CHAPTER TWO

"She is the bride?" He turned away from me and to my father who rose his head. I never saw my father that reverent. Nobody noticed it, not even him, but I did. His eyes which always glistened with stubbornness and pride was now mixed with hatred, resentment, hurt ego and forced reverence. I knew that it wasn't about me, it was about him and his stupid overinflated ego.

It hurt so bad.

I don't know what I was expecting from him, maybe to put up a fight? I was as confused as you who read it now because I wasn't even told why I was being sent into the lion's den, but all I heard was that Royalty came with the price of servitude to the kingdom in the time of trouble and it frustrated me the more.

I always wished I wasn't a royalty since I was a kid.

"Yes, she is my daughter, Hazel." Father spoke benevolently with a polite face. I could hear the undertone and the knives drawn with words.

I was surprised at first since I didn't see any man with grey hair, struggling with his ragged breath or wrinkled skin,rather I found the 'whoever' that stood before me really appealing somehow.

"We may proceed then" He said and walked away from me, as if what happened never did.

I felt a huge pull and squeeze in my heart making me shut my eyes for a nano second to wince inaudibly. It hurt so bad that I hated him for whatever thing he was doing to me, he hasn't even met me before and he was unleashing his beastly features which I found downright inhumane.

The rest of the ceremony went on so monotonously and blandly, I found that the alpha was surprisingly too young for his age or was that also a super power these Werewolves possessed too? He was the young weird beautiful eyed man who spoke in my head.

After the brief encounter I had with him, I knew he was no deadlier than expected, I dreaded him more since he must've probably bullied me by causing me such pain knowing fully well that I had to behave strictly and poised,even if a knife was stabbed into my chest because it was an abomination to act uncultured before the king, despite being his daughter.

I hated this man and I feared him more. I felt cold from within my spine which was already flooded with the feeling of trepidation.

We exchanged vows which was led by the royal priest and we payed whatever respect we should have. Even though it was a wedding, it was probably the briefest wedding in the history of Arazona because father was so eager to send the Monsters away from his kingdom, incase they went against their treaty and made a sneak attack. He had weapons and soldiers planted and hidden everywhere in the kingdom ready to attack, but i am sure my father knew he would be on the losing side if a fight should ensure which will defeat the purpose of the marriage.

"We take our leave now, father-in-law" The Alpha said with a stoic expression as he made emphasis on 'Father-in-law'.

"Go well my daughter" Mother walked towards me with watery eyes while maintaining her poise. I knew that she swallowed hard when she was trying to control her emotions and that was exactly what she kept on going as the queen of the kingdom and wife of the King, my father.

"Yes mother" She was really never one to me.

We paid our last respect and we set off immediately— well, I and my new husband. The formalities almost suffocated me, the hushed crowd too afraid to even breath, my father's eagerness to send us off, the disturbing tempo of the song being played by the musicians, my mother's grimly expressionless face, my tight and perfect wedding dress and the beautiful strange beast that held my hand.

Everything.

Heavy is head that wears a crown; My head felt so heavy that I felt it may fall off .

I and My new husband walked out of the palace gates with the escorts from our kingdom and there was a fine carriage waiting outside.

It is not that I didn't notice the few men the man (My Husband) had come with, but somehow, their presence seemed to be dimmed under his overbearing air.

"Fair well, my Princess" The escorts bowed to me, which was laughable. This was their last time of addressing me as their Princess, from the moment in, I didn't belong to Arazona, that I knew too well, Mother sang it like a bedtime tales to me and engraved it in my mind long since my marriage with this man had been agreed upon.

I nodded in response and they exited back into the palace, shutting it's gates with a loud bang.

–Maybe I exaggerated a bit, but they did shut the gates of the palace tightly and sharply, probably afraid that the beasts would invade their abode once more.

Hehe, pitifully enough, I was left with the few monsters, to journey with and live with forever, well till they killed me, or I killed myself, or I ran or something. Wow, what a blissful marital life before me, I was living the dream!

I wanted inform the man and his friends that my meat tasted bad, and my blood was poisonous, just in case it was in their plan to eat my meat and down it with my blood: I probably would have told them If my hand was not trembling and my poor heart was not thundering to explode from my ribcage due to fear.

The man led me towards the carriage and his men followed.

'Eh? Did they plan that we were all going fix ourselves into the carriage? That little carriage? Woah, they really planned to eat me and leave no crumbs then!The thought sent shivers down my spine.

"The carriage is just for both of us" The man said. He probably read my expression which I didn't hide.

"Oh" I replied. I really tried not to dwell on the feeling of his roughly soft and cold fingers laced in mine.

I wondered again, how his men were going to return back to their kingdom, or whatever place the werewolves lived was called— Pack.

My Husband helped me into the carriage and settled beside adjacent me, finally letting my hand go. I felt myself release a breath I didn't know I was holding. He was too terrifying!

Just as one of his men who looked extra mean  closed the door of the carriage gently after bowing to his Alpha, my husband,I heard loud animalistic howls that made me tremble and my heart thumped. Fear paralyzed me, What now!

Tears almost pooled my eyes as it stung my eyes, but I knew very well not to cry. I clamped my lips together and clenched my fists tighter, that way, I could tremble less. I heard rapid running after the howls and rustling of the bushes and then everywhere went silent. I guessed the men had turned into their wolf forms or something and had gone ahead, why did I not think of that? They could reach their destination faster than the horse led Carriage (The Alpha would have done the same, if not for my sake, I guessed) My husband has been very quiet only sending a few glances my way as if he was an unconcerned spectator.

The carriage began to move almost immediately after the departure of the wolves, to Vermillion Pack City. That was when I resigned to my fate entirely, there was no turning back.