Sera's POV
I force my feet to move.
One step. Then another. The aisle stretches forever, and every eye in this massive hall burns into me. The whispers follow me like ghosts.
Cursed.
Won't last the night.
Poor thing doesn't even know what she is.
My hands shake so badly I have to clasp them together to hide it. I won't look weak. Not here. Not in front of all these strangers who already think I'm broken.
At the end of the aisle, he waits.
The Alpha King.
My breath catches when I get close enough to really see him. Kael Nightfang isn't what I expected at all. The stories made him sound ancient and scarred, a monster in human skin. But he's young maybe late twenties. Tall and powerful, with dark hair that falls across his forehead and eyes the color of storm clouds.
He's devastatingly handsome.
And he's looking at me like I'm a chair someone placed in his way.
No emotion. No interest. Nothing.
I reach the altar and stand beside him. He doesn't acknowledge me. Doesn't even glance down. Just stares straight ahead like I don't exist.
The humiliation burns hotter than my father's slap.
The priest begins speaking, his voice echoing through the silent hall. I don't hear the words. My heart pounds too loud in my ears.
The vows, Your Majesty, the priest prompts.
Kael speaks in a voice as cold as winter. I, Kael Nightfang, Alpha King of the Seven Kingdoms, take you as my wife and Queen.
That's it. No promises. No warmth. Just facts stated like he's signing a business contract.
Everyone looks at me now.
I... My voice cracks. I clear my throat and try again, louder. I, Sera Ashwood, take you as my husband and King.
The words taste like ash.
By the power of the old laws and the moon above, I declare you married, the priest announces. You may seal the bond with a kiss.
This is it. The moment every bride dreams of.
Kael finally looks at me.
His storm-gray eyes meet mine for exactly two seconds. In those two seconds, I see nothing. No warmth. No curiosity. Not even disgust. Just... emptiness.
Then he turns and walks away.
Just walks away.
Down the altar steps, past the front row of nobles, out the side door.
Gone.
I stand frozen at the altar, alone, while hundreds of wolves stare at me in shock. The whispers explode like fire.
Did he just
He left her!
I've never seen
My face burns. My eyes sting with tears I refuse to let fall. Not here. Not in front of these people.
A woman approaches me, her dress blood-red and her smile sharp as knives. She's beautiful in a dangerous way, with dark red hair and eyes that measure me like I'm prey.
Welcome to Night haven, little Queen, she purrs. I'm Lady Morgana. That was quite the wedding ceremony. Historic, really. The first time an Alpha King has walked away from his own bride.
She laughs, and several people around us join in.
Try not to disappoint him too badly, she adds, then sweeps away, her laughter trailing behind her like poison.
I want to run. I want to scream. I want to disappear into the floor.
Instead, I stand there like a statue, not knowing what to do.
A hand touches my elbow gently.
Come on, a kind voice says. Let's get you out of here.
I turn to see a woman in warrior's clothes leather armor and weapons at her belt. She has short dark hair and warm brown eyes that don't judge me.
I'm Tessa, she says quietly. Captain of the Guard. I'll take you to your chambers.
Did he really just leave? I ask, my voice barely a whisper.
Yes, Tessa says honestly. No sugar-coating. But don't take it personally. The King doesn't trust anyone. Come on.
She guides me out of the hall through a side door. The moment we're in the corridor, away from all those staring eyes, my knees almost give out.
Easy, Tessa says, steadying me. You're doing fine.
I'm a joke, I say. He didn't even look at me.
He looked at you, Tessa corrects. Trust me, the King notices everything. He just doesn't show what he's thinking.
We walk through endless corridors. I try to memorize the turns, but everything looks the same. Cold stone. Torches. Shadows.
Why did he marry me if he hates me? I ask.
Tessa glances at me. He doesn't hate you. He doesn't know you. This was a political alliance. Your father's pack Controls Mountain passes the King needs.
So I'm just a bargaining chip.
Most royal marriages are, Tessa says, not unkindly. But that doesn't mean it has to stay that way.
We stop at a massive door carved with roses and thorns.
These are your chambers, Tessa says. She pushes the door open.
The room beyond is huge. A four-poster bed big enough for five people dominates the space. There are sitting areas, a fireplace, and doors to other rooms.
It's beautiful.
It's also completely empty of any sign that someone else might share it.
Will he... will he come here tonight? I ask, dreading the answer either way.
Tessa's expression turns sad. No. The King has his own chambers in another wing. He'll probably keep his distance. He's good at that.
Does he always walk away from his wives? The question comes out bitter.
You're his first wife, Tessa admits. But yes. He keeps everyone at arm's length. Has since... She stops herself.
Since what?
That's not my story to tell. Tessa squeezes my shoulder. Get some rest. Tomorrow will be easier.
She leaves, closing the door softly behind her.
I'm alone.
In this enormous room. In this cold fortress. In this life I never chose.
I walk to the huge bed and sit on the edge. The mattress is soft. The blankets are silk. Everything is perfect and expensive and empty.
My husband didn't even kiss me.
Didn't speak to me.
Didn't look at me.
I'm married to a stranger who acts like I don't exist.
The tears finally come. I cry for the first time since my father slapped me, letting all the pain and fear and humiliation pour out.
When I'm done crying, I stand up and walk to the mirror.
My makeup is ruined. My eyes are red. But underneath all that, I see something I didn't expect.
Anger.
Not the sad, hopeless anger of a victim. Something hotter. Sharper.
I came here expecting to be crushed. To be destroyed like everyone said I would be.
But I'm still standing.
And suddenly, I don't want to be the broken girl everyone expects.
I want to be something else. Something that makes the Alpha King regret walking away from me.
A knock on the door makes me jump.
My Queen? A servant's voice, nervous. There's... there's someone here to see you. She says it's urgent.
At this hour? After everything?
I open the door. A cloaked figure stands in the hallway, hood pulled low.
When she speaks, her voice is ancient and cracked. The Moon has chosen you, child. You think you're broken, but you're just sleeping. And when you wake up...
She reaches out and touches my forehead with one cold finger.
Pain explodes through my skull. Images flash silver light, wolves bowing, my mother's face, power crackling through the air.
I gasp and stumble backward.
When I look up, the old woman is gone.
But on my forehead, where she touched me, my skin burns like fire.
And in the mirror behind me, just for a second, my eyes flash silver.