5
1670 Words
I stood in front of the mirror, trying to smile. Trying to look like a bride who was happy to be getting married.
The face staring back at me looked like a stranger attempting a smile and failing. My lips curved upward, but my eyes stayed hollow. Empty.
It looked more like a grimace than anything else.
"You look stunning, Miss Yversen," Riri said brightly, stepping back to admire her work.
"Thanks..." I kept my voice short, not trusting myself to say more.
Riri had done her best. The makeup covered the worst of the damage—the sunken cheeks from weeks of starvation, the dark circles under my eyes from years of sleepless nights. She'd painted color onto my pale face, made me look almost alive again.
Almost.
"Don't sweat it," Riri continued, her voice gentle. "Everything's gonna be fine."
"Fingers crossed," I sighed.
But even as I said it, I knew it was a lie. Nothing about this was fine.
I looked down at the wedding dress. White silk and lace, beautiful once upon a time. But it hung on my body like a sack, loose and ill-fitting. The fabric pooled around my feet. The bodice gaped at my chest, too wide for my thin frame. The shoulders slipped down my arms no matter how many times I pulled them back up.
This dress had been made for someone else. Someone with curves and health and hope.
Not for me.
"How many times has Alpha Luxian been married, Riri?"
The question came out quieter than I intended. Part of me didn't want to know the answer.
"You're the fifth."
I was the fifth woman to wear this dress. The fifth woman to stand at that altar. The fifth woman trying to break a curse that had already killed four others.
My throat felt tight. "You are Alpha Luxian's last hope..." Riri whispered, her voice dropping low like she was sharing a secret.
"Yeah, I know." I tried to sound calm even though my mind was screaming.
"You just need to get pregnant and have puppies for him. That is the only way to end the curse, but..." Riri hesitated, her hands stilling on the veil she was arranging. "The four other mates failed. And they died."
"All set, Miss Yversen." Riri placed the veil on my head carefully, adjusting it so it fell just right. "I'm off, Miss Yversen. Don't go anywhere unless the bridesmaids come to take you."
There was sympathy in her eyes. Pity, maybe. Like she was looking at a woman already dead.
"Don't worry. Thanks, Riri..."
The door closed behind her with a soft click.
I was alone.
I stared at my reflection—at this ghost of a bride in a borrowed dress that didn't fit, wearing makeup that couldn't quite hide the damage underneath.
Luxian was no better than Rhys. They were different, sure—different methods, different motivations. But in the end, they were the same.
They both saw me as a tool. A means to an end.
Rhys needed me to produce an heir so he could claim his throne. Luxian needed me to produce an heir so he could break his curse.
I was just a womb with legs to them.
I'd made myself a promise when I decided to give up on Rhys. I swore I wouldn't let anyone use me again. Wouldn't let anyone control me.
And I meant it.
I might be standing here in this ridiculous dress, about to marry a cursed Alpha I barely knew, but I wasn't planning to stay. I had time—ninety-eight days left, by Luxian's count.
Ninety-eight days to figure out how to escape.
Because I wasn't going to break his curse. I wasn't going to try to get pregnant for him. I wasn't going to be another dead bride in a too-big wedding dress.
I was going to survive this. And then I was going to run.
***
A sharp knock at the door made me jump.
"Miss Yversen? It's time."
Two bridesmaids stood in the hallway—young women I'd never met, wearing simple dresses. They didn't smile. Didn't welcome me. Just gestured for me to follow.
We walked through cold stone corridors. No decorations. No flowers. No guests lining the halls to wish me well.
This wasn't a celebration. This was a transaction.
We reached a set of heavy wooden doors. Through them, I could hear voices—low murmurs of conversation, the shuffle of feet.
The bridesmaids pushed the doors open.
The hall was smaller than I expected. Maybe fifty people, all standing in neat rows. No music playing. No elaborate decorations. Just simple wooden benches and stone walls.
At the far end stood an altar—plain stone, nothing ornate. And beside it, Alpha Luxian waited in a dark suit, his hands clasped behind his back.
This was nothing like my wedding to Rhys. That had been a spectacle—hundreds of guests, flowers everywhere, music and dancing and celebration.
This felt like a funeral.
As I stepped into the hall, I caught a scent that made my wolf stir uneasily.
Rhys.
My eyes darted around the room, searching for him. I couldn't see him anywhere, but his scent lingered in the air. Pine and earth and something bitter.
He was here. Watching. Hiding somewhere in the shadows.
The piano began to play—a simple melody, nothing grand. The bridesmaids took their positions, and I started walking down the aisle.
Alone. No father to give me away. No family to support me.
Just me in this too-big dress, walking toward a cursed Alpha who needed me to save his life.
Every eye in the room turned to watch me. Some looked curious. Others looked skeptical. A few looked outright hostile.
"Isn't she barren? How could she be?" a woman with a high bun whispered to the bald man beside her.
"Shut up. If Alpha Luxian hears your words, we will be finished," the old man growled back.
"Luna Jocelyn said she is a lunatic," the middle-aged woman continued, not bothering to lower her voice much. "Gosh, what a pity. That crazy woman will ruin his life just like she did to Luna Jocelyn and her son..."
But....
I kept my head up. Kept walking. Refused to let them see how much it hurt.
But inside, Arghea was snarling.
Let me out. Let me tear their throats out.
Not now, I told her firmly. We need to survive this first.
I reached the front where Luxian stood waiting. His gray eyes swept over me, taking in the ill-fitting dress, the trembling hands I was trying to hide.
"Come take your bride, Alpha..." the elder said in a formal tone.
Luxian walked toward me with firm, measured steps. He reached out his hand.
I hesitated for just a moment before placing my hand in his. His palm was warm, his grip strong. He helped me up onto the small platform in front of the altar.
The dress caught under my feet as I climbed. I stumbled slightly, and Luxian's hand tightened on mine, steadying me.
"Don't even think about running off from me," he whispered close to my ear, his voice low and threatening despite the soft tone.
"No worries," I whispered back, meeting his gaze with a glare.
Our eyes locked. For a moment, the world narrowed to just the two of us. His gray eyes searched mine, looking for something—fear, maybe. Submission.
He wouldn't find it.
My heart raced as we turned to face the elder at the altar. I could feel every gaze on me—scornful, mocking, pitying. Their judgments crawled over my skin like insects.
"Did you catch what they were saying?" I asked quietly.
"Yeah," Luxian replied, his voice calm.
"Let them talk." His hand squeezed mine slightly. Not comforting exactly, but... grounding.
"But—"
"Just brush it off." His thumb moved against the back of my hand, a small gesture that somehow made the whispers easier to ignore.
I took a breath and nodded.
The elder cleared his throat, his voice booming through the small hall.
"This evening we will be witness to the union between Alpha Luxian Alderon and Summer Yversen, as the great Moon Goddess has destined!"
The words felt hollow. Empty ritual. This wasn't destiny. This was desperation.
"Do you, Alpha Luxian Alderon, take Summer Yversen as your lawfully wedded wife and mate?"
"I do." His voice was firm, confident. Like he actually meant it.
"And do you, Summer Yversen, take Alpha Luxian Alderon as your lawfully wedded husband and mate?"
I hesitated. Just for a second. Long enough that a few people in the crowd shifted uncomfortably.
Then I forced the words out. "I do..."
"Are you willing to dedicate your life to serve your mate and husband? Do all your duties well, and be a good wife and Luna to this pack?"
No. I thought. I'm not willing at all.
But out loud, I said: "I... I do."
The lie tasted bitter on my tongue.
The elder's voice rose. "Then, by the power vested in me, I pronounce you husband and wife and mated. You may kiss your bride, now, Alpha..."
Luxian turned to face me. His hand came up to tilt my chin gently upward.
I lifted my gaze to meet his. Those gray eyes held mine for a long moment—searching, questioning.
Then he leaned in.
His lips pressed against mine—soft at first, then deeper. He kissed me slowly, thoroughly, like he was claiming something that belonged to him. His hand moved to the back of my neck, holding me in place.
I tried to pull back, but his grip tightened. Not painful, but firm. Unyielding.
The crowd erupted in polite applause. Hollow congratulations for a hollow ceremony.
When Luxian finally pulled away, his eyes held a warning.
The elder raised his hands. "I present to you, Alpha Luxian Alderon and his mate, Luna Summer!"
- Writer
