Rivers
Morning came far too quickly, sooner than I had expected, and I couldn't feel any more broken or shattered than I already did as I stood reluctantly before the dressing mirror.
My eyes were red and bloodshot, my lips swollen from crying the entire day. As I stared at my reflection, I couldn't help but imagine how different my life could have been, if my parents were still alive, if I had my wolf, if I had been anything other than this version of myself.
"You don't need those tears. You're only ruining the makeup," Deborah, the makeup artist hired for the day, cautioned with a voice filled with poorly concealed disgust. She didn't even try to hide how much she resented being here, forced to attend to me while still bound to obey her Alpha's command.
The door opened then and Luna Cassandra stepped in with her hardened, unreadable glare. "What's keeping you, Deborah? The chariots are ready, and you don't expect the entire crew to be waiting for a nobody?"
"I'm sorry, Luna," Deborah stuttered, pausing whatever she was doing. "It's just that she keeps shedding tears and ruining my hard work," she scoffed.
And that was the bullet needed as Luna Cassandra covered the distance, glaring at me through the mirror, her eyes burning fiercely. "Those tears don't have the time. Keep them until you meet your husband-to-be. Maybe he could eventually have pity on you and spare your life for up to three days." She hissed as she turned towards Deborah.
"Get her dressed and outside in the next minute. Honestly, she might as well meet her doom without any makeup at all," she snapped before turning on her heel and leaving, the door slamming loudly behind her.
Not long after, Deborah forced me into a long, flowing corset gown. It wasn't particularly beautiful or elegant, but faint embroidery lined the rounded neckline and stretched along the long sleeves that covered my hands completely. A small slit ran up the right side, just enough to reach my knee, at least walking wouldn't be entirely impossible in something so long and heavy.
The gown clung tightly to my fragile plump frame, squeezing my ribs so harshly it felt like it was draining the breath straight from my lungs. There was no doubt Deborah had tightened it with deliberate cruelty, ensuring every breath I took came with discomfort. When I tried to protest, asking her to loosen it, she only sneered and reminded me it was Luna's direct order.
I bit down hard on my lip, swallowing both pain and pride as I was led outside toward the line of waiting chariots. They stretched out before us in silent order. The first carried the Alpha, his Luna, and their daughter, Fiona.
The second was filled with guards assigned to protect them. And the final chariot, isolated, distant, was meant for me alone, with no one beside me.
My breath hitched as reality came flooding in all at once. My eyes flew across the entire packhouse I had once cherished and called home, at least shortly after my parents' demise, before Uncle Anthony was assigned leadership. Memories flooded my mind, old and new, each one heavier and more painful than the last.
What hurt even more were the stares, cold, judgmental, unyielding, from the pack members, the omegas, even the elders who had gathered to witness this moment.
Most of them wore satisfied smiles, their expressions filled with quiet approval. A few looked indifferent. Only a small handful showed the faintest trace of pity, and even that felt distant.
I sniffed softly and climbed into the chariot, accepting what had already been decided for me. This was my fate, what they believed was best for both me and the pack.
"A disappointment and a curse have no place in our pack. She's better off being married off. At least this way, the pack gains something from her existence after eighteen years." That had been the elders' final declaration.
A tear slipped free, and this time I didn't bother stopping it. It trailed down my cheek, followed by another, until they stained the blue fabric of my gown in uneven, dark patches.
The chariots began to move, and before long, a dull ache spread through my head. My vision blurred, fading in and out as exhaustion dragged me under. When we finally came to a stop, I barely managed a shallow breath, relief mixing with the strange sensation of my strength slipping away.
That was normal for one as weak as I was, with no wolf, no proper meal, and worse, embarking on a journey this far with no taste of water or even a drop, as Luna Cassandra had ordered no one should give me food or water since I had resorted to drinking the waters from my eyes instead.
When I stepped down from the chariot, the cold evening air hit my skin so hard that it felt like I was frozen from the inside out.
"You don't have all day to tag along, you pathetic lowlife," I heard Fiona's voice from behind me. I don't even know how she managed to come behind me.
She hissed and turned to meet her parents ahead, but not until she finally drove the nail deeper. "At least one would finally breathe in fresh air for a long period of time."
"Pray it never chokes you up," I muttered under my breath. She caught it, of course she did, and started to turn back, but her mother's voice stopped her. "Fiona, darling, come look at this," Luna Cassandra called.
I exhaled slowly, forcing down the surge of anger as a guard motioned for me to move.
Ahead of us stood a grand structure, imposing and breathtaking. From the outside, it looked like a blend of ancient and modern architecture, with towering roofs and walls etched with dark, unfamiliar symbols.
The gates were forged from blackened steel, detailed with intricate patterns that matched the markings on the building. Everything about it felt powerful… and strangely familiar.
The guard led me away from the path taken by the Alpha and his family, guiding me instead through a quieter passage that ended at a pair of large steel doors.
They pushed them open and ushered me inside.
The room beyond was richly adorned, filled with polished ornaments that caught the dim light. A chandelier hung overhead, casting a soft glow across a wide central platform. Behind it stood a woman, leaning lazily against the counter, watching my every move.
It resembled a waiting room, though far more elaborate than anything I had ever seen. The guards positioned me to the side before turning to leave.
"Stay here," one of them said flatly. "Do not move."
"And don't even think about leaving this room," the other added, his deep voice echoing as they exited, leaving me alone under the woman's scrutinizing gaze.
I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do, but something about the room, about being brought here, about the very air I breathed, told me exactly what this place was meant for.
And then suddenly… It happened.
It came without warning, like a snap, like a curse awakening.
A scent filled the air, freshly cut wood mixed with a sharp hint of citrus. It was intoxicating, overwhelming, impossible to ignore. It flooded my senses, wrapped around me, and for the first time in my life, my body reacted in a way I didn't understand.
My lips parted, my breath hitched, and something deep within me, something weak yet awakening, stirred to life.
A voice, soft and certain, echoed inside my mind.
"Mate."