Larissa: Welcome To Hell!

For three relentless months, I'd braced myself for the day I would marry Mark Wilder, the formidable Alpha of the Starlight Pack.

I never imagined the ceremony could look so enchanting, especially when the marriage itself felt like a cage; my father had traded my future for an alliance.

Whatever fragile hope I carried was shattered the instant we stepped into the bridal chamber. Mark slammed me against the wall, his broad palm flattening against my collarbone as his fingers clamped around my chin, forcing my face up to his.

My knees wobbled, useless and weak, while I stared into the storm of his dark‑blue eyes. The emotion swirling there was winter‑cold. No tenderness, only contempt. His upper lip curled in a predator's half‑smile, but the cruelty in his gaze never thawed.

He savored my panic, drinking in every rasping breath as though I were a fish flopping on dry land, struggling for its final taste of life.

"W-Why are you hurting me? If you want to touch me... please, be gentle..."

My voice broke as he tightened his grip, as if trying to shatter my jaw with his bare hand.

I clamped my lips shut, swallowing the cry rising in my throat, hiding the agony that flashed across my face. My teary eyes silently begged him to let go.

But he only squeezed harder.

I screamed. But only inside my mind.

A thousand thoughts crashed through my mind. This man is my husband. My husband. So why did he look at me like he wanted to crush the life out of me, not hold me close and dearly?

I trembled beneath his gaze, frozen in place, suffocating in the silence that stretched between us like a noose.

And just when I thought I couldn't take the pain any longer, he leaned in. His lips curled into a cruel, mocking smile; one meant to hurt, not comfort.

"Stop dreaming!" he snarled, his voice low and venomous. "I will never fuck you! You are slut! Unworthy for my fuck!"

His face hovered inches from mine, his breath hot against my skin. With every inhale, it felt like he was stealing the air from my lungs. My chest tightened, and the world spun.

He wasn't just angry. He hated me.

My eyes blinked rapidly as I stared into his devilish gaze. Pain clawed into my chest, burrowing deep into my bones as his disgust sliced through me like a blade. 

I wanted to speak, but his oppressive aura gripped my mind, freezing every thought, silencing every word.

"Listen," he growled, voice cuts like a dagger. "I'm marrying you to make your life a living hell."

A wave of murderous intent surged from him, slamming into me like a tidal wave. I shuddered, breath catching in my throat.

His words shattered whatever strength I had left. My anxious expression crumbled into terror. I swallowed hard, the lump in my throat refusing to go down, my mind spinning with the weight of his cruelty.

Gathering what little courage I had left, I asked him steadily, "I know you don't love me. You married me out of duty. But why accept me if you didn't want this marriage? Why do you want me to suffer?"

A cold smirk twisted his lips. His eyes, sharp and merciless, never looked away.

"Because," he said darkly, "you, Larissa Colter, are going to pay for what you did to my Luna... Brittany."

His words hit like a thousand nails to the chest. My world cracked open into darkness.

Brittany.

Memories I had buried clawed their way back with relentless force—the haunting incident from last year, the one that tore my life apart and left nothing but ash.

Back then, my older sister, Brittany Colter, had taken me to the Forbidden Forest to help awaken my wolf.

Yes, awaken.

I was the only werewolf in the pack without a wolf, a shameful secret my family kept buried from the rest of the world. My father, Gelael Colter, was a Gamma leader, and if anyone found out, the entire pack would mock us, disgrace us.

But what was meant to be a secret, hopeful journey turned into a nightmare.

That night, Brittany was killed by a rogue wolf ambush.

Despite her incredible strength, she couldn't survive against a dozen rogues alone. She fought like the warrior she was, but in the end, she gave her life to save mine.

To this day, I still curse myself for listening to her, for running when I should have fought by her side.

And from that moment on, I became the girl who lived when Brittany, the pack's beloved future Luna, died.

My family never forgave me.

And neither did Alpha Mark.

They wished it had been me. Brittany was strong, admired, and destined to lead. I was... nothing.

"You will never take Brittany's place in my heart or this pack, Larissa!" Mark roared.

Then he hurled me to the ground like I was worthless. My body slammed against the cold marble floor with a brutal crack, the icy impact stealing the breath from my lungs.

A painful groan escaped my lips, breaking the tense silence that filled the room.

I looked up at him, eyes bloodshot, face twisted in agony and disbelief.

"I never wanted to replace her," I whispered, voice shaking. "And I never wanted to marry you. This was your deal with my father, not mine. So why are you blaming me?"

Smack!

His hand lashed across my cheek like a bolt of lightning.

The sting was instant, searing through my skin like molten iron.

I was too stunned to scream.

Tears streamed down my face, hot and silent. But I didn't look away.

I didn't fear him.

I despised him.

And worse...

I hated myself for ever letting him near my heart.

"You're the one who wanted this marriage! Don't lie to me, Larissa Colter!"

Mark's voice exploded in the room. It echoed in my ears like a storm crashing through my skull. He was furious. I could feel it in every trembling breath he took. But I didn't care anymore.

I clenched my fists, holding in the scream rising from my shattered heart. Fear ran through my veins the moment I tried to stand my ground. His sinister glare locked me in place, a silent threat that froze me to the core.

"Remember this," he spat, his voice low and dangerous. "Don't ever leave this room unless I say so."

With one final look, cold, hateful, and burning with disgust, he turned on his heel and stormed out.

BANG!

The door slammed shut behind him, sealing me in this prison of silence.

Every fragile flicker of hope inside me was snuffed out.

I crumpled onto the freezing marble floor, curling into myself, clutching my chest as though I could hold the pieces of my soul together.

A suffocating despair wrapped around me, squeezing tighter with every second.

I gasped for air, but all I inhaled was pain. Tears poured down my face, hot and endless.

"What should I do?" I choked out. "Moon Goddess... why did you link me to someone who only wants to torture me? Is this my punishment for Brittany's death?"

I wanted to run. Desperately. But terror weighed me to the ground. What if Alpha came back? What if his rage grew worse?

And even if I escaped... where would I go?

I couldn't return home. My father would kill me without hesitation. He'd bet everything on this marriage, believing that if I became Luna, my brother's future as the next Gamma leader would be sealed.

"Father... forgive me. I failed you. Alpha will never mark me as his Luna." My voice cracked with grief. The words tasted like blood.

And somewhere deep inside, fury began to stir.

Mark never intended to love me. He married me for vengeance. For cruelty. For control.

The pain in my chest tightened until I could barely breathe.

My vision blurred. My thoughts snapped.

And then, darkness began to pull me under.

Welcome to hell, Larissa!