The wedding

Gabriella's POV.

Flashback.

"I do."

I kept staring into the eyes of Marcel, not sure if this was really what I wanted to be doing anymore. I allowed my eyes to dart towards the small crowd that was before us, watching and taking part as much as they could in the ceremony. My dad was there, so was Marcel's best friend, Luke, and my nanny, Freya.

Then there was the rest of the people present who I didn't know from anywhere.

The past few days before the wedding had been......eventful for me. Marcel and I were getting to know each other. I was convinced I could trust this man.

Marcel was a good man. Although principled as he liked to put it. "I don't give room for misbehaviour or disrespect and I'm going to teach you how to become the wife I want you to be." He said that to me often.

I was looking forward to life with him, life away from my father. I glanced over quickly at Freya . She was dabbing her eyes with a small handkerchief. I immediately got teary as well. But from what, I didn't know.

I looked over to the pack priest as he continued officiating the program. A knife was presented shortly and a small slit was made on my palm and that of Marcel's, we let the blood trickle into the small bowl held underneath our hand. It was part of the several rituals required for the joining of an Alpha and his bride.

After the priest was done chanting over the bowl he handed it over to me.

"Take a sip and give the rest to your husband to do the same." He commanded in a low tone. This was unusual, I had not witnessed a union where both mates had to drink each other's blood, but I was in the middle of this now and I had to see it to the end.

I raised the bowl to my lips. Just as I was about to drink from it I heard a loud noise from just outside the hall gates. The bowl fell from my hand in the shock and spilled the blood onto the floor.

Marcel looked at me, stunned. I didn't know if he was shocked by the bowl falling from my hand or from the sudden noise outside the door.

Everything happened at once. The doors to the well decorated and almost empty came crumbling down after a huge bang. Men rushed into the room in a frenzy, Marcel's guards towards the entrance. I cowered in fear and knelt on the floor while shielding my head with both hands from whatever the guards were trying so much to keep from getting inside. I heard the sounds of swords against swords and growls. They were shifting and fighting, all of a sudden the entire room was filled with screams of anguish and shouts.

I was behind the hall chairs at this point. I looked up and I saw Marcel running in the opposite direction, away from the entrance. Shouldn't he be fighting too........

All of a sudden a strong arm gripped my hair from the back and pulled me up. I groaned loudly and struggled to free myself. I fought to focus and I soon found myself staring into the eyes of a man beast. He raised his hand and I watched in horror as it came crashing against the side of my head.

I blacked out.

************************

I was slowly regaining consciousness. A man was moaning in pain......right in front of me. Was it.......Marcel?

I blinked repeatedly until my vision was clear enough. I was lying on the grass, just beyond the small forest that was before the main gates. How did I get here? I made to stand and I felt a blinding pain by the side of my head. Memories of the past few minutes flashed in my mind. A man had attacked me. He was half shifted. I heard a huge thud accompanied by another groan. They probably didn't know I was awake. I had to think fast about what to do. I couldn't remain here.

Slowly I lifted up my head. It was Marcel, his face was being held up by a stronger bigger man, he was dripping of blood. A few other men stood around him as they watched what was going on, laughing.

My eyes caught something just behind them, flames. I strained my blurred vision further to understand the sight before me. The smokes rose up in the air, it had already formed a black cloud overhead, accompanied with faint but audible screams of anguish. They had.......they had set the whole pack on fire.

*******************

"No!!!!!"........I screamed and jumped to my feet.

"She's awake, get her!" I heard one of the men order and soon enough someone was by my side pulling me up by my hair again. I struggled as tears ran down my face. What was happening? Why was this happening?

"Let me go!!!!!"

The man holding me slapped me hard across the cheeks. I winced from the pain, I felt blood trickle down my lips. I had been bruised.

"You shut your fucking mouth and come quietly you hear me?" I relaxed and allowed him pull me until I was in the circle with Marcel. I looked up at him, he was lying on his back and groaning, barely breathing and bleeding from all sides of his body. He had claw marks on his neck and the sides of his face. They were torturing him.

I tried to stretch out my hand to touch him.

"Don't even think about it you stupid bitch." I heard one of the men curse and then stomp on my hands. I screamed from the pain and when he let his feet up I recoiled.

"You really care about him don't you? Your husband, well then, we saved this last part for you....." Someone grabbed my arm and pulled me to my feet. I was weak, and petrified, tears streamed down my face freely as I fought to remain conscious. I kept staring at the almost lifeless body of Marcel. Suddenly I remembered Madame Freya and dad, everyone at the hall. What had they done with them.

I was filled with anguish at the thought that they might be dead.

"Look sweetheart, how we end the life of your precious husband." The man holding me by the arm hissed into my ear. One of the men walked up to where Marcel was. He stood in front of him and smirked. Then he lowered his trousers. I tried to turn away the minute I sensed what he was about to do but the man gripping me held my face facing forward so I could see what was happening. The man passed on Marcel and laughed while doing it. Marcel groaned and tried to shield his face.

I sobbed. What had we done to deserve this, what had Marcel done. Who were this people? I was scared for my life, and that of Marcel's, and that of everyone at the Dark Moon Pack. We had been invaded.

The man holding me nodded. Suddenly the man standing in front of Marcel began to shift until he was in his full wolf form. He was a dark and horrid looking beast, with claws as long as any I had ever seen. He starred at Marcel with his bright yellow eyes as venom dripped from his mouth, he barred out his fangs at Marcel and waited for the order.

"Kill him."

In an instant the wolf was above Marcel and tearing him to pieces with his claws. Body parts flew in all directions and blood splashed on all sides. Marcel didn't make even a single sound, he couldn't.

I shut my eyes. The sounds of the flesh ripping from the effect of the man's claws filled my head. The tears flowed freely from my eyes. I couldn't look anymore. I felt myself sinking into a darkness, one that I hoped will lead me to my death so I won't have to suffer at the mercy of this men that were making me watch as they ripped my to-be husband to shreds, making me dread my fate and that of my family whom I didn't know if they were alive or not.

Making me want to just.........die.

Suddenly everything went quiet, everyone. I still kept my eyes shut. I sensed something, someone was approaching. A new person was joining the group.

"He's here." I heard one of the men say, there was a bit or scuffle and then everything went quiet again. My eyes were still shut. The man holding my arm suddenly let go and I crumbled to the ground, too weak to hold myself up, too weak to do anything.

My senses however, were suddenly alert. Who was the new person that had joined our group, I could smell him, I could feel his presence. It was.......electrifying. Something warm built up inside of me. I tried to open my eyes and look at the person, but I was too tired so I kept them shut and allowed my body to try to tell me who it was.

I couldn't make out the rest of what was being said, I felt myself slipping into unconsciousness and I welcomed it willingly and allowed it to take me, hoping it will be the last time I would be present in this world.