Olivia and the Shadowbound by Aria Lune

Chapter One: The Wedding No One Attended* They said the veil was woven from the breath of shadows—black silk threaded with whispers of the forgotten dead. Olivia had never seen a veil so dark, yet it shimmered like stars were trapped within it. The night she was married, no bells rang. No guests, no laughter, no gown passed down from generations—just her, barefoot on a cold stone floor, the full moon spilling silver light across the altar carved from obsidian. The air tasted of old iron and something older—magic that had not been spoken aloud for centuries. The man before her—her groom, her stranger—wore that veil. It fell over him like a second skin, and though his figure was tall, his hands gloved, his voice low and deep, not once did he lift the fabric. Olivia had not said yes. She had merely signed a letter bearing her family’s ancient seal, a foolish act in pursuit of answers about her lineage. The next day, a carriage of midnight glass came for her, and not even the town priest dared to stop it. The officiant wasn’t human. Its mouth never moved, but words filled the room like the humming of bees inside a sealed jar. With each vow uttered, Olivia’s skin tingled, like threads were being sewn beneath it. And then... silence. He offered his hand. She placed hers in it. Cold—colder than death. Yet when he clasped her fingers, warmth flared in her chest like a forgotten ember. Thus began her marriage. ---