2. THE WEAK BECOMES STRONG 

~ODETTE

If there was one thing I knew about demon men. . . Then it was the fact that amusing and daring actions always seemed to intrigue them. 

My first act of defiance was to wear a black dress to my own wedding. 

Some saw it as bad luck, others— a direct disrespect to them but to the Demon Uncle Rafael. . . I hoped he would see it as an intriguing and welcoming act. 

I stepped out of my room and graciously descended the stairs in my black dress. I had initially planned to wear it to my first appearance as Wolf Queen but that wasn't happening anymore. 

When I reached the bottom of the stairs, Camille broke into laughter. 

"You can't be serious. You are actually wearing black?" She exclaimed. "You must be begging to be killed on sight by your groom." 

I ignored her. 

"Works by me, let's not keep the grooms waiting," Rowena said and led the way out of the house. 

I carried a bouquet of black roses while Camille carried red roses, still clad in my wedding gown. One would think she was the angel and I the devil. 

Perhaps I really was. 

When we got outside, my eyes scanned the space for my demon husband. There was no sign of him. 

Only Adrian had come, accompanied by a procession of decorated cars

"Adrian!" Camille shrieked. "You look so handsome in that suit!" 

He chuckled proudly as he ran his hand through his dirty blond hair. Then he walked up to her. And to my greatest surprise, he crashed his lips against hers and Camille couldn't resist wrapping her arms around his neck. 

My wolf jumped and I understood at that point that both of them had been cheating on me long before today. I had just been a fool kept in the dark this whole time. 

How pathetic of me to think that Adrian was going to be the one to get me justice. 

He couldn't even stay loyal to me. 

"Wow, Crown Prince Adrian, you couldn't  keep it in your pants, could you?" I said bitterly, unable to hold back. 

He laughed. "You can't possibly hold it against me, Odette. You're way below Camille. The only time you could have been good enough for me was my satisfaction and even that, you wouldn't grant me access to. Camille, on the other hand, has been so generous." 

Both of them laughed. 

A man from the procession on the left stepped forward. "Apologies, Alpha Darius Vale but Prince Rafael won't be available today. He sent me— Gaius Wood— instead to collect his bride." 

Rowena laughed. 

"I feel bad for you, Odette," Camille suddenly said. "Prince Rafael Skull couldn't even honor you enough to pick you up himself. It shows how irrelevant you are to him. Even the lowest omegas in our pack hold more value than you. You really are just a little rat after all." 

That was the last straw. 

Something in me snapped as my wolf came forward. 

It was time to drop the act I had been playing for the past ten years. Besides, I could die for all I know today after eventually meeting my husband. 

I might never get the chance to do this again. 

Thus, I turned to Camille and landed the hardest slap I could muster across her face. 

The force sent her off balance and she landed on her husband to be. 

It felt so satisfying. The thrill made my body come alive.

"This is for always disrespecting me, Camille. I am.your elder and you will respect me!" I spat venomously. 

She glared at me in disbelief. She never once saw this day coming.

"How dare you raise your hand to my daughter you little rat!" Rowena roared. 

She lifted her hand to hit me back but I caught it and slapped her too. 

"I have waited years for this, Rowena. Watch who you call a little rat!" I spat. 

Like her daughter, she also widened her eyes at me. 

"Have you lost your mind?" She screamed and turned to my father. "Darius! Your daughter is out of control!" 

Father wanted to make his move but I lifted my head high and locked gazes with him. 

"If you dare harm a hair on my head, I will call off the wedding and rat out your secret abuse of power to the Alpha King himself!" I threatened. "Imagine what he will do when he finds out that you have rejected his proposal and on top of that, corrupted his perfect reign." 

Father stopped in his tracks. I saw the way he clenched his teeth at me. My threat had worked and I smirked at him. 

"When did she become so sharp-mouthed?" Rowena demanded in a small voice. 

"Fine, I'll drop it," Father said in a heavy tone. 

"I have one more request, Father," I announced. "I want my mother's special secret Silver Healer formula given to me." 

"What?" Rowena exclaimed. "That is supposed to be for the next Silver Healer! Camille is to inherit that!" 

"It was left behind for me!" I spat. "Must I remind you both of what is at stake here?" 

Father released a shaky angry breath. "Give it to her, Rowena." 

She wanted to protest but she gave up. She turned and went into the house. In a few minutes, she was back outside with a white scroll.

"There! Take it!" She spat. 

I took it and opened it, it contained special healing recipes just as I had envisioned. My mother had written all of these formulas herself. 

"There's nothing to worry about, Camille," Adrian suddenly said as he patted her back. "She won't last long anyways. We will take it off her dead body." 

With that, he carried his bride to his car and drove off. My father and his mistress walked to their own car. While Gaius led me to the car he had come in. 

"Thank you," I whispered when he held the door for me. 

As he drove away with the full procession following us behind, I heard him make a call. 

"My Prince. . ." He paused. "They switched the brides and gave you the weak one." 

I swallowed hard as I waited for a negative response. 

"As you wish, my prince," Gaius answered before falling quiet again. 

The car didn't stop. This was a good sign. I hoped it was. 

I clutched my scroll tight. It was the only comfort I had. 

The ride was quite long but after three hours of driving in silence, we finally entered the Capital City. The home of the Alpha King and his family. 

There were decorations everywhere in honor of the weddings happening today. We soon arrived at the grand castle and all our cars got parked. 

Gaius held the door for me once again before leading me to the grand entrance of the castle doors. The place was packed with wolf citizens who had come to witness the big day. Camille and Adrian were already there, whispering to each other. 

I instantly knew they were up to no good. 

Gaius was about to lead me inside when Adrian suddenly stepped forward. 

"Not so fast Gaius, we can't ignore the right procedures," Adrian said. 

Gaius hesitated. "Your grace, Prince Rafael asked me to collect his bride safely. I intend to finish my work by taking her inside myself." 

"And ignore the family traditions?" Adrian asked. "We cannot risk angering the Moon goddess. Do you want to be the cause of evil entering our home?" 

Gaius finally stepped aside and that was when Adrian faced me. Camille was grinning from ear to ear and I knew this was their way of getting back at me for what happened earlier. 

"How may I help you, Crown Prince Adrian?" I asked. 

His smile grew colder. "There are certain rituals that must be fulfilled before you are considered fit enough to enter the castle. Are you up for it?" 

I swallowed hard. "As long as it's a family tradition, who am I to oppose?" 

He nodded. "The Skull family tradition states that for a bride to prove she is willing to sacrifice herself for the good of the house, she must be willing to walk on a trail of burning coal." 

My mouth went dry. 

"Only her husband can stop her from doing the ritual but seeing as your husband is absent, no one can vouch for you," he pointed out. "It's either you walk on the burning coal or you turn around and never show your face to the Skulls again.”