Chapter 2

Liz POV

I stare at my sister in shock.  She is in a wedding dress that is almost identical to my own.  She must have run the whole way here because she is out of breath.  She braces herself on her knees and pants heavily.  

I scoot past her to the door and quickly flip the lock.  “What are you doing in here?” I hiss at her, trying to keep my voice down.  

“I have come to rescue you,” Belle whispers.  “I will take your place. It's my job to begin with!”

“No,” I say sternly.  “I am doing this, and that is final.” 

Belle runs her fingers through her hair and grunts in frustration.  “Liz, you don’t have a wolf.  It could be dangerous for you here.” 

I pull Belle into my arms and hold her close to my body.  She has only just turned eighteen.  She still has so much to experience in life.

I blink away the tears that threaten to fall and ruin my makeup.  “It is time I protect you,” I whisper into her ear.  “You don’t always have to be the strong one.” 

Belle pulls away from me and whimpers.  “But I am the strong one.  You aren’t meant to be a spy.  Please let me take your place.” 

“Just this once, let me protect you,” I beg of her.  “I love you more than anything.  I cannot let you ruin your whole life because some evil man wants a show of power.” 

“What if he finds out that you took my place? He would kill you!” Belle cries as she leans into my hug, resting her head on my shoulder.  

He would be upset for sure, but he can’t back out when we are on the altar.

I look into my sister’s eyes, and Belle is staring at me, hoping to change my mind.  She is waiting for me to let her take my place. If a bad marriage won’t ruin her whole life, being a spy on the devil would certainly end it for her. I can’t let that happen.

A knock on my door pulls me from my sister, and I gesture for Belle to hide under the bed. “Please,” I mouth to her silently.  

She shakes her head angrily from side to side and holds her ground.  

“Just a moment,” I yell out.  “I am still getting dressed.”  

I pull Belle into the dressing room and shut the door behind us.  “If they find you here, there is no telling what they will do to you or me.  Just please.  Let me do this for you.  Let me do this for the family.”

“You have spent the past nine years trying to prove yourself worthy to be part of this family when it isn’t necessary,” Belle has tears streaming down her face.  “No one cares that you are adopted.  No one cares that you don’t have a wolf.  You are part of the Wilks family.  Blood or not.”  

“How can I feel like part of the family when I don’t have a wolf?  I don’t belong.”  I say as I sniff back the tears forming in my eyes.  

“We love you,” Belle cries.  “Please.  Don’t do this for me. It should not be you.”  

I quietly step toward the door of the dressing room and slip out.  Locking my sister inside.  I can hear her silent sobs as she realizes that I have locked her in.  

“For the sake of the both of us, please be quiet,” I whisper through the door.  “I love you.”  

Someone bangs on the door loudly once again.       

“Who is it?”  I call out. 

I hear the lock on the door click open, and I brace myself for who might come through the door.  Nico, the patriarch of the Phalen family, waltzes into the room without answering me.  “My, my, my,” Nico says as his eyes graze over my body.  “You certainly do clean up nicely.  Are you ready to marry my son?”

A blush travels across my cheeks, and I have to look away from Nico’s heated gaze. I don’t trust myself to speak.  I swallow hard and nod my head. 

“That is good,” Nico smirks.  “And you remember our deal?” 

“I am supposed to report back to you about your son, Deimos,” I whisper. 

“Your family would be safe so long as you behave, little girl,” Nico says as he runs his hands over my shoulders.  “Now, let’s get you married.”

Nico looks me up and down with a smile on his face.  Grabbing me by the elbow, he steers me out of the bedroom and down the hall.  

As we enter the gardens, I pause.  Waiting for my father.  I had assumed my father would be giving me away, but I was wrong.  He is sitting with my mother in the front row.  Tears are streaming down my mother’s face, but my father glares at Nico with a grim look on his face. 

Nico continues to hold onto my elbow painfully as he leads me to the archway.  I try to keep my eyes straight ahead, but the whispers of those in attendance pull my attention. 

“I heard she begged her father for the marriage,” one woman says.  “Deimos really wanted to marry her younger sister.”

“She is adopted, after all,” another woman replies.  “She isn’t even a true member of the Wilks royal bloodline.” 

Another woman leans forward in her seat.  “She must be desperate for a mate.  Can you imagine stealing your own sister’s fiance? She is twenty-five and has no wolf.  There is no chance of her finding her mate.”

Keeping my eyes straight ahead, I ignore the painful comments of those in attendance.  

Once we reach the archway, I notice an elderly man standing before me.  He gives me a sympathetic look, and I try to remove my elbow from Nico's grasp, but he holds tight.

I grit my teeth and plaster a fake smile on my face.  I don’t want to give anyone a reason to believe I don’t want to be part of the marriage. 

Nico finally lets go of my arm and takes his seat among his family.  I look to my right, wanting to lay eyes on my groom finally, but there is no one standing there.  I am standing at the altar alone.  Where is my groom?

Murmurs start spreading, and though no one bothered to explain to me I understand after a moment:  Deimos refused to show up to the wedding because he is embarrassed to be married to the replacement daughter.

My face flushes with embarrassment.  I want to crawl into a hole and die.  Deimos thinks so little of me that he refuses to attend the wedding.  I can hear my father growling with protest behind me, which only adds to my shame.  I have failed. 

The elderly man clears his throat and offers me a weak smile.  “We are gathered here today to join together Deimos Phalen and Elizabeth Wilks,” his voice echoes over the crowd. 

Oh, Goddess, I try to remain standing.  We are having the wedding without the groom.