01 A Wedding.

Meadow sat on the staircase of her house, listening to her parents' conversation. The Luna of the whitewood pack was with them, and they were having a discussion that involved Meadow.

Although they knew she was at the stairs, they did not bother. She was as good as invisible in the pack and posed no threat to anyone.

Meadow was the only child of Tamar and Blake Clearwater and the least favoured in the pack. She was a lovely brunette with blue doe eyes and porcelain skin.

Meadow had everything most women dreamed of, but she was greatly flawed by her condition. Soon, her looks stopped counting as she gradually faded into the shadows of her pack.

People teased her growing up, but now they just ignored her. Her tears had stopped giving her peers joy. She had mastered invisibility perfectly that people never noticed her anymore.

Meadow's voice was stolen at a young age and has remained mute ever since. Her parents spent a fortune trying to help her get her voice back, but it was to no avail; soon, they gave up, and life went by.

Now she was just regarded as the mute of the pack, making her the least desirable person in the Whitewood pack.

At twenty, some of her peers were already mated, but she remained single and alone, and somehow she believed she would die that way.

It didn't bother her because she never expected much from life, but it bothered her mother.

When she was a child, her mother, Tamar, would do crazy things hoping the shock would make her speak, but it was to no avail.

When she got her wolf, they hoped the mind link would work, but her mind connection did not work, just like her voice. She could be linked but she could not respond via the mind connection. Her mutism was diagnosed as selective but soon people decided it was a biological flaw which she can never overcome.

Meadow wasn't only mute, but she wasn't a useful wolf either. Without the mind link, Meadow was utterly useless.

The luna had brought a strange proposal, and Meadow was astonished by it. She had come to ask for Meadow's hand for her son, and her parents had willingly accepted.

At first, she was afraid it might be a prank. Every unmated wolf's dream was to end up with the Alpha of the Pack, Joseph McCloud.

Girls had fought and schemed over it. Having that opportunity literally drop on her lap was too good to be true.

Why would the Luna want her son to mate with a mute? There was no way she could carry out the luna's duties voiceless. How was she going to lead by the alpha's side?

Sitting there on the stairs, she escaped disbelief and embraced the good fortune life had brought her.

Meadow went up the stairs to her room, wondering why the luna chose her. She also worried that the pack members wouldn't respect her as Luna because of her condition.

Unable to contain her emotions, she sent her best friend, Victoria, a text asking her to come over.

While Meadow waited for Victoria to visit, she thought of how her future would be with Joseph.

Alpha Joseph barely spoke to her, and since no one ever acknowledged her, she had no serious experience with the man; how was she going to manage with him? She thought of these things and soon made peace with her fate.

"Come downstairs, Meadow." She heard her mother's voice calling in her head.

Meadow rushed down the stairs and realised the luna was ready to leave.

Luna Amber smiled at her warmly, and although the smile bothered Meadow because it didn't touch the Luna's eyes, she returned the smile immediately.

The false smile was a strange behaviour judging by the reason for the luna's visit, but then again, the woman had been cold since the passing of her mate. Although She ended up marrying his best friend to help her cope, her smile never returned.

"Greet the Luna," Her mother linked her, and Meadow bowed to Luna Amber. Amber did not bother to respond; she just left their house.

When Luna Amber left, Meadow looked at her parents, hoping they would elaborate on the discussion, but they didn't say anything.

Her mother smiled at her and gently patted her on the cheek. It had been long since Meadow experienced such gentleness from Tamar. The news of the engagement had somehow brought out her mother's affection.

"Finally," Tamar said, kissing Meadow's forehead.

"And here I was thinking I would grow old with you in this house," Tamar teased and looked at her daughter affectionately, grateful to the goddess for the blessing she had sent their way.

Meadow hoped her parents would discuss the engagement with her, but they didn't. Perhaps they believed she had heard everything, and they did not need to elaborate. Thinking this, Meadow excused herself and returned to her bedroom.

Victoria arrived at Meadow's house two hours later. She had run most of the way, so her clothes were soaking wet, and her dark short bangs stuck to her forehead. Unlike Meadow, Victoria was talkative and the life of the party.

They met during sign language classes at the academy when they were six years old. While Meadow attended the classes out of necessity, Victoria attended for her grandmother's sake.

They had been best friends since then. For friends, they were quite a contrast, but their friendship had lasted so long that their differences stopped counting.

Victoria greeted the Clearwaters and went straight to Meadow's room. She was surprised to see glum-Meadow happy and giddy. Victoria didn't have to wonder why because Meadow told her the news immediately after she stepped in, using sign language.

Victoria thought Meadow was lying, but when she realised her friend was telling the truth, she became suspicious of the Luna's intentions.

"There has to be a catch, Meadow; of all the girls in the pack, why would Luna Amber choose you for Joseph? No offence, you are my best friend, and I love you to death, but you are the last choice anyone would make as a suitable partner for Alpha Joseph. There has to be a catch," Victoria said, sitting at the foot of Meadow's full-size bed.

Meadow did not take offence because she believed it was fate. She believed the goddess had finally decided to favour her.

"Luna Amber might join you with her son so she can continue to be Luna. With your condition, you won't be able to take over the luna's office, leaving her to continue her tenure as Luna. She will get to be luna till she dies," Victoria said, genuinely worried for her friend.

"Why are you such a killjoy?" Meadow said, using sign language, and Victoria sighed.

Victoria did not know that Meadow had a crush on Alpha Joseph. She kept it a secret because ending up with him was a lofty dream she dared not reach for. Her encounter with Alpha Joseph revived her hope that good people were out there.

He had gracefully come to her aid when three pack warriors in training had decided to pick on her in the convenience store. They were trying to test her limits for pain and see if mute people could scream.

Of course, no one could see them where they tormented her in the back row that displayed stationery and old stuff people rarely bought. Still, Joseph had seen her, and he had come to her rescue.

"A beautiful woman like you should not be in corners where you can't be seen or protected," He said, gently brushing her cheek with his thumb to clean the dust there. She blushed at the gesture and the feeling of shyness that followed. As a true Alpha, he ensured she was okay before walking away.

Meadow was stunned and remained in a trance until he was out of sight. She had never hated her condition so much until in that moment when she realised the things she might never have.

Victoria touched Meadows's shoulder gently to get her attention because she suspected her friend was in deep thought and had zoned out of their conversation. Meadow's rosy cheeks said it all.

"Alpha Joseph is capable of choosing a luna for himself, so it makes no sense that she would choose you for him, unless she wants to maintain control. No offence, but you can't do anything." Victoria added.

Meadow wanted to tell Victoria about her encounter with Joseph and what he had said to her. There was a possibility he felt something that day and had finally asked his mother to ask for her hand.

It was a silly thought, but it was possible. She wanted to tell Victoria but decided against it last minute and kept it to herself.

She could not be mad at Victoria's pessimism because she knew her friend meant well and was looking out for her.

They did not discuss the engagement again and chose to wait and see.

Near the wedding day, some documents were sent to Meadow to sign. It was normal practice. In fact, it meant they were going ahead with the wedding. Meadow's mother was eager. It was finally happening.

Tamar realised that the Luna wasn't planning on going back on her words, and it made her elated. They made sure Meadow signed the documents and sent them back immediately.

Seeing the joy in her mother's eyes brought joy to Meadow. Getting married was something the woman cried about, believing she would never have grandchildren. Now, Tamar had something to look forward to.

The day of the wedding finally came, and even though Meadow wouldn't be able to say her vows, she was still eager to meet her husband at the altar.

Since the engagement, the few times she had met the alpha in public, he had been nice to her. He had even stood up for her against some pack bullies and smiled lovingly at her, making her look forward to the union.

The moment Meadow stepped on the aisle, she became nervous. The line was long, and the wedding was in grand style.

While she walked down the aisle with her father, she stared ahead but did not see the groom at the altar, and she became worried.

Did Alpha Joseph not want the union? Was this a statement by the alpha that he would not accept his mother's choice?

Meadow's knees buckled from shock, but her father supported her and linked her to continue to walk.

Meadow was afraid, but she trusted her parents and the luna and continued to walk even though every fibre of her being was telling her that something was wrong.

She was overwhelmed with fear, and her hands shook. Some of the petals of the live bouquet she held fell off. The fear that engulfed her made her steal a glance at Victoria, who was already in tears.

Victoria was afraid of the fate that awaited Meadow. The alpha's absence was a blatant sign of rejection. Why did the Luna set this up?

Meadow's father left her at the altar. The officiator blessed the wedding without speaking the names of the couple. It was a weird ceremony, but it was a ceremony nonetheless.

Meadow was so distraught that she slipped into denial.

She somehow began to believe that the luna organised the wedding that way to save her the trouble of using sign language to give her vows.

She knew Joseph did not understand sign language and did not want to put people through the stress.

Although there was a reception, Meadow wasn't allowed to attend. The Chauffeur was asked to take her home so she could be with her husband.

This development made Meadow nervous. She had no experience with men, so she did not know what would happen with the alpha. The fact that he wasn't at the wedding worsened her fear.

The moment the car pulled over at the entrance of the McCloud estate, a staff member opened the door, and Meadow let herself out of the vehicle.

She stood to admire the stony ancient mansion. The architecture was grand and exquisite, and she could not stop looking in awe. She could not believe she would be the lady of the house now.

Although the alpha had disrespected her by not showing up at the wedding, she was determined to let that bit go and try. Especially because of those who said she was useless and would never amount to anything.

The servant led her to a deserted part of the house in the west wing section. Meadow thought it was odd, but she followed the servant until she got to a sizeable wooden door.

Meadow noticed the servant's hand trembling while knocking on the door. The servant was terrified of who was on the other side of it.

Meadow wondered what was so scary about Alpha Joseph that would make the servant behave this way. The servant waited a bit before she opened the door to let Meadow into the room.

The room was dark. The curtains were closed, and light rarely got in from the look of things. Though clean and beautifully furnished, the room had something chilly about it, and it wasn’t the air-conditioning. There was tension and unfriendliness that hung in the air.

She searched the room for the occupant, and soon her eyes landed on a man in a wheelchair. He looked angry and very bitter. He had a scowl on his face, and it seemed permanent. Why would they bring her to see him before taking her to her husband?

"Get the fuck out," The man said with a wolfish growl. His tone vibrated with rage, and he clearly didn't want to be disturbed.

His words shook Meadow and the servant, and they froze, engulfed in fear and the pressure of the alpha's command.

It was none other than Alpha Ethan McCloud, Joseph's older brother and the pack's former alpha.

"Why are you still standing there?" Alpha Ethan spoke to the servant harshly without paying attention to Meadow. As far as he was concerned, she did not exist.

"Alpha, y…y..your wife is here," The woman said with fear and quickly let herself out, and that was when Ethan spared Meadow a glance.

Meadow was in so much shock that she remained frozen. The luna did not choose her for Alpha Joseph; she had chosen her for her monstrous, unloveable, bitter son, Alpha Ethan.

She fought back her tears as she stared at the angry man in a wheelchair who was now her husband.

Ethan's eyes were cold and sinister, and he scared Meadow, giving her a bone-chilling effect. This was one of those times that she was grateful for not having a voice, or she would have screamed.

Meadow waited a bit for Ethan to say something. Finally, he spoke, and the word that escaped his lips demolished Meadow's hope and optimism. It made her believe that fate was really never on her side and the joke was on her.

"So my mother made good on her words and got me a live-in nanny that can't quit like the others," He said, bitter and disgusted, looking away from her. It was clear he didn't want her. Meadow stood frozen on the spot, not knowing what to do. Tears of fear and the unknown streamed down her face.