A Marriage To A Vegetable Man

Clara's pov

I walked back to the packhouse as if nothing had happened. My legs moved, but they felt heavy. My arms hung at my sides, feeling useless and numb.

I walked into my room and quietly closed the door behind me.

Then I just stood there, against the door.

The pain didn’t hit all at once. It crept in slowly. First, it settled in my chest, sharp and hot. Then it sank into my stomach, heavy and dull, before rising like a lump in my throat.

I sat on the edge of the bed and stared at the floor, unable to move.

I had waited so long for this moment. I had prayed to the Moon Goddess in the dark, begging for the day my mate would finally find me. I dreamed that when it happened, he would look at me with warmth in his eyes, maybe even love; not pity or hate.

But he didn’t see me.

Damien was my mate. And he had already chosen someone else.

Not just anyone. But Mira.

My stepsister. The same girl who made my life miserable since I was six. The one who took everything good from me and left nothing behind.

I wanted to scream, but the sound stayed stuck inside me.

I lay down on my side, pulled my knees up, and held my breath. I stayed like that until the tightness in my chest slowly faded.

Inside me, my wolf stirred. She didn’t understand why our mate turned his back away from us and looked away? Why didn’t he claim us right after knowing we were mates? Her soft whine echoed inside me for a moment, then faded into silence.

I didn’t know how to calm her.

The whole day passed without a sound. No one knocked. No one asked if I was okay.

The next morning, I woke up before dawn. My body felt stiff, but I forced myself out of bed. I washed my face, tied my hair, and dressed in my usual plain clothes.

I walked to the back of the house and entered the garden where my mother used to gather herbs. Most of the plants had died. No one cared for them anymore. But there were a few that still grew wild. I knelt beside them and began to clear away the weeds.

My hands moved on their own. I needed something to do. Something to keep me from thinking.

Suddenly, footsteps echoed behind me, and I froze.

When I turned, I saw Lilith.

She stood at the edge of the garden, arms crossed, a smile tugging at her mouth. Not a warm smile. A cruel one.

She walked closer, her heels crunching on the gravel.

“I’m sure that you’re not that stupid as I've always thought?,” she said. “You know what this means, don’t you?”

I stood slowly and faced her.

“I don't know what you mean, ma,” I said quietly.

She nodded, amused, rolling her eyes.

“I’m sure you're not planning to have Damien has your mate? You know Mira is his Luna, and she has been by his side for years. Do you really think that bond of yours means anything now?”

I looked away.

She stepped closer, her voice sharp.

“I command you as the Luna, not to speak of this to anyone, not even to Damien. You will keep your mouth shut, as you always have. Or things will become very difficult for you. You hear?.”

My jaw tightened.

“I already know what difficult feels like. But you both know he's my mate,” I whispered, trying so hard to keep my temper calm.

“You don't dare talk back to me when I talk to you. Understood? I'm sure you do.”

She turned and walked away without hearing anything I had to say.

I stood there long after she was gone. My fists were clenched at my sides, barely able to contain my annoyance.

That night, I saw Damien again.

The pack held a gathering to discuss the upcoming border patrols. I stood in the corner of the hall, as I always did. I poured drinks. Cleared plates, while Mira sat beside Damien, her hand resting on his knee. She laughed too loudly. Leaned too close, but Damien looked uncomfortable. His jaw was tight. He barely looked at her.

Once, his eyes found mine across the room, for a second, he looked like he wanted to say something.

But he didn’t.

He turned back to Mira and nodded at something she said, and she laughed again.

That moment, I left the hall early because I couldn’t watch it any longer.

Later, I went back to the river. The sky was clear, and the moon hung high above the trees. I sat beneath the same tree with the star carved into its bark.

The wind was cold, but I didn’t mind.

I closed my eyes and tried to breathe.

I thought of my mother and I wondered what she would say if she were here. Would she tell me to fight? Or would she tell me to let go?

I didn’t know.

I only knew that something had to change, because I could not survive suffering like this much longer.

The next day, everything changed.

I had just returned from the market with fresh herbs when my father, Alpha Edwin, called me into his office. That was rare, because he never spoke to me unless people was watching, and he wanted to show off

I entered the room and stood still, the basket, still in my hand.

He did not look up from the papers on his desk.

“There’s a marriage being arranged,” he said quietly. “I am finalizing it tonight.”

My feet froze. My breath caught.

“With who?” I asked, my voice barely audible.

He looked up slowly, his dark eyes locking with mine for the first time in weeks. There was no warmth in them.

“Alpha Prince Rowan Sterling. The comatose heir of the Sterling Pack. Apparently, they need a bride. So I volunteered you.”

I blinked.

“No,” I said, shaking my head. “That’s not—you wouldn’t—”

“I would,” My father cut me off. “And I did.”

I stumbled back like he’d slapped me. A thousand thoughts rushed through my head, each one louder than the last. The Sterling Pack? That’s halfway across the continent. And Alpha Prince Rowan... he’s been in a coma for years. A vegetable.

“Why?” I asked. “Why would you send me there?”

My father leaned back in his chair, his voice cold. “Because you’re an inconvenience here. And there, no one will care if you rot.”

Tears burned the back of my throat, but I refused to let them fall. I turned and walked out of his office, each step heavier than the last.

My hands trembled as I walked back to my room. As my mind went back to the thought of my marriage to someone who's been asleep for years.