The Alpha's Bride

"Eris Fontaine," I hear him say from a distance. "Will you marry me? If you do, I swear that the moment you say yes — for as long as the sun and the moon are in the sky — I will make you my bride and walk you down the aisle onto our new home."

I stop in my tracks as I watch his eyes tear with anticipation, my mind struggling to comprehend what the hell is going on. After a moment of silence, I muster the courage to take a few steps back as she gapes at his question, pretending to piece it all together when we both know the truth: she planned it. She fakes a cry, happily accepting as he slides the ring onto her finger.

And because I know that I will never be the one he wants to spend the rest of his life with, I get up on my horse and run away.

-

As I come back to earth upon remembering the night that my ex-fiancé, Apollo Mirren, proposed to my step-sister, Eris Fontaine, I unconsciously find myself playing with a piece of red string wrapped around my crystal ring to secure its hold on my finger. Feeling guilty for proposing to the wrong sister, I must have forgotten to tell him that the ring he acquired for me on such short notice is way too big. Oops! Then again, it doesn't matter.

He is no longer tied down to a simple woman with no remaining family. Like me.

"For your sake, I hope the wedding pushes through," I hear Eris helplessly tell him as she sheds a tear and smiles, holding onto the lapel of his waistcoat.

He frustratedly frowns at her and pulls her closer to him, gently pushing away the strands of her hair to the back of her ear. "And why on earth makes you say that? Is it Claire? Don't you know you are the lucky woman who has captured my heart? And with such swift victory, might I add? Who else am I going to marry if it is not you?"

My heart churns painfully at the mention of his words, like a dagger gradually stabbing my heart and nothing can stop it.

"Maybe, I should just crash your wedding, then." I watch her pull him closer to her with his tie. "That way, I will know if you are truly in love with me."

"For sure," He slightly chuckles, brushing his palm against her face. "I think you are the only woman I know that came up with such a crazy idea."

"It's decided, then." She purses her lips and turns around, waiting as he slowly wraps his arms around her waist. "I will ask my maids to prepare an extra pair of shoes to match the occasion. But now that you think about it, don't you think it will be harder for a lady to whisk away her lover if she runs away in heels?"

I stand still at a corner in his study, breathlessly watching as she waits for his answer and curious at just how far Apollo will get to hurt me for her sake.

"Will you really do it to Claire if the opportunity arises?"

I nearly faint at the mention of my name, doing my best to hold my breath as we wait for his response.

He takes a deep breath and closes his eyes before looking away and then returns his gaze to Eris. "It is merely an agreement between your family and mine. The best I can do is to keep that promise as the next Alpha to the Mirren line for my family and for her, but I don't think she can blame me for it if she loses her groom at the altar."

I suddenly back away from the window as the thread on my ring came undone, casually slipping from my finger as it rolls under the cabinet of my ex-groom-to-be.

As I thought, their peaceful yet harmonious laughter slowly eats away the pieces of my heart and kills me. And while I can feel both my legs shaking, I force myself to run away once more and close the door from behind me as I leave the room. Tears roll down my cheeks, begging me to let go and cry as a sudden pain fills my body, seemingly increasing every second. I muster the strength to leave the house and get onto my trusty steed, fleeing to the side of my father's most trusted friend and my mentor, Yosef.

Halfway across Lunox, I feel my legs give out when the horse suddenly stops and my body paralyzes itself, eventually causing me to fall to the cold, hard ground. Thankfully, Father Yosef sees me and helps me stand up. "Princess!"

"Father," I can only whisper to him. "I want to continue the research with you—"

Despite having temporarily lost all control of my body except for my eyes and my mouth, I can somehow feel his excitement and confusion. "Didn't you say that you were planning to settle down in Lunox with—"

"No," I refute as some of his men come to assist me, two women wrapping their arms around their necks to carry me and lead me into a tent. "I know you might think I'm only having cold feet, but—"

"No need to explain." He simply says, as the women place me down on a make-shift bed and leave me alone with him. "I know. I always know, my dear child. I watched you grow up under the care of your father!"

I slightly chuckle as he sweetly brushes his hand against my jawline before tucking a few strands of my hair behind my ear. "Get some rest. I will have the others get your things from the palace."

I am about to thank him when he shushes me and smiles. "Before your father passed away, I promised him that I would always look after you."

"Thank you, anyway." I faintly mutter to him.

He tucks me in with a blanket and lets out a heavy sigh. "I am so sorry, Claire. It seems I did not protect you well enough. Your father might've broken your fiance's face if he were still here."

I quietly laugh and close my eyes, knowing that it sounds just like my dad.

"Now, sleep tight," I hear him tell me. "I shall see you in the morning."