Chapter 5: Mate?

Tessa's POV

I barely slept that night. 

Every time I tried to shut my eyes, I was accosted by images of Alpha Charles. 

His chubby paunch of a stomach, his yellowed teeth, his gray hair swept over the top of his head, trying to hide his bald spot. 

His skin was wrinkled and it hung from his old, decrepit body. 

I gagged at the thought of his physical appearance, but there was something far worse than gagging that kept me awake.

He was a tyrant, cruel and vile. His behavior terrified me and every time I tried to shut my eyes, I heard the gentle tick of the clock, counting down the seconds until I’d become Alpha Charles’ wife.

There had always been rumors of Alpha Charles’ depravity. 

He was a sick, perverted man who took pleasure in brutally torturing innocent women. 

He was rumored to perform vile, crude, inhumane sex acts on his wives. But all the rumors were only that – rumors. 

There had never been any proof and Alpha Charles denied any and all accusations. 

All his previous wives had died ‘mysteriously’ and people whispered that they were murdered by him. But without concrete proof, no one could charge him.  

I was next. I was to become his next victim. He would torture me and eventually I would die at the hands of his sexual abuse.

No! I couldn’t let that happen. I couldn’t just stay there and become another one of Alpha Charles’ playthings. 

I tore off the blankets and started pacing the room. 

I had to do something. 

I couldn’t just let myself marry this old, ugly, disgusting beast of a man. 

So I stayed up, desperately running through every possible escape plan I could think of. But it was no use. Without a wolf, I’d be caught immediately. There was no possible way for me to escape.

But then, just as dawn broke, an idea came to me. It was reckless – yes. And dangerous. But I was out of options and time.

If I could expose Alpha Charles for what he really was, if I could show everyone his cruelty, then maybe, just maybe, I stood a fighting chance.

Of course, this plan came with immense risk. 

If I failed, the consequences would be disastrous. I would literally be putting my life on the line. But what was the alternative? To wed a man so despicable he made my stomach turn and my skin prickle with fear?

It was risky, but it was a risk I was willing to take.  

Just then, there was a light knock on the door. It was the maids, coming to prepare me for the wedding. 

They rushed in, their cheeks flushed with excitement as they sat me down at my vanity and went to work. 

I played my plan over and over in my head as they adorned me with make-up and did my hair.

“Oh, Miss Tessa,” they gushed. “You truly are the most beautiful she-wolf we’ve ever seen.” They draped a necklace of diamonds over my collarbone and a matching bracelet around my wrist.

“I don’t know which sparkles more,” a maid giggled. “You or the diamonds.”

They helped me step into my ornate gown of delicate lace and expensive silk. Then they turned me to the mirror, their faces peeking out behind me in the reflection.

I was stunning, draped in jewels and silk. It was all I’d ever dreamed of – this reflection of myself. 

But as the maids smiled and cooed, my heart was heavy. They were all happy for me but I couldn’t feel any happiness at all. Instead, my mind was consumed by fear and uncertainty.

Could I really do this? 

Could I really expose Alpha Charles in front of everyone? 

Or was this plan a mistake? 

Maybe I should just marry him and be done with it?

I narrowed my own eyes in the mirror and pressed my lips together, my expression resolute. No. I couldn’t marry him. 

I had to expose his cruelty. 

My stomach was in knots though, and my hands shook as the maids escorted me out of the bedroom.

“It’s time, Miss Tessa,” a maid whispered, the excitement in her voice bridging on a fever pitch. 

Soon, we came to the door of the grand banquet hall. I entered and all eyes turned on me. 

A comforting scent of fresh pine drifted towards me, slightly soothing my frazzled nerves.    

‘Where is that coming from?’ I thought to myself, glancing around the hall. 

But instead of finding the source, my eyes locked onto Alpha Charles. He strode towards me, his eyes lighting up with satisfaction at my appearance. He licked his lips lasciviously, his expression belying his thoughts.

He hooked his arm in mine and it took everything in me not to recoil.

“You’re late,” he hissed into my ear. “Come on. I want to start the ceremony immediately,” he said, his voice eager. 

He began pulling me towards the front of the room where the elder who was to wed waited. But as we walked, I saw my chance!

There was a massive champagne tower to our left, the glasses gleaming under the light of the ornate ball room. 

As we approached, I pretended to stumble, allowing myself to trip right into the tower, sending the glasses crashing to the ground. The noise created chaos as people all around me gasped.

“You stupid girl,” Alpha Charles said, his eyes flashing fury. “You did that on purpose! You’re trying to stall the ceremony!”

In a flash, he yanked off his belt and raised his arm high, ready to strike me with the hard leather. 

I winced, preparing myself for the blow that would finally expose Alpha Charles as the abuser he really was, but again the scent of fresh pine enveloped me, stronger this time. 

I turned to see a tall, imposing man appear in front of me.

With a swift, powerful spin kick, he sent Alpha Charles flying across the room. 

The entire banquet hall fell silent, everyone too stunned to speak. I blinked, also stunned. Alpha Charles lay crumpled on the floor.

“Oh my god!” I heard someone gasp. “Is that…Prince Sylvan?”

“I…I think it is!” someone else confirmed.

Prince Sylvan? I struggled to make sense of the whispers that now flew around the room.

“The rumors are true,” someone declared. “The Lycan Prince really came to the wedding after all!”

“But he just attacked Alpha Charles! Why would he do that? Unless…he did it for the bride?”

“He did! Look! See? He was defending the bride!”

The murmurs swirled around as I turned to look at the mysterious man that had just sent Alpha Charles flying. He was powerful and devastatingly handsome. 

My heart skipped a beat as I realized that he was, in fact, none other than the noble Lycan Prince.

And that calming pine scent? It was coming directly from him.

He turned to face me, his piercing gaze meeting mine. His silver hair reached just past his shoulders and as he fixed his eyes on me, his hair caught the faint breeze. 

His expression was a mix of disdain and fury. I trembled slightly as every inch of him radiated authority, strength, and raw, electrifying anger. 

He kept his eyes locked on mine and a surge of energy coursed through me, like a spark igniting deep inside me. I felt my cheeks flush with heat as my heart pounded uncontrollably.

“Prince Sylvan….I….why would you…” Alpha Charles stammered, struggling to his feet, his fat shaking as he trembled.

In the blink of an eye, Prince Sylvan was in front of Alpha Charles. He moved faster than anyone could track. By the time our eyes caught up, the Prince had already grabbed Alpha Charles by the throat. 

Alpha Charles’ face turned purple, but the Prince’s grip was unrelenting as he snarled, his voice like thunder:

“She is my mate! How dare you touch her?!”