Chapter 7 - THE MORNING AFTR

“You will regret this, Malia. I promise you that.”

Aria’s words hung in the air long after she said them.

She stood a few steps away, her eyes fixed on me with a hatred I had never seen before.

This was different.

For the first time in my life, I felt threatened by my own younger sister.

I wanted to tell her I never asked for any of this. That I had been dragged here because our parents decided I was easier to sacrifice.

But I was too tired.

My body ached, my neck burned, and my mind was still trying to understand how one night could destroy so much.

The eldest elder raised his hand.

“That is enough. The ceremony is over. Everyone return to your homes.”

The crowd slowly began to move.

Whispers followed me from every direction.

Aria’s parents hurried toward her. My mother grabbed her arm while my father tried to speak to her. She pulled away, still staring at me.

Then they took her with them.

I remained where I was.

Unlike Aria, I had nowhere to go.

This was my home now.

Or at least, that was what everyone expected me to believe.

I was the Luna of the Blackridge family now.

Deucalion walked past me without saying a word.

He did not look at me.

Not even once.

I followed him with my eyes until he disappeared into the house.

Something inside me sank.

I had become his mate tonight, yet I had never felt more alone.

There were hundreds of wolves around me, servants inside the mansion, guards at every entrance, and a powerful family behind those walls.

Still, nobody felt like coming to meet me to congratulate me, not that I needed it though.

Everyone avoided me.

Everyone looked at me like I was something that had been forced into their lives.

A servant approached.

“Luna Malia, please come with me.”

I nodded.

I followed her upstairs without saying anything.

When I reached the room, I shut the door and stood there for a moment.

Then I looked down at the ceremonial gown.

My hands trembled as I pulled it off.

I hated the way it felt against my skin.

I hated what it represented.

I walked toward the mirror.

The mark on my neck was red and swollen.

I touched it. Pain shot through me. I quickly pulled my hand away.

My wolf whimpered. Something was wrong.

The bond was there, but it was weak. Like a thin thread stretched between Deucalion and me, painful whenever I tried to feel it.

“This isn’t right,” I whispered.

My wolf agreed.

I stared at my reflection.

Maybe it was because neither of us wanted this.

Maybe a bond could not settle when two people entered it with resentment instead of love.

Then his voice returned to my mind. ‘You are not her.’

I closed my eyes. I could still feel his rejection. But what hurt more was thinking about Aria.

How could I be threatened by my own sister?

She had looked at me like I had stolen her entire life.

If my parents had not valued her more than me, I might have disciplined her.

But I knew the truth.

She was furious because she wanted Deucalion. And I was standing where she believed she belonged.

I felt sorry for her.

More than I wanted to admit. I wanted to leave this house.

If I disappeared, maybe Aria could come here and have the life she wanted.

Maybe everyone would be happy. I climbed into bed, but sleep refused to come. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Aria’s face.

I finally slept sometime before dawn.

When I woke, sunlight had already entered the room.

I barely remembered sleeping.

The moment I stepped into the hallway, I heard whispers.

“Is She the new Luna?”

“She is not the woman he was supposed to marry.”

“Did you hear what Aria said?”

“I heard she stole her sister’s place.”

I kept walking. So everyone knew. Of course they did.

By the time I reached the dining room, I had already heard enough.

Deucalion was sitting at the head of the table.

His parents were there too.

The moment I entered, the room became silent.

Their presence was overwhelming.

I could feel the power of their Alpha wolves pressing against the room. It was not something ordinary wolves could ignore.

For a moment, I felt small.

Then my wolf rose inside me.

I was powerful too.

Not as powerful as them, perhaps.

But I was not weak.

I pulled out a chair and sat down. Deucalion barely acknowledged me.

His mother looked at me. “Good morning, Malia.”

“Good morning Luna.”

Deucalion continued eating.

I looked at him. “Good morning Deucalion.”

Nothing.

Not even a glance. His mother noticed. “Deucalion.”

He finally lifted his eyes. “What?”

“You should at least acknowledge your mate.”

His jaw tightened.

He looked at me for two seconds before looking away again. “I have acknowledged her.”

His mother frowned but said nothing.

The silence returned. Then Deucalion spoke. “Does your mark still hurt?”

I touched my neck. “Yes.”

His expression changed slightly. “Mine does too.”

I looked at him. “You feel it?”

“Yes.”

He looked irritated, almost as if the pain were my fault.

“Why hasn’t it settled?” he asked.

“I don’t know.”

“Neither do I.”

Neither of us spoke again. I didn’t mistake his question for concern.

He was worried because the bond was wrong. That was all.

Later that evening, I made my decision.

I could not spend my life trapped in a marriage where my husband could barely look at me.

I walked to the Blackridge Luna’s room and knocked.

“Come in.”

I opened the door.

She looked up from the papers in front of her. “Malia?”

“I need to speak with you.”

She immediately noticed something in my face. “What happened?”

I stepped inside and closed the door. “I want to end this marriage.”

Her eyes widened. “What?”

“I want to come out of this marriage my parents tied me to.”

She slowly stood. “Malia, you cannot simply—”

“I can.”

My voice shook, but I did not back down.

“Your son doesn’t even look at me. He clearly doesn’t love me. I don’t love him either. So why should we stay trapped in this?”

She stared at me.

I took a breath.

“This marriage only started yesterday. There is still time to stop it.”

She said nothing.

I looked directly into her eyes.

“I want out.”