MOIRA
Everyone went haywire the moment Alpha Jamie accepted. They all had something to say as I stood frozen in the center of the chaos.
My wrist still burned where the mark glowed. I tried to convince myself none of this was real. It couldn’t be real. One moment I was clearing tables and the next I was mated to the most important man in the pack and bound to marry the most feared man in the continent.
Alpha Jamie stepped down from the balcony. He moved through the crowd with the calm certainty of a predator that knew nothing could stop him.
People parted instantly to let him pass. No one dared block his path not even the royal guards. Men twice his size edged away to let him pass.
I swallowed.
Prince Adan watched his uncle approach with a smug look. His arms were crossed as if he had just solved a simple inconvenience; handing my life over to a literal demon king.
Jamie stopped a few steps away from us. He looked even more intimidating up close.
He didn’t look angry and that made him more terrifying. His eyes settled on me again. I resisted the urge to step back.
Don’t show fear. Don’t show weakness. My mind repeated the command even as my heart pounded painfully in my chest.
Jamie studied me for several long seconds then he looked at Adan.
“This is your last chance to change your mind, nephew.”
“Nah. You can have her.” Adan grinned like he just gave away a broken toy. “You heard the elders. The bond cannot be broken. But there’s no rule that says I must marry her.”
Jamie stepped closer to me, making my body tense unconsciously. He was close enough that I could feel the heat radiating from his body.
I refused to look away. His eyes swept over my face, my clothes, the mark on my wrist. It felt like he was assessing me. Like I was some object he had just purchased.
I clenched my hands into fists. Say something, dammit.
The High Priestess stepped forward with a wary look on her face. “If you’re both going ahead with this madness then the marriage must take place immediately to stabilize the bond. Tonight!”
A strange buzzing filled my ears. Marriage. Tonight. Just like that. No one asked me what I wanted. I don’t even get a say in my life anymore.
Jamie took a step then said, “Let’s go,” without turning around.
My brain froze for a second then I started moving after him. Sarah was smiling and she had a look that said she was glad to get rid of me. They were all glad to get rid of me.
The High Priestess cleared her throat. “The marriage will occur before midnight, Alpha Draven.”
He showed no sign to indicate he heard her as he kept walking towards the gate. We exited the palace and stepped into the cold night. A black escalade waited at the gate. The driver got out and opened the door.
He waited for me to enter first before getting in. It was almost as if he didn’t want our bodies touching. He made no sound as the car roared and we left the pack house.
We sat in silence for a very long time. I wanted to scream but my mouth opened and closed soundlessly. The silence stretched longer than it should.
I forced myself to sit up straight. If this man was going to become my husband tonight, I refused to cower in front of him.
Finally, he spoke. “Relax.”
His voice sounded calmer than I expected. I blinked.
“Huh?”
He didn’t repeat himself which was what I expected. It was like he had a word count limiter in his head prohibiting him from using words like a normal person should.
Another silence followed. Then he leaned forward slightly. His amber-gray eyes studied my face again.
“You didn’t beg.”
The observation caught me off guard. “What?”
“Most people beg when they’re handed to me like this.”
“I don’t beg.”
Something flickered in his eyes but it was gone as quickly as it came. Was it interest or amusement? I couldn’t tell.
My heart still hadn’t slowed. The thought I was going to be married to him before midnight was still a hard pill to swallow.
After a moment, I asked the question that had been circling my mind.
“Why did you accept?”
Alpha Draven didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he looked at my wrist again. Then he leaned back in his seat.
“Don’t worry about it.”
That wasn’t reassuring. Suddenly the car slowed to a stop. I frowned, trying to look outside the window.
“We’re already there?”
“No.”
Jamie’s eyes shifted toward the window and his body got tense. His expression hardened and something dangerous flashed in his eyes.
My heart did a marathon. “What is it?”
He didn’t answer. Instead, he opened the door and jumped out in one swift movement. Cold breeze rushed inside chilling my toes.
Then I heard the sounds. Low growls. They sounded deep almost guttural like they were resonating from the depth of an abyss.
Multiple wolves.
They were circling the car. Jamie stood in the cold like a predator waiting for his prey to make that fatal step. His voice turned deadly calm.
“You picked the wrong day to ambush my car.”
He vanished in one swift motion. I wanted to go after him just so I could have a glimpse of the legendary monster in action but my legs betrayed me. The closest I’d ever come to witnessing something gruesome was when I tried to kill a roach on the kitchen counter and in my defense, the friggin thing had wings which made it even more scary.
“Alpha Draven?” I called out in a voice that got lost in the wind.
I slid closer to the open door and got hit with teeth-rattling cold. The driver watched my supposed bravado from his dashboard mirror.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”
He was right but I knew I had to prove him wrong. The first scream tore through the night like it had escaped from a nightmare. I could smell fear in the air as real as the cold air I was breathing in.
Without thinking, I jumped down and tried to scan the darkness. I caught sight of movements but the darkness acted like a sheet.
I couldn’t see him but I could sense his aura. It was as if he was everywhere all at once. The screams increased all around me and reality suddenly hit me for the first time. This was the man I was meant to get married to before midnight. A living nightmare.
I turned around to retreat but gasped and took a step back. Alpha Draven stood there with his eyes darkened like a demon just escaped the depths of hell. His claws retreated slowly until they were hands once again. He was flawless like he had just taken a walk in the cold not slaughtered a group of thugs.
His mouth opened and the word that came out was a whisper in a voice that wasn’t his. It was the only lycanic word I knew.
“Tamine.”
