Wedding Night

The chamber is cold.

Araya stands in the center of the room, hands clasped in front of her, still wearing the ivory gown that feels heavier with each passing moment. The silk clings to her skin, damp with sweat despite the chill in the air. Candles flicker on the stone mantle, casting shadows that dance across the walls like restless wolves.

This is the Alpha's chamber. Jasper's chamber. Now hers too, supposedly.

But it does not feel like hers.

The bed dominates the room, draped in dark furs and thick blankets. A fire burns low in the hearth, crackling softly. The scent of pine and leather fills the air, sharp and masculine. Everything here belongs to him.

Araya inhales slowly, trying to steady the trembling in her chest.

The feast ended hours ago. The pack drank and laughed and sang, their voices echoing through the hall. Jasper sat at the head table, drinking steadily, his storm-gray eyes distant. He did not look at her once.

When the elder priest announced it was time for the bride and groom to retire, the pack erupted in crude cheers and howls. Araya's cheeks burned as Millie helped her from the hall, guiding her through the corridors to this room.

Millie squeezed her hand before leaving. "It will be alright," Millie whispered, though her hazel eyes were uncertain.

Araya nodded, unable to speak.

Now she waits.

She walks to the window, pulling back the heavy curtain. The moon hangs full and bright in the sky, casting silver light across the courtyard below. Wolves move through the shadows, their laughter faint and distant.

Araya presses her palm against the cold glass. Her reflection stares back at her, pale and hollow-eyed. The silver streaks in her raven-dark hair catch the moonlight, glinting faintly.

She looks like a ghost.

Serenya's words echo in her mind, mocking and sweet.

Araya lets the curtain fall and turns back to the room.

The door remains closed.

She sits on the edge of the bed, smoothing the silk of her gown over her knees. Her hands are still stained with dried blood from the thorns. She did not wash them. She wanted to remember the pain, to hold onto something real.

The fire crackles. The candles burn lower.

Time stretches.

Araya's heart pounds in her chest, a steady, trembling rhythm. She tells herself this is normal. That he is giving her time. That he will come soon.

But the door does not open.

She stands and paces the length of the room, her bare feet silent on the cold stone floor. The gown rustles with each step, heavy and suffocating. She considers removing it, changing into something simpler, but she does not know if that would be wrong. If he would be angry.

She does not know what he expects.

She does not know him at all.

The moon climbs higher. The fire burns lower.

Araya sits again, hands folded in her lap, waiting.

Her mind drifts to the ceremony, to the coldness in his eyes, to the words he whispered against her ear.

"This bond means nothing."

She squeezes her eyes shut, forcing the memory away.

Perhaps he did not mean it. Perhaps it was only nerves, or anger at being forced into this arrangement. Perhaps tonight will be different. Perhaps he will come, and they will talk, and she will understand him better.

Perhaps.

The door remains closed.

Araya's stomach twists. She stands again, moving to the small table near the hearth. A pitcher of water sits beside a basin. She pours some into the bowl and washes her hands, scrubbing away the dried blood. The water turns faintly pink.

She dries her hands on a cloth and looks at the door again.

Still closed.

The candles gutter, wax pooling at their bases. The fire is almost ash now, glowing faintly.

Araya's chest tightens. She crosses to the door and presses her ear against the wood, listening.

Silence.

No footsteps. No voices. Nothing.

She grips the door handle, hesitating. She should not leave. This is her place now. She is supposed to wait.

But the silence is suffocating.

Araya opens the door a crack, peering into the corridor beyond.

Empty.

Torches line the walls, their flames flickering in the draft. The stone floor stretches long and dim, disappearing into shadow.

She steps into the hallway, the silk of her gown whispering against the floor. The cold bites at her bare feet, sharp and unforgiving.

Araya moves slowly, following the corridor toward the main hall. Her pulse quickens with each step. She should turn back. She should return to the chamber and wait.

But something pulls her forward.

She hears voices ahead, low and murmured. Laughter, soft and intimate.

Araya slows, pressing herself against the wall. Her breath comes shallow and quick.

The voices grow clearer.

A woman's voice, light and teasing. "You're terrible, you know that?"

A man's voice, deep and familiar. "And yet you still come to me."

Araya's heart stops.

That voice.

Jasper.

She moves closer, her bare feet silent on the stone. The corridor curves, opening into a small alcove lit by a single torch. Two figures stand in the shadows, close together, their bodies silhouetted by the flickering light.

Araya recognizes the woman's silhouette immediately. The cascade of honey-blonde hair. The elegant curve of her spine. The silk gown that clings to her like a second skin.

Serenya.

Araya's breath catches, sharp and painful.

Serenya leans into Jasper, her hand resting on his chest. Jasper's hand curves around her waist, pulling her closer.

Araya cannot move. Cannot breathe.

Serenya tilts her head back, her lips brushing Jasper's jaw. "She's probably still waiting for you," Serenya murmurs, her voice dripping with amusement. "Poor thing."

Jasper's voice is low, almost a growl. "Let her wait."

Serenya laughs, soft and cruel. "You're heartless."

"I'm practical."

Serenya's fingers trail down his chest, teasing. "She'll never satisfy you, you know. She's nothing. Wolf-less. Weak."

Jasper does not respond.

Araya's chest tightens, pain radiating through her ribs like claws tearing flesh. The silver thread she has been searching for, the bond she hoped would form, feels like it is burning away to ash.

She should leave. She should turn and walk away before they see her.

But her feet will not move.

Serenya presses closer, her lips finding Jasper's. The kiss is slow, deliberate, meant to be savored.

Araya's vision blurs. She stumbles back, her hand flying to her mouth to stifle the sound threatening to escape.

Her heel catches on the hem of her gown. She stumbles, catching herself against the wall. The movement is loud, too loud.

Jasper's head snaps up.

Araya's pulse roars in her ears. She turns and runs.

Her bare feet slap against the stone floor, the sound echoing through the corridor. She does not look back. She does not stop.

She reaches the chamber and slams the door behind her, chest heaving.

The room is colder now. The fire is dead. The candles have burned out.

Araya presses her back against the door, sliding down until she sits on the floor, knees pulled to her chest. Her hands shake. Her breath comes in short, sharp gasps.

She waits for the door to open. For Jasper to follow. To demand an explanation. To be angry.

But the door remains closed.

Minutes pass. An hour. Maybe more.

Araya does not move.

The moon sinks lower in the sky, its light fading.

And then she hears it.

Footsteps.

Slow, deliberate, moving down the corridor.

Araya's breath stills. She presses her ear against the door, listening.

The footsteps grow closer.

His scent drifts through the gap beneath the door. Pine and leather. Sharp and unmistakable.

Jasper.

The footsteps stop.

Araya holds her breath, waiting for the door to open.

But it does not.

The footsteps continue, moving past the chamber, fading into the distance.

Leading away.