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Chapter 2: Bloody Night

THE SUN had already set when I released Luther. He held onto the chair as he struggled to breathe. Blood was still dripping from my mouth when I faced the guests. The humans looked appalled. I knew that expression all too well. I’d seen it in my family’s faces every time we’d find a new corpse of a wolf in the woods.

When the humans recovered from shock, they all pointed their weapons in the wolves’ direction who remained sitting calmly. It was chaotic. Mrs. Molly didn’t stop wailing while the Governor glanced at the cameramen first and motioned them to stop shooting before he turned to look at me. He didn’t say anything, but I could tell he was cursing me with his eyes. His hand was on his back side where he kept his gun. Their guards had been alerted; they immediately surrounded my pack.

The couple was about to rush to the altar when the Alpha and the Beta in our pack blocked their path.

“Mr. Kendricks, what on Earth just happened? None of these is in our agreement-“

“There was a clause written in the document that says your son must abide with the wolves’ wedding tradition and ritual, Governor. He had read it and signed the papers. By the looks of it, none of you had bothered researching about our tradition. What happened was a wolf thing called ‘marking’ where we leave a bite mark on our pair. It’s a wolf’s display of ownership. We respected your decision when you said you wanted to have this kind of extravagant wedding even if the wolves are very private people. We expect that you will do the same and comply with our ritual.”

“Are you kidding me? You didn’t even give us a warning! And that was too much for a marking, for heaven’s sake!” Mrs. Molly hissed and pointed her finger at me. “You beast! If something happened to my son, I swear I will rip your throat-“

“I’m all right. It didn’t hurt. Calm down, Ma, and watch your words. You are talking to my bride here. Everyone, drop your weapons. I will not let you turn my wedding into a war zone. Please go back to your respective seats,” Luther commanded, his voice oozed with power and authority as he stood beside me and wiped the blood off my mouth using his fingers. He was unexpectedly gentle despite the veins pulsing in his neck which only indicate that he was seething deep inside.

“You are such a messy eater, darling. And you sure do love surprises. You got me there. I wasn’t expecting that sneak attack.”

“It was your fault, darling. You shouldn’t have left an opening,” I shot back and glanced at the bitemark. It was swollen. My teeth had been imprinted on his neck. It was true that markings were done as part of wedding tradition since unlike humans, we didn’t believe in giving rings. But it only applies to mates. It was to show other wolves that the person already had a pair.

In another circumstance, the bitemark could mean that a wolf had already set its eyes on the person as a target. And if we don’t give him the cure within seven days, the victim would become a wolf that’s why the humans were flustered. In a way, it was to ensure my safety as well since I would be living along with the humans after the wedding.

But Luther just shrugged as if he didn’t care even if his life was now on the line here.

“Fortunately, I’m a fast-learner. I will make sure to remember this lesson. You are so sweet, darling. Thanks for the tip.”

I was stunned when Luther nonchalantly put his arm around my waist. He was also surprisingly resilient. I thought that after the marking, he would pass out just like an ordinary human. But it seemed like I underestimated him. This man was far from ordinary.                                                                                                           

He even lied for my sake and he was doing a pretty good job in pretending that the bite didn’t sting. Others wouldn’t have recovered easily. Yet, here he was, still standing so regally. Once more, he took me by surprise when the guests and the guards went back to their original positions.

The Alpha and I threw a swift glance at each other. He nodded. We were thinking the same thing: the Sinclairs’ true power in this town lies not in the Governor but in Luther.

When I looked at him, I caught him staring at me. I did a background search on him. This twenty-nine-year-old green-eyed owner of a famous software company had been on a winning streak all his life. With his good looks, connection, and wealth, he had been branded as the most sought-after bachelor in the country.

Luther’s Uncle, the Governor’s older brother, was the current vice-president of the country. Their family also owned Italian restaurants which had branches not only in the Philippines but also abroad.

Judging by Luther’s records alone who was known as a genius since he was young, he was not used to being pushed around like this. He was still a little pale when he pulled me closer to his body.

His jaw clenched as he whispered in my ear. His hot breathing against my skin was tickling me. “Just so you know, you cannot fool me, darling. I know what you’re trying to pull here. Do you think I’d be intimidated over a mere bite? But since this is our wedding day, I will let this slide and save your pretty little ass tonight. I will make sure to have my revenge in our bedroom, though.” He smirked. “I’d welcome this challenge, darling. After all, I heard that forbidden fruits usually taste the sweetest.”

Why was he looking at me as if he could see right through me? What does he know? His hand wandered on my back. Since I was wearing an off-shoulder wedding gown, I could feel the heat of his palm directly on my skin. I felt shivers down my spine as heat rushed through my veins. I flinched. What was going on? Why was this suddenly happening to me?

When his hand traveled further down, my eyes narrowed. “You’re crazy-“

“Oh, darling, aren’t we all?”

When he let me go, he didn’t give me a chance to speak. He turned to the priest whose jaw dropped and he just smiled as if nothing happened.

“I’m sorry for the delay, Father. You must have been surprised and terrified. But even so, please continue with the wedding.”

The priest looked at me as if he had seen an apparition or something. He was sweating buckets and his voice trembled when he asked, “A-are you sure about this?”

There was an enigmatic spark in Luther’s eyes when he replied, “On the contrary, I’ve never been this sure in my entire life until today, Father.”

For the past couple of minutes, everyone became silent as the ceremony began. And when it was time for the vows, Luther and I turned to each other.

“Luther, do you take Alexandra to be your wife? Do you promise to be faithful to her in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, to love her, and to honor her all the days of your life?”

Luther looked straight into my eyes and said, “I do.”

The priest then turned to me, looking more reluctant than ever. I heard him ask the same question loud and clear. But the sound coming from my own heart was louder as if it was screaming to be notice. I could hear my blood thumping. I clutched my chest and stared at Luther. For some unknown reason, his facial muscles seemed tensed as if he was anxiously waiting for my answer.

But what caught my attention the most was the mark just below his left ear. From here, I could see a mark which was exactly the same as mine. It was a red crescent moon. In our clan, only the female wolves could see the mark on their pair or mate. Whoever had the same mark on the same spot would be the one they were destined to spend the rest of their lives with. They would have a bond like no other.

And as far as I know, no wolf had ever succeeded in breaking that bond with their mate.

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