The Bride He Chose

Elara’s POV

The sound of a key turning in my door was painfully loud.

The door opened, and Seraphina stepped inside. She looked proud and pleased, like someone who had just won a prize. My stomach dropped. This would not end well.

“Lucky you,” she said sweetly. “You get to live a little longer.”

She threw a pile of clothes onto my bed.

“Your marriage has been decided.”

So they had found someone willing to take me. Some unlucky wolf who didn’t care enough to ask questions. I tried to feel angry. I tried to feel sad. But all I felt was relief. At least I wasn’t going to die today.

Then Seraphina smiled wider.

“You will marry Alpha Kael Nightbane,” she said proudly.

My breath stopped. Fear rushed through my body so fast my hands began to shake.

No… That can’t be real.

He was ruthless. Cold. Deadly. Marrying him was no different from being sentenced to death.

Seraphina laughed when she saw my face.

“Oh yes. You’re the only woman he agreed to marry,” she said. She grabbed my arm and pulled me up from the bed. “Stand up, bride-to-be. It’s your lucky day.”

I clung to her sleeve desperately.

“Seraphina, if he finds out I was marked, he will kill me,” I begged.

She tilted her head. “Actually, he won’t mark you. He already has a marked mate. Who knows where she ran off to?”

She leaned closer and smiled cruelly.

“And if he does find out about your mark… You should kill yourself before he tortures you to death.”

She yanked my hairbrush from the table and dragged it through my hair painfully. Then she twisted my hair into a tight style and clipped it in place. Next, she shoved a dress into my arms.

“Get dressed. Your Alpha is waiting, and he doesn’t look patient.”

When she finished, I barely recognised myself in the mirror. The dress clung tightly to my body. It was flashy, heavy with beads, and far too bold for my taste. I had always liked simple clothes. Quiet styles. This dress felt like a costume.

None of this was my choice. Survive first. Feel later.

Seraphina looked pleased with her work.

“No one will mistake who you belong to now,” she said with a smirk. “Let’s go.”

The sunlight hit my face as we stepped outside. The breeze brushed my skin, and for a moment, I almost felt free. Almost.

The path to the ceremony hall was crowded. Pack members whispered nervously as we passed. I spotted Lina, one of the few people who had ever been kind to me.

“Elara,” she whispered, rushing to my side. “Are you sure about this?”

My heart tightened. Lina had never mocked me. She had never called me wolfless. She had even checked on my mother for me when she could. I wanted to tell her everything. But that would only put her in danger.

So I hugged her tightly instead. She understood.

Seraphina laughed softly. “Smart girl. Keeping quiet.”

Then someone stepped into our path. My heart froze.

Liam.

The man I once loved.

He looked at me coldly. “That was fast,” he said. “You didn’t waste any time clinging to another Alpha.”

Anger burned through me.

“You would know all about betrayal,” I snapped. “If anyone trusted the wrong person, it was me.”

I looked at him and Seraphina.

“Congratulations. You deserve each other.”

Liam’s jaw tightened. He looked away.

Seraphina laughed.

“Oh don’t act innocent,” she said. She leaned into Liam and whispered loudly, “She was so desperate for revenge that she let someone else mark her.”

Liam exploded.

“What?!” He grabbed my collar and yanked hard.

The dress tore. My neck was exposed.

His eyes widened. “The mark… Is it gone? She healed already?”

Seraphina grabbed my neck roughly.

Then suddenly they were shoved away.

A tall, dark figure stepped between us. Power rolled off him. I knew that presence. My heart stuttered.

He turned to face me. Strong jaw. Sharp eyes. Dangerous beauty.

It was him.

Before I could speak, he said coldly:

“So you are my chosen bride.”

Then his gaze sharpened, pinning me to the spot.

“But why did I hear that you were already marked?”