002 The Wedding

Gwyneth

I arrived home late in the night, naked. I crept into my room and curled in the corner. My tears had fallen so freely that my eyes were swollen. With the way Alpha Marcus spoke, I figured my father had no choice. I couldn't believe the man could be that cruel to deliberately want to waste my life away. What was I going to be doing as his wife? What kind of Luna would I be? How would the pack respect me when he did not seem like he intended to give me any respect? I knew running away would be selfish, so I sat there and cried. My life was over before it started. I walked to my vanity table and took out my book of dreams, and began to flip through it. I had hoped to be so many things. An unwanted wife, and luna wasn't one of them. I wanted to become a doctor. I also wanted to be able to fight and protect my pack. I had trained for it. I would have been the first female Delta in my pack before Alpha Marcus came and ruined everything. I saw where I had described how I wanted my marriage to my mate to be like, and I realised that was a dream that would never come true. This was unfair. Alpha Marcus had a mate once, and she had died. This asshole had put me in a position where I would have to reject whoever the moon goddess blesses me with. I would never experience the mate bond. I became angry and started to rip out the pages of the book.

I scattered my room. My wolf tried to calm me down, but I wasn't having it. I was tired, and I was angry. My life had finally come to an end. I curled up on the floor and cried some more before falling asleep.

My father woke me gently the next day. I honestly wished I had died in my sleep, but I didn't tell him because I did not want him to feel worse than he already felt.

"I am sorry, little one," my father said, hugging me, "I wish I had another solution," he said, and I could feel the pain in his voice. This was a difficult situation for him.

"I am not mad at you, daddy," I told him, trying to ease his pain. He was going through a lot. All my father's life, he had had to give up something for the sake of peace. He had given up being Alpha so that the pack won't split up. His brother, who was our former Alpha, had made him Delta to reduce his power. It never bothered my father. My father was a strong advocate for peace, and he lived by example and now this.

"I am not mad at you, daddy," I repeated, and he held me tight.

"You have to be strong, my child. I learned Alpha Marcus isn't a nice man," he said to me, and I didn't want to tell him that I knew already, so I just nodded.

"Please get dressed. The wedding will be taking place in the evening." My father said, and my wolf wanted to jump out of my body and start to run, but too bad for her, Leah and I were stuck together. She couldn't get rid of me, just like I couldn't get rid of her. We would both have to deal.

"Why so soon?" I asked my father confused.

"He said you confronted him yesterday." My father said in response to my question, and he did not need to explain the rest. I knew what the bastard was doing. I must have pissed him off, and he must have wanted to deal with me and restrained himself from acting on his anger.

"Get up dear, Ms. Ginger is here to help you get ready for the wedding." My father said and helped me to stand. I honestly did not want to look pretty for the wedding. I couldn't care less. I didn't mind wedding the bastard in my pyjamas, just to show him how much I hated him, but I knew my father wouldn't allow it.

I took a long shower and cried some more. I had just unknowingly spent my last night in my father's house. Leah was right. We shouldn't have gone to confront the bastard. But I was hurt and angry. I thought when he saw me, he would change his mind. My actions had only brought about the opposite effect. It had sped up the wedding date, and I was very hurt and angry.

I stood under the shower until the hot water ran out, and I had no choice but to leave the bathroom.

Ms. Ginger came to give me some beauty treatment. I had only four hours to get ready, and at the rate she was going, I doubted if we would be ready by then.

"You need to cheer up, dearie," Ms Ginger said, working on my nails, and I ignored her. It was easy for her to say. She wasn't the one that was nineteen years old and being forced to marry a man that she did not love and did not love her.

"Easy for you to say," I said, and her smile dropped. She looked at me with tear-filled eyes.

"My heart goes out to you, and we all know you are doing this to make sure we don't get killed. I honestly wish the bastard could find another way, but he insisted. Everyone is sad Gwen, and I wish none of this had happened. If only your uncle did not antagonise and plot against Alpha Marcus, we would still have our pack intact. My mate died in that fight before he could claim me. I am forty years old Gwen, and my life will never have love unless the moon goddess smiles on me a second time. I understand your pain." she said, and I began to fight the tears in my eyes.

"It's okay, dearie, you can cry. It is just us here," she assured me, and I broke down completely.

Time passed, and I was numb. I refused to look at myself in the mirror when Ms. Ginger finished. She pleaded with me to look at myself, and I simply refused to do it. She soon gave up and excused me. My father came into my room after she left to take me to the garden where the wedding would be taking place.

We arrived at the venue at five in the evening. People were in attendance, most of them were my pack members, and they were in tears. Alpha Marcus's security team stood around, and judging by the venue, you could tell that it was last minute arrangement. The music was played from a jukebox, and a lot of thought was not put into consideration. So many things were off, but I didn't care. It was not meant to be a fairytale wedding anyway.

The moment my father and I stepped on the makeshift aisle in the garden, the place went silent. I noticed men drooling at me, but I didn't care. The wedding gown was quite revealing. Although long, the lace did not cover much. I learned that Alpha Marcus had sent it himself. I felt naked even though I was dressed.

Alpha Marcus wasn't at the wedding. Instead, it was the brown-haired guy that was at his house. I frowned when I saw him and asked my father what was happening.

"He is representing Alpha Marcus. He couldn't make it. He is busy at the office." My father replied, and I felt completely humiliated. The guy should have at least had the decency to show up at his wedding. I had never witnessed such a thing in my life. This was the first.

The wedding was rushed, and there was no reception. The brown-haired man took me to the Alpha's house and showed me to one of the rooms.

"How do I change my outfit?" I asked him, and he told me to wear the slacks that were in the wardrobe. I figured my marriage to Alpha Marcus wasn't going to be conventional. Who wears slacks on their wedding night?

Realising I wasn't sent to the master's bedroom, I figured I would be sleeping alone, so I decided to shower and sleep in my underwear. My wolf remained silent all through. I cried a bit and then fell asleep.