Dark And Cold

Ava.

"You will be his queen. I know you hate where you are but I promise you, you'll love it there. Alpha Darwin is young, rich and powerful so you have nothing to worry about." Edward said. 

Well, he was wrong. I had everything to worry about. Why did an alpha of a bigger pack come all the way to Oakley Backwoods to get married to someone who... wasn't his mate?

I am just seventeen, a few days to go before turning eighteen so until then, I should probably assume I haven't been gifted a mate. And being wolfless, it was best to assume I was cursed to die alone. But I had grown faster than my age and done awful things that made people assume I was much more than that. 

I kept mute and did not say anything regarding the matter but waited for him to make his conclusion. 

Edward sat on his throne and turned to me. 

"He'll send his people to perform the marriage oath tomorrow and pick you up. "

Perhaps, I should pack my things and run away tomorrow? 

"Son, did you tell her already?" Luna Alexa's thin voice and heels announced her presence.

She went forward to the throne and bowed slightly before going on to kiss her son. Her attendant remained feet away from the scenario, scribbling away with an old onyx fountain pen. Luna Alexa turned to face me, her indignation towards me written all over her face. Yes, to her pride, she has always considered me nothing but an arrant nonsense and Celia was the sweetheart who was legally no other but an illegitimate child. Somehow, dad has managed to present his first daughter as a beautiful treasure filled with talent and love to these people and his legal daughter was the one he hated the most. 

"Darwin is our enemy. I'm sure you must've heard how powerful and abominable he is. Let me say this straight to your face, Ava, if you don't assist us in bringing him down in your marriage, then we'll all be done for. Your father will become his servant and your sister will be his slave. Our territory will become his farmland and your mother's grave will be burnt down and destroyed by erosion." But she still wears her favorite brand and sprays her expensive perfumes?

My father? My sister? And my mother's grave?

Those things didn't matter to me. I had shed the last tear on my mother before I was born. She was a woman I never knew and someone no one ever wanted to talk about. The former two are more of my enemies. I'd rather have them be anything but happy. 

But Zayn...

I glanced over at Edward and nodded. It is decided already, this is the last day I'll be spending in Oakley Backwoods. 

"I'll wait for his people to pick me up tomorrow. There'll be no wedding rites done here and I must leave." I said, bowing slightly to Edward. I did not bother to do the courtesy thing with Alexa before turning around and exiting the room. 

Zayn and Jared ran after me to the garage where he's parked.

"Would you just end this suspense and tell us what happened there?" Jared asked, opening the back door and gesturing for me to get in. 

"Well, I'm leaving tomorrow and getting married. It's been decided. " I said, almost too dismissively about the matter.

Well, I don't want to think much about it. It's much more of a surprise to me than it can be to anyone. Just last night, it was nothing but a mere joke and I had everything all in my plan. Yes, we were going to stomp into the palace and throw a tantrum around the place in the presence of my beloved suitor even if it meant being locked up in the jungle until the next full moon. And if that didn't work, we were going to switch to plan B. That is to damage everything he had brought with him_ his devices, cars, machines and maybe, even beat up his omegas. It was perfect enough to send a message to whoever he was and to tell him that I was the last person that fitted the description of a decent wife. 

"No fucking way! How can you say that now?! Oh come on, tell me you're joking!" Jared slammed the door and reached to grab me but I dodged him, tilting my head backwards and moving away from them. Jared is the least nice among us and it happened everything something didn't go as planned. He'd end up using his fists and claws. 

"Don't touch her, Jared!" Zayn held him back, clasping his both hands behind his back and pinning him to his truck, and I sighed. 

Zayn turned to me, his fangs gritting together, not from having to hold Jared down so tightly and strongly. His veins popped out as he glared back at me and his nostrils flared; something that always happened whenever he was angry. 

"What do you mean by you're getting married?" Zayn snapped and I inhaled.

This wasn't what we discussed or wished to discuss, and I especially don't wish to talk about it. It's just so fucked up, whatever the deal is. Yes, I've been saving up to join some music class by next summer but it took a single powerful man's effort to take it all away. 

"That thing with Celia... Edward is going to go ahead with the investigation if we don't do something. I'm going to get married and I don't want to talk about it." 

"Ava, get up now. You have to go downstairs now if you don't want to be in trouble." Celia's crooked voice disturbed my morning meditation and I groaned, pulling the bed sheets to cover my ears.

I hated having to come out of bed because of her but she just had her thing. Years had rolled by and it still remained her habit. If there was one reason Celia stayed at home in the morning, it was just so that dad could put her in charge of frustrating her helpless younger sister. 

"Ava, get down now. Dad would get mad if you continued to sleep." And yes, I am amazed by her patience today. On a normal day, all she had to do was play some upbeat music right by my ear or drench me in iced water. 

"Ava, now..."

I bit my bottom lip at her persistence and finally opened my eyes, lowering the bedsheets. 

"Fucker...!" I of course, wanted to do more than just cursing her underneath my breath but it was too early to get beaten up. And I wasn't in the mood. 

"Wash up quickly." Celia instructed, jumping off the bed. And rather than walking out of the tiny door, she walked up to my wardrobe and opened it.

"Father asked me to pick you a good dress. Your hairstyle is still very manageable." 

"What do you mean?" I asked in confusion. The last time I was offered an elder sister's affection was when nanny's daughter was going to buy me some buns which she later got scolded for. 

Celia ignored me and went ahead with taking out the clothes in my wardrobe and throwing them all over the place. It wasn't a good sight, done by the lady I've mostly hated all my life.

"What the hell are you doing, Celia?!" I hurriedly got off bed, pulling away from the bedsheets and charging at her. 

"Now is not the time to argue with me, Ava. Your husband is waiting downstairs for you. "

Husband? I froze at that word, my pointed finger hanging in the air. It felt like I was being blown and shaken by some strong wind, bursting through all my nerves and senses. 

"H..Husband?" I stuttered, staggering back and almost collapsing on my floor.

I cringed my brows, my thoughts running all wild in the next minutes and acting on instinct, I grabbed my bike's key on the dresser and rushed to the window, drawing the curtains up. I hadn't been on the old bike for the last two years but I just wanted to ride... To Zayn's place... or even out of Oakley Backwoods. 

I just had to go somewhere. Anywhere!

"What're you doing, Ava?" Beta Marshall's voice startled me as I'm about to jump over and I lost balance, landing on my butts.

Indeed, I was really to be sold off!

I descended the stairs with father holding my arm tightly and Celia holding a bunch of courtesy flowers which I was supposed to take care of in my new home simply because it was from dad's garden and should remind me of home. Father paused when we reached the last stair and released me before walking further into the living room. 

I made to follow him, pretending to be so noble and trained so as to see what mystery fate had designed for me, but Celia stopped me, holding my arm. 

"You shouldn't go. Come with me to the van, dad will do the talking." She nodded her head and turned to go to the kitchen.

Thankfully, Marilyn wasn't in her usual spot and didn't have to make fun of me getting married at such a young age while her daughter gets to cherish her youthfulness. I stood there for a while, staring at the spot I usually had my meals, away from the rest of the family since father never allowed food to be taken into rooms and no one wanted to dine with the loser in the family. Perhaps, I would miss the miserable life I've had here or...I might even consider it much better than my new home. Who knew?

"Mother has gone to the workshop so there won't be any feast to send you away. Come here now." She grabbed my hand impatiently and dragged me out through the back door like an elder sister with the big heart she never had.

We soon reached the field where he had packed and it turned out to be in fact, nothing like the van Celia had me pictured in my mind. It was much of a parade of bikes and cars and the expensive limo in the middle of it all.

"Looks like you've really laid your hands on something good this time." Celia said, her words filled with more mockery and disgust than good. 

"But we haven't seen what he looks like. Perhaps he's just another ugly, old king. We never can tell."

I sneered and turned around to face her, "Is Celia Marshall, the almighty precious beauty of Oakley Backwoods and the alpha's queen, being jealous of a rookie right now?" 

I narrowed my brows at her, trying to figure out what was going on in her head. 

If she really thought this could've been a good thing for her then why didn't she persuade father to let her go in my stead? All they had to do was switch our identities. It couldn't have been difficult for them. 

Or was I going in her stead?

Celia opened her mouth to speak but got interrupted by father's voice asking me to come over. I scoffed and turned back, deciding to ignore her insults as we made our way to the limousine. 

"Hurry, Ava, come here and greet your husband. Bow down and greet him properly." Father urged, nudging me by the arm and distracting me from even taking a view of who the man was from the distance.

He is tall, yes, and quite built. He did not turn to us but kept saying something to one of his men. Perhaps, his beta. 

"Oh, Ava! What're you doing?!" Father groaned when I refused to lower my head.

Who knew if I could be successful this one last time to send the man away.

"He is my husband by the law, and not my lord. I'm not going to serve him like his subjects." I stated, a naughty idea sneaking up on my mind and I did grab it already.

I bit my bottom lip and lifted the excess material of the dress, fitting them in between my arms as I made my way to the man already. 

"Darwin!" I called at once, not caring if that was too daring and rude, even for me.

A lot of things could happen at most but one certain thing that wasn't going to happen was him taking me away with him. 

He didn't seem to quite notice me or care to but at least, his beta did, his eyes cringing with obvious fear. 

Aware that I was being ignored, I grabbed the sleeve of his suit and tugged at it, yelling at him loudly enough for father and Celia to hear. "If I am going to be the future Luna of YellBloodOwl, I can not have you treat me this way, Darwin!"

Alpha Darwin paused his speech to look at me, his dark gray eyes bestowing their gaze upon me. Indeed, they were cold, to the bones...and made me shiver slightly. They were devoid of any emotion or light and looked like they had been kept in a freezing alley all their lives. Dark and cold. And his face, although handsome, gave off that shuddering feeling that could make one get a panic attack. 

He pursed his lips and moved back, only after scaring the wits out of me and making me reevaluate the situation. I could wager my funeral would be in the next few hours. He turned to his Beta and bid him off with his fingers. Surely not the type to talk and all it would take for him to end me could be the snap of those fingers.

"I..." I started already, immediately his beta went away, the next words flying over my head in a mess. 

"How do you suggest I treat you, future Luna?" Alpha Darwin turned to me, a tiny smile that did not seem to be too real appearing on his face. 

Illusion. It really could be my funeral in the next few minutes!