Chapter 1

CLARA 

Breathe Clara, Breathe. 

   This dress made me feel like I was trapped in a tube. 

    I guess that's why it's called a tube–dress, my sister had insisted that the bridesmaids all came dressed in the attire for her wedding. It was quite hard being in the dress, almost to the same degree the meticulous task of actually putting on the dress.

A tight sleeveless dress, hugging my body in the right places and showing off my curves. It was for this singular reason Cassandra had opted for the tube dresses, she said the dress was capable of bringing out the sexiness in everyone, and she wasn't wrong. 

It was a flowy satin, with a sleet that went up above my knee and a sweetheart neckline that dipped low enough to show an appropriate amount of cleavage.  

"Clara, you better be down in a minute! The limousine leaves for the ceremony in fifteen minutes!" A loud yell from my mother shot from downstairs, her tone thoroughly dipped with urgency. 

"Yes, Mother!" I responded and then returned my attention to the mirror, gazing at my flattering reflection in the mirror as an excited grin lit up my face. I was stunning, beautiful, and ready to serve as the chief bridesmaid at my sister's wedding. 

     Cassandra was getting married to the wealthy and feared Alpha of the Navarro Red Mood Pack, Roberto Blackwood. It was an arranged marriage in which The Alpha had paid a huge sum of money over Cassandra's head. My mother was never in support of this, but my father's desperate quest for money and power shut down her protests, and she was forced to go along with it. 

The occasion had been rooted on the lips of everyone in our pack months before this, it was the talk of the town and the ceremony had been highly anticipated. Everyone was excited for it, especially my father who was elated and proud to be the in–law to an Alpha like Roberto. 

A lot of preparations had been put into it, and a lot of money as well. Great Alphas from all over the territory would be in attendance, it was going to be rich and full of class courtesy of Alpha Roberto. I was bursting with excitement. 

I was living my shiny, golden blonde hair one last brush before I went downstairs and that was when I first heard the voices. I stopped brushing, narrowing my eyes as I listened closer, it was the panicked voices of people arguing.  

I sighed, "Not again." I said, rolling my eyes. 

People had been fighting all day about the littlest of things today. From the flowers, the food, the sitting arrangement, the decorations — you just name it and someone would pin the slightest fault on it. 

Most of the arguments usually involved my father, who was an utter perfectionist who wanted everything and everyone to be, well. . perfect. 

The Alpha has assigned a lot of maids and helpers to come over to our house and help us prepare for the wedding. However, I was sick and tired of my father constantly nagging and rebuking them all day like it was HIS wedding. 

I sometimes pitied them, the poor helpers unfortunately’ straddled with the Herculean task of satisfying my father. 

    I was done brushing my hair and ready to head downstairs before another yell came from my mother again. I dropped the brush on my chair and was heading out of my bedroom when my door shot open, nearly knocking me down, and my mother rushed in. 

There was a worried look etched on her face, staining her expression with confusion and a slight hint of fear. 

"Mum, is anything the matter?" I asked as I regained my balance, the look on her face had also creased my forehead with a bit of worry. 

Her eyes darted about my room as though she was searching for something, "Is she here? They said she was here." She spoke as her eyes came back to me, staring at me in panic. 

" Who are you looking for?" I asked, my mind spiraling with thoughts as I wondered what was happening. 

"It's your sister. We haven't seen her in about two hours now." She revealed, her tone was hitched and a clear indication of how she was desperately trying to hold herself together. 

My brows furrowed immediately at her words, "What? Cassandra isn't in this house, how so?" I questioned, my mind streaming with numerous thoughts as the pacing of my heart increased. 

"I– I don't know, Clara." She sniffled, her tears fogging up in her eyes and threatening to fall. "I spoke to her earlier today and she expressed how nervous and apprehensive she was about the wedding. I encouraged her and told her to go along with it, and—" Mum paused her words abruptly, her tears withstanding being held back as she began to cry and she leaned into me. 

I embraced her, my hands on her back as I rubbed in pacification, "Mum, she's fine. Maybe she just had some pre-wedding jitters and is somewhere around the house. She couldn't have possibly disappeared on her wedding day." I soothed, trying to calm my crying mother but even I didn't believe my own words… 

My mother wiped away her tears with the back of her hand, "I thought she was here with you, you're her best friend and not only a sister to her. So I felt she was here for some words of encouragement. But since she isn't…" 

"She's fine, mum. Are you sure you've checked everywhere thoroughly? The garden, the balcony, the storerooms? Have you searched all the rooms?" I inquired as she stepped a foot away from me, breaking out of the embrace. 

She nodded in affirmation, "Yes. We've searched everywhere. However, her bedroom is locked. We can't access it." She narrated and my eyes widened in horror at that.

"What the— she could be in there, mum! And possibly trying to do something stupid, we need to break down that door. Now." I spoke in urgency, immediately swinging the door open and dashing out of the bedroom. My mother's hand was in mine as we quickly rushed downstairs to Cassandra's bedroom. 

   My heart was beating in anxious thuds against my chest, I was scared—super scared. Cassandra was never aboard with this arranged marriage, but just like the rest of us, my father coerced her into it because of his quest for a share of the Alpha's wealth. 

Now hearing that she had locked herself up in her bedroom, I feared that the worst might've happened. Was she just trying to avoid the wedding? Or had she done something reckless like hurting herself or…

    I immediately shook the thought away, choosing to maintain positivity as we approached her door. As we got there, I saw other of our extended family members; my Aunt Anaya and Uncle Chris, and a few other maids and helpers for the wedding as well. One of the helpers had a hammer in his hand, his stance depicting that he was about to hit the door with it. 

"Oh, Alicia, you're back." Aunt Anaya said, turning to face my mother. "We're breaking the door down with a hammer to get to her." She added and my mother nodded, her glassy eyes fixated on the door. 

"Did she say anything? Did you hear any noises from inside?" I stepped forward and asked my aunt. 

She shook her head in naught, "No, we haven't. But she must certainly be in there." My aunt said, giving a reassuring smile that I instantly spotted that it was forced, seeing the worry that lay underneath it. 

   The fact that they hadn't heard any sound from her room made me scared, my mind couldn't stop imagining the worst possible scenario and a shudder ran down my spine every time it did, finally, there was a small dent in the door.

"Quickly, unlock the door!" My mother urged and the helper nodded, inserting his hand through the hole and began opening the lock from inside. 

Just then, my father's voice boomed through the hallway, alerting everyone and our heads turned towards his direction, "What's all the holdup? Alpha Roberto and his family are already at the ceremony ground? Can't you all hurry up?" He rebuked, his words emitting with harshness. 

He came over to my mother, standing beside her, "Where is Cassandra, why is she taking up all our time?" He further inquired, his tone gruff and stern.

My mother sniffled, turning to look at her husband and answer his question. But it was at that moment the click of the door was heard as the helper had successfully unlocked the door. 

It's open." Uncle Chris said and my mother's attention tore from my father as she dashed into the room first, the rest of us followed behind her and we entered as well. 

"Casandra, are you okay dear?" My mother cried as she entered with urgency. 

   However, she was met with an utter surprise by the time she entered the bedroom. My heart dropped as I noticed that there was no trace of Cassandra anywhere. Each moment that went without Cassandra springing up from somewhere and saying all this was just a silly prank, doubled my apprehension and fear. 

I stood there, frozen at the spot and unable to process everything that was happening. What had happened to Casandra?

"Wh–where is she?" I muttered under my breath, much too defeated to speak in anything more than a whisper. 

"Oh, Casandra!" My mother let out a loud outcry, falling to the floor in a sprawl as she began to cry again. 

"There's a letter on the bed." One of the maids identified, pointing at a white envelope on Cassandra's bed and our gazes moved to the letter. We had previously not noticed it. My heart sunk further deep into my stomach at the sight of it, especially when I noticed Cassandra's handwriting on it. 

I was the closest to the bed, so I bent and with shaky hands, I picked up the envelope. I swallowed the lump in my throat and unraveled the letter from the envelope with hesitation. 

"I'm sorry, I can't." 

     That was what the letter read. I had to go over those four words over and over again before fully grasping the meaning behind them – Cassandra wasn't going to get married to Roberto anymore. She ran off. 

"Let me see that."  The yanking of the letter away from my grasp jolted me out of my thoughts and I turned to see my father beside me, now reading through the letter. 

His brows knitted together in confusion and then annoyance as he read through the letter, "Cassandra has run away? On the day of her wedding to Alpha Roberto?" My father growled in anger, squeezing the paper into his palms and crumpling it. His attention turned to my mother who was bawling her eyes out, "You see the child you raised, Alicia? You see the shame she wants to bring upon us?" He yelled in fury, and he had more to say but just before he could say anything, his phone began to ring. 

He grunted in frustration before taking out the phone, the frown on his face deepened further when he saw who the caller was. 

He answered the phone call, "Y–yes. We're on our way, just some minor things to take care of here and there. The bride will be here soon." My father replied and then he ended the phone call. 

"Clara. Get in the wedding dress, you're getting married to Roman." He dictated, his voice measured with authority. 

"WHAT?"