2: Not Your Typical Wedding

This was business, she needed to carry on with her part as convincing as it could ever be. Penelope blew a strand of black hair that fell over her face and tucked it behind her ear, before taking casual strides.

She was wearing a cream long sleeve gown with a tight-fitting waist that pushed outward her creamy bosoms. Her hair was braided in a loose fish braid. She didn't dress to cause an impression so she appeared fresh-faced in the sun God's Temple, without any makeup on.

Penelope cursed under her breath as she walked towards Quinlan who was of course waiting for her with an elder in front. He was clad in a plain-high-necked long sleeve that was covered in a long coat. His beefy thighs were in white leggings that were accompanied by breeches. The lad was heavily built, and his perpetually hardened face didn't deny the fact that he was good-looking with his sand-blonde hair packed up in a ponytail.

Penelope didn't mind the looks she was receiving from the few people gathered in the temple. She was well known for her whoredom at the pleasure house. Even Quinlan's parents had their jaws touching the floor, they certainly didn't expect their only child to take her for a wife. It was as if they could barely believe their eyes. Whispers were going around from his friends and even Alpha Kieran appeared confused for a second.

"Isn't that the biggest town's whore? Penelope Ravenscourt, widely known for working at the pleasure house for the past fifteen years?" Lord Odwolf exclaimed loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Dear lord, how could Quinlan pick such a walking disaster for a wife? What the devil has gotten into our son's mind?" Quinlan's mother had her eyes on Penelope as she replied to her husband. They were disappointed in their son who didn't even budge after hearing this. His jaw was hardened the entire time as he fought against the urge to look at Cecile, who was beside Alpha Kieran.

"Did our son go mad overnight? I will not approve of this." Lord Odwolf muttered with displeasure as he tried to rise to his feet, to put the wedding to a stop, but the guard beside him stopped him. Quinlan was aware of this and had guards in the temple in case anyone wanted to stop the marriage. He wouldn't let anyone ruin this for him.

Penelope smirked, enjoying the whole drama. She didn't even increase the pace of her steps, no. She carried on walking slowly, infuriating the groom's parents even more.

Absolute horror was seen over the face of literally everyone.

"Is he forced into doing this or something? She's pregnant, possibly?"

"I never thought a nobleman like Quinlan would visit the pleasure house."

"Something doesn't seem right," the Luna whispered to the Alpha.

"Leave them be, it's his choice. Perhaps I won't relieve him of his duties as my beta since he's getting married tonight. It's a huge relief and he's a devoted Beta," Alpha Kieran placed his hand on Luna Cecile's, and Quinlan hardened his jaw from where he stood because he had seen this.

It was still hard to accept the fact that his lover for eight years could break his heart and marry the man he served because of hunger to be Luna over their pack. She lied to Alpha Kieran that they were just having an affair and Quinlan was obsessed with her, that she never considered him as someone she would be wedded to.

Of course, he had eavesdropped on this conversation and it tore his heart in his chest. Thinking about this made him clench his balled fists until they cracked.

Penelope didn't pay heed to any of this. Her smirk remained on her face as she walked even slower than they thought we would. Over the past fifteen years, she had grown a thick skin and words didn't affect her anymore.

Even as she side stepped Quinlan's friends who murmured she was not only a whore who would taint his image, she was also five years older than he was.

She had no one to escort her and for the first time in a long while, she was thankful she didn't have a family. None of this was real anyway. It was business, it'd be over before she knew it. She just needed to perform her duties and of course, be a good actress. She would make everyone believe she and Quinlan were in love, even if they hated her.

Maintaining eye contact with her groom, she mouthed a few words to him which he couldn't understand for a few moments until he eventually did. She was asking him to smile because his face was frigid like an iceberg.

Quinlan tried to smile but his face wasn't cooperative. He was just too bitter to do so. Having Cecile over the temple reminded him of how he had watched her get married to his Alpha, acted like he didn't exist, like they weren't together for eight years.

The whispers subsided when someone began playing violin from some corner and Penelope stopped in front of Quinlan.

She offered him a smile and then pulled the strands of his hair over his forehand and brushed it backwards.

Of course, it stunned everyone, mostly Quinlan himself. He wasn't expecting that at all.

"Someone seems jealous over what I just did," she whispered to him. "Do not look back, dammit!" She cursed under her breath because he was already looking at Cecile, the Luna who had something that resembled jealousy in her eyes.

Quinlan couldn't help feeling cheated and betrayed by Cecile. She was supposed to be the one he should be marrying and not the whore, Penelope Ravenscourt.

Penelope hurriedly held his hand to draw his attention back to her, meaning she was cursing him so deeply under her breath because he was acting like a Buffon. Staring at the Luna with lunging and pain.

She placed her hand on his hardened jaw and then nudged it to face her.

Thankfully he did, and the elder carried on with the marriage rites, before reaching over to the powerful life -cealing questions.

"Do you, Lord Quinlan Odwolf, the beta of Alpha Kieran, son of George Oldwolf, the first grandsire of Jeffery Odwolf, take the lady Penelope Ravenscourt as your wife?" The elder asked Quinlan.

And he looked into the brown eyes of the woman in front of him. The thirty years old prostitute who had this impudent facial expression, looked unfazed by everything and everyone. Was bold like an Amazonian woman and handled the reaction of everyone as if it were nothing.

Quinlan wondered if he was doing the right thing to wed her through a contract. He could easily stop being the Alpha's hand, he had his own wealth which he inherited from his grandfather.

"I do," he breathed out.

And immediately the Elder looked at Penelope with a doubting gaze.

"Do you, lady Penelope Ravenscourt, daughter of…"

"Just Penelope Ravenscourt, my lord," she interrupted the Elder, her tone firm. Providing even more astounded looks from the people.

Simply because there was nothing else attached to her name than 'Ravenscourt,' she had no family, or bastardly wealthy parents and late grandparents like Quinlan.

"Do you take him as your husband?" The elder continued.

"I do," she replied flippantly.

And they exchanged rings immediately, under the dissatisfied gazes of everyone present, mostly Quinlan's parents.

When the elder inquired if anyone wanted to oppose the marriage, Quinlan cast a glance at the guards seated beside his parents as a silent order to stop them in case they wanted to disrupt the procession of his joining with Penelope.

Surprisingly they didn't.

"You may now kiss the bride and the lady Penelope Odwolf," the elder barely finished with this instruction when Penelope tipped Quinlan's head down to hers and kissed him soundly in the mouth.

Quinlan's body stiffened and he didn't even kiss her back, although he let his hands bind her hips.

They pulled away from each other and then locked gazes with no affection or feeling of any sort. She wanted the money, he needed to keep his job as the Arrowhead Pack's Beta.

Quinlan took hold of Penelope's hand and forced a smiled at everyone, even though none of their faces seemed excited.

"Maddening, I say," Quinlan's father muttered under his breath and he shook his head at his whore of a daughter in-law.

"Well my lord, it's about to begin," Penelope whispered to Quinlan, as she smirked at Luna who was glaring jealously at her.