Bound to the False Bride

Chapter 2

Helena POV

Was I making the right decision or is this going to be a frying pan to fire situation or I should bail just like Vivienne?

All these and many more are thoughts on my mind as I stood in the back room of the massive stone church, staring at my reflection in the full-length mirror.

The white bridal gown was heavy, suffocating, and completely covered in lace that was starting to itch. The embroidery on the bodice was beautiful but I was in no mood to appreciate the craftsmanship. My waist-length chestnut hair had been straightened perfectly and then styled exactly the way Vivienne always wore it. Almost making me go bald while at it

They had stuffed my face with thick layers of makeup and covered my neck in expensive powder to hide the silver crescent scar on my collarbone.

They wanted a perfect replica.

And looking in the mirror, I couldn't even see myself anymore. I just saw the ghost of my sister.

My heart hammered so violently against my ribs it actually hurt. Every breath felt like swallowing glass. I was about to walk into a room full of apex predators and marry a man who could crush my skull with one freaking hand.

The door clicked open and my mother stepped in. She couldn't even look at my face, she just adjusted the heavy veil over my head.

“The suppressants are working,” she whispered, her hands shaking as she fixed the mesh fabric. “Your scent is completely masked. Remember, you do not smile, do not look anyone in the eye. Vivienne is arrogant. She looks down on everyone. If you act like you are too good for anyone in this room, they won't suspect a thing.”

I pulled my arm away from her touch. “I know how to act like an arrogant b***h, Mother. I've been watching her do it my whole life.”

“Don't use that tone with me,” she hissed, glancing nervously towards the door. “The Bloodstone warriors are lining up the aisle, Silas is at the altar. If you mess this up for us, we are dead before we even leave the parking lot.”

“Then get out of my way,” I hissed through clenched teeth.

I didn't wait for her reply as I grabbed the heavy skirts of the dress and pushed past her, stepping out into the main corridor.

Two huge Marlow pack guards were waiting for me. They didn't look at me with pity rather they just looked relieved that they weren't the ones being sacrificed today. They opened the heavy oak wooden doors to the main sanctuary, and the sound of a cold, distant organ filled the air.

I stepped into the room and weight of hundred pairs of eyes hit me instantly, almost making me trip on the stupid dress.

The cathedral was packed with high-society wolves, regional alphas, and international investors. The air was thick with the heavy, suffocating scents of dominant predators. The tension so thick you can slice through with a knife.

It was overwhelming. But I held my own chin up, expression completely blank and rigid, just like Vivienne would.

Then I saw him.

The almighty Silas Vulcan standing at the end of the long stone aisle. Waiting. But the expression on his face screams he wants to be anywhere but here.

By God! He's massive. Six feet, four inches of pure, lethal muscle. Even under his tailored black wedding suit, you could see the budding framework of his shoulders and the faint outline of the tribal runes curling up his neck. His jawline was sharp, unyielding, and completely tense. And oh… His eyes are jet black obsidian with a rare mix of sapphire spitting fire in them.

As I walked down the aisle, his piercing eyes locked on me. There was no warmth there. No anticipation. Just a cold, calculating disdain that made the hair on my arms stand up. He didn't want to be here any more than I did.

By the time I reached the altar, my legs felt like lead.

My father handed me over, as if I was his last mission. His hand gripping my elbow tightly for a fraction of a second as a silent warning that said, ‘Don't ruin this.’

I stepped up onto the stone platform, standing directly opposite the Alpha King. Up close, his alpha aura was terrifying. Like a physical pressure that made it hard to draw oxygen into my lungs.

The priest began to speak, his voice droning on about pack alliances, bloodlines, and ancient traditions that neither of us cared to listen.

Silas stepped forward, his massive hand reaching out to take mine for the exchange of vows.

The moment his bare skin touched my gloved hand, he froze.

His fingers tightened around mine, grip bordering on painful. His icy eyes narrowed sharply, shifting for a fraction of a second towards a silver color before he forced them back down. His chest rose and fell in a heavy, sudden breath as he tilted his head slightly, his advanced senses trying to process something.

He was looking for my wolf… well for my sister's wolf but too bad she wasn't the one standing here.

The silence between us stretched on for terrifying five seconds. My heart stopped, anxiety eating me up I was certain he was going to rip my veil off right there and expose the fraud. My fingers trembled inside the silk glove, my throat closing up completely. But I forced down the growing panic.

“You are cold,” Silas said, his voice a low, gravely baritone that vibrated right through my chest.

I forced myself to pull my hand back slightly, using every ounce of defiance I had left to mimic my sister's haughty tone. “I don't like being touched in public, Alpha King. Surely your elders taught you some manners before forcing you into this merger.”

A dark, sinister look crossed his face, his jaw clenching so hard a muscle twitched. But it was gone in a blink.

“A merger,” he repeated, his voice dropping into a whisper that only I could hear.

“Yes, That is exactly what this is. Don't flatter yourself, Marlow. You are a transaction to clear your father's pathetic debts. Don't go about harboring thoughts you shouldn't”.

I let out a tiny, mocking breath behind my veil. “Good, then we are on the same page. Let's just get this over and done with.”

His eyes flared a sudden, vicious intensity. I could tell he hated my mouth. He hated the lack of submission. But more than anything, his mind was clearly somewhere else and it made me confirm that the rumors were true.

He didn't want a bride because his heart was locked away in a private medical wing where his comatose childhood sweetheart, Genevieve lay.

Receiving treatment for years without response.

He viewed the entire Marlow family as deceitful politicians trying to fight their way up into the high society by trapping him into a permanent bond while he was vulnerable.

He attributed my lack of wolf energy and cold, defensive attitude to Vivienne's rumored arrogance. He thought I was just being a spoiled, high-ranking princess who thought she was too good to show her true wolf to a man she didn't love.

“The rings,” the priest said, his voice cutting through the suffocating tension between us.

Silas didn't gently slide the ring onto my finger. He grabbed my hand roughly, forcing the heavy, plain platinum band down my ring finger till it pinched my skin. His eyes never left mine.

“You think you are clever, Vivienne,” Silas whispered, his voice like ice snapping in the winter. “You think your family can play games with the Bloodstone Pack and walk away clean. But you belong to me now. For the next three years, you will learn exactly what happens to women who try to ride on my coattails.”

“I'm trembling in my boots Alpha… whatever shall I so,” I said sarcastically, looking right back into his icy eyes without blinking.

“You will be,” he promised.

The priest coughed and declared the bond sealed. The crowd erupted into polite applause but was no joy nor excitement in the room. Just relief from the Marlow faction and satisfaction from the Bloodstone elders.

Silas didn't kiss me, didn't lift my veil. He turned on his heel immediately, his massive black cloak billowing behind him as he walked down the altar. Leaving me behind.

I looked down the heavy platinum ring on my finger. It felt like a cuff made with lead, signaling that the contract was officially active. The trap had snapped shut with no escape routes.

“Follow me,” he commanded as he headed towards the exit. Leaving his beta to handle the aftermath.

I did follow as this was not a romantic wedding with heartbreaking goodbyes. I saved myself the theatrics.