CHAPTER 2

Lucretia walked into my room.

“Let me see what dresses you've picked out”, she demanded.

“Why am I not surprised?! You don't even have anything worth wearing”, she said, disgust boldly etched on her face.

“Why are you torturing yourself? You clearly don't want to help me pick out clothes”, I said.

“I can't afford to have Alpha Rafael reject you. That will put Dahlia on the line. Don't mistake my actions for kindness”

I smiled. It was a miracle Lucretia hadn't beheaded me yet. She must’ve really considered marriage to the Lycan king as a fate worse than death.

Dahlia walked in with some dresses and dropped them on my bed.

“I want you locked in your room when Alpha Rafael arrives “, Lucretia told Dahlia.

“But–”

“No buts, Dahlia. You do as I say. Don't you see I'm trying to protect you from getting married to that brute?”

“It doesn’t make any sense that I’m to be locked away, just because the Lycan king is coming around.”

Dahlia protested, her face squeezed into stubbornness. Times like this made me remember she was younger than me. She had an extensive argument with her mother and on seeing that Dahlia could not be reasoned with, Lucretia left.

“At least, you’re not being forced to marry against your will…to a total stranger at that.” I was plucking at the seams of my dress, hesitant to start getting ready.

“We’ve just been informed that they’ll reach the palace grounds in a few minutes”, Dahlia said, looking somewhat somber.

 “I heard that he’s a wicked and evil man”, she continued, lowering her voice like we weren't the only two people present—“And that he might’ve killed his previous mate”, she added.

Dahlia laughed at my shocked expression before saying, “It’s probably just rumors. I mean, mother said he has never been married before. So, the rumors might not be true.”

Her dismissive remarks didn't dissuade my nervousness one bit. Having talks circulate about one person ought to have some degree of truth to it. I just had to figure out what was the truth and what wasn’t.

“My mother is bat shit crazy. I can’t believe I’ll have to stay locked up.” Dahlia sighed, fingering the bodice of the gown she layed on my bed.

“What happened to us, Dahlia?” I asked while running a comb through my tangled hair.

“What do you mean?” She asked, her face casted to the floor.

“We were very close, and you suddenly changed. You started walking in your mother's shadow. You don't even speak up for me anymore”, I said, trying my best to hide the crack in my voice.

“Ophelia, I still love you, but it's hard to please you and my mum at the same time, so I choose to remain indifferent”, she said.

I frowned at her, a sudden swell of anger dousing my body in hot flashes. She wasn’t the one who had to get married to replace her ‘beloved’ sister. Her parents wanted her, wanted to keep her safe but they didn’t mind what happened to me.

“I’m going for a walk.” I said, walking out of the room. I felt like I’d lose it soon. I wanted to let her know that despite loving her as my sister, I was also aware of her faults. She was just as selfish as her mother.

When I got to the garden, I picked up the shears I left on the ground and started trimming the lawn. totally forgetting that I was supposed to be prepared for the Lycan king's arrival.

After trimming the lawn, I left the garden and strolled towards the dry water fountain at the back of the palace, just before the clearing into the woods.

I came to a startled stop when I saw a man there, staring deep into the forest. His arms were crossed behind him with his jacket flaring out in the wind, the ends whipping around his knees.

“Oh, sorry I - ”, I stammered when he turned back and looked me in the eye. I felt like a maiden who was caught watching her unclad master bathing.

His eyes were an icy blue, making his olive skin and dark features look so stark. I found myself stumbling back, suddenly remembering that this path is completely deserted, and I was all alone with a strange man.

“You live here?”, he asked, his voice was cold and rough, as though someone had taken a razor against the inner linings of his vocal cords. The reverberation of his voice sent chills across my skin, lifting the fine hairs.

He tilted his head up a bit when I continued to remain silent. His face took on a ruined appearance, like he had perceived something displeasing in the air.

“What’s wrong with you?” he asked, snapping me back to reality.

“I don’t see how that’s any of your business”, I replied.

His brows raised at my reply, after which he smiled coldly.

“You’re a scrawny little thing who’s unscented. Has your wolf been bound?” he asked.

I glowered at the man, failing to hide my ire as I replied, “It’s none of your business”, while resisting the urge to stamp my foot in petulance.

He laughed quietly, obviously entertained by my reaction, which made me more furious. I turned to leave, but he spoke again.

“You’re related to Alpha Kieran’s family, right? He asked, causing me to stop in my tracks —”Are you the bride?” he continued, clearly trying to tease me.

It was then I realized that he must be from the Lycan King’s entourage. I wasn’t aware they’d arrived.

“Oh, my…Lucretia would be looking for me.” I said to myself, turning around and running back to the palace, leaving the strange man behind me.

I ran into my room to see Lucretia pacing my bedroom floor, looking visibly annoyed, with Dahlia still on my bed. She sat up once she noticed me run in and Lucretia turned to me. “Where the hell have you been? The Lycan King just got here and we cannot keep him wanting.”

I mumbled an apology and let her put me in the layered gown. Dahlia twisted my hair into a bun, baring my face for the first time in a while. I sucked my cheeks in, hating how bare and vulnerable I felt without my hair framing my face.

Dahlia must have noticed my discomfort because she pulled at the side of the up do, causing some curls to unfurl and slither down my jaw. I smiled at her in thanks.

Lucretia hurried me down the stairs, making sure that Dahlia was locked away with no chance of sneaking out. Father was standing by the doors, a worried look on his face. He smiled when he saw me and reached to take my hand.

“Be brave, Ophelia. You’re about to be the savior of our pack.” His words incited nothing in me as I barely had any love for the pack that rejected my mother and treated me like a ragged doll, only to offer me up as a sacrifice to the Lycan king for their selfish interests.

However, I masked my thoughts with a smile, and let him lead me into the throne room.  There were eight people in the room, three hurdled at the head of the map table. One looked up, immediately setting down the figurine he’d picked up, and another moved away, inclining his head in my Dad’s direction.

The last man however, took his time before raising his head to look at us, and to my greatest shock, it was the man I met earlier.

I turned to see my father beaming widely as he said, “My King, it’s always a pleasure to have you grace our presence.”

I felt like dying in that instant.