Chapter 2: At The Altar

Sonnet

The heavy oak doors of the grand cathedral felt like the gates of an execution chamber. Behind them, hundreds of pack members from the Silver Crest territory were muttering, their voices a low, buzzing hum of impatience. They were waiting to witness my public downfall. They were waiting to laugh at the useless Omega who had been discarded like trash by her fiancé. But the man standing beside me didn't move like an outcast. He moved like a god of war. His large, calloused hand slid down from my waist, his long fingers wrapping firmly around mine. The moment our palms connected, that same electric fire from the kiss flared up again, shooting straight up my arm and settling deep in my chest. My inner wolf, usually silent and terrified, let out a soft, confused whimper. She wasn't afraid of him. She was drawn to him. "Keep your head up, little Omega," Salvador murmured, his deep baritone brushing against my ear. His voice held no gentleness, only a hard, unyielding command. "If you are going to walk with me, you do not bow your head to anyone. Especially not to them." Before I could even nod, he used his free hand to push open the massive church doors. The heavy wood swung outward with a loud, echoing thud. Instantly, the loud whispering inside the chapel died down. Hundreds of faces turned toward the entrance, smiles of mockery already plastered on their lips. They expected to see a weeping, broken girl begging for mercy. Instead, they saw me. And they saw the monster holding my hand. As we stepped into the center aisle, a suffocating, crushing aura suddenly exploded from the man beside me. It wasn't just the dominant energy of an Alpha; it was a dark, ancient, and terrifying pressure that physically swept through the room like a tidal wave. The air in the cathedral grew ice-cold. Several weak omegas in the back pews instantly dropped to their knees, gasping for breath. The beta guards at the doors staggered backward, their faces turning completely pale as their instincts forced them to look down at the floor. "What is the meaning of this?!" A sharp, angry voice cut through the silence. My stepfather, Beta Richard, marched out from the front row. His face was twisted in rage as he glared at me. "Sonnet! How dare you disgrace this family by running off and bringing a nameless stray into—" Richard stopped dead in his tracks. He had finally looked directly at the man standing beside me. I watched the color completely drain from my stepfather’s face. His eyes widened in absolute horror, his jaw dropping open. The arrogance he usually carried dissolved into pure, unadulterated terror. "K... King Salvador?" Richard choked out, his voice squeaking as he stumbled over his own feet. At the sound of that name, a collective gasp echoed through the entire chapel. The whispering turned into a panicked frenzy. The Lycan King. The ruler of the bloodthirsty midnight pack, a man known for tearing apart entire territories with his bare hands, was standing in our church. Holding the hand of their lowest Omega. Chloe, my stepsister, pushed her way forward, her eyes wide with shock and jealousy. "Father, that can’t be him! Why would the King be with her? She’s a slave! She probably tricked him!" "Silence, you foolish girl!" Richard hissed, his body trembling violently. Without another second of hesitation, my stepfather dropped directly to his knees on the cold stone floor, bowing his head so low it almost touched Salvador’s polished leather shoes. "Your Majesty! Please forgive my daughter's ignorance! We did not know you were visiting our lands. If this Omega has offended you, we will punish her immediately! We will lock her away!" Salvador didn't even look down at the groveling Beta. His stormy grey eyes were fixed on the altar ahead, his grip on my hand tightening just enough to remind me he was there. "You will not touch a single hair on her head," Salvador growled, the sheer power in his voice causing the glass stained windows of the cathedral to rattle faintly. "You complained about a missing groom. I am stepping in to fill the vacancy. Stand up, priest. Finish the ceremony." The elderly pack priest at the altar looked like he was about to have a heart attack. His hands shook violently as he clutched his holy book. "Y-Your Majesty... she is an Omega. A political marriage requires the approval of the Alpha of Silver Crest..." Salvador finally turned his head, his gaze sweeping over the terrified crowd. When his eyes flared into that brilliant, predatory, glowing wolf-gold, the entire room fell into a dead, suffocating silence. "I am the King," Salvador stated smoothly, though the threat behind his words was loud and clear. "My approval is the only law that matters in this realm. Does anyone in this room object?" No one dared to breathe. My stepfather remained frozen on the floor, sweating through his expensive suit. Chloelooked like she wanted to scream, but the raw, crushing weight of Salvador’s aura kept her mouth locked shut. . "Good," Salvador murmured. He turned to me, pulling me up the altar steps until we were standing face-to-face in front of the trembling priest. The ceremony was a blur of absolute terror and disbelief. The priest stumbled over the traditional vows, his voice cracking with every sentence. I couldn't even focus on the words. All I could see was the giant of a man standing before me. Up close, his scent hit me fully—a intoxicating blend of dark cedarwood, winter rain, and pure, intoxicating male Alpha pheromones. My knees felt hollow. What had I just done? I had asked a demon to save me from wolves, and now I belonged to him. "Do you, King Salvador of the Midnight Realm, take this woman to be your bound wife?" the priest squeaked. Salvador stared down at me, his gaze burning right through my soul. "I do." "And do you, Sonnet of Silver Crest, take..." "I do," I interrupted quickly, desperate to end the suffocating tension in the room. "By the power of the Moon Creator... I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may seal the union." I expected a brief, polite brush of lips to keep up the appearance for the crowd. I expected him to remember this was a desperate business deal. I was completely wrong. Salvador stepped forward, his massive frame completely eclipsing mine. His large hands slid up my neck, his thumbs tilting my chin upward with a fierce possessiveness. Before I could even gasp, he slammed his lips onto mine. This wasn't the frantic, pleading kiss I had forced upon him in the hallway. This was a claim. He kissed me deeply, dominantly, his tongue parting my lips with an unyielding hunger that made my mind go completely blank. The heat between us exploded into a roaring inferno. A strange, primal pulling sensation ripped through my chest, tying itself to his very soul. Suddenly, Salvador pulled back just an inch, his breathing heavy, his golden eyes burning into mine. He opened his mouth, and a deafening, triumphant roar erupted from his chest, echoing through the cathedral walls. It was a sound that shook the very foundation of the earth. He looked over his shoulder at my terrified stepfamily, his arm wrapping securely around my waist, lifting me slightly against his side. "Listen to me carefully, Silver Crest," Salvador announced, his voice carrying an icy, lethal absolute authority that left no room for argument. "From this moment on, Sonnet is no longer your Omega. She belongs to the Midnight Realm. She is my wife. She is your Supreme Luna. And if any of you ever look at her with disrespect again, I will burn this entire territory to ash." He didn't wait for a response. He turned on his heel, dragging me along with him as he marched down the aisle, leaving my broken, terrified pack trembling in the dust behind us.