THE LETHAL MATE BOND

Chap 1

⚕︎MADONNA KLINE⚕︎

Some people described him as a beast, a very ugly and wicked being, while some described him as a demon, a king, and an Alpha. I didn’t know who to believe, but I was about to find out as I stood at the altar, awaiting my husband-to-be. It's supposed to be the other way around: the man waits, and the woman walks down the aisle. But in the case of Ace Warner, the groom is nowhere to be found; he is either in a meeting or has forgotten about the wedding altogether. The funny thing is, I don't even know what he looks like because I've never met him before. I've tried looking up his name on the internet, but I couldn’t find him. An article even stated that posting his pictures would incur a $1 million fine, emphasizing his reserved nature despite being a multi-billionaire and New York's most eligible bachelor.

“Charles, where the hell is he?” I heard my mother whisper to my father, who was a foot away from me. I could see the worry in their eyes. If this wedding doesn’t happen today, we'll lose everything, including our freedom.

"Dalvin, let me know if he's caught up in a meeting; he'll join us shortly," my father remarked. It's evident that, much like me, the billionaire isn't particularly invested in the wedding.

My eyes scanned through the crowd, and the people seated stared at me sadly; they knew what was to come. They understood that I was being sold to the billionaire. My aunt Hailey smiled apologetically at me, and my uncle Randy gestured for me to keep calm. But I couldn’t; I was alone, standing on this altar, awaiting my destiny. My best friend Annabelle refused to attend my wedding; she couldn’t watch me get married to a stranger, leaving the love of my life behind, her brother James, whose eyes stared intently at me from the crowd. He promised to be there for me, even if he wouldn’t be the one standing next to me. A tear slipped from my eye as our gaze locked. I looked away and took a deep breath.

“He is here!” The entire crowd mumbled, and I dared not look at the entrance. I didn’t want to see the face of the man destroying my happiness, making my family treat me like an object. I heard the gentle clicking of platforms; he was walking down the aisle. The thought made me giggle lightly, imagining the comedy Annabelle would make of the scenario. I smiled further as I envisioned her arms comforting me. I miss her.

Unaware of the presence before me, a strong scent engulfed the air, followed by a thick British-American accent. “I’m sorry I kept you waiting, ma’am.” I immediately raised my head to meet the alluring gaze of a man, his green eyes piercing through my soul. He wasn’t smiling, but he still looked effortlessly handsome. I was lost for words and ashamed for staring at his jawline with so much intensity. I immediately looked toward the crowd, my eyes searching for James. He was there, giving me an assuring smile that made me strong.

“Shall we begin?” Ace spoke to the priest, his voice demanding and seething with dominance.

“Yes, we shall.” The priest, intimated just as I was by Ace’s presence, said as he walked forward. Ace appeared highly impatient, his jaws tightly clenched.

"Dearly beloved, we gather here today to witness and celebrate the union of these two souls. In the presence of love and before this assembly, Ace Warner and Madonna Kline, let us embark on this sacred journey of matrimony. Ace Warner, do you take Madonna Kline to be your lawfully wedded wife? To have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, forsaking all others, from this day forward until death do you part?" asked the priest.

Ace clenched his jaws tightly. I could feel his gaze on me; I couldn’t breathe properly knowing he was staring at me, carefully observing my features. “I do.” I heard him say, making my heart skip a beat. Fear engulfed my mind.

"And Madonna Kline, do you take Ace Warner to be your lawfully wedded husband? To have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, forsaking all others, from this day forward until death do you part?" My eye immediately made its way to the crowd as those questions came out of the priest's mouth. There he was, my James, staring at me and giving me an assuring smile. I could see the pain in his eyes, and that made me sob calmly. I had to try my best to speak, but my mouth was choked by my sobs.

“Madonna?” I heard my mother call out to me, jolting me back to reality.

“I do,” I uttered with all the strength I had in me, my eyes clenching harshly as tears poured out.

"May these vows be a testament to your commitment, and may your journey together be filled with love, understanding, and shared joys. By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may seal your union with a kiss," the priest said. I felt Ace grab me calmly and pull me towards him. My body felt like there was an electric shock running through it, but it felt good. He leaned forward, our eyes gazing at each other, and he kissed me on the lips very quickly. The crowd immediately went wild, and my eyes, without my consent, turned around to find James walking out of the hall. I felt my heart skip a beat, and without a thought, I intended on going after him, but cold arms held mine, and I stopped.

“Where do you think you are going?" Ace asked, his voice harsh but collected; he sounded cold. No one needed to be told that he disliked me.

“Nowhere.” I lied; his gaze carefully shifted to James, who had been stopped by a friend. Ace didn’t say a word and looked at me; he didn’t smile, and he immediately locked our arms without any warning. We carefully turned around to find my parents smiling at us. They looked relieved, and I was glad to see my mother smiling. Only God knows what would have happened if I didn’t marry Ace today.

"Congratulations, Madonna," my mother said, grabbing my face and pecking my cheeks calmly.

“Mr. Kline, I’d love to leave with my wife,” Ace interjected before my father could say anything.

“Sure, Mr. Warner, you both may leave," my dad said, his greedy eyes staring at me.

“But I haven’t said goodbye to grandma, grandpa, and the other family members,” I said to my dad, completely ignoring Ace’s presence.

“That doesn’t matter; they’ll come visit you, right, Mr. Warner? We can visit our daughter, right?” My father asked him, and Ace simply nodded.

I tried to say something. “But—”

My father immediately interjected. “You may both leave. Bless you!” I gazed at my mother; she looked so helpless. I tried to walk towards my mother, but I realized my hands were still entwined with those of Ace. I gazed at our arms, and he immediately let go of my arm gently. I took calm steps towards my mother and burst into tears. I hugged her firmly while kissing her cheeks.

“My beautiful daughter, I am going to miss you.” She said her eyes were filled with more fear than tears. “You should leave.” She stated it firmly. I nodded. I turned my torso and stared at my father; he was looking impatient and ready for me to leave. I’m sure he couldn’t wait to get his shares back the moment I left. I didn’t say a word to him and walked towards my husband. That word sent shivers down my spine. I was married to Ace Warner, an Alpha Demon King of SilvaDorm and the multi-billionaire CEO of Warner Jewels. Could this day get any worse? Being married to a multi-hybrid as a human hybrid myself. If only my mother weren't a supernatural being, perhaps I could have had a normal life and married James, not this creature I now have to call my husband. I cannot believe I agreed to this but this what date wants for me, at least he isn’t my mate so I know that on day we can break this marriage off and I can lead a normal life and maybe be with James, the only man that has ever truly loved me.

Ace grabbed my arm immediately, his hand firmly held onto mine, telling everyone I was his wife. I detested the proximity right now and all I wanted was to hit him across the face and ask for him to divorce me right here, but my fathers eyes dared me not to do anything silly. So I swallowed a very hard lump and plastered a fake smile on my face which I walked away with, I could hear my mothers sad breath as I walked away, keen hearing was a sign of my werewolf ability, I could hear very clearly and it was almost impossible to miss any sound. That included Ace’s irritated breath that proved that he couldn’t wait to get of here. A new chapter of my life was about to begin and only God knows it holds.