Chapter Six

I spent that night on the floor, tossing and turning to find a comfortable position that wouldn’t anger my bruised buttocks. Wyatt had slipped into bed after our last exchange and left the duvet flung aside as an invitation, which I had no qualms rejecting after last night.

Marry him? Seriously?

I shook my head in disbelief. He was adding insult to injury. This man would bind me to him under the laws of humans and wolves, using the opportunity to parade his new toy in front of all seven packs he ruled over. Well. I could guaran-damn-tee I would not be at that alter to greet him.

I sat up gingerly, wincing as my backside took the weight of my body. He wasn’t in the bed but I could still smell him everywhere-he couldn’t have been gone long.

Something caught my eye and caused me to do a double-take. Wyatt's car keys shimmered silver in the morning sun on his bedside table.

Adrenaline pulsed through my veins; these keys would open a huge black Chevy pick-up currently parked just outside...that I could use to drive to Alpha Cole in Jackson and call on the alliance, start a war with the man I had shared a bed with. I would have my freedom. Oh my god, this is it.

I sprinted to his nightstand and snatched up the keys, fumbling with nerves as I threw on sweatpants and a hoodie. As I was lacing up my sneakers a bored voice uttered from the doorway, “he said to tell you don’t bother. He left one of his boys in the truck, they know you’re comin’”.

I jumped out of my skin and swivelled to face my intruder. A tall, slender woman not much older than me wearing jeans and an oversized sweater leaned on the doorframe, resting one of her white sneakers on the wood with her back to me. Flowing blonde hair sat on her head twisted into a bun, held in place by several hair sticks. She was just as disinterested in my presence as she sounded, instead seeming very interested in inspecting her colourfully manicured nails.

“Annd…you are?” I asked irritably, not caring for pleasantries after my not-so-clever plan had been crushed to oblivion by this stranger.

She turned to face me with a huff and crossed her arms giving me a good once-over, making sure I saw her take me in head to toe with disdain.

“I’m Selina. Y’know, Selina Grey…”

She raised her eyebrows and exaggerated the surname like a celebrity expecting recognition. I shrugged and pulled a face. She seemed flabbergasted.

“Selina Grey, as in Wyatt Grey…your Alpha. Your fiancé?! Jesus how dumb are you, girl?”.

She cackled as the colour in my face drained. How stupid I had been to presume I was the only woman he had around. I felt sick. I did not need a harem of jealous wives and lovers on my tail while I found a way out of this.

“Look, I don’t know when you married him and I don’t particularly care. Just know I’m not a threat. In fact, I’m trying to get away from him, I don’t want him. You can have him all to yourself. Maybe you can help me find a way-”

She cut me off short. “Honey, what…oh, you think…oh my god, gross!”. She looked genuinely queasy, and just a smidgeon amused by it all. “Wyatt is not my damn husband. This ain’t that kind of pack. He’s my brother”.

Huh. Now I could see it. I thought there was something familiar about her and now I saw it. They had the same facial structure-defined cheekbones and jawline, similar lips but she had a feminine snubbed nose rather than Wyatt’s masculine straight nose. Her lips were more pouted, and eyes an intense hazel with bright green in the centre with fiery reddish-brown around the edges, rather than Wyatt's pools of icy blue. She was a beauty to be sure.

Must be good genes. I wonder what their parents look like…

I kept staring into her face piecing together the missing links between her and the man who unleashed such brutality on me last night. She knew what I was doing and waved me off.

“Cut it out, it’s creepy. We sorta look like, but we sorta don’t. If you wanna know I get a lot from our mom and he takes mostly after dad. So, take what you will from that. You’re pretty though so I’m sure your kids will be cute if that’s what you’re wondering. That’s probably why he chose you. Took him damn long enough, Mom’s been chompin’ at the bit for some grandkids”. She giggled to herself and I felt sick.

“I, uh…I’m not…this isn’t-” I sputtered.

She rolled her eyes dramatically and went back to looking at her nails with interest, inspecting every single painted flower in her manicure like it was the most pressing matter in the world.

“Oh, puh-leeease. Give me a break. Can we stop the dramatics now? I’ve already heard. You hate him, he took your pack, yadda yadda yadda. It’s over and done with. Can you just be a normal person now please so I can go back to my life and not be your guard dog?” she snapped. “I've got a 9 month old baby at home. As if I wanna be babysitting your sorry ass”.

Her oblivious pun sent me into peals of hysterical laughter. Screeching, can’t-catch-your-breath, tears rolling down your cheeks laughter that comes so rarely I couldn’t remember the last time I’d laughed so hard.

When I finally recovered, Selina was staring at me like I’d grown an extra head.

“Oh-kay. Guess my brother likes the crazy ones. Anyway. Today we’re going dress shopping so get your shit together, we’re going out”. She spun on her heel and made her way down the landing to the regal staircase that led to the bottom floor, and I shouted after her, “I don’t need any new dresses. It’s winter, for Christ’s sake!”.  

She called back up, “Not a dress dress, dummy. Your wedding dress. C’mon, don’t make me come up there and drag you down with my teeth!”.

My stomach grumbled loudly as we approached the fourth bridal store of the day. Selina had callously dragged me through each one shoving various different styles, colours and fabrics in my face and I was drowning in a sea of ivory and creams.

“Can we please go for lunch? It’s 3:45pm. It’s almost dinnertime”, I whined.

Selina stalked past me to open the door to Lacey’s Bridal and snipped, “Maybe if you try something on you might just find a damn dress. I swear to the lord in heaven, if you don’t find something here, I will pick one for you! In champagne too, and that will wash your complexion right out girl”.

I narrowed my eyes and gave her my filthiest look.

“Don’t you start up with me, I ain’t the one who said it had to be today. Wyatt said you have to pick one today or it won’t be ready on time. So there. Do us both a favour and let’s get it done”. As she pulled the door open I heard her mutter under her breath, “I’m fixin’ to nibble on this sales lady if I don’t get somethin’ to eat sooner than later. Goddamn waste of time…”.

I laughed inwardly and followed obediently into the store, immediately awed by the lush display of rich fabrics lining the walls and the pleasing scent of lavender in the air. I sniffed in the air deeply, relishing in the calming fragrance.

“Helps with the nerves, don’t it?” drawled a petite brunette sales assistant from behind the till. “We have it hidden ‘bout everywhere. Lots of girls getting’ cold feet when the dress goes on. But some lavender, few glasses of liquid courage and you’re good to strut down that aisle to prince charming”. She winked at us and called out, “Jennifer, two glass to the front! Pronto!”.

Before I knew what was happening a tubby blonde girl no older than 18 appeared with a silver tray with two glasses of bubbling champagne and Selina and I shared a knowing look. While silver was only deadly to Weres in high amounts, brushing past it was enough to burn, and neither one of us wanted that sort of attention drawn to our kind. After an awkward pause where the poor girl stood there for a lifetime waiting for us to take the champagne, the older lady strode forward and picked up both glasses delicately and placed them in our hands.

“Excuse Jennifer, she’s new. Now, who’s the lucky girl? Oh, I’m Helen by the way” she purred. “So now which one of you is the bride?”.

“That would be her. And we need help, desperately” Selina said blunty.

“And you are…?”

“Sister of the groom. And you're our last hope. D’ya think you can find some things for her to try on?”.

Helen assessed me with her eyes so thoroughly I felt violated. Those beady blue eyes took in every spare inch and finally she gave a curt nod.

“Got it. Go to the first changing room on the left girlie, I gotcha figured out. Go go go, we close at 5pm. That gives just over an hour to make dreams come true!”. She was buzzing with excitement and ricocheting between racks stacking up dresses before I’d even got into the changing room.

It wasn’t long before handfuls of dresses were being passed through every few minutes for my approval and I vetoed the majority-too low cut, too traditional, too white, slits up the front…none of them would suit an unwilling participant to their nuptials with an invading werewolf Alpha.

I was trying on my sixth dress, an eggshell white strapless mermaid shaped gown, when I was caught grimacing in the mirror by Helen.

“Honey, what’s wrong with this one? You’ve got such a wonderful figure, it looks beautiful. You’ve got to be happy with yourself on the day! What don’t you like about it?”.

“It just…isn’t me. It’s too sexy, y’know? You wouldn’t want to be like that on your wedding day. I’d want to feel more classy, timeless”. I smoothed my hands over the tight silk on my hips to demonstrate. “I don’t know how much more of this I have left in me though, I’m getting tired...”.

From the corner of my eye I saw Selina’s face take on a murderous look and her lips pursed in fury. I pretended not to notice; she could eat dirt for all I cared. It was agony squeezing into each one of these damn dresses, wiggling and pulling them over my sore bruised buttocks that her brother had so callously inflicted on me last night.

Helen wagged a finger at me. “One more” she said, and with that she scarpered back out to the shop floor. She returned a moment later with a bag on a hanger and hung it up in my dressing room.

“Just try this one, please. Let me see it at least”. Those watery beady eyes pleaded with me.

“Alright, just one but no promises I’ll like it” I grumbled, cranky from lack of food and an increasingly painful backside.

It took my breath away.

I could hardly believe it was me staring back in the mirror. Never in a million years would I have thought a tulle, off the shoulder princess gown would suit me but here I was astonished. The tulle sleeps draped delicately over my bust and across my upper arms, and a flattering silk waistband drew attention to my slender hourglass figure. The skirt draped to the floor spilling out into a modest train behind me as I walked out and Helen gasped.

“Oh, honey…this is it!”. She clapped her tiny hands in glee. “We got it!”.

I had already gauged that Selina was not the sort easily impressed, and she didn’t fail me now.

“Looks good. You should get it” she said flatly, though there was a hint of a smile at the corner of her mouth.

I wasn’t sure if it was the champagne going to my head, or the contagious energy of the tiny Helen. But standing there on the pedestal looking in the mirror I let myself give in to the fantasy. Just for a moment.

I pictured striding up the aisle confidently, smiling at all the pack members who had watched me grow from orphan to Luna. Wave at the women who had fed me from their table and nod to the boys who had offered their hands after the demise of Mason. With each stride in my expensive high heels I would get closer and closer to the man who was so handsome he took my breath away. He would take me in with those piercing blue eyes, with a hint of a satisfied smirk on his face like there always was. His hair would be brushed back behind his ears, his stubble trimmed down and neat for the day. After it was all said and done, he would drag me back to the bridal suit and bend me over the first thing he saw, fling up my skirt and fuck me so hard I wouldn’t be able to dance at our own reception.

“Oh look, she’s daydreaming about it already! Oh this is definitely the one!” Helen crowed.

I stared back at my current self and felt deflated. Yes, he would bend me over…like he did last night. All at once I felt the stinging blows, the humiliation. Heard my screams of agony ring my ear  as he brought the belt down ruthlessly again and again, with his cock standing at the ready pressing into my thigh begging to enter. He'd enjoyed it, I knew he had. If his massive erection didn’t say it clearly his ragged breaths told me all I needed to know, that and his hands caressing my hips and buttocks longingly before resuming his unsavoury treatment of them again and again.

How could I marry such a man?

“Y’know I like it, but I think it might be too expensive…” I trailed off, and Helen’s face fell instantly.

Selina piped up, “no problem! We’re paying. Anything to keep the bride happy, amiright?”.

Helen smiled sweetly and I could practically see dollar signs rolling in her eyes.

“That’s right, you only do it once…well, with the right man” she said hurriedly, reading my uncomfortable expression, “when you know, you know-with the husband and the dress!” she cackled, and Selina followed suit.

I felt nauseous as I watched the pair of them shuffle out to the front haggling over numbers. This nightmare felt like it was never-ending. Somehow Wyatt kept finding ways to strip my dignity away layer by layer. If he thought he could buy me with a fancy dress, he was positively delusional.

I pushed away the fuzzy wedding daydream, and shut out the feelings I had every time he looked at me... every second he touched me. I focused on his assault in the woods, the bodies on the battlefield, the way he enjoyed inflicting pain on me last night. 

He was definitely not the right man for me. He is not the man for you, Nova. Stick to the plan.

I toyed with the tulle skirt and wondered how fast I might be able to run in it.