The Silver Wolf

Laura’s POV: "Laura" I woke up to my mother's scream. With a frightful look, I immediately jumped down from the small bed arranged for me in the kitchen and began to do the dishes. When she finally arrived in the kitchen, she scolded me with a frown, "Didn't you hear me calling? You keep growing your horns every day," before sighing heavily. "Today is my daughter's wedding, so go help her get dressed," she instructed. I nodded before leaving the kitchen to Jackie's room. When I got there, I didn't see her, but I could hear the shower running, so I assumed she was bathing. It had been more than ten minutes, but Jackie was still not out of the shower. I became suspicious as I walked to the bathroom and pushed the door open. "Jackie," I called out, but there was no response. I hurried to the window where I found a long robe; Jackie had escaped. This was bad. I was still in a trance when my father walked in. "Where is Jackie?" he asked sadly. I knew they all felt sad marrying their precious princess off to a useless and infamous prince. Sometimes, I wondered what he looked like. "She... she..." I stuttered, pointing at the window. He frowned and walked to the window where he saw the escape rope. "No, no... she left," he mumbled. "They are here," Mother walked in and saw the scared look on Dad's face. Then, she turned towards me. "What happened? Why is he so pale?" she asked, looking around. "And where is Jackie?" she asked when I swallowed hard before pointing at the window again. After Mother saw the escape rope, she was not as angry as I expected. I saw a smile on her face, which surprised me. "Laura, this is all your fault," she angrily pointed at me. How was it my fault? I was not the one who escaped on her wedding day and put the family's reputation at risk. "Me?" I asked, surprised. "Yes, I sent you to get her ready, but you probably helped her escape. Jackie is not capable of escaping alone, you helped her because you were jealous that she would be married to the prince," Mother accused me. Why was she accusing me of her daughter's irresponsible act? And why would I be jealous of Jackie? It's not like I was up for the arranged wedding. "Why did you do that?" Father asked angrily, and I shook my head. But I knew better than to refuse the accusations because it wouldn't end well for me. "What are we going to do now? The carriage to take the bride is already here," Mother had a panicked look. She looked at Dad and me with the same expression, then turned to me with an evil glare. "Maybe Laura could be the bride instead. Just hide your face with a veil until you get there," she suggested. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Me, the replacement bride? This was outrageous! "Dad, I... I was not the one chosen," I said with a pleading look. There was no need for me to plead with my mother because I knew she would never do what makes me happy. "Kira, what if the king finds out about this? It won't be good," Dad said, and I nodded. It was offensive to cheat a member of the royal family. "If we don't provide a bride, then that will be worse. Besides, it's for the useless prince, so he won't pay much attention. Laura, go get dressed," Mother's opinion had always overshadowed my dad's own. He only listened to his wife and never cared for me. "Dad," I turned towards him with a glimmer of hope when Mother pushed me, and I fell on the bed. "Get dressed quickly; otherwise, I won't hesitate to bring the stick, and your dad knows it's wise to stay out of this," she said harshly before pulling Dad and walking towards me. "Go on, get dressed... you think I will leave this room and give you a chance to escape?" Mother sneered, and tears rolled down my cheeks before I went down on my knees. "Please, please don't do this to me. Mother, please," I looked pathetic, and I knew this was exactly how she wanted me to be. She used her heels and pushed me down. "Stand up now and get dressed. The royal carriage won't wait forever," she ordered. Then she crouched towards me. "Your father is worried. Only you can help him. If this marriage doesn't push through, then it will be our downfall," she said with a gentle tone, but I knew she only wanted to manipulate me. Maybe this was a chance for me to leave this home. I didn't know the hell I would be walking into, but I didn't think it would be as bad as the Heart's mansion. I stood up, cleaned my eyes, and got dressed. She helped me place the veil over my face. "Good. You should be thankful Jackie gave you the chance to marry a prince. You are indebted to her," she said with a proud tone before directing me downstairs. As I descended the stairs, I couldn't help but feel like a prisoner being led to her execution. The weight of the veil made it difficult for me to breathe, and my heart was beating so fast I thought it might burst out of my chest. When we got downstairs, I stared around but my vision wasn’t clear because of the thick veil. I could feel a man standing in front of me, he took my hands then bit my finger, it hurt a little but it was tradition and I had to be strong, then I felt his wet tongue lick the red blood on my finger. I was so nervous because I knew he was expecting to marry Jackie and not me. Then Mother handed me a jar that contained a special potion made from rare herbs and moonflower petals, which is said to bind two souls together for eternity. “Drink this,” Mother said and I had to take off the veil before drinking this, he was going to find out. “I will help you” Mother took the jar from me passed it below my veil and placed it on my lips without taking the veil out.