“ Grandpa!” Tristan shouted, rushing to Grandpa Lawson's side.
“ Someone, call an ambulance! Hurry!”
Amelia's parents were worried and rushed to help.
Amelia's mother felt guilty, knowing that her daughter's actions had caused trouble.
Nevertheless, she didn't blame her because she believed every word that came out of Amelia's mouth.
But the fact that she got married to a total stranger made her mother worry more.
Lilith, Amelia's best friend sneered.
She didn't regret what she did, not even for a second.
“ Finally, Tristan belongs to me and only me,” she smiled.
The room was filled with tension as they waited for the ambulance to arrive.
The wedding had turned into a total disaster.
“ I can't believe this is happening, “ Amelia's mother, Rose said, shaking her head.
“ Me neither, “ Amelia's father, Kelvin replied.
“ It's all because of your daughter. She has made us a laughing stock in the whole city of Las Vegas.” He added angrily.
“ No one even cared to ask her how she was feeling, all you cared about was the family's reputation,” Rose muttered.
“ Who cares about how she's feeling? Even if he was cheating on her, she should have called off the wedding quietly without causing a huge scene.” Kelvin hissed.
“ We need to discuss that later, but right now, we have to take Grandpa to the hospital right away,” Rose said.
. . . .A few meters away from the wedding hall, Amelia stopped walking, her fingers still entwined with that of her new husband.
“ Can you let go of my hand?”
His voice was so cold that it made Amelia shiver.
“ Oh, I am sorry.” She muttered.
The stranger got into his car and started it but Amelia didn't get in.
“ What are you doing?”
“ Huh?”
“ Aren't you coming with me?” He asked.
“ Oh, yes I am.” She walked into the car and got in.
As her new husband drove off, there was silence in their midst not until Amelia broke it.
“ Can I at least know your name?”
“ Bruce D’Amelio.” He replied, his eyes focused on the road.
The road was quiet and windy, making Amelia more anxious.
“ Where are we going?” She wondered.
“ We are going to my pack,” Bruce replied casually as if he heard her thoughts.
“ Your pack? Are you some kind of werewolf?” Amelia chuckled, thinking of it as a joke.
“ I get that you're trying to make me smile, but that doesn't mean you should lie about where you stay.”
She chuckled once more as she found what he said ridiculous.
Bruce didn't utter any more words.
The road to Bruce's home was a winding path through a dense forest.
The trees were tall and close together, making the path dark and narrow.
The air was damp and smelled like leaves and dirt.
As Bruce drove further into the dark forest, Amelia's heart almost flew out of her mouth.
She was damn scared.
She closed her eyes all through the drive and only opened it when the car came to a halt.
She slowly opened her eyes only to behold a huge gate of bronze.
The building was surrounded by a fence and four guards stood at the entrance of the bronze gate.
“ Welcome Alpha” the guards all bowed in unison.
Amelia wondered why he was called an Alpha but she didn't think too much about it.
Getting through the gate, she was amazed to see different buildings.
The place looked like a whole town on its own.
“ Wow, this is incredible!” Amelia thought inwardly.
They got out of the car, while Bruce led the way.
Amelia had no idea where they were heading, but she followed like an obedient puppy.
“ Where are we?” She asked but was ignored.
Bruce just led the way into one of the biggest buildings in the whole place.
The building was filled with guards at the different corners.
It looked more like a palace or rather, a castle.
Inside the mansion, the foyer was grand, with luxurious decorations and artwork.
“ Welcome to my pack,” Bruce said, his voice cold and distant.
“ Pack again? Are you kidding me?” She raised an eyebrow.
“ What makes you think that?” Bruce asked but was interrupted when a man walked towards them.
“ Welcome back, Alpha” the man bowed.
Amelia's curiosity piqued.
She has been a fan of books, and as such, she has read countless werewolves books.
It felt like she was in one of the novels she had read.
Everything felt unreal to her.
The man who came to greet Alpha Bruce shifted his gaze to Amelia before returning it to Alpha Bruce.
“ Who is she?” He asked.
“ My bride.” Alpha Bruce answered casually, pushing his two hands inside his pocket.
“ Your bride? When?” The man asked with confusion written all over his face.
“ It's a long story, but why are you acting like we are close?” Alpha Bruce's face turned cold.
“ I have crossed my limit, I am sorry Alpha.” The man bowed and glanced at Amelia before walking away.
Once he was gone, Amelia faced Alpha Bruce.
“ What's happening here? Alpha? Pack? Does that even make sense?”
Alpha Bruce turned his gaze towards her, his expression blank.
“ You will find out soon Kitten, don't be in a hurry.”
“ What? Kitten?” Amelia chuckled unbelievably.
“ Have you forgotten that this is a contract marriage that will end in six months?” Amelia asked.
Alpha Bruce's upper lips lifted into a smirk before walking towards Amelia who shifted back.
“ What… are… you… doing?” she stuttered.
“ And have you forgotten that you're in my pack?” He leaned towards her ear and whispered.
“ Enough with the pack stuff already!” Amelia half yelled.
“ I am not in some kind of werewolf book, so please stop!” She moved away from Alpha Bruce.
“ Welcome back, Alpha” a middle-aged woman walked towards them.
“ Lilian, show her to her room.”
With that said, Alpha Bruce walked out of the sitting room and disappeared into thin air.
The middle-aged woman took Amelia to her room and left afterward.
Amelia got into the room and took off her wedding dress, feeling relieved and nostalgic.
She put the wedding dress on a hanger and went into the big white bathroom.
The marble floor felt cool on her feet as she walked to the bathtub.
“ He must be very wealthy,” she thought, feeling amazed and a bit overwhelmed.
She entered into the bathtub and sighed as the warm water covered her.
The foam hid her body, leaving only her face visible.
She relaxed and shut her eyes, but her happy moments were ruined when the door to the bathroom was pushed open.
Her eyes peeled open as she saw a figure walking into the bathroom.
“ What….are…you doing here?” Amelia stuttered as she hid her naked body deep inside the foam.
“ I am here to have a bath with you, do you have any problem with that?” Alpha Bruce asked.
“ I am sure there are countless rooms inside this mansion, why did you choose to bathe in mine?” Amelia gathered the courage to speak up.
“ We are having our honeymoon tonight and I am also going to mark you as my mate”
“ Wait…what are you talking about? Honeymoon? Mark? Mate?” Amelia was totally confused.
Her head was messed up.
“ I am marking you as my mate tonight.” Alpha Bruce's eyes gleamed mischievously.
“ Mark? As in sink your teeth deep in the crook of my neck?” Amelia asked, fear creeping into her body.
“ Good girl, I guess you understood the assignment.” He smirked.
“ But that wasn't part of the deal!” Amelia yelled.
“ You don't get to make rules here Kitten, I do.”
Amelia cowered. His voice sounded so dangerous that she was lost for words.She had just made a deal with the devil without even knowing.He was no human.If she had known earlier, she would have accepted her fate and gotten married to Tristan.Alpha Bruce took a few steps toward the bathtub.“ Are you scared?” He asked as he stopped in front of the bathtub.“ Why…would. I…be… scared?” Amelia stuttered."Then great.! Be quick with your bath!" He ended, returning to his once cold self and walking off from the bathtub.Amelia's heart was on a rampage at the moment. She was gasping for breath as her hands ran through her hair, sinking deeper into the bathtub.The only reason that she had noted that she was fine was because she wanted to act in touch."What have I done!" She was still gasping for breath as the realization hit her harder.If she was going to be married to a wolf, then she needed to find out about them. Amelia rushed over to her bath for this sole purpose before running off
Amelia felt strange looking at him. She didn't know the consequences of what she had just done...A gulp went down her throat. Was this the point where she was going to apologize to him? But before she could even say another word, he already got up from the bed and stared."Then we might have to look at the contract again." He ended up off the room.Amelia sat on the bed still staring. She was confused for quite a while as she still couldn't understand what was going on.That morning she woke up. "Good morning Miss. Amelia!" They greeted herWasn't it supposed to be Mrs? But Amelia didn't think much about it, if that's what she wanted, then it's fine. She drew a deep breath before a maid brought her meal over."Sorry! Have you seen you Alph.." Amelia hesitated a little bit and when the maid had smiled at her, she was a little bit revealed.Maybe she could make friends with her and would not have to go through the ordeal of having to ask the Alpha some questions himself."He went
Amelia was bored so she strolled off into the kitchen. Kate turned out to be the chef and earlier, she had been told that her mother-in-law would come along to the place.She drew a deep breath as she walked over to Kate who was a little bit stunned and was forced to inquire... "Mrs. Amelia! What.. what are you doing here?" She inquired with a little confused look on her expression. "I was told that my mother-in-law would be coming around and since you are the chef around here, I wanted you to leave things to me for a while." Amelia smiled.She knew very much that her marriage was more or less a fake one and there was no need to get on good terms with her mother-in-law.But she was the one who had made the decision and was not going to mean anything if she got along with her. Besides, it could be one hell of a six months if they were not on the finest terms together. "I'm Afraid Amelia but I don't think that our Alpha is going to like that!" She said,"I don't think that he would e
Caroline cast her gaze between the two ladies, a sly grin tantalizing her lips. "You two are acquainted? How delightful. This is the person my son foolishly married, Ema, sweetheart. Meet Ema, the future Luna of this pack and Bruce's true mate, Amelia." It seemed to Amelia that there was no longer any ground beneath her feet. She turned to Ema, looking for traces of the warmth and friendship that had once characterized their relationship on her friend's face. Rather, she perceived merely icy logic in Ema's gaze. Amelia shook her head and said, "Ema, I do not understand." "What role do you play in this whole thing?" With a haughty expression covering her features, Ema lifted her chin. " Amelia, I have always been a part of this world. My real home has always been here, with my people, even though I was sent to the human world to observe and learn." "Your people?" Echoing, Amelia felt as if she were stuck in a dreamscape. Are you a werewolf? "She is, of course," Caroline s
In the days that followed Caroline and Ema's dramatic departure, the pack house was full of murmurs and sidelong glances. As Amelia moved through the corridors, she felt the weight of innumerable eyes on her, the air thick with tension and unsaid opinions. Despite their physical absence, Ema and Caroline had an enduring impact on the dynamics within the pack. It appeared that their impact extended well beyond the Alpha family's immediate orbit. Amelia wandered into the communal gardens of the pack one brisk morning, seeking comfort in the colorful flowers. She turned a corner and heard voices talking passionately in subdued tones. "It is unbelievable that the Alpha is still allowing that human to be around," a female voice muttered. "After Ema arrived and all of that?" Another voice said, "I heard she bewitched him somehow." "There is no other way to explain it." It crushed Amelia's heart. She had assumed that Bruce's widespread popularity would put an end to these rumor
Bruce's hand remained at the small of Amelia's back the entire time they were walking, a gesture that felt strangely intimate and protective at the same time. She ignored the perplexing notions, telling herself that their relationship amounted to nothing more than a business deal. When Amelia woke up the following morning, there was an envelope under her door. One sheet of paper with the brief, menacing words, "Leave now, or suffer the consequences," was discovered inside. The only caution I have for you is this. Amelia brought the note to Bruce, her hands trembling. As he read it, a low growl reverberated in his chest and his expression darkened. He crumpled the paper in his fist and remarked, "This has gone too far." "With immediate effect, I am assigning you a personal security detail." Amelia's gaze expanded. Is that really what is needed? I desire to not be a burden. Bruce interrupted, his voice gentler than she had ever heard, "You are not a burden, Amelia." "You a
The moon was low in the sky, casting long shadows across the pack area. In a peaceful clearing, Ema strolled away from prying eyes and perceptive werewolf ears. Her blonde hair glittered silver in the moonlight, her eyes flashing with barely controllable wrath. She snarled. "This is taking far too long," the nearby shrouded figure said. "It is an insult to our kind every day that a human being like Luna exists." The apparition stepped forward, and under its hood emerged a man with sharp features and icy, analytical eyes. He said, "Ema, please be patient," in a quiet, smooth voice. "Everything we have worked for could be ruined by hurrying now." Ema turned to face him, looking visibly annoyed. And exactly what have we accomplished, Damien? That which, by Bruce's side even now, taints our heritage by mere existence." A cunning smirk wrapped around Damien's mouth. "We have planted the seeds of mistrust, my dear. The group is divided, and the complaints get louder every day. They'll be
Amelia got a shiver from something in her expression. --- Amelia ended up spending the rest of the evening studying old books in the pack's vast library to get ready for the Rite of Unity. Stories of hardships whirled around her head, each one more terrifying than the last. She was so focused on her research that she didn't even realize Ema was getting close until the werewolf was standing next to her. "It's a shame, isn't it?" With a phony sympathy flowing from her voice, Ema spoke. "To be thrust into a world you know so little about, forced to prove yourself over and over again." Closing the book in front of her, Amelia tensed. "What do you want, Ema?" Ema had a wicked sparkle in her eyes. "I want what's best for Bruce and this group. You must be able to see that you're not it. Amelia shot back, "That's not for you to decide," and got up to walk away. Ema took hold of her arm, her hold bordering on unpleasant. "Amelia, you're not going to pass this Rite. And everyone will recog