Burned By The Alpha I Married

Chapter 3

Nelly POV

I came home yesterday morning rejoicing, because the marriage didn't hold.

I was sitting on the pavement in front of the house thinking that it was all over.

When the council guards. My heart skipped.

I stood up immediately.

"We are going back to the council hall for the wedding again today." One of the guards said as he walked to me.

“Ohh thanks to the moongoddess because I almost thought it was oo…” my mom said, and quickly realized herself and stopped.”

I looked at her

“Mom, what were you trying to say?”

“Nothing!”

Before I knew it she had already gone inside and brought my bag out, and took it to the car.

“Mom, what are you doing? I asked.

“What does it look like I am doing? Didn't you hear that the wedding was rescheduled to hold today?

“And by the way, you just know that I won't be going with you today. But you will be fine.”

“That's all she could tell her daughter who was walking into the lion's den. But I didn’t want it to break me further, I was done crying and I was done running.” I said to myself.

I just looked at her and then our house that I was leaving behind for the last time and I followed the guards to the car.

The driver started the car and zoomed off.

But then, I thought I was to be taken to the same council hall for the wedding, but I was just so wrong, because my expectation was completely shattered, as the car diverted to an unknown destination along the way.

"Where are you taking me to? This is not the way to the council hall?" I asked.

But none of them talked to me.

We reached a point and the car stopped.

Then I heard a loud cry come from outside.

Followed by another.

Then came a deep growl that made the hair on my arms stand.

I looked out through the wheel screen.

A very thick smoke filled the air.

My heart began to pant again.

"What is happening?" I cried.

The guards didn't talk to me.

Then a loud shouts came through.

"Push them back!"

"Don't let them through!"

"Protect the Alpha!"

My heart began to race. The door suddenly opened, as a warrior stood there.

"Step down from the car." he shouted and then grabbed my arm and pulled me out.

"Wait!" I cried.

But he ignored me and pulled me forward.

"Keep moving."

I forced my weak legs to move.

We walked into the middle of the field

Warriors ran past us on both sides. Some carried wounded men. Blood covering their faces and clothes.

One warrior limped past us, holding his side.

Another was being carried by two men.

"Help him!" someone shouted.

"He's losing too much blood!"

I flinched.

A cry came from behind me. I looked back immediately.

Two warriors were fighting and one fell hard to the ground.

I gasped.

This wasn't a wedding.

This was war, and I was being dragged into it.

I looked around and then I saw him, Alpha J.J.

He stood in front of the battlefield.

My breath skipped.

His clothes were covered by dirts and blood.

His heart was racing, his fists tightened, and his eyes were fixed on the warriors ahead. I felt the rage in his eyes.

“That is the man I am to marry, as my husband.” but he didn't look one, he looked like nothing but a dangerous Alpha.

Then a loud sound blew.

Pu! pu!! puuu!!!

And everyone stopped.

The council warriors appeared through the smoke, marching onto the battle field.

Elder Eke walked to the front.

He looked calm but fearless.

He stopped in the middle of the battlefield.

"Enough of this madness!" He shouted. His voice was loud.

"Everybody stand down. now!"

Slowly, the war stopped.

Eke looked at both sides.

Smoke moved around him. Blood covered the ground, and wounded warriors groaned nearby.

"We, the council, are tired," he shouted, "tired of all these years of war between Lion Heart and Braze Rock over land struggle."

Nobody spoke.

He pointed toward the wounded men.

"Look at what this war has cost. Men of Braze Rock and Lion Heart are bleeding on this ground."

"How long shall we sit and watch you both spill each other's blood." His voice became harder.

"This must end here and now!"

He turned toward J.J.

"I warned you against this, but you and your father never listened. Is this what you want? Is this how you are going to sacrifice the lives of your men for nothing?"

"Have you now realized why we proposed marriage between both packs? That's because we wanted to avert this bloodshed."

"This marriage must be sealed here and now to restore peace between Lion Heart and Braze Rock."

My stomach tightened.

I looked at J.J.

His face was hard.

Eke stepped closer.

"Alpha J.J. Are you now ready to accept this marriage?"

J.J.'s hands curled into fists.

Eke continued.

"Or are you willing to sacrifice the lives of your men on this battlefield?"

J.J. looked at his warriors.

They were tired and bleeding, but they were still waiting for his command.

Then Eke spoke again.

"And let me tell you, if you refuse this marriage this time, you will not just lose your men, but the council will make sure your pack does not trade with any other pack in this territory," he warned in a cold voice.

J.J.'s eyes narrowed.

"No trade. No allies and Lion Heart will stand alone." He said again and then paused.

He stared at J.J.

"And it will fall alone." He concluded.

Silence filled the battlefield.

I watched J.J.'s face.

His jaw tightened.

He looked at his warriors again.

I understood then, that this was never a choice.

Eke had left him with only one way out, which is this marriage.

Then two warriors rushed toward me.

"Come."

They grabbed my both arms.

"Wait!" I cried. As smoke had already filled my nose. That my breath became uneven.

They pulled me forward and then stopped.

I was only a few feet from J.J.

I looked up at him.

Our eyes jammed but neither of us spoke to each other.

I tried to stand well, but my knees shook.

My dress was torn, dirt had covered my face, and my hair was messy.

I looked so scared and lost

Not ready for any of this.

J.J. stared at me.

For one second, something changed in his face.

His eyes softened.

Just for a moment, it looked like he really saw me not as a woman from Braze Rock or the one he is being forced to marry.

Just me.

Then his face hardened again. The anger returned.

I looked away.

Eke reached inside his robe and pulled out an old red ribbon.

"Let's finish this, now!"

J.J. didn't move.

He looked around at his warriors. Men who had fought for him. Men now standing in blood and dirt, then he looked back at Eke.

And I could tell what he had decided on.

He wasn't doing this because he wanted me. He was doing it for his men.

J.J. stepped forward.

My heart beat faster.

Eke took my hand, then J.J.'s.

He placed our hands together.

J.J.'s fingers were rough and warm.

I could feel his fast pulse beneath my fingers.

Elder Eke wrapped the red ribbon around our joined hands.

"Repeat after me," he said, and then he began to recite the old marriage words.

J.J. repeated them.

His voice was rough.

He didn't look at my face. Not even for once.

To proclaim each of those words was so painful to him.

Then it was my turn and as I opened my mouth to speak my throat became dry but I cleared my throat and then forced myself to speak.

So I kept repeating those words slowly, and my voice became steadier.

But within me, I was scared because I didn't know what my life would look like after this.

I didn't know what kind of husband J.J. would be.

I didn't know if he would ever accept me.

But a small part of me still held on to hope, maybe things would change and this marriage could become something real one day.

Maybe I could finally have a home and a

Life that wasn't controlled by my Mom, Rose.

I held on to that small hope, even though everything around me told me not to.

When the last word left my tongue, Eke lowered his hands.

"It is done." and then removed the ribbon.

Then he stepped closer and looked at J.J.

“The stubborn Alpha J.J. finally accepted the marriage. I had always known that it would work.” He whispered in a lower voice, then smiled and walked away.

Neither of us understood what he meant and the reason why he smiled.

We were married, but here were no smiles.

No celebration.

No music.

No flowers.

Just smoke, blood, wounded warriors, and two strangers standing in the middle of a battlefield, tied together by a red ribbon and a decision neither of us had made.

The council warriors began to leave.

The fighters from both sides slowly followed.

Some carried the heavily wounded ones. Others helped slightly injured men walked.

I looked at J.J.

Maybe he would say something. Anything at all, but he said nothing.

He turned and walked away, like I wasn't even standing there.

I watched his back disappear into the smoke.

My chest felt tight.

I felt so tired.

Tired of being dragged from one place to another.

Tired of people making decisions about my life.

Tired of feeling like I didn't belong anywhere.

Then I heard hurried footsteps.

Someone was running.

I looked up.

A scout came rushing toward J.J.

He was breathing hard, and his face was pale beneath the dirt.

"Alpha J.J.!" He called.

J.J. stopped.

The scout bent forward, trying to catch his breath.

J.J. turned.

"What is it!?"

The scout looked around before stepping closer.

He lowered his voice and whispered something that I couldn't hear. Stone Jonas, J.J's father, was standing nearby.

The scout spoke to him too. I couldn't hear the words, but I saw Stone Jonas's face.

At first, he looked confused. Then his expression changed. His eyes widened and his lips parted.

It was fear.

My stomach twisted.

I was surprised to have seen Stone Jonas looked this afraid.

With all his power.

With everything I had heard about him.

He moved closer to his father.

"What's wrong, Dad?"

Stone Jonas didn't answer.

His eyes drifted past J.J. toward the smoke rising behind us.

It was as if he saw something the rest of us couldn't see.

J.J. followed his gaze.

"Dad?"

Stone

Jonas finally looked at him.

"We need to go. Now!" he said.

I stood there, still bound and still shaking.

I watched J.J. and his father.

Neither of them looked at me.

Neither of them explained to me what was happening.

But something inside me told me this wasn't just about the war we had survived.

Something worse was coming.

And whatever it was, they weren't planning to tell me.