CHAPTER NINE

~Riya~

The door creaked open, spilling light into the cell that had been my world for days.

A tall guard stood in the doorway. “By order of the Alpha King,” he said flatly, “you’re to be released.”

I froze. “What?”

He didn’t repeat himself. He simply unlocked the chains from the wall and gestured for me to follow. My legs were weak, but I obeyed, although I was quite confused. Was it for the wedding?

The hallways of Darkmoon Castle were painfully bright after so long in the dark. I kept my head low as we passed Nightfang's wounded members, some of whom whispered when they saw me. Their pitying glances felt sharper than knives.

We stopped before a tall golden door. The guard pushed it open and motioned me inside.

“What is this?” I whispered.

“Orders from the King,” the guard replied, bowing stiffly. “You’re to be made ready.”

“For the wedding?”

He didn’t answer. He simply left.

Before I could gather my thoughts, maids swarmed the room. They didn’t speak to me; they just moved, undressing me, drawing my bath, washing the grime and blood from my body. I flinched when the warm water hit my bruises.

“Careful,” I whispered, but no one looked me in the eye.

They dried me, combed my tangled hair, and applied layers of soft, glowing powder to my face. When they dressed me, I hardly recognized the reflection that stared back at me in the mirror.

I used to wear leather and braid my hair back for battle. Now I looked like one of them, fragile, glittering, and powerless.

I almost didn’t notice the maid whisper near my ear. “The Luna will be with you shortly.”

I touched my reflection’s bruised cheek, tracing the faint mark beneath the concealer. “What are you doing to yourself, Riya?” I whispered. “You don’t belong here.”

And then, as if summoned by my dread, the door opened.

Mother entered in a flowing silver gown, her dark hair pinned with diamonds. Her dress glittered like silver. My mother. But not my mother. She looked too different, too extravagant.

“Don’t worry, RiRi,” she said quietly, stepping closer. “You’ll ruin your makeup.”

The dam broke. “Mother, please,” I whispered. “Don’t go through with this. You can’t...”

“I have to… and we talked about this.”

“No, you don’t! You can’t marry him! He destroyed everything. He burned Nightfang to the ground…”

She wiped my tears carefully with her thumb. “I’m giving them a chance to live.” She kissed my forehead softly. “And so are you. Promise me you’ll behave today. Promise me you won’t make this harder than it already is.”

I could barely speak past the lump in my throat. “Mother…”

“Promise me.”

“I promise,” I whispered.

She smiled through her own tears. “Good girl.” Then, with her back straight and her chin high, she turned toward the door. “It’s time.”

*****

They decided to hold the ceremony indoors. No guests from the common ranks, only the elite, the wealthy rulers from surrounding packs. The scent of power filled the grand hall like perfume.

The air buzzed with whispered conversations and the clinking of wine glasses. Guards lined the walls like statues.

I sat at the far end of the long table, my hands clenched in my lap. My mother and Darius sat at the head, radiant and composed like a royal couple from a fairytale gone wrong.

He looked older than her by decades, but strong and broad-shouldered, cruelly handsome. His silver eyes burned with satisfaction as the priest stepped forward, holding an ancient scroll.

“We gather today,” the priest intoned, “to unite Alpha Darius of Darkmoon and Luna Siarah of Nightfang in sacred bond.”

My stomach twisted.

The words blurred together after that. They were asked to say their vows, and of course, they both made romantic promises to each other, promises that meant nothing. When the High Priest finally said, “You may kiss the bride,” my breath hitched.

Darius grinned and pulled her close; his lips crashed against hers. It didn’t last just for seconds… it was up to a minute, more like they were yearning for each other, and I couldn’t understand.

I couldn’t look. I turned my head away, blinking fast. When I glanced up, I met a pair of gray eyes across the hall. They belonged to the same wolf who had fought me on the battlefield.

The ceremony ended, but the celebration continued. Darius spoke animatedly with the visiting Alphas, laughing and clapping their shoulders as though he hadn’t just married his enemy’s widow. Servants filled the tables with roasted meats, fruit, and fine wine.

I stood to get myself something to eat, anything to distract me from the chaos in my chest. But as I turned, I bumped into someone.

“Oh… I’m so sorry,” I muttered.

“C’mon, sweetheart, I should be the one apologizing.” The voice was playful and confident. I looked up and met bright gray eyes and a crooked grin. But it wasn't the same one from the battlefield.

He stepped back, raising his hands in mock surrender. “My bad. Didn’t mean to scare you.”

“It’s fine,” I said quickly, avoiding his gaze.

“You don’t look fine.”

“Trust me, I’m not the talkative type.”

He chuckled softly. “Fair. But, for what it’s worth…” His tone dropped lower. “I’m sorry. For everything.”

I blinked. “Everything?”

He shrugged. “What my family’s done. What my father’s doing. You probably think I’m like them… but I’m not.” His grin returned. “And just so you know, you look way too regal to be frowning like that.”

Before I could respond, he winked and walked away. I frowned after him, confused. His polo shirt, sneakers, and earrings. He looked nothing like a prince. Nothing like the monsters around me.

I turned back just in time to hear Darius’s booming voice. “Meet my sons,” he said to another Alpha. “Aiden, the future of Darkmoon,” pointing to the gray-eyed wolf from the battle, “and his twin brother, Jayden.”

My heart froze.

I followed his gesture. Aiden stood tall beside him, and Jayden, still smirking from across the room, lifted his glass in a lazy salute.

Twin heirs.

Both gray-eyed wolves. Both sons of the man who destroyed my home.

My breath hitched.

So it was his son who fought me that night, the one who spared me.

Anger and confusion tangled inside me like thorns. I felt sick, trapped, invisible in a room full of enemies.

As laughter and music filled the hall, I sat back down, pushing food around my plate. My mother laughed softly beside her new husband. Her wedding ring glinted in the morning light.

I forced a bite past the ache in my throat. Everything ta

sted like ash.

Now my mother was married to the enemy.

And I was drowning in the ruins of what used to be my life.