In the Calibur Pack, no one was satisfied with the Alpha's wedding, especially himself.
Hunter had spent the last few years being told by everyone that he should find a woman, even if she wasn't his fated mate, and produce an heir for the pack as soon as possible. And now, as he stood at the altar, wearing a suit so old it seemed to be squeezing even his soul, he could hear the agitated murmurs of his wolves, scattered around the small chapel honoring the Moon God, but not quiet enough to his Alpha's keen hearing could not hear.
“Oh, our poor Alpha…” one of the older women in the pack whispered “We prayed so hard for the God to send him a good Luna and now this… What did Hunter do to deserve a woman like that?”
“I heard she once had a maid cut off her own finger so she could eat it.” one of the teens said to his friends, as if telling a horror story.
"This is ridiculous. But the rumor that she has a collection of whips and names them all, so she knows what punishment to give to those who displease her, I'm sure it's true!”
“If I were you, I would start hiding all my money! I bet she’ll want to tax us to buy dresses and jewelry…” a man said, scared.
"Don't say that. The Alpha would never allow something like that! If she hurts us, we can just tell him and he'll sort it out. Hunter isn’t going to start being a terrible Alpha just because he’s going to marry a terrible woman.”
"I don't know. She's the daughter of the Tigers's Alpha, isn't she? What if she makes a complaint to the Valiant pack and they decide to go to war against us or even send assassins to punish the people who displeased her?”
"Dont be silly. It's obvious that the tiger leader doesn't care about a witch's daughter. Everyone knows that he had a real mate for years now and he probably just wanted to get rid of this girl so she would stop causing problems in his territory, that's why he sent her here. Why else would he have created just her away from his entire pack? They're taking a bomb out of their hands and sending it to us, I'm telling you…”
“Poor Hunter. His mother would be heartbroken to see what he was forced to do to keep the peace.”
“And to think that my daughter could have had the chance to walk down the aisle with him today. She is almost reaching adulthood and I am sure that the God would answer my prayers to make her our Alpha’s Mate.”
“Well, who knows. It’s not like this marriage is going to last long anyway.” one woman commented “If this tigress is really like everyone says, I doubt Hunter will be able to put up with someone so sadistic, petty and violent. She will be rejected in at least four months, I bet. Or maybe just one, if she does something that gets on Hunter's nerves. Which we know is not difficult.”
“Did you notice that he is not wearing the silver cross on his neck? Clearly neither of them believe that this union will last long, which is why he didn't even desecrate the symbol of the Alphas of Calibur in a ceremony like this.”
“And he is correct. A woman like that does not even deserve to see the color of the sacred silver that the God himself forged for us.”
“If you really want to know what I think, we should work twice as hard next harvest, to reward Hunter for making that sacrifice for us. Now we will have the support of the tigers to keep the borders secure and there will be much fewer attacks on our territory. This is the time for us to make the pack stronger than ever, so that this woman knows that our Alpha has over a hundred wolves willing to fight for him if he needs it.”
“Hunter clearly doesn’t need anyone to defend him. The only thing that concerns me is his peace of mind. He values tranquility so much and now this girl will probably do everything she can to torment him, when she realizes that he will never touch her or do her bidding... I really hope we can catch the faceless bastards who insist on attacking us and get it over with soon. with this, so that we no longer need the tigers and he can reject this shameful woman once and for all…”
“Hunter?” The call from his cousin caused Hunter to turn around to find Isabelle standing there, with her gray eyes, exactly like his, full of concern.= “It seems that the entourage from Valiant has finally arrived. She’s waiting outside.”
"Finally." he growled, irritated “Did they even have the decency to explain the reason for all this delay? Was she refusing to come here or does her family simply think I have time to waste waiting for their precious daughter?”
“I can't say what happen. But at least she looks like she's already dressed and ready to go. No wasting time asking for a new dress or jewelry, as we feared.”
"At least that. And Jennifer, how is she?”
“Still crying.” Belle shrugged “She said she would stay locked in her room until you gave up on this marriage. But don't worry, she will accept it at some point. You know how temperamental she can be sometimes.”
“I hate to disappoint her… And I hate that I'm being forced to do this… But, it's for the good of the pack. Send her in, then.” Hunter ran his fingers through his hair, not caring if his bride found it completely disheveled or not “The sooner we start this ceremony, the sooner it will end.”
In silence, still with an expression that would make anyone believe he was about to be sentenced to the gallows, Isabelle made a slight movement with her head towards the two wolves that were guarding the chapel door, but that was enough to make they wrapped their hands around the door handles and began to pull the solid wood doors, gradually revealing the brightness of the sun outside, before Hunter's bride. Now, instead of murmurings and theories about the future, the wolves just held their breath, probably waiting, just like Hunter, to see what kind of fancy dress the troublemaker daughter of the Valiant tigers had chosen to get married in. Rumor had it that she loved covering herself in jewelry from head to toe and that she caused a scene whenever she noticed a single person looking at her in a way that she considered wrong. A scene that usually involved whips, blood and the worst kind of physical punishment possible.
Well, he would make her learn quickly that she should keep her hands off his people for as long as he could bear to have her as his wife.
That thought was still echoing with determination in his head, when the doors finally opened wide and the sunlight settled around, revealing... One of her maids, perhaps? But what kind of bullshit was that? Where was the girl and why was there just a woman dressed in a simple satin dress, long and with no details other than what seemed to be an emerald choker above her bare shoulders due to the cleavage?
"Where is she?" Hunter asked Belle, ready to run into the tigers' territory right then and there and ask if they were trying to make a fool of him.
“Uh… I think this is her.” Belle blinked, as shocked as he felt, as the modestly dressed girl approached the altar, allowing him to notice that she had a tiny bouquet of camellias in her hands, as well as having her face hidden by a semi-transparent veil that could not hid a lot of her facial features, especially not in front of eyes like Hunter's “I think… Maybe she wanted to make a good impression?” his cousin asked, looking as unconvinced of that possibility as he was.
“Whatever the fuck she wants…” Hunter growled, watching the most hated member of the tiger clan walk the last few steps to where he was standing “I don’t care.”
Finally, the girl climbed up the step in front of the altar to be at the same height as him and stood in front of Hunter, with her head tilted down, apparently more in a sign of tranquility than fear. However, her state of mind or what she was planning on arriving at the wedding so discreetly and contrary to what everyone imagined, was his last concern, Hunter just turned to the old priestess of the Moon God, silently signaling for her to begin the ceremony. the way he had instructed her.
“We are here today to officiate the union between this wolf and this… Tigress…” the priestess hesitated, clearly uncomfortable “Before the watchful eye of the Moon God. Today, their destinies will intertwine and they must both be aware of what this means, now, they represent a single life, which must be divided and valued... Until the moment when your paths, perhaps, separate.” the old woman sighed, probably because she had never had to change the words of that sermon so radically, which generally spoke of love and companionship until the end of time “Now, please, Alpha, lift your bride's veil.”
Coldly, Hunter followed his orders, expecting to find there golden eyes like those of the Alpha of the Tigers, with whom he had met a few times... However, what he found was white skin touched by the sun, long hair straight and dark as the night cut short up to her shoulders and a pair of turquoise eyes so bright that they looked like the clear surface of an ocean, where he felt like he was drowning, until a part of his soul seemed to have left his body to lock itself inside that woman.
“Fuck…” Hunter growled, making the girl swallow hard, clearly as bothered and aware of this sudden problem as he was.
They were fated mates.
“Uh… Should I continue, my Alpha?” the priestess asked nervously.
"Yes." he grunted, stepping back, determined not to let that evil joke of the Moon God stop him from fulfilling his duty and acting in accordance with what was best for his pack “Do it. Fast."
“So… Uh…” the poor old woman quickly looked through her book, until she took something hidden in the drawer of the table where she was and placed it between them “Here are the silver rings that will represent the union of the two of you. Place them on your spouse's finger and... Uh... Make a silent promise in your hearts to honor this mutual commitment you are making today.” she asked, clearly needing to spend all her creativity to find a better alternative to the kiss and the vows of eternal love that happened in that part “Now, please…”
Before she could finish, Hunter picked up the largest of the rings, a simple and unfinished one that he had hastily forged with the same enthusiasm he felt towards that ceremony and, with his icy gaze fixed on those turquoise irises, he slid the ring in his own finger, wanting that woman to perfectly understand the message he was trying to send. It didn't matter if she was going to be dissatisfied with it or even try to get her claws into him right there.
However, instead of the screams or uncontrolled threats he expected, the girl just picked up her ring almost at the same moment as him and placed it on her own finger, with an expression that was impossible to read, but that certainly didn't look disappointed with what had just happened.
“Well… Uh… So, for the glory of the Moon God, I present to you Hunter Calibur and… Uh…” the priestess trembled a little as she turned to his new wife, clearly afraid of what her reaction would be when the tigress realized that she didn't know her name.
“Corinne.” was all she responded, calmly, with a voice that sounded like a mermaid singing to Hunter's ears, sweet and melodious, but also dangerous and worthy of concern.
“Corinne Calibur! Just my best wishes to the newlyweds!”
A hesitant and low round of applause began, while the wolves looked at each other and, before leaving the altar without even looking at his wife again, Hunter managed to hear just one last murmur, which certainly didn't escape Corinne's ears either.
“Well, I guess now we can only hope that a powerful and respected Alpha like Hunter is able to keep this troublemaker under control.”
The tradition of wolf marriage dictated that a husband should not leave his wife's side for even a moment during their wedding night, but Hunter couldn't care less what norms he was breaking at that moment, as he walked alone to his office, being followed by the only people he would take advice in a situacion like that.“Well, the ceremony went smoothly, and even now that Corinne Valiant has gone to her room, there's no indication that she's going to cause any trouble.” Belle was the first to comment, when the four were all in the room “I think that's a good sign, don't you?”“We should be careful anyway.” Hunter's uncle, Felix, shook his head, with the same dissatisfied look that had taken over his face since Hunter had announced his intention to marry the Valiant daughter to seal the peace agreement between wolves and tigers "The Valiants may need support against these damned invaders as much as we do, but we still don't know if their daughter isn't acting like this as part of a pla
The hallway of the room Belle had prepared for the tigress was quieter than Hunter expected, even with the literal ten guards standing by in different places out there, just waiting for just one suspicious speck of dust to deal with the Valiant girl. However, they were all in their proper places and greeted Hunter silently as he passed them, stopping in front of the bedroom door where, surprisingly, there didn't appear to be a fight or anything being smashed against the wall. “You look beautiful, darling.” a female voice, hoarse and very different from the one he had heard earlier at the altar, said “And, if that damned dog wasn't able to say it to you, I will.” “Thank you, Octavia.” Corinne replied, with a smile in her voice “But, don't say it too loud. They clearly have as good hearing as we do. I don’t want you to get in trouble.” “I would gladly get in all kinds of trouble to punish that idiot for being rude to you.” the woman named Octavia growled “How dare he not even put the
“I would never subject my people to the punishment of having someone like you as them Luna.” Hunter Calibur said to her, with those gray eyes cold and sharp like the blade of a sword “I will never touch you and I will never allow you to touch me. When this crisis in both our packs is over, I will reject you as my wife and send you back to your homeland, in the exactly same way you came here today.”In silence, Corinne just stared at her new husband and did what she had been doing since they had started that conversation: nod, without comment. After all, it would be rude to tell him that she was hoping, as much as he was, for a quick divorce.“I want to hear you say it.” he growled low, intimidating “Do you understand?”“Yes.” Corinne said, a little tired of having to keep repeating the same thing “I understand. I will not cause problems for you or your pack. I promise, even though it’s very obvious that my word doesn’t mean much to you.”And, as she expected, he clearly didn't believe
Hunter already expected that his “wedding night" would be full of work and worry, but not like this. Instead of being busy solving the problems his temporary wife had created or trying to keep her under control, he was alone in his room, hunched over his desk as he read and reread all the reports on Corinne Valiant that he had ordered for the few wolves who lived near the tiger territory.And once again, every word seemed to be describing a completely different woman than the one he had met that day.Everyone knew about the story of Alpha Eli Valiant first marriage, even those who had no interest in it, like Hunter. He didn't know all the details, but he remembered, even though he was just a boy at the time, the scandal when all the territories discovered that Eli's wife was a witch, which in itself would have been frowned upon by many. When his late gran
She had a body that, until that moment, was living inside his memories, tempting him.Who was he trying to fool? His mood wasn't that bad just because of tension and worry. It was out of desire. For the instincts of his damn wolf that made him fantasize about going to the tigress's room, in the middle of that silent night, and making Corinne Valiant his the way his wolf ancestors had been doing for thousands of years. She certainly knew what she was doing when she had put on that dress that showed off each of her full, voluptuous curves, so Hunter would give her what she wanted. He would help her get rid of that useless satin and get to know every part of her naked, tempting body. He would find out if those big breasts would fit as well in his hands as they looked and what they would taste like when he sucked her nipples with all the greed she made him feel. Hunter wondered what her moans would sound like
“The eastern defense formations will remain the same, then. What about the Alphas from neighboring packs? They all received the news of our alliance with the tigers… And of my marriage?” Hunter grumbled, but didn't look up from the papers in his hands as he spoke to Aiden and Felix, in the gardens at the back of the Calibur house. “All messages were delivered from the Alphas in person, as you ordered, and fortunately, all couriers returned safely. Some of them said that certain Alphas expressed their desire to be invited to the ceremony.” Aiden cleared his throat “But… I think they will soon understand that what happened yesterday was not a matter of… Union between an Alphas and his Luna.” “Are you sure the girl didn’t try to do anything yesterday?” Felix asked, suspiciously “Those dark circles make you look too tired and agitated for someone who should be ha
“What the fuck is going on here?” Hunter asked Belle, through gritted teeth.“We’re sorry, Alpha.” Cindy’s eldest daughter was the one who responded, leaning forward as a sign of respect to him, even though she was clearly not even seven years old yet “It’s all our fault. Our mommy brought us to work today because our father was busy and asked us to take care of Archie, but... We got distracted by playing hide and seek and when we finally found where he had gone after escaping from the basket where we left him sleeping, he was almost falling…”“Actually, they came to Cindy and me first, and we were in the same hallway as… The Valiant princess…” Belle said, as if she could still hardly believe her own words “The three of us went after them together and saw the baby placi
“You dirty dog…” Octavia's eyes turned gold and Hunter had the distinct impression that she would rip out Felix's insides right then and there, if her arms weren't already busy helping Corinne walk “Damn the day those invaders forced our pack to make an alliance with someone like you. At least, I know that our Alpha will give you what you really deserve, when he finds out what kind of treatment you have been giving his daughter…” “Feel free to join your coward Alpha, who would rather sell his own daughter than face his enemies alone.” Felix retorted, making the two tigresses bristle “You old kitten…” “That’s enough!” Octavia growled, now actually looking like she was about to transform “I’m going to make you swallow those words along with your ego…!” “Stop!” Corinne and Hunter said in unison, each to their own so