Bound to the False Bride

Helena POV Life in the Marlow estate made me realize early that I was nothing like my twin sister, Vivienne. The absolute pride of our parents. She's everything our parents ever wanted and aspired - smart, sharp, beautiful and agile. A high ranked wolf whose aura commands respect in every gathering without much effort. She's long stopped showing any form of warmth or filial connection to me. The exact replica of my father who discards anyone whose use has been fully drained. My father, the alpha of Marlow pack, a very powerful but greedy family, he hated weaklings. He loves Vivienne too much, would approve any absurd request of hers in seconds then use it as an avenue to spite me the ‘weakling’. Which is exactly where I fell. The defective and incompetent twin. The one born without a wolf. A functional human in a world of monsters. Since discovering my lack of wolf on our eighteenth birthday, I think he hated me for it and he's never even tried to hide it. My father ordered I be locked in the basement or attic, barely fed and abandoned. Mother and sister tried to persuade him to change his mind and accept me as family but he remained adamant. And as years went by, they joined in the abuse. Father loathed me.. my presence makes him so angry and he never fails to remind me any chance he gets that my breath was an uncalculated mistake from the moon goddess. Strangely enough, I was grateful for my exile in the basement as it gave me space to breathe. To hit the punching bag until my knuckles bled. I honed my skills, refusing to succumb to the mental torture of staying with ‘family’. What started as a way of releasing steam now became solace. I often sneaked away whenever the guards feel I'm too much of a hassle to deal with, to nearby underground rings, learning the power of fists till I became a pro. BACK TO PRESENT Right now.. The heavy oak door at the top basement stairs suddenly flew open, slamming against the cracked walls with a bang. Accompanied was the sound of my mother's shrill voice. My stomach twisted violently at the sound. “Helena, get up here right now,” my mother’s voice shrieked down the stairwell. She sounded completely hysterical. I began to wonder what I did wrong this time, doing a mental check. I unhurriedly went up the wooden stairs, calmly tucking loose strands hair behind my ears while trying to calm my breathing. The minute I crossed the threshold into the main living room, the suffocating atmosphere hit me like a physical wall. My father paced in front of the fireplace, his hair a complete mess a far cry from the perfect gentleman he always wears like second skin. His expensive suit jacket lay discarded on the couch. I think back to the recent failed territory investment in the north, that left the pack almost hollow and penniless as the possible reason for this but then… “She is gone,” came the roar, accompanied by a whiskey glass shatter across the room, spraying amber liquid everywhere. “That ungrateful wrench dared leave… the b***h actually ran away.” He continued with the rant as I mentally face palmed. C’mon, all this drama because your little princess vanished. But one look at mother sitting on the edge of the sofa, wringing the tips of her dress instead of placating him instantly wiped off the sarcastic comment. As she sensed my stare that screamed explin, she looked up with puffy, red eyes muttering, “Vivienne fled the country, a servant found a note in her room Helena. She boarded a flight to Europe with her rogue secret lover.” I leaned my shoulder against the doorframe, crossing my arms over my chest. “Wow,” I said, keeping my voice completely flat. “The golden child actually has a spine. Good for her.” “Shut your mouth, Helena,” my father snarled, his eyes flashing a dark, dangerous amber as his alpha aura flared, trying without success to pressure me into submission but since I've no wolf for him to dominate, I just stood watching calmly infuriating him the more. “You don't fully grasp the gravity of this insubordination, the bonding ceremony with the Bloodstone Pack is in twenty-four hours. Alpha Silas Vulcan is already camped in the city. His warriors are discreetly patrolling the borders. If he ever finds out Vivienne left to avoid the alliance, we're done for as he won't hesitate to execute this entire family for treason before the sun sets tomorrow.” my mother rushed sobbing into her handkerchief. Shrugging, “Sounds like a personal problem,” I said smoothly. “You forced her into a contractual marriage with some guy literally known as a literal monster and with that temper of hers, Tsk… What did you expect?” “We least expected her to step up and save the pack,” my father barked from the other end stepping into my personal space. His breath smelled heavily of expensive scotch. “But since she is gone, you are going to take her place.” “Me?” I asked pointing to myself as a dry laugh escaped my lips as if I'd heard the biggest joke of the century. My heart dropped to my stomach. “Are you guys loosing it, Silas Vulcan is the most powerful and deadliest alpha on the west coast. I don't even have a wolf and he's gonna smell the human in me the moment I'm three meters away from the alter” I backtrack trying to reason with them as I look at their grave faces. My stomach which was already tied up in knots from earlier hit the floor. No... not my stomach, my heart went through my stomach and hit the ground. “He won't,” my mother said quickly, standing up and rushing over to us. She began to butter me up with flatteries. “You two look exactly the same. Same hair length, identical faces, same body weight only Vivienne always wears heavy perfumes to suppresses her wolf scent around strangers and to appear elegant among the high society”. “Darling, do not fret as we'll provide you same suppressants. He will just think you are being distant.” She gushed quickly pulling a thick, leather-bound document from her purse, pushing it towards me. “You have to do this, get us out of this Helena,” my father continued, his voice dropping into a low, threatening register. Picking up the document and forcing it into my hands. “Listen, it's a strict three years agreement. You are going to sign this contract right now. You will act as her substitute, submit to Silas completely, and maintain the perfect illusion until Vivienne returns from Europe. Once our family debts are fully cleared and the alliance secured, Vivienne will come back to permanently replace you and you are going to sign this contract right now.” The sudden madness of the whole plan gave me whiplash. So I stood there watching the display. “Are you deaf?” he bellowed when he didn't get a reaction. “I don't think I can pull off this level of scam, I mean we all know my situation” I said, looking him dead in the eye. “I just spend my time in the basement. You hid me away like some pariah for twenty four years because you were ashamed, treated me like garbage and now you want me to play the sacrificial lamb just because your precious daughter doesn't want to?” I shot back glancing down at my worn training clothes, my fingers trembling slightly against my thighs before I forced them into fists. “That's why you're a disappointment, Of course you never think,” my father sneered, stepping closer. “You think you have a choice here? If Silas breaches those gates, he won't care that you slept in the dirt. He will kill you just for carrying our name.” Mother stepped forward, her face twisted in a mask of fake desperation. “Helena please, think of the pack, the innocent children, your friends. Surely, you can't just bear to see them destroyed. Think of everything we provided for you.” “Provided for me?” I choked. “Oh please don't preach to me about provision. You gave me a floor to sleep, a punching bag, toss me meals when you feel like it, handed over the used rags of servants as garments. Mother, You forgot my birthdays. You didn't even let me eat at the same table as Vivienne because my lack of a wolf made you sick to your stomach. Don't talk to me about what you provided.” “Atleast We kept you alive!” my father shouted, his voice bouncing off the ceilings, rattling the remaining crystal decorations. “And right now, signing those papers is the only ticket to staying alive. Do you honestly think you can survive out there on your own as a human? You need this family.” I took a calming breath, looked down at the heavy leather document resting on the coffee table. My mind was racing, a chaotic blur of fear, anger, and a strange, sudden realization. They were right about one thing though. Silas Vulcan wasn't really a merciful man. If the Bloodstone Pack warriors enters this premises, I would be collateral damage. I had seen what high-ranked alpha wolves did to human settlements. They tore them apart without a second thought. But as I stared at the dark ink on the page, the initial terror began to settle into something cold and calculating. This contract was a cage, yes. But it was a cage with a very specific lock. Three years. Thirty-six months of playing the part of my arrogant sister. If I could survive Silas Vulcan for three years, the Marlow family debts would be completely wiped clean, and my parents would have no choice but to let me go. Annoying yes but It was an escape route. One I'm willing to take. A ticket to a fresh start, funded by the very people who had spent my entire life trying to erase me. I picked up the pen from the table, the metal cold against my palm. My fingers curled tightly around it until my knuckles turned white. “Fine,” I said, turning to face them slowly. “But let's make one thing crystal clear. I am doing this to save my skin, not yours. Don't look at me like I'm your savior. I am your transaction.” My mother let out a shaky breath, unable to meet my eyes. “The moment these three years are up,” I continued, my voice dropping into a low, calm rhythm, “I’m walking away and you'll forget I was ever your child. You will never look for me again. To the Marlow pack, I will be dead.” “Just sign the damn paper,” my father ordered, shifting impatiently on his feet, his eyes locked onto the pen. He didn't care about my conditions. He only cared about the signature that saved his neck from the executioner's blade. I pressed the tip of the pen to the paper and scribbled my signature at the bottom, each stroke feeling like a heavy chain snapping into place around my wrists. The ink bound me to a fate I never asked for. I tossed the pen back onto the glass table, the sharp clink echoing in the quiet room. I looked at my toxic parents with pure disgust, seeing them for exactly what they were. Cowards. “Congratulations,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper. “You just sold your daughter to a monster.”