Chapter 1 Last Wish
Evangeline,
"Mr. Goodwill, I have a very absurd request to ask." Grandma Sarah, bedridden for a few months since she moved to our village, held my father's hand firmly.
"Let your daughter marry my grandson, Bryan."
Silence fell across the room. My heart skipped a beat, the sound echoing loudly in my ears. My eyes moved to Bryan, my boyfriend of six months.
He lowered his head, his face turning red.
My father, however, looked confused. His expression crumbled almost instantly. "Mrs. Sarah, they are only fifteen. How could I let them marry at this age? They haven't even gotten their wolves yet."
She nodded weakly.
"I know. I understand what you are thinking. But I want to see my grandson marry such a loving daughter you have, Mr. Goodwill. I don't think I can survive another week. There is nothing I have ever wanted for myself. I raised my grandson all by myself, and seeing him get married to the girl he likes... that is all I wish for as my last wish."
Dad shifted uncomfortably and looked at me. I couldn’t read his expression, but I slowly reached for Bryan’s hand.
His hand was sweating profusely, a sign he always showed when he was anxious.
I held his hand firmly, smiling at him.
For a brief moment, I noticed Mom standing near the doorway. She wasn’t looking at me. Her eyes were fixed on Grandma Sarah, her lips pressed tightly together, as if she wanted to say something but chose not to.
Bryan and Grandma Sarah had moved to our village last year. Because of her health condition, Bryan was often unwell too. He was skinny, almost fragile, timid and reserved.
As for me, I had been born overweight, struggling with low blood pressure and constant fatigue, which meant I had to take a large amount of medicine and eat more than others.
So, we were both bullied by our classmates. And one thing led to another, and we ended up falling for each other.
"What do you think, Evana?" Dad’s voice came soft, almost too soft.
I glanced at Grandma, who looked fragile, and then at Bryan, the shy boy who barely held my hand willingly.
If something happened to Grandma, maybe Bryan would be able to stay with me. Dad and Mom loved him enough. If he became my legal husband, he could move in.
We could play together, go to school together, and this time I could sneak out with him without being punished. It sounded like a pretty good deal.
I took a deep breath and looked up. "I want to get married to him, Dad. I want to become his family."
The words left my mouth faster than I could truly think them through. Well, I didn't understand what Marriage meant anyway, Hehehe.
As long as we could do anything together without my parents nagging all the time.
Bryan’s eyes widened in shock and disbelief. Dad’s expression, however, remained tight.
"Do you even understand what marriage is?"
"Yes," I said cheerfully. "I will be with Bryan all day. Like Mom and you."
Dad’s jaw tightened slightly, and for a second, he glanced at Mom again. She gave a small nod, but her fingers twisted the edge of her scarf over and over.
"What do you think about it, Bryan?" Dad asked, ignoring my excitement.
Bryan’s hand trembled as he glanced at me, his earlobes turning red. "If it makes Grandma happy."
Dad rubbed his forehead. Everyone in this village knew about Bryan’s situation and the unfortunate future ahead of him. He had no parents, no relatives. Except for us, he had no one.
Dad had no real alternative to consider.
"The problem is, we take marriage very seriously here. If Bryan marries my daughter, he has to mark her as well. And it’s risky. They’re still young. What if they change their minds?"
"We will leave it up to them," Grandma said weakly. "Here, in this village, they cannot cross boundaries. Except for holding hands, they are not allowed to do anything beyond that. Now they are entering adolescence, their emotions are changing. They might cross the line. What will happen then?"
Dad fell silent.
It was true. Here, our bodies were considered sacred. We were expected to restrain ourselves from any sinful act that could lead to consequences like unexpected pregnancy, single parenthood, or betrayal.
Both the he-wolf and the she-wolf had to be legally bound before anything else.
Other than that, we were free to date, to spend time together properly, with manners.
No one would punish you for breaking the rules, but it would still make you feel lesser than others.
"Mr. Goodwill," Bryan’s voice shook as he stepped forward, "I will always be good to her. Please don’t worry. I love her."
My heart jumped. My face burned when he said he loved me. A sharp, eager anticipation for the wedding spread through me.
Dad looked at me, then nodded slowly. "Fine. I will discuss it with her mother and the village leader. We will see if we can arrange something quickly."
"Thank you," Grandma Sarah said, her voice filled with relief.
After that, everything became blurry.
I was over the moon. I spent the rest of the day with Bryan, talking about how we would place our desks together to study, how we would finally sleep in the same room after playing games.
Bryan listened, blushing constantly, nodding at everything I said.
The next day, in the presence of the village head and several moon priests who instructed us, we signed documents I could not fully understand.
At the top, I could only read: Marriage Contract.
"Dad," I asked, "in movies they say Marriage Certificate. Why is this called a contract?"
Dad glanced at the paper. For a moment, he didn’t answer.
Then he said, "Life isn’t a movie, sweetheart. Don’t worry about it. We will handle it. Leave it to the adults."
But there was something in his tone, as if he was convincing himself more than me.
I noticed him speaking quietly to one of the moon priests afterward.
"Are you certain?" he asked under his breath.
The priest replied, "It has already begun."
When Dad turned and saw me watching, he gave me a smile that did not quite reach his eyes.
I didn’t think much of it. There were many things I didn’t understand. My heart was too full of excitement.
I ran to Bryan. "It’s fun," I grinned. "Mark me now."
Mom and Dad stood beside me as we prepared for the marking. I had always been curious about the mark on Mom’s neck.
It fascinated me.
Mom gently moved my hair aside. "It will hurt a bit, so stay strong. Don’t pass out again."
Her fingers lingered on my shoulder a second longer than usual.
I nodded, clutching the hem of my dress. I had already taken my medication earlier. I would be fine.
The mark was a sharp bite from Bryan on my neck. At first, I felt nothing.
Then his teeth sank deeper.
Pain exploded through me, spreading like wildfire beneath my skin.
For a split second, it didn’t feel like Bryan.
The warmth that followed was too sudden, too deep, as if something beneath my skin had responded to him.
I almost passed out when Mom grabbed my arm. "Drink it. It will help."
Her voice trembled slightly.
I gulped it down without thinking.
For a brief moment, I saw Dad take a step forward, his hands clenching, before he forced himself to stop.
The women around me watched with concern, but also something else—anticipation.
"At least Bryan will have a home after his grandmother’s passing," one of them said softly.
"Yes, it’s better for him to have a family of his own."
Their words made me feel at ease.
At least now, no one would scold us for playing games together in my room.
That night, I walked into the small house with a bouquet of flowers.
Grandma Sarah smiled warmly. "Look how beautiful she is."
Bryan nodded shyly, holding my hand.
Dad lingered near the door longer than usual. "If anything feels strange, you tell us immediately," he said.
Mom added quietly, "Don’t ignore it, Evana."
I frowned slightly, but before I could ask anything, they stepped away.
I touched my mark. It felt like a bite mark. But Mom's was a Cresent shaped. Even Aunt Zara had that mark. But mine felt like a normal bite mark.
Maybe I wasn't an adult.
Bryan and I went to his room. " I am going to defeat you tonight. For sure!" I smirked,
"Remember, only one hour of games," Grandma reminded us.
As soon as she said it, we rushed inside and grabbed the console.
"Damn, we should have gotten married earlier if we knew we could play for an hour," I laughed, sitting on the couch.
The herbs had worked quickly.The pain in my neck had almost disappeared. I touched it absentmindedly.
Our teacher said after being marked, people usually get fever. But I felt alright.
"Ye-Yes," Bryan muttered. "Are you alright? Does it hurt?"
He was looking at me a little too intently before quickly looking away.
"No, it’s nothing. It just stings a little. Mom said I would feel weird around you, but I don’t," I said, tilting my head.
"It happens when we get our wolf. Not now."
"Really?" I shrugged. "Who cares? Let’s race."
He nodded quietly.
I pinched his cheek, "My shy husband."
At that time, I didn’t know that my young heart would face the biggest betrayal the very next morning, turning the entire reality upside down.
