A Wedding.

A wedding 

December, the season that gave Blue-Mist its name. Winter was very much underway and instead of the common white fog you will see in every other place, there was blue mist. The mist appears like a flimsy barrier that you can only see but cannot touch. It pervaded the entire region where Blue-Mist pack is located. Thanks to having this mist instead of fogs, werewolves in this region get to move around freely more than in any other place. 

For werewolves, Winter is a season filled with social activities and leisure. 

In each Region of the realm, there are countless packs. In the region where Blue-Mist is located, they have 20 major packs. These packs are strong and large, and they occupy large territories. Blue-Mist is one of such packs. Then there are also packs that are not so large and also small and weak packs. The small and weak ones are usually units from the big ones that set out to occupy new territories, far away from home, either because their original home is becoming overcrowded or they are on a secret mission. 

In Blue-Mist's region alone, there are at least a hundred and twenty packs. This hundred and twenty have a market where they all meet every two days of the week, Tuesdays and Saturdays. It's the same in all regions. Each pack has its market within the pack territory, and then there is the main market where everyone meets to buy and sell. 

During the other seasons, wolves will gather and store up materials, food, treasures, anything valuable that can fetch them money and when winter comes, they sell them at this market. Therefore, winter is when the market blooms the most. 

The markets also serve another purpose in winter. Just like in other places around the world, Many activities cease in winter, including school, and certain jobs. Because it's a season when the wolf packs become more vulnerable to attacks from outsiders and each other, wolves living outside the realm or outside their packs usually return to help safeguard their territories. The market is where these wolves go to sell things from other realms and share the stories of their time there. With many wolves having nothing to do except sleep and patrol duties, many would head to the market daily to socialize.  

Megan was no exception. One of her Aunties ran a store at the market and over the years, during winter breaks, Megan would go to that store to help out. 

Winter happened to be Megan's favorite month. She would have a job to do all day in the company of people who cared or pretended to care. Because her father would be around, nobody dares to bully her as they used to in his absence. 

Then, with her father around, winter was actually when Megan got adequate physical training. Others trained from season to season, but because she was weak, most of the trainers preferred not to waste time on her. She had to ask her father to talk to some of them. He did, but also developed a routine for her to follow. Whenever he returned for the winter breaks, he would test her limits and correct her mistakes. 

Apart from the market-place meetings, there were also the banquets. The one that the wolves used in welcoming winter and those returning for it. The one they used in celebrating strength with games and rewards and rankings among the younger generations. Then lots of weddings are also held in winter. 

One of such weddings was held on this day, and Megan didn't want to go.

“Hiding will do you no good, Megan.” Her father had scolded, but she still shook her head in the negative. 

“I will get bullied, and you will not be able to protect me, Dad. Why do you have to go through that kind of humiliation?” She furrowed her brows. 

Megan wouldn't care about getting bullied, she was used to it already. But because her family wasn't that powerful, even though her father was considered a little stronger than the pack's Alpha, he still needed to bow his head to people from the powerful families in the pack. More so because he was physically stronger than the pack's Alpha. If he puts up a complaint or a struggle, they can easily accuse him of trying to overthrow Lucas, their Alpha. Oliver had to be careful in everything he does. This was the reason he loved his job. With his job as a spy, he was never around for anyone to plot against him. 

Oliver signed and repeated something he has said several times already. “But if you don't go, it will make things worse. Not just for you, but for the whole family.” 

“Uhm!” Megan, who was already dressed, heaved, giving up on the useless fight. She already made plans with Ryan anyway. Once she was done showing her respect to the elders and the guests, she would sneak out and go ice fishing with Ryan at the lake just outside their territory. Ryan had found a cave in that area a few days ago and wanted to show it to Megan. He said it was better than the bamboo grove they were using. 

“We will leave in 10 minutes.” Oliver said before returning to his study to get some more work done. 

Megan hurried to her room, where she took special care of her face and her peach-colored ball gown. 

It was a new dress her father got for her from the human realm. Unlike most ball gowns in the wolf realm that always reached their ankles or even swept the floor, this gown stopped at just a few inches above her knees, exposing her slim, beautiful legs. And the white peep-toe flat heels, covered-shoe Oliver gave her last winter, happened to complement it. 

After putting on her dress, she pulled her hair into a ponytail, used a hot iron to curl the length before carefully folding it into the shape of interlayered petals. By the time she was done, more than 20 minutes had passed and Oliver was patiently waiting for her in their foyer. 

“Go and put on your pairs of socks and gloves, young lady!” Oliver's voice rang in her ears before she could even completely step out of the door. Megan furrowed her eyes in protest. “But I will look like a doll if I wear them!” She pouted with a frown.

“You are a doll, darling. Now be quick.”

Megan wanted to argue a little bit, see if she could win her father, but with her three brothers standing by, looking annoyed and impatient, she had no choice but to swallow her protest and go back in. Megan had picked this dress because she wanted to dress up for Ryan. The dress happened to be made for petite, slim and cute girls like herself. Even though she was 20 and almost 21, she didn't look a day older than 17. Her growth compared to other wolves was slow. It was one of the reasons why she was one of the most beautiful girls in the pack, but nobody acknowledged her beauty because it was also the symbol of her weaknesses. Even Megan doesn't remember she was pretty most of the time.  

5 minutes later, they were on their way to the pack's main hall, where weddings and big functions take place. Megan was on her father's right arm watching her three brothers hurry ahead because, just like everyone in their pack, even her brothers looked down on her and didn't want to have anything to do with her. 

When they were young, Oliver would force them whenever he was around to treat her like family. But now, they were all adults with mates they were yet to marry. There was little or nothing he could do. So as they made their way towards the city's hall, he swallowed his bitterness and held his head high, showing that he was proud of his beautiful daughter. 

One of the about to marry pair was from Jake's family. Because his father was the pack Alpha, it was required of him to welcome all guests. As the future Alpha, Jake was also required to stand by his father during the greetings. 

Therefore, Jake, his father and his mother stood outside the hall, greeting everyone as they arrived and filed into the hall. Since Elvira was not yet acknowledged as the next Luna of the pack, she couldn't stand by Jake like his mother, the present Luna, did. So, Elvira and her minors stood some meters away, gossiping about each new arrival, while they watched Jake do his pack duty. 

When Megan and her father arrived, they instantly drew everyone's attention. It took several people some time to recognize who was resting on Oliver's arms. 

“Is that Megan?”

“That can't be Megan, right?”

“When did she become so beautiful?”

“Oh Moon, mother, I want that dress!”

“She is so chic!”

Both young men and women started 

staring at and admiring Megan's look for the night. 

Megan had never had this level of attention before. No, she did, but it wasn't because she was beautiful but because her mate had walked past her and into the hands of another wolf in the presence of the whole pack. It would be two years since it happened come spring, but it still felt like yesterday. As memories invaded her mind, the admiration, and praises she was hearing became annoying. Her once gentle looking and calm face creased in anger. 

I didn't dress for you bigots. I dressed for Ryan. Take your evil eyes off me! She wanted to yell at them, but she couldn't. So, she ground her teeth and clinched her hands into fists, trying not to explode.  

“Relax. I am here.” Oliver, who had felt her body stiffen, bent down with a gentle smile and whispered into her eyes. “Everything looks perfect except for the face. Give me a smile, young lady. The pack leader is just ahead” He teased as he reassuringly squeezed her hand. 

Megan heaved and quickly readjusted her frame of mind. 

When she felt she was ready, Megan steeled her heartbeat that always betrayed her anytime she was within Jake's range and looked up with her good-girl smile. 

She bowed to the pack leader, his wife, and his son. She refused to think about the fact that if Jake had accepted her as his mate, she would have been standing right here today receiving guests instead of being the guest. The only reason Elvira couldn't join was because even though Jake had marked her, the mark was just a temporary one. For them to be accepted as a proper couple, Jack needed to bite her during coupling. Something they haven't done for some reason Megan couldn't guess. Megan knew they hadn't slept together because she would have known. She would have felt it. 

Whether they have sex or not is, no longer, any of my business. I can't wait to get out of here, so I can break our bond and never get to know whether he is breathing or dead again. Megan muttered inwardly as she slowly rose back up with her father after the pack leader accepted their bows. Decidedly not meeting Jake's eyes, Megan tightened her hold on her father's arm, raised her head up and followed her father into the already filled and buzzing hall. 

While everyone was admiring Megan's dress and makeup, nobody noticed that just a few feet away, Elvira's eyes were brimming with hatred and malice as her eyes darted from Jake to Megan. Just like every healthy male in the hall, Jake had responded to Megan's beauty. While everyone could look and take their gazes elsewhere, Jake couldn't until his mother pinched him. Not because he was lecherous, but because that was his mate. His fated mate. The effect Megan had on him was a hundred times more strong than the effect she had on others. 

And Elvira watched it happen. She had watched her man look longingly at another woman. As an Alpha wolf, she had her pride. And it hurts.