Chapter 1 The Wedding

Lara

I stared at my reflection with a satisfied smile on my face. My pale blond hair looked even paler and my blue eyes popped.

This was it.

It was the moment I had prepared for all my life. To be the next Luna of Silver Pack. Some would be scared. Some would say it’s against their wish. Surprisingly, I could never have asked for a better destiny. Call it being smug but this, this was the perfect life I wanted and only dreamed about.

“Luna.” One of the handmaidens attending to me called respectfully and I looked at her and figured she wanted to apply a bit of powder on my face so I closed my eyes and let her do her work.

Luna.

The name I have been unofficially called ever since I turned 18 and moved to the Alpha’s palace. My betrothed was to become the Alpha in a month. A date fixed by the seer so the marriage had to happen before.

“Luna, your dress.” Another called and I looked at the dress she was holding up and fawned in admiration. It was a simple sky-blue dress made of silk. The colour was so light that it might have even looked blue under a different light condition.

I stood up and stepped out of the tiny nightwear I had been wearing. The maids helped me into the wedding dress which hugged my slightly curvy frame perfectly. I grinned happily. It couldn’t get any better. The maids covered my head with a white veil and left. I turned to look at the full mirror behind me. I didn’t feel nervous or the anxiety I have always heard about. I just felt..

Normal.

Like this was every other day of getting dressed in a fancy outfit and going to meet people. The door opened slowly and I saw my father walk in carefully. My heart warmed as he smiled at me. We rarely saw each other ever since I moved to the palace and now, I was getting married.

“Papa.” I moved quickly and hugged him which he returned with a tighter grip of his own. He still smelled the same. Of old wood and cinnamon. A smell that was once the only thing that could make me sleep.

“Are you ready?” He asked when we finally pulled away. I nodded vigorously suddenly feeling like a toddler ready for her father’s approval. He nodded his head and opened his right hand. “Let’s go.”

Together, we left my chambers and headed outside. The chatter was loud and the music too. The entire pack wanted to witness the moment. The spiritual bond of the future Alpha and the Seer’s daughter. As we got to the grand doors, a loud drum was hit and in seconds, no voice was heard. Someone cleared their throat and began a solemn song that was sung during special occasions.

The grand doors opened and Papa and I stepped out. I heard some people gush about how beautiful I looked and it made my ego skyrocket. Even though it was a compliment I heard all my life, I could never get tired of it. As we walked down the aisle, I raised my head slightly and saw Jacob at the other end giving me a polite smile.

People often talked about how lucky I was to be mated to him because of his good looks but everyone in the Stone family, even distant relations was blessed with it. He stood tall beside his father, the Alpha but the Luna was nowhere to be seen.

As we got closer, I was suddenly hit by a wave of emotions. The locked-in fear and anxiety came in full force. My hands shook a little and Papa tightened his hold on me in comfort.

“Say the word and we will stop here.” He whispered to me and I almost burst out in tears. I shook my head and he nodded as we finally made it to the altar. Papa stood on one side as the old priest stood up. He looked at the dark sky and we all saw that the trifecta red moon was almost fully out. The only moon that binds the Alpha of the pack to his mate.

“Let’s begin the rites.”

He began muttering a few words and placed my hands on Jacob’s. Jacob’s hands were calloused and rough probably from years of battle. As the rites continued, I looked at the faces around and everyone looked in awe. Some women even shed a few tears making me cringe. The priest finally stopped and looked up. The red moon was becoming brighter.

“Now we wait..” he said. My hands were still on Jacob’s and I realized that in a few minutes, we would be bound together for life.

A very clear sound of an arrow cut through my thoughts, passed between Jacob and me, and landed right beside the priest’s head. At first, no one said a word but when the second arrow came everything broke into chaos.

What in the Moon spirit?

We were under attack!

Today out of all days. Tonight out of all nights. Before we knew it, screams were heard and a number of houses were set ablaze. I looked at papa ik alarm and he gave me a sign I knew all too well. I quickly muttered the protection spell he taught me as a child and let out a shaky breath. He gave me a reassuring nod and I felt a bit relieved.

The Alpha started giving out orders to the guards and everyone dispersed to find the cause of the threat. Within seconds, the guards that were sent out began to run back inside the palace premises. Jacob looked at them in confusion.

“What's the problem?” He barked and one of the guards pointed at the entrance. Everyone let out a collective gasp as we watched the traitor prince march confidently into the palace he turned his back on years ago.

“I’m not interrupting anything important, am I?”