THE COMMANDER'S DEBTS

"You look like a sacrificial lamb walking to a slaughterhouse."

Bettoni stopped walking down the grand corridor and turned her head slowly. Two of her older brothers blocked the stone archway leading out to the royal courtyard. They both wore expensive suits bought with the Alpha's money.

She already guessed why her other two older brothers didn't attend; Buck was probably too busy, always busy, with work to attend or care for her, and Benny, the brainiac who valued logic over empathy, was probably away for another academic trip.

Billow leaned heavily against the stone pillar. He looked completely bored. He was her oldest brother and the laziest man in the pack. "Mother is having a complete breakdown in the courtyard. You really ruined her social standing today, Bettoni."

"I'm bleeding for this pack and you only care about her social standing?" Bettoni asked coldly.

Bryant stepped forward. He ran a vain hand through his perfectly styled hair. He always wanted to climb the social ladder. He flirted with every highborn lady in the palace, hoping to secure a wealthy mate. "You're marrying the village monster, Bettoni. He’s a literal butcher. Do you know how bad this makes our family look? Lady Angelika will not even look in my direction now."

"She never looked at you anyway, Bryant," Bettoni replied simply.

Bryant turned bright red with anger. He stepped forward to grab her arm.

"Leave her alone." Bimby pushed his way past their older brothers forcefully.

Bimby was the youngest of the boys. He had warm brown eyes exactly like Bettoni. He was the only person in her entire bloodline who ever showed her actual kindness. He walked up to her and gently grabbed her cold hands.

"Bimby," Bettoni whispered softly. The thick ice around her heart melted just a tiny bit.

"You don't have to do this," Bimby pleaded quietly. He reached into his deep suit pocket and pulled out a small leather pouch filled with dried rosemary and crushed yarrow root. It was from her secret apothecary stash. She loved making healing wraps and studying wild herbs. "I packed the arnica and the bitter root for you. I can sneak you out through the merchant gates right now. We can run away. I'll protect you."

Bettoni looked down at the small pouch. She used those exact herbs to heal Ardon when they were teenagers. The memory felt bitter considering how different things were now. She took the pouch and squeezed Bimby's hand gently. Then, she shoved the herbs into the deep pocket of her cheap cotton dress.

"I can't run anymore," Bettoni said softly as she looked right into Bimby's terrified eyes. "I'm going to survive this. I promise you."

"He has twenty-one dead wives, Bettoni," Billow called out lazily from the pillar. "You're just number twenty two. We'll come collect your body next week."

Bettoni ignored her older brother completely. She gave Bimby one last sad smile. Then, she turned and walked straight out into the blazing sunlight of the royal courtyard.

The courtyard was completely packed. Hundreds of wealthy noble guests stood in silence. Alpha Jaceon stood at the massive stone altar whilst Ardon stood right beside his father, looking completely sick to his stomach.

But Bettoni only looked at the man waiting at the bottom of the steps.

Zachery looked as intimidating as he wanted to. His black military uniform stretched tightly across his massive chest. The gold medals shone dangerously in the harsh sunlight as he watched her walk down the long carpeted aisle.

Zachery narrowed his eyes dangerously. His furious brother actually forced her to wear a plain servant dress to a royal wedding. The thin white cotton looked incredibly cheap. It was a public insult to his rank and a public humiliation for Bettoni.

But she did not cower. Zachery felt possessive pride flow through his chest at her confidence and gait. She walked with her spine perfectly straight. The bright red handprint still marked her cheek. The possessive bite mark he left on her neck was fully visible for the entire pack to see.

She looked like a battered warrior refusing to surrender. Zachery wanted to destroy the entire courtyard just to protect her.

She finally reached the altar and stood right beside his towering frame.

"Let us get this farce over with," Jaceon announced loudly. He did not even bother opening the sacred ancient pack book. "We are gathered to bind Commander Zachery and the Gamma servant, Bettoni. May the Moon Goddess have mercy on this union."

The noble crowd snickered quietly. Frostina openly laughed from the front row. Angelika simply rolled her gorgeous green eyes in complete disgust.

Ardon stared at Bettoni, openly obsessed. He looked like he wanted to rip her away from his uncle and lock her in a tower.

"Do you claim this woman?" Jaceon asked coldly.

"I claim her entirely," Zachery growled loudly. His rough voice echoed across the silent courtyard, making the ground vibrate.

"Do you submit to this Alpha?" Jaceon asked Bettoni. He stared down at her with unhidden hatred.

Bettoni looked up at Zachery. She saw the violent hunger swimming in his eyes, the bulging muscles twitching in his rugged jaw. She remembered her promise to herself. She would climb this terrifying ladder no matter how much it burned.

"I submit," Bettoni stated clearly.

"Then it is done," Jaceon sneered and  waved his hand dismissively. "The ceremony is over. Go back to your dirty barracks, Commander."

"I am not finished," Zachery stated deeply.

The entire crowd gasped softly. Zachery turned completely toward Bettoni. He reached up and unclasped the heavy black military cloak from his broad shoulders. The thick fabric was lined with incredibly expensive dark wolf fur.

He wrapped the heavy cloak directly around Bettoni's small trembling shoulders and tied the solid gold strings securely under her chin. The heavy fur completely covered her cheap cotton dress. He dressed her in his sheer authority.

Ardon stepped forward angrily. "Uncle, what are you doing? She cannot wear the Commander's colors."

Zachery completely ignored the boy. He grabbed the back of Bettoni's neck, his large rough fingers tangling deeply into her thick dark hair, then he tilted her head back and smashed his mouth directly onto hers.

It was not a sweet wedding kiss. It was completely dazing.

Zachery forced her lips open with his tongue. He tasted her deeply in front of hundreds of shocked nobles. He consumed her breath entirely. Bettoni gasped loudly against his mouth and her hands automatically grabbed the edges of his uniform to keep herself from completely falling over as the raw heat radiating from his body scorched her skin.

He kissed her until her head spun wildly, until Ardon made a pathetic choked sound of jealousy.

Zachery finally pulled his head back. He swiped his thumb across her swollen wet lips, then looked directly at Jaceon and Ardon.

"She is the Commandress of the military now," Zachery announced, dominant. "If any person in this pack disrespects my wife, I will personally rip their spine out of their back."

Terrified silence fell over the royal courtyard. Nobody dared to breathe.

Zachery bent down and scooped Bettoni completely off the ground. He carried her in his arms like she weighed absolutely nothing, right back down the aisle and completely ignored the staring nobles.

He carried her all the way up the grand staircase then kicked his heavy bedroom door open and carried her inside.

The heavy door slammed shut behind them with a loud boom.

Zachery threw Bettoni onto the center of the expansive silk bed. He stood over her and immediately began unbuckling his heavy weapon belt. He looked down at her with starving hunger. 

"Take the cloak off sweetheart," Zachery ordered darkly. The heavy metal belt hit the floor with a crash. "You're officially the Commander's wife now. It is time to pay your debts."