FORCED WEDDING

“Is this a joke or a mockery? Why did nobody tell me you’re wolfless?”

Thane growled at River, his red hair standing on end, his grey eyes turned yellow as his wolf strived to come out.

“No wonder, I could not smell you. You really are wolfless?”

Enthralled by Thane’s bright red hair and his eyes that changed colors, River was giddy at his beauty, showing even in his anger and in spite of his disability. Her heart melted a little more at the sound of his voice, though angry, it was music to her ears.

“I will call off this insulting alliance.” Thane declared.

River placed her hand on his and smiled at him.

“Your father said you don’t need an energetic mate presently, just a good companion. How about we try out this companionship for some time? If it doesn’t work, we can always nullify the alliance. I can run away to the capital, if it will make you happy.” River suggested, determined to stay in Lunar pack and unravel the mystery of her lineage. There was a task waiting for her, which she could not do at Nightshade pack because it was not yet full moon. She would free her wolf and access her powers.

“Okay, I agree. But we will sleep in separate rooms, and live our lives separately. We will only pretend to be a couple in public, especially before my father. He is desperate for a grandson, let’s keep up the act whenever he is around. Deal?” Thane asked, expecting River to back out due to his harsh conditions.

“Deal.” To his surprise, she grabbed his hand and shook it gently before heading inside. Thane suddenly felt lonely, as if River should come back. But he shook his head. He would not allow a wolfless being into his life, not after Axel’s betrayal. Her rejection still hurt him, he would rather spend his life alone, nursing his wounds, physical and emotional.

The days that followed were hazy, lost in a maze of preparation and ritual. River had never been one for shows of ostentation, and this marriage was no less than some big, scripted play, wherein every player played their part but herself. She hardly knew the woman staring back at her from the mirror. Her hair was piled high, with innumerable threads interlaced within it, and her dress was billowy, long, and elegant. But all that silk cloaked the woman who had not changed: unloved, unwanted, unseen.

Faces blurred in a mesh of smiles, soft lips, and indistinguishable murmurs of conversations. Thane sat in his polished wheelchair beside her, his gaze distant, stance stiff. There was no warmth between them, not as yet.

The vows were exchanged, but the words themselves didn't exactly make it past her ears. All she gained was the understanding that now they were bound, that this marriage was real, and there would be no going back. She hadn't looked at Thane when they vowed to each other, yet she knew his eyes on her were heavy with weight and full of something. Pity? Resentment? Or maybe just that helpless feeling that filled herown heart?

But it was during that first kiss as man and wife that something stirred inside River, which she had not expected; a spark of what might have been hope.

For a moment, there was even the sense that maybe things would be all right. The kiss was soft and tentative, the first kiss between two strangers learning to trust each other. When they pulled apart, she caught a glimpse of something in Thane's eyes; a vulnerability, a softness that took her breath away and made her wonder if maybe, just maybe, they could find something between them. But it quickly disappeared before she could be certain of it. That was part of their agreement, right? The kiss was just for show, she concluded.

It wasn't until later that night, when all the guests had left and the house finally got quiet, that River found herself absolutely alone in the grand hall, still dressed in her wedding attire and crinkling with each movement because she just couldn't bring herself to take it off.

She wasn't waiting for anything or anyone, at least she didn't think so. A sign, maybe, that this wasn't just some kind of long nightmare from which she couldn't awaken.

A screech sound behind her interrupted her thoughts, and turning, she saw Thane approaching in his wheelchair. He looked more tired than she had thought he would be, his face drawn with weariness.

“Can't sleep either?" she asked, trying to sound casual, though her tone betrayed a hint of tension.

Thane shook his head. "No."

River didn't have any response to that. Neither was she in the mood for small talk, and so the silence stretching between them felt thick; a storm waiting to break.

"I'm so sorry," Thane said, "I didn't want you to feel this was some kind of burden. I never wanted for you to be bound into this my brokenness."

River moved closer toward him. "You didn't trap me, Thane. I was already trapped the moment my father decided I was a pawn in his game. We're both stuck here.”

Thane just stared at her, evidently trying to make sense of this bizarre little creature seeming to invade his world. Then his lips quivered into a small, unwilling smile. "I guess that's true."

She smiled back, they weren't friends, not yet, but they were learning to speak each other's language in a way that let her think things might just work out after all.

“Who knows?” she said, her tone lighter now. “Maybe we’ll make the best of this.”

Thane chuckled softly, “Maybe. Or maybe we’ll just drive each other crazy.”

River laughed then, for the first time in a long time, she felt not so alone.

And maybe-just maybe-that was enough. For now.

The day after their marriage was a haze. River had barely slept, and when she finally woke, when finally the sunlight filtered in from somewhere above the curtains, it felt like an accusation. How was she to set base through this strange, unsatisfactory union? And she had never wanted it. Yet, here she sat in the middle of a house that was hardly hers, with a man almost wholly unknown to her; an informal arrangement of separation between them. Did she really have a future with Thane?

Thane had slept in his room opposite hers, and for some seconds, River thought probably he was evading her. But she wouldn't hold that against him as she wasn't exactly fascinated about this deal either and not sleeping together was part of their deal. Else, Thane would have had her bundled back to Nightshade pack, where she never planned to set foot on in the nearest future, until she has perfected her revenge plan.

The secrets she discovered about the untimely death of her mother lay hidden in her room, along with other things from the attic. She would bid her time and become stronger. When the time is right, heads would definitely roll. Who should she deal with first?