Standing in an unfamiliar room, soft ambient light filtered through sheer curtains. It was a packhouse I had never entered before, yet it felt strangely intimate, like a scene straight out of a dream. As I turned to gaze at my reflection in the tall, ornate mirror before me, I was captivated by the sight of myself in an exquisite white satin and lace wedding gown. The fabric shimmered like moonlight, hugging my figure elegantly and flowing gracefully to the floor. My hair cascaded in lush curls down my back, and the makeup enhanced my features to a breathtaking degree, transforming me into something almost transcendental. It was hard to believe that I was really me. I slowly walked to the window to watch the ocean crashing against the rocks outside. I hadn’t seen it since my mother was alive when she would take me on the three-hour journey to the beach, a place where I felt completely happy as a child. After my mother was forced to mate with Vincent, my stepfather, it was the only time I ever saw a smile on her face. I could never forget it. I heard someone knocking on the door, and as I turned around, it swung open to reveal a packhouse maid standing there. She was an older woman with a steely gaze. “They are waiting for you downstairs,” she announced, her voice cold and demanding. With a deep sigh, I turned to face her and glanced at my reflection in the mirror one last time before walking past her. She closed the door behind me and began walking in front of me. She led me down the stairs and through a much larger packhouse than Vincent’s. I was beginning to understand why he wanted this alliance; Alpha Landon had much more to offer than Vincent did. As soon as we arrived at the ballroom, the large doors closed, and I soon saw Vincent walking up beside me. “Are you trying to embarrass me? Why the hell did you leave your groom waiting so long? You’re only making me look bad,” Vincent said through gritted teeth. “Look at me, Vincent. Do you think a look like this comes together in just ten minutes? I was getting ready for this damn wedding,” I snapped back at him. But he grabbed my arm and swung me around in front of him. I could feel his claws digging into my skin as he held me in place. “I still own you b***h. You’re wrong if you think marrying this loser will change that. You are mine, and that will never change. I can still do whatever the hell I want to you.” He growled, only inches away from my face. Before long, two men walked through the doorway from outside, and Vincent finally let me go. They were clearly warriors, but they remained stationed outside the double doors. As soon as the music began, they opened the doors. I gazed into the ballroom, where hundreds of people stood beside their chairs on either side of the aisle. Taking a deep breath, Vincent moved ahead, practically dragging me into the room. It wasn’t until I was halfway up the aisle that I finally spotted my groom. He stood next to the officiant, dressed in an all-black suit. He had brown hair and a goatee, with his shoulder-length hair pulled back into a man bun. His expression mirrored mine; he definitely wasn’t happy about the wedding either. The ceremony was incredibly brief, which I was grateful for. Cheers erupted from the crowd like thunder, ringing out in triumphant celebration. As we walked back down the aisle, the soft murmur of departing guests faded into the background until we reached the start of the aisle once again, where I had begun with Vincent. Once the heavy doors gently closed behind us, sealing away the remnants of the ceremony, we could hear the guests being ushered out a side door toward the reception. We didn’t have much time to ourselves before a woman walked through the front doors of the building and informed us that everyone was waiting for us outside in the reception area. At that moment, Landon finally looked at me and noticed that I was struggling to breathe and trying to steady myself. He paused for a few seconds before heading out of the room, and I had no choice but to follow him around the side of the building. One of his men, whose name I didn’t know, grabbed the microphone and introduced us as we entered the reception area, greeted by another round of applause from the crowd. It was then that I realized I didn’t recognize anyone in this pack besides Vincent and his men. So I took a glass of sparkling champagne, and strolled toward the edge of the cliff that overlooked the reception area. The ocean roared against the jagged rocks below, each wave sending plumes of frothy white spray into the air. The salty breeze tousled my hair, and as I scanned the rugged coastline, a thought struck me: there had to be a hidden path leading down to the secluded beach. I heard footsteps approaching from behind, so I turned to see Vincent’s head warrior, Cooper, walking up beside me. I then turned back to the stunning view of the ocean. “Vincent is an asshole for doing this to you,” Cooper said. I just scoffed in response. “Out of everything Vincent has done to me, this is nothing,” I said. Cooper shook his head. “Hey, none of that was your fault. You couldn’t stop him,” I added. “I know. Have you healed from last night yet?” he asked. “Not yet,” I replied. “Well, please be careful. Just remember, if that guy does anything to you, all you have to do is call me. I’ll be here in a heartbeat,” Cooper said. I knew he had always had a crush on me, but I didn’t know how to respond at the moment so I turned to face the reception area and noticed that not only Vincent but also Landon was staring at us. It was strange; Landon almost looked jealous, even though he was surrounded by women from the pack who were too close to a man who had just gotten married. “I appreciate that, but you better walk away from me right now,” I replied and walked away before he can say anything more. Everyone was enjoying cocktail hour outside the packhouse, but this only lasted for a little while before we were ushered inside to the dining room for our reception dinner. The space was breathtaking and had been meticulously decorated for the wedding celebration. The soft glow of candlelight flickered against elegantly draped tables, illuminating the delicate floral arrangements that burst with color and fragrance. Landon and I settled into our seats at the head table, which was beautifully adorned with flickering candles and gleaming cutlery. Meanwhile, laughter and chatter filled the room as our guests gathered around their own tables. I caught Landon’s gaze again as it shifted down towards the crimson stains on the sleeves of my dress. It was obvious what the stains were, and being a werewolf, he would have been able to smell the blood. However, he didn’t say anything about it. He also noticed that I wasn’t leaning back in my chair. My back was still very tender from the beating I had received from Vincent yesterday. I sat up straight, careful not to lean back and give him a reason to ask what was wrong. He was the last person I wanted to know what was really going on in my life. “I hope you’re aware that this wasn’t my idea. So don’t expect a typical marriage. This marriage is just a piece of paper,” Landon said. “Believe me, you definitely weren’t my first choice either. So you don’t have to worry about that,” I replied, taking another drink of champagne. I finished off that glass and signaled for a waiter to refill it. “How many glasses is that?” he asked. “Are you counting?” “I couldn’t care less. But you do seem to drink a lot.” I snickered as I started cutting into my food. “You don’t need to worry about me. I can handle my alcohol. If you see me walking around with a bottle of whiskey, then you might want to be worried.” I said, not looking at him and ignoring his reaction. “I want you to know something,” Landon said, not looking at me. “What’s that?” I asked. “I would never have chosen a wolfless human as a mate or wife,” he replied, sitting there and staring at me, waiting for my reaction. “Well, I guess that’s your problem now,” I said, taking another sip of the champagne. Trying to hide the smirk on my face. “Vincent never mentioned anything like this about you.” He said. But I turned to look at him with a raised eyebrow. “And you’re surprised? Why? No one should believe anything that Vincent says.” I said. “You don’t sound too fond of him.” Landon said. “Are you?” I asked. But he just looked at me strangely before he turned back to his meal. Pondering what I had just asked him and realizing that it was probably stupid to agree to anything that Vincent had suggested for this alliance.