Here comes the bride!

Zeno

I'm ready. I think. 

The big day is here, the milestone for the whole pack and my father: for everyone but me. Today, I'll be trapped in a loveless marriage with another man. 

Not that I've ever thought about marrying a man, but the thought of my partner's gender doesn't bother me as much as the thought of who I'm marrying. 

In our society, it's relatively common for same-sex partners to tie the knot. What isn't so common is getting married to a soulless, heartless killer who wanted to slaughter your entire pack unless you agreed to marry him. 

At the end of the day, my odds were between this man and a possible war, so I had to choose the least dangerous of all worst. I may be giving up my life and pride to that man, but at least I'm saving hundreds of lives as I do. 

A light knock on my bedroom door startles me, and seconds later, it's opened wide enough for my father to poke his head in. "Zeno, son, are you ready yet? The guests are arriving; even some of Rogue Alpha's men have gathered," a sad smile spreads across his lips as he notices me standing in front of the mirror. Opening the door a little wider, he enters the bedroom and closes the door behind him. "You look handsome."

I wish I could look happy and thank him for the compliment. I wish I had the talent to pretend and play this spectacle for him. But I can't. I can't force myself to act- we know this isn't my happy day. 

Unfortunately, by the time I leave the comfort of my bedroom, I'll have to put on the mask of the happy groom. The pack can't find out this is a part of a vicious deal for the sake of their safety. If a rumour gets around, the rest of the Alphas will find out I'm siding with an enemy, and that will bring massive consequences. God, help me pull this off. 

"I think I'm ready. Has the Alpha arrived yet?" I swallow the lump forming in my throat and get busy adjusting the tie. 

"I couldn't tell." Father walks up to me and helps me with the tie. Actually, mom would do it, but her health has deteriorated, so I assume she's back in her chambers resting. 

Thoughts of my mother cloud my mind until father tugs at the tie around my neck. All of a sudden, my brain kicks into high gear, and I think of his previous words. "What? Wait, haven't you met him yet?"

He chuckles and shakes his head, "Not really."

"Father? Is there something you forgot to mention?" I raise an eyebrow, but all he does is force his lips into a thin line and stare at me. I ignore any need for a neat hairstyle and run my fingers through my hair. "I'm the Alpha of this pack, remember? There's no need to remind me that you were an Alpha before I took my place; like it or not, it's part of the past. I'm the present and future of Silver Moons. I respect you and your choices, but you have no respect for me, either as a son or an Alpha. I've overlooked the fact that you made this deal behind my back, but from now on, I won't tolerate disrespect. Spit it out, father." As I speak, I grow more frustrated than I've been in years. 

I don't want to be like this- a spoiled, disrespectful brat, but he has no right to go behind my back. One thing my father can't seem to comprehend is that since the day I took over, he has no rights. None at all. I make the rules decide what's good and what's not, and I'm definitely not the one to be left in the dark. 

He averts his gaze to his feet, "We had a meeting, but I don't think the Rogue Alpha was in the office with me." His voice is a mere whisper, and the once-powerful Alpha now looks like a scolded child. 

"What's that supposed to mean?" I start pacing the room. 

There's no way he agreed to this stupid, outrageous deal without having a chance to meet the man, is there?

"They were all wearing masks," father shrugs.

I don't get it. For the last two days, he's acted like his world has fallen apart, but now he's so carefree- I don't know him. So the whole deal with the Rogue Alpha is huge, but selling away his only child is a small sacrifice now. 

I raise an eyebrow again. There's something really fishy about everything he says. "And you couldn't tell which one had the strongest aura?"

I watch as father steps away from me and eyes the bedroom with nothing but suspicion. Could this mean he thinks I'm hiding a camera here? He walks over to my bed, sits down, and finally looks at me. "One of them caught my eye, but he didn't say anything, and for the most part, he stood aside. I thought he was a bodyguard for one of those men." 

Now, he's annoying me. There are so many factors that could point to the Rogue Alpha, and he still failed to notice them? "Size difference? I heard he was born under the Hades moon, so that should give him out even in a massive crowd. Those Alphas are over seven feet tall, so that's a massive giveaway." I point out the most obvious thing.

He seems to be thinking before his gaze returns to the floor again, "Well, it doesn't help that his army is mostly made up of Alphas from Hades Moon, does it?"

"Yeah, I guess it doesn't." I retort and head for the door. 

There's no need to question him any longer. My father has aged, and I get his memory may be worse than it used to be. I don't wait for him and walk straight to the living room of our packhouse- that's where the ceremony will take place. 

As if my day couldn't get any better, as soon as I walk downstairs, I notice a commotion in the far corner of the room. As I get closer, I see a massive man dressed in black with a black mask covering his face. Yet, the part that piques my interest isn't his giant figure or the dangerous aura surrounding him- it's one of my pack members he's holding in a deadly grip, pressing against the wall. 

"What in the world is going on here?" I finally hiss, drawing everyone's attention to myself. 

Another male dressed the same as the intruder jumps in front of them and throws his hands up. "Look, guys, here comes the bride!"