Forsaken Bride

NOVA’S POV

My stomach clenched as I stared at the mirror, my eyes darting to the small bump in my abdomen as I admired myself in my dress.

This was the day I had been waiting for. The day I would finally get married to the love of my life, Alpha Ethan, the Alpha of the Crimson Park.

As I walked down the hall to my seat at the high table, I could hear their comments and snide remarks.

“Eww, why would the alpha of this park even want to be mated to a lowlife omega like her?”

“She’s such a cheap skunk, I bet she seduced the Alpha and got him to sleep with her; that’s why she is carrying his baby.”

“Such a loser,” another one said to my hearing as I walked past them.

“Parricide,” another said. “You should be killed and not get married to our Alpha.”

“She disgusts me.”

The insults continued as I walked down the aisle to the high table, and I did everything in my power to keep myself from crying, even though tears stung the back of my eyes.

I never thought I would make it through the entire walk to the high table, but when I arrived, I was relieved, only to find out that my chair was missing from the table. I looked around in confusion until my eyes fell on the former Luna, the alpha’s mother. I quickly diverted my gaze from her, hoping she didn’t see me.

“What?” Luna Celeste barked at me when she noticed me staring at the empty spot where my chair should be. “Did you really think that I would let you have a space at this distinguished high table?” Her voice was loud enough to be heard by a few people who were standing close to us, and they roared out in jabbing laughter, mocking me.

I swallowed painfully, my throat too tight to speak.

“It’s already bad enough that you got my son to get you pregnant, but I would rather die than have a wolfless omega like you have a seat on this high table,” she said, her nose wrinkling in disgust. “You are not even worthy to touch my feet, let alone sit here with my distinguished guest. Now run along and take a seat at the back where people like you belong, while we wait for this dreadful program to come to an end.”

She leaned closer to me, her manicured fingers resting on the table as her lips curled to the side with disdain. “You are nothing but a gold-digger, and if it weren’t for the heir to the throne that you were carrying in that womb of yours, I would have had the guards lock you up.” She leaned back into her chair, still wearing her contemptuous look. “Get out of my sight, you disgust me.”

With the last shred of dignity I could muster, I turned and briskly walked out of her sight, my mind trying to block out all the insults and mocking laughter I received on my way out.

I exhaled loudly as my body crashed against the railing on the balcony where I had retreated to get away from their torments. I closed my eyes, focusing on my deep breathing as I tried to recall the reason I was making myself endure being mated to a cruel alpha like Alpha Ethan.

Although I have had this unbearable crush on him since the first day I laid my eyes on him, the only reason I agreed to this union was because I couldn’t let this child in me come into this world as a bastard. Not when he or she should be treated like royalty. If I didn’t endure the torture, then the same fate that had befallen me was bound to befall my child. And I couldn’t let that happen.

His voice whisked me off my thoughts. I looked around me, noticing that I was still alone on the balcony, until I looked up and saw him on the balcony above me, his back turned to me as he spoke to someone. I looked closer and discovered that he was speaking to his Beta, Jasper.

“I can’t let that happen,” I heard him say, his sharp voice piercing through the night.

With the help of the distant street lights, I could make out his countenance. Tight jaw, clenched teeth, brooding face, and darkened eyes.

It was obvious that he wasn’t pleased about something. However, Alpha Ethan was never pleased about anything.

I drew closer, eager to hear the conversation he was having. The next thing I heard broke my heart.

“I can’t let her get married to him. She is my fated mate and the only person I love.”

“Well, there is nothing we can do about that,” Beta Jasper said. “You are getting married to someone else today, maybe it is best that you let her go.”

“Let her go,” he bellowed. “Draco would be throwing a feast now, celebrating that he played a fast one on me. I can’t let him have her.”

“So what do you plan to do about your marriage to that thing?” Beta Jasper asked.

Alpha Ethan scoffed. “I am only getting married to that piece of shit because she is bearing my heir. I plan to discard her after she gives birth. The thought that I even lay with someone like her had me sick to my stomach, and the sight of her there, in that hall, waiting for me to make our union official, made me want to throw up. The only person I love is Aubrey, and I am going to get married to her before that bastard Draco gets married to her.”

I blinked several times, forcing a hard lump down my throat and wishing I wasn’t here to hear all these things he had to say about me.

Just as I turned to get back into the building, I kicked something, and the sound it made caught his attention. I quickly hid behind the pillars.

“Who is there?” he asked, looking over at where I was. “Who is there?” he repeated, his voice more furious than before.

I heard some movements, and I could tell that he was coming around to where I was.

“You better show yourself if you don’t want to suffer the punishment of defying your alpha’s orders.”

My heart was beating fast when I slowly moved out of the pillar, making my presence known.

He let out a short snort. “It is only you,” he said, his tone laced with disgust. “I take it that you heard everything I said earlier,” he said, striking a pose and folding his arms on his chest.

I swallowed mildly and then nodded my head.

“You should know my marriage to you is nothing but…” he began to say.

“You don’t need to explain yourself,” I said, interjecting. “I understand. You should run along and do the needful. You don’t want her tying the knot with someone else before you get there, do you?”

He scoffed, tilting his head to look at me. “I never for once thought you would have any sense in you. This once, you have proved me wrong,” he said, running a hand down my hair and staring dreamily into my eyes, like he wasn’t just about to betray me.

I hated the reaction my body gave under his touch. Under his mesmerizing emerald eyes, I was mush.

This was the reason I was in this mess in the first place.

That night, just one look into his eyes was all it took to break my defenses, and then weeks later, I was stuck with the consequences of my actions.

“I will see you when I get back,” he said and then disappeared from me.

The torments began when he returned a few days later with a new bride by his side, waving to everyone, while I sat at the chapel tower watching them exchange vows during their engagement ceremony.

A few hours after he announced the date he would tie the knot with his new bride, while the music was still playing loud in the pack house, I found myself perched on a large stone a few miles away from the pack, my mind whirling with thoughts about my life.

I couldn’t stay inside the pack house. Not when I was ridiculed at every corner, everyone I met was eager to remind me how much of a loser I was, and how they were grateful that the alpha came to his senses and decided to discard me.

“What is a beautiful maiden like you doing out here alone?”

The voice startled me to my bones, and I would have almost knocked myself over if not for the strong hands that held me in place.

I looked behind, and I was shocked to find the eyes of the notorious Alpha Draco glaring down at me.

I flinched away from him, struggling to stand to my feet. I took several steps away from him.

The last thing I needed was to be seen talking to him. I couldn’t risk adding an enemy to the pack to the list of names I was known for in the pack.

“I take it that you already know who I am,” he said in a deep voice that made my toes curl, a smug grin spreading thinly on his face.

“You shouldn’t be here,” I said, looking around me to make sure no one was in sight, my voice cracking badly.

“I am right where I need to be,” he said to me, taking a few steps closer to me.

“I don’t understand,” I said, blinking rapidly.

“I came here for you, Nova.” My body tensed. How the hell did he know my name? “Your alpha stole my bride from me, and I think it is only right that I return the favor. So, I am here to ask you to marry me.”