impossible to resist and utterly unique—then, without a doubt, you've found your fated mate."

But Matthew was my uncle! How could he be my fated mate? The thought was unimaginable, impossible.

My vision swam, the room spinning as my legs threatened to give out. I was on the verge of collapse.