★ELOWEN★
The wedding date was set immediately after lunch.
November fourteenth.
It was already bad enough that I was being married against my will—thrown into the arms of a dangerous Alpha to protect the prized child of this household. What made it worse was that I was not even being married as myself, but as someone I despised deeply.
A sigh escaped my lips before I could stop it. I shut my mouth at once, but Father and my stepmother, with whom I sat in the backseat, had already heard it.
"You do not sigh when elders are present, Elowen."
My gaze remained lowered upon my knees.
"I apologize."
They said nothing further, and I appreciated their silence.
It allowed me to look out the window and admire the passing scenery on the way home. Being rarely allowed outside the house, the gothic beauty of Romania's towns—the ancient houses, the towering trees, the winding streets—held my attention for a while.
Yet before long, a pair of mismatched eyes and hair as black as midnight intruded upon my thoughts.
Ever since I stepped into Valeric Castle earlier that day, I had found myself wondering about Alpha Azrael's strange eyes. One blue. One red. Each suited his pale skin and stern features in its own haunting way.
He was beautiful.
No—gorgeous.
I had never before seen a man so handsome, nor one whose presence carried such intensity and command.
No wonder his previous wives had not survived long after their marriages.
The memory of the way he had looked at me returned vividly.
It had felt as though his gaze had been peeling me apart, piece by piece—searching for something hidden deep inside me.
Searching for the secret I carried in my soul.
The secret being that I was not Mira.
I was not the bride he believed he was going to marry.
I stopped myself from sighing again just as our vehicle approached the estate gates.
When Clive drove through the entrance and parked the car, I waited for Father and my stepmother to exit first before stepping out myself.
Mira was already waiting on the front porch, her eyes wide with anticipation.
"Papa! Mama! Did it go well?" she asked quickly. "Did the King notice anything? Will she get to marry him?"
"Calm yourself, Mirabel," Joy said sharply. "Asking so many questions at once is not very ladylike."
Mira bowed her head slightly in apology.
I remained standing a few steps behind them.
"Yes, it went well," Father replied, placing his arm around Mira's shoulders. "The King noticed nothing. Elowen will be married to him on the fourteenth."
At his words, they all turned to look at me.
Mira's lips curled into her familiar wicked smirk.
Soon after, Father and Joy went inside the house, leaving the two of us standing alone at the porch.
"You do not look well," Mira said with a mock sigh as I climbed the stairs and approached her. "Do not look so pitiful. I am sure Alpha King Azrael is handsome, is he not?"
"Perhaps," I replied, raising one brow. "But what is the point of being with a handsome man if you will not live long enough to appreciate him?"
My worry, anger, and sorrow slipped through those words before I could restrain them.
Mira only laughed.
She turned and walked into the house without another word.
I clenched my fists and took several slow breaths to calm myself before following her inside.
One thing I was strangely grateful for was that I had begun eating better recently.
After all, they could not possibly send the "prized bride" to the SinBound Pack looking thin and malnourished.
When I finally reached my small room in the servant quarters, the thought of running away crossed my mind.
I considered it seriously for several minutes.
But even I knew such an attempt would be futile.
Romania was not large, and the territory of the SinBound Pack was smaller still. The world might be shared between humans and werewolves—though most humans remained blissfully ignorant of our existence—but escape would not carry me very far.
Running away did not seem like the wisest choice.
I sighed quietly as I removed the dress I had been wearing and hung it carefully against the wall.
For a moment, I simply stared at it.
I had never worn anything so beautiful in my life.
And it saddened me to know I had worn it for a man who would never truly appreciate it.
★
November fourteenth arrived far sooner than I wished it had.
At times, it felt as though the world itself wished to be rid of me as quickly as possible.
Three maidservants with whom I usually cooked and cleaned banged on my door in the early hours of the morning. Joy followed close behind them.
I sat up immediately, remembering what day it was.
They did not allow me much time to think.
I was quickly ushered into the bathing room, where they washed my body and brushed my teeth with brisk efficiency.
It felt scandalous, and yet strangely luxurious, to have others perform even the simplest tasks for me.
Once finished, they led me back into my room.
Joy stood at its centre, watching silently.
Her eyes slowly travelled over my naked form.
After a moment, she gave a short nod.
The maidservants quickly wrapped me in a robe before we all followed Joy into another chamber—one far grander than my own humble quarters.
Father was already waiting inside.
He smiled at me in a manner that might have seemed warm had I not noticed the calculation hidden within his eyes.
"Do not fear, my dear," he said lightly. "Only a small number of people will attend the wedding."
As though that were the thing I feared most.
Father nodded once to Joy before leaving the room.
Then the preparations began.
I was seated before the vanity table.
Alia—one of the maidservants—began by dabbing powdered cotton across my face. Once she finished, she continued with my neck, shoulders, and arms.
She applied only the faintest trace of makeup, explaining softly that the Valeric family preferred natural beauty.
I nearly laughed at that thought.
They should see the real Mira, then.
Alia gathered my hair carefully, twisting the dark strands into a tight and elegant updo before decorating it with delicate beads and slender pins.
Though she knew I did not wish for this wedding—though she knew this entire thing was a lie—she still worked with gentle care, making me appear effortlessly beautiful.
When she finished, I was left staring at my reflection in the mirror.
But not for long.
I was soon pulled to my feet and positioned at the centre of the room before the wedding dress laid out upon the bed.
The gown was enormous.
It looked as though it might swallow me whole.
The maidservants wasted no time dressing me in it, securing the fabric around my waist, arranging the skirts, fastening the veil into my hair, and slipping my feet into the delicate wedges prepared for me.
Joy circled me slowly, like a predator examining prey that had already been caught.
"Perfect," she declared at last.
"You look perfect."
It was the first compliment I had ever heard from her.
"We should leave soon. The wedding begins at ten."
She clapped her hands once and left the room as though this were a joyful celebration.
As though Alpha King Azrael had knelt before me in love.
Alia looked at me quietly, her expression filled with silent encouragement.
If I somehow managed to survive this marriage even for a single week…
I promised myself I would take her away from this poisonous household.