4. THE DEMON APPEARS 

~ODETTE

His height towered above mine in a dominant way. 

He had on loose dark clothes, a perfect match to my black dress. His hair was just as dark as the mystery that he exuded. He had on a pair of clear glasses, with a face too beautiful it felt illegal. 

He was nothing like the Demon the world had described. 

I had expected to see a scarred bearded man, rough and scary to the eyes but he looked a lot like he was only misunderstood. 

Or perhaps, I was the one who hoped he was misunderstood. 

As I stared into his electrifying green eyes, I could have sworn I saw pain buried somewhere within them. 

He didn't say another word again, or even spare me another glance. He just began to step forward, expecting that I was following him. 

So I did as I was told. 

I followed the Demon Prince Rafael Skull inside. 

I was still trembling when we entered the grand hall. Everyone immediately stopped talking when they saw both of us make our way into the space. 

It was as if they never expected that the demon Prince could show up. 

Adrian was the most shocked. 

"I thought you said your uncle wouldn't show? What is he doing here?" Camilla cried. 

Despite my constant tremors from getting drenched in the rain, I lifted my head high and stared straight ahead. 

Perhaps, I could survive this after all. 

Perhaps I could succeed at taming the Demon Prince. 

Perhaps the rumors were all lies to mislead people. 

There were too many 'perhaps' in my head and I was desperately hoping that they could all be true. I had bad luck with these types of things but I still hoped. 

For my mother's sake, I kept hoping. 

Rafael snapped his fingers and a set of maids suddenly hurried towards my side. 

"My Lady, we need to get you changed into a new dress or you might catch a cold," the head maid whispered shakily without once raising her head. 

None of them did. 

I looked up at Rafael who remained silent by my side. Had he arranged this ahead of coming here for me?

"Sure," I whispered and they led me away. 

They took me to a room inside, helped me out of my wet wedding dress and put me in a new dress. This one was red and I wondered how they got my size perfectly. 

It fell straight down my legs, hugging my upper body before flowing freely down my hips. 

My hair was dried as fast as possible before touching up my face with a little makeup. When it was done, they covered my face with a veil and sent me back out to the hall. 

Rafael was still there, he never left. 

Camille and Rowena gasped from wherever they stood when they saw my new appearance. 

In fact, the entire hall stopped to gawk at me. It was a little change into a simple dress yet they looked fascinated. 

The only one I hoped would look at me was Rafael. Sadly, he wasn't even paying attention. 

I walked over and quietly stood by his side. 

"Now that both couples are here, we shall continue with the wedding ritual," The Moon Priest said. 

Camille and Adrian hurriedly went to stand before him while I followed Rafael's lead. He quietly took his place there and so did I. 

That was when the Alpha King Tiberius Skull made his entrance. 

Adrian's grandfather and Rafael's father. 

"Please, carry on with the ceremonies, don't mind me," he said as he made his way to the seat allocated to him. 

"With the Alpha King's approval, I shall continue with the ceremony," the Moon Priest said. "Do you both agree to take each other as eternal wolf mates, bounded together as one by the Moon goddess herself, for all eternity and even in death?" 

Camille and Adrian chorused first. "We do." 

I looked up at Rafael and that was when he finally spared me a glance. Then he parted his lips to speak. 

"We do," we chorused. 

"You may each kiss your bride," The Moon Priest concluded. 

Camille and Adrian didn't hesitate. The moment Adrian lifted her veil, they crashed lips. 

I, on the other hand, felt my heart begin to race as my wolf came alive. 

This was practically going to be my first kiss. I never even let Adrian kiss me because I wasn't emotionally attached. I never allowed myself because of the goal at hand. 

Rafael slowly lifted my veil, placed his hand under my chin while everyone stared in disbelief. 

He was defying every rumor out there about him. 

I shut my eyes when I saw his face getting closer and the moment our lips touched, my wolf melted and for a moment,  I felt something strange stir within me before the feeling disappeared like I imagined it. Rafael pulled away at that point and looked everywhere else but at me. 

"Now that both brides have been claimed by their grooms, we shall finish off the ceremony by sharing a glass of sacred wine," The Moon Priest announced. 

I exhaled shakily and turned to face the priest as two maids brought a tray containing two glass cups and a bottle of wine. 

The priest held out the bottle and Camille hurriedly took the first glass. He poured it for her and she gave it to Adrian to drink. Her groom arrogantly emptied the cup. 

It was finally my turn. 

I took the second glass and the priest poured me my wine. I turned towards Rafael and when I got close enough, Camille suddenly bumped into me. 

This caused me to spill the content on Rafael's shirt and the glass slipped out of my hand. 

I gasped in shock as I looked from the broken glass to Rafael's now wet and stained shirt. 

I gritted my teeth and instantly turned toward Camille. Before she could say a word, I tore a hot slap across her face. 

She screamed. 

"It was a mistake! I swear!" She cried. 

But I shook my head at her. "We both know that wasn't a mistake." I stated firmly. "And if I need to keep slapping you to correct you, trust me, I won't hesitate." 

Adrian held his wife at that point and checked her cheeks. "I think correcting Camille should be the least of your worries, Odette," he paused and gestured at my fallen glass with his eyes. "It's considered a bad omen if your groom is unable to taste from the wine. Your marriage will never last, even the goddess has shown us a sign." 

I let out a shaky breath as I scanned my brain in search of a comeback reply and as I was still lost in there, Rafael suddenly pulled me toward him. 

My body slammed into his and I glared up at him with wide eyes. 

"All I need to do is taste from the wine she brought to me, isn't it?"  He asked in an overly calm voice that sent chills down my spine. 

"Yes, my Prince," The Moon Priest answered. 

Then Rafael grabbed my hand which had some of the spilled wine still on. He lifted the hand and to my greatest surprise, he put my fingers in his mouth and sucked slowly but loudly. 

The entire hall gasped in shock.

"Is that enough?" Rafael asked when he was done. 

I remained stiff in his arms, still surprised that this just happened. 

"It is," The Moon Priest answered. "The ceremony is complete." 

With that, Rafael released me and turned towards the corridors which led to other rooms.

I had spilled my drink on the supposed Demon Prince, yet there was no reaction whatsoever. 

If I stayed in this hall any longer, Camille and Adrian would find a way to try to humiliate me again. 

I could as well follow the Demon Prince and face my fate immediately. There was no point prolonging it. 

I needed to know if he was willing to tolerate my presence around him or not. 

So I made the dangerous decision to follow him. I saw him go into a room and I went after him quietly. 

Inside the room, I understood that he was in the bathroom. I contemplated knocking or just waiting for him to come outside. 

In the end, I went in without permission. 

"Allow me to dry clean that for you. I can make it look as good as new," I began as I slowly came to stand beside him. 

He stared back at me from the mirror and for a moment, I could not tell what was going through his mind. 

Suddenly, there was a shift in the atmosphere. The tension grew and I could almost taste the danger in the air. His eyes changed colors into a rich crimson glow and before I could react, he grabbed me by the neck and slammed me hard against the wall. 

"What game are you playing?" He demanded in a dangerous voice before leaning in closer so that our faces were just inches away. 

"Choose your next words wisely for they could be your last. . .”