No Mate for the Ceremony

Diana POV

The cathedral doors flicked open, throwing a blinding ray of sunlight down the long aisle.

High-ranking wolves from both packs turned to look at me, their eyes were on me as I took my first step forward. To them, I was just Diana, the daughter of the mistress, draped in white silk, marching dutifully toward her fate.

At the end of the altar stood Alpha Zack, looking devastatingly handsome in his dark ceremonial regalia. He crossed his arm over his chest, wearing a smug, triumphal smirk.

Standing just behind him in the front row was Melissa, looking like a proud, benevolent saint. Her eyes shone with fake tears of happiness for her poor helpless step-sister. 

My gaze shifted to Alpha Leen Lancaster. He was alive. He wasn't the broken, erratic, mentally unstable shell of a man I remembered from my past life. He sat tall, his powerful Alpha aura radiated through the cathedral. His eyes carried a deep, hidden sorrow as he watched me approach the altar. 

“This time, I will protect you.” I thought as I stepped down the aisle with grace. 

With every step, the image of my lifeless baby on a freezing dungeon floor burned behind my eyes. The agonizing memory of my wolf being sealed with silverbane echoed in my soul.

I owed no loyalty to anyone! Not even my mother who abandoned me when I needed her the most.

As I reached the center of the altar, Zack extended a gloved hand toward me, his smirk widened. He expected me to take his hand and submit to a lifetime of rejection and misery. Instead, I stopped in my tracks.

A great silence fell over the cathedral as Zack’s hand froze in mid-air. His brow furrowed slightly fracturing his perfect, arrogant facade. 

"Diana?" he whispered, his voice dripping with a warning undertone. "What are you doing? Step forward."

I looked down at the cascading bouquet of fresh white roses in my hands, the very flowers meant to celebrate a union built on my impending murder. A cold, lethal smile spread over my face. I opened my hands, like I wanted to take his hand. The bouquet tumbled down, hitting the marble floor with a thud. 

The crowd gasped as petals scattered across the aisle. Melissa’s eyes widened in horror. Evelyn's face turned pale. Even Alpha Leen leaned forward, his sharp eyes narrowing as he gripped the armrests of his chair.

"Diana! Pick up the bouquet and take my hand. Do not embarrass me in front of my pack,” Zack gritted, his Alpha aura flaring in a desperate attempt to command me, and force me to my knees. But I withstood him. He did know I had gone through hell and death, and his aura was the least thing that could pin me down now.

I chuckled and turned my back completely against him. My heavy, silk wedding train swirled around my ankles as I faced the congregation. I took the first step, and another, and another as I walked back down the aisle, completely ignoring the frantic, rising whispers in the hall.

My eyes were locked onto a single, imposing figure sitting in the very back row, draped heavily in dark furs and black leather, Alpha Aldric Raven. He is a ruthless, and formidable ruler of the Raven Pack. Not only that, he is Zack’s most despised rival. What a sweet denial it would be, to reject Alpha Zack and fly into the arms of his rival.

In my past life, I had stubbornly turned Alpha Aldric away. Until the very end, I was completely blind to the fact that he was the only one who would weep for me in the dark.

Aldric sat perfectly still, his powerful frame radiating a dangerous aura. As I approached, his striking eyes tracked my movement, burning with intense fire.

He didn't look shocked like the others; he looked as though he had been waiting a lifetime for this exact moment.

I stopped right in front of him, the white silk of my gown brushed against his boots. "Alpha Aldric," I said aloud, my voice echoing through the silence of the cathedral. 

"I need a true partner, one who knows how to keep his enemies at bay. Are you interested in a merger?"

A deafening gasp rippled through the hall. Zack’s voice roared with fury. "Diana! What do you think you are doing? Guards, seize her! She has lost her mind!"

Aldric swirled up from his seat, towering over me. His massive frame completely shieled me from Zack's sight. His eyes found mine, and with a wicked smirk spread across his lips, he responded, "A merger? If Lady Diana seeks an alliance, the Raven Pack accepts.” His hoarse voice sent sparks shooting straight down my spine. 

He extended his arm. I smiled and without hesitation, I took his hand in an handshake. 

Over his shoulder, I looked back at the altar, Zack’s face had turned shades of purple, his claws extending as his guards hesitated to carry out his orders. They terrified to step up against Aldric. 

Melissa looked as though she was about to faint. Evelyn’s hands tightened on her gown, her eyes darted toward Alpha Leen, who had stobod up from his seat, staring at me with profound shock.