A twisted union!

**WARNING: 18+ book with explicit scenes - reader discretion is advised.** 🔞🔞🔞

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**Celeste's POV**

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"I said no! Let me go! Get your hands off me now!" I thrashed against the servants who pulled at my dress, their eyes desperate for my compliance as I struggled to escape.

They all knew what would come next—my father's wrath. "Lady Celeste, please, you have to accept this already!" a maid pleaded.

They all expected me to accept their commands because I was the weak, meek alpha's daughter who could always be coerced with lies I inevitably fell for.

But I wasn't about to be coerced into a mating dress and forced into this madness—not now.

It had been twenty-nine days since the news of my wedding was announced, and I was being set—no, forced—to be married on the thirtieth day, which was in just a few hours.

This was my twenty-ninth futile attempt at running away, but I was caught once more, bound to my prison. My life was over.

The thought of this mating ceremony even taking place caused bile to rise in my throat. My life over, my freedom plucked from beneath my feet—all on my twentieth birthday, a day that was supposed to be my first shift, now turned into a nightmare.

But that wasn't the worst of it, because my proposed mate was none other than the chief of the Cross Vale pack.

My own father.

I had laughed madly the day they announced this to me in the throne room. I'd hoped it would be a joke, but the look on my uncle's face proved otherwise as he vied for it—they all did.

The sick feeling in my stomach didn't stop as it swarmed inside, making my guts churn as bile threatened to rise from my throat.

The greedy and lustful gaze my father and uncle shared as they looked at me made my insides sick.

And now I was about to be forced into mating, with the marriage consummated in front of others who would watch everything.

I was sick to my stomach. The cruel thought of being violated without my consent while those putrid and perverse gazes of the elders watched set my insides coiling in disgust.

"No, please... please, I can't," I whimpered and pleaded to the maid who stood by the door.

They all knew I couldn't struggle past the dozen mountain of guards outside—it was a futile escape.

The next second, the door slammed open, and my eyes immediately lit up to see my brother, who stared with wide eyes.

My brother Derek, who had been away for the past two months fighting rogues trying to take over our territories—he was back!

All my pride was thrown out the window in my desperation as I ran to him, clinging to his royal attire, my eyes blurred with unshed tears as I wept.

"D-Derek! Brother, please tell Father to stop this madness. Please help me!" I tugged at his shirt. "I cannot get married to our father, for moon's sake. Stop this!"

I pleaded, my body trembling as I waited for his response in silence.

I had always seen my brother as a protector. He was cruel and obsessive about keeping me away from males, but I never expected he would want to be part of this sick union.

My whimpers filled the room as I held onto his royal cape, hands trembling as I waited for his response.

"I tried talking to Father, Celeste. I did everything, but he says it's tradition. I didn't know—I really didn't," he assured me as tears fell from my cheeks.

His hand clung to my cheek, eyes blurred as I watched my brother in horror. "But you are the future alpha. You can get me out of this. As Ayvoc, I beg you," I pleaded.

I was the sacred Ayvoc, the first omega seen in centuries in this pack.

I always thought he held my best interests at heart, as Derek always said I was precious, yet I felt his eyes turn away from me.

He stopped in my line of vision, his large frame crouched down, forming a shadow over me as I looked at him, his eyes set with worry.

"Derek, you can't let Father do this. Please," I whimpered again.

"Oh, Celeste, just be patient until I am alpha. When I have all the power, I will free you from Father's torment," he assured me.

His words filled me with both dread and hope. Derek was the only one on my side, but that didn't stop the dread climbing up my spine from knowing what my father wanted to do to me.

My guts churned from my father's revelation—what he had told me of his purpose for me. I felt the grasp of his fingers on my chin, craning my head upward to meet his gaze as his tongue licked his lips.

"Trust me, Celeste," Derek urged while I nodded, even as dread still rushed through my veins.

But being the alpha chief's next bride meant I would be subjected to violation by him, and my virginity taken in front of others who would watch.

It's how it had always been for the Orion Bloodline. The perverted lust that lay in my father's and uncle's eyes when they told me about the union had my stomach churning.

His eyes held that hunger that told me I was trapped—I was nothing but a body to serve the royal blood, and even my brother couldn't do anything about it.

"So be good and get dressed for my sake, Celeste. Please, or Father will have both our heads," he called as his footsteps echoed out of the room, his orders a warning for me to be willing and silent about my fate.

But what could I do? Derek was all I had—he was the only one on my side who could help, so I would listen to him.

I turned to the maids, none looking unfazed as they waited with cold eyes. A dreadful realization loomed over me—they knew. They all knew since I was born that this was what I was destined to do.

I felt the last strength of survival strip away from my body as I resigned myself to my fate. I stood up with shaky hands, finally letting them do what they wanted.

There was nowhere to run, no one to help me. If only I were strong enough and brave enough. If only I didn't let go of *his* hands four years ago.

I saw that flash of stormy, dark amber eyes staring back at me—ones that held love, ones that I betrayed. A painful memory that my sixteen-year-old self let go. Why was I thinking about that now? Oh, maybe because that was the last time I ever felt free.

I felt numb all over, barely registering the maids' touch, but I was now fully dressed, my body wrapped in a traditional silver-white robe, my blonde hair curled, and unnaturally red lipstick on my face. Yet my eyes were devoid of my will—they had broken my spirit.

With over six guards surrounding me, I was led toward the hall's entrance, past the marbled white pillars. A line of elders stood with candles, the moon our only other light as I was led down the middle.

The sick stench of lust filled the air as I was forced down the aisle—one that felt more like a sick ritual as I walked past my uncle and brother, who stood last on opposite lines.

My eyes locked with Derek's, his eyes telling me to be willing and silent, that he would free me from this torment once it was all done.

And right in the middle was the man who was set to break my will and my purity—my father, who had groomed me blindly for my entire life and was ready to claim me. The chief of the Cross Vale pack. My father.

Just before I could speak, two female elders, Tessa and Jana, whom I had held as foster mothers and who had treated me so kindly, now held no pity or empathy as they reached forward, stripping me of my robe. I was left in a see-through camisole dress.

My nipples pebbled from the cold air, a shudder running down my spine, my body barely hidden as the lust in the air grew from my exposed form. Was this a nightmare? No, it was definitely hell.

I bit the inside of my cheeks until I drew blood to keep myself from screaming as I climbed the steps, meeting him on the dais where the moon shone in the middle, his eyes dark with lust.

"Yes, daughter, you look perfect and ready to breed. You will give me strong offspring," he called with no remorse.

"P-please don't do this!" I gritted my teeth, but that only caused his frown to deepen. Before I could plead further, a heavy hand gripped my hair, my scalp burning with pain as I was forced to my knees.

He had scraped a black liquid to draw a moon mark on my forehead, then grazed the bitter liquid on my lips.

His eyes shone deep gold as his claws reached to cut the left spaghetti strap of my dress. My chest heaved as I watched his eyes reach for the second strap, knowing I would be fully exposed in the next second.

*Bang!* A heavy explosion ensued as silence rang out.

All our heads turned to the mighty door that had fallen, its impact causing the whole room to tremble as we stared. Fear scorched my throat as masked men filed into the room.

"What is the meaning of this!" my father, Chief Dregan, roared at the interruption.

My knees remained frozen as I watched the armored male step up the stairs. The dark aura that surrounded him held a familiar danger that pulled at my strength with each step he took closer.

His presence screamed danger and wicked beast, just as my father finally let go of my hair.

"Who dares come into my domain? You bastard, you will pay!" Father let his claws spear out and aimed for him, but before he could land an attack, blood splattered everywhere as I watched my father fall.

I had always thought he was the mightiest wolf, but he'd lost, and his body slammed down in a pool of blood.

Yet the masked male hadn't stopped as he walked to my side. "Please... help. Don't... please help me," I clung to him and begged.

"You'll wish you never said that." I heard his deep, dark voice echo behind the mask—one that made my heart skip a beat.

A sense of familiarity washed over me, but before I could speak, I felt a pinch at my nape. My eyes immediately grew heavy.

My body slammed to the ground as something warm trickled down my face—my tears. Before I knew it, darkness took over my senses as my vision turned black.

And now I was in the hands of a new captor.