Chapter 8

I stared at myself in the mirror wearing the wedding dress. It was long with an enormous train, completely white and covered in precious stones, with a sweetheart neckline and a diamond-encrusted tiara on my head. My black hair fell in waves around me, with a few braids woven into it.

All day long, the palace had been filled with servants rushing from one place to another, all busy with the preparations for the wedding of the princess and Commander Chase. The ceremony would be held in the hall of the south tower, where the church was located. A priest would perform the ceremony, and after the two of us signed the marriage contract, everyone would proceed to the great hall, where a grand wedding celebration would be held.

I really wasn't prepared for this, but what choice did I have?

The door opened, and the queen herself came to escort me to the south tower. I rose from my chair and looked at her.

"Did you come to make sure I won't run away on my way to the church, Your Highness?" I taunted.

"Is that a possibility, Helena?" Hera asked.

I didn't answer. I looked at her as she wore a blue-toned floral dress with a high neckline and sleeves that reached her elbows. Her hair was pulled back into a single braid, and her crown rested delicately on her head. The color of her dress matched her eyes. I walked past her without saying a single word, hearing the rustle of her dress as she followed me. Her guards were waiting for us in the corridor, and so I was escorted like a prisoner to the church, where I would be bound forever to a devilish man like Commander Chase.

When I reached the church doors, Hera took her place beside the king. I looked down the long aisle of the church, and every face turned to look at me. The church was decorated with numerous flowers, and it gleamed from how thoroughly it had been cleaned. I walked toward the altar, where the groom was waiting for me.

I looked at John Chase, the commander of the Raven Island, and when our eyes met, I couldn't decipher his reaction to seeing me, and that bothered me because once again, that warning sense inside me sounded an alarm. Like an avalanche, several thoughts rushed into my mind at once.

Then I remembered what Dimitri had called him.

Alpha.

But what did that really mean? And he had said that he was an alpha fighting against humans...

I pushed those thoughts away. I had to be going crazy.

When I reached the altar, the commander extended his hand for me to take. Reluctantly, I took it, and he led me to his side as the priest began the ceremony.

I didn't hear a single word the elderly priest said. I had a vague sense that he was talking about the sacred institution of marriage, which was a terrible joke. What could possibly be sacred about forcing a woman to marry a complete stranger?

I stared at the commander, who maintained a serious posture, his eyes fixed on the priest and his endless monologue. Then, after a few minutes, we knelt before him. Our hands were tied together with red ribbons, and we were blessed.

When we turned to face each other, I knew it was time to say those words.

The priest spoke, and the commander repeated after him, his eyes fixed on mine.

"From this day until the day of my death, I promise to love you and keep you safe. Today, I take you under my protection and accept you as my legitimate wife. I promise to honor this vow until my final days on this earth."

The priest looked at me and nodded, then spoke the words I was supposed to repeat.

"From this day until the day of my death, I promise to love you and keep you safe. Today, I place myself under your protection and accept you as my legitimate husband. I promise to honor this vow until my final days on this earth."

As tradition required, I bowed and lowered my head before him to symbolize the wife's submission to her husband. After a few seconds, he lifted me back up and kissed me on the lips.

My entire body tensed, and my heart began to race. Then I saw a subtle smile appear on his face.

We were led to the great hall where the celebration would be held. As we walked, the commander wrapped his arm around my waist, and once again, my heart began to race.

"You're beautiful," he murmured in my ear when we were already inside the reception hall.

I looked at him. His black eyes were as assessing as always, scrutinizing every part of me, and his hand was still firmly around my waist, leaving my body pressed against his. When I looked at his face, I thought about the last time I had seen him, in that cramped room, lying on a bed with accusing eyes watching me. Shame spread across my face. I felt my cheeks burn as I remembered the humiliating scene I had been part of, and I could no longer look him in the eyes.

"What is it, Helena?" John Chase asked, pulling my face toward him with his fingertips.

When I looked at him, my vision was becoming blurry, and I was horrified by the possibility of crying in front of him. So I slipped out of his arms and, without thinking about what I was saying, spoke:

"I'm very tired. I would like to lie down."

When I said that, I saw in his eyes exactly what he thought, and what it would look like to everyone else. Tonight would be the night the marriage was consummated, and part of me fell into complete panic at the thought of being in the arms of the man who had killed Cristhofer, but another part of me wanted to get it over with.

"You don't need to rush," he said, and before I could answer, several nobles came over to congratulate us on our marriage.

After we were left alone at our table, I looked at the commander.

"Let's get this over with, Commander Chase," I said.

He stared at me with that assessing gaze again, then leaned forward and took a sip of wine.

"Why?" he asked, looking at me.

The air between us at the table suddenly became intense. I could see the uncertainty in his eyes, which were now suspicious. He was silently questioning me. When I shifted in my chair, I noticed that he was paying attention to every movement I made, like a predator.

"Why stay here when we can be alone?" I murmured, quietly enough that only he could hear me.

He had been sitting across from me at the table, but when I said that, he stood up and sat beside me. He turned his chair toward me and, with one hand, turned my body toward him. His hands rested firmly on my thigh, but fortunately, the dress was thick enough to prevent any real contact.

As he rested his hands over the dress, he leaned closer until his face was only inches from mine. I froze at his proximity. His gaze dropped dangerously to my lips, and for the first time, I realized how handsome his face was—perhaps the most handsome face I had ever seen in my life. His gaze left my lips and settled on my eyes. He was close enough for me to smell the wine on his breath when he spoke:

"Why are you in such a hurry to have me inside you, Helena?"