Chapter 2

　　Josie's POV

　　I tapped my fingers against my thigh, unable to stop the nervous rhythm.

　　The chapel was beautiful. Perhaps too beautiful.

　　White flowers decorated the aisle, candles flickered softly along the walls, and sunlight poured through the stained-glass windows.

　　It looked like a place where people came to begin their lives together.

　　But all I could think about was everything I was leaving behind.

　　My old life and freedom. It felt less like a wedding and more like a funeral.

　　"Don't do anything foolish, dear," my father murmured as we stood at the entrance. "A lot depends on this."

　　I glared at him, and a part of me wanted to ask if he had ever looked at me and seen his daughter, or only a piece on a chessboard.

　　My mother gave me a small, encouraging smile, but it didn't reach her eyes.

　　I turned toward the aisle. My legs felt heavier than they should have, but I walked.

　　The humans sat on one side of the chapel, and the Lycans on the other side. Neither group looked happy to be there. Their hatred filled the room like a storm waiting to break.

　　And at the end of the aisle stood him. My groom.

　　His back was turned toward me. He didn't look nervous, or impatient, or even curious. Instead, he stood there like this was an obligation he had already finished enduring.

　　When I reached the altar, he still didn't turn immediately, and when he did, my breath got caught in my chest. I knew he was handsome.

　　I'd seen a picture of him, but it didn't do him justice.

　　He was very tall with dark hair and steel-blue eyes. His gaze locked onto mine, cold and unreadable. There was no warmth at all, no sign I was his bride, only resentment.

　　For a second, I forgot everyone else was watching. Because the man standing in front of me didn't look at me like someone he was about to marry. He looked at me like I was the reason he was suffering.

　　I glanced toward my parents, silently begging them to see what I saw.

　　But they had already taken their seats, and given me away.

　　The ceremony passed like a dream I couldn't wake from. There were vows, and signatures, and it was over. I barely had time to look back at my parents and say goodbye or share final words.

　　"I'm done." Ronan's voice was cold.

　　He walked away before I could even process that I was now his wife.

　　I watched him leave, and I scoffed, my husband, the man I was supposed to spend the rest of my life with.

　　The castle was like something from another world. Massive stone walls surrounded it, and the tall windows reflected the darkening sky. It was breathtaking. But it didn't feel like home.

　　The driver opened the door, and I stepped out in my wedding dress.

　　I looked back, expecting someone to be there still, but the driver was already gone. I was alone.

　　Taking a shaky breath, I walked toward the entrance and opened the doors. Music and laughter filled the room, and for a moment, I froze.

　　People were celebrating, and someone noticed me.

　　"The human is here!" he shouted. The room went silent, and every face turned to me. I felt their gaze scrutinize my dress, my face, and my existence, as if I were something strange they had never seen before.

　　My hands trembled, but I forced myself to smile.

　　Some people nodded, and others looked away. Then the music started again. 

　　I stood there in the middle of the room, a bride with nowhere to go.

　　"Hi, Josie, right?"

　　I turned to see a man with black hair and a muscular build approaching me.

　　"I'm Kane. I'll be your aide. King's orders." He bowed. I stared at him for a moment before nodding.

　　"The washroom," I whispered. "Could you show me where it is?"

　　I barely recognized myself in the mirror. The woman staring back looked like someone who had been broken apart and carefully put back together.

　　Dread pooled in my stomach and my lips trembled.

　　How did my life become this? I closed my eyes and took a breath.

　　I wouldn't cry here, not where they could see me. I wiped my face and left the bathroom.

　　I had only walked a short distance when voices stopped me.

　　Ronan?

　　"Do you think I'm happy about this, Sadie?"

　　I froze.

　　"If I could have stopped this sham of a marriage, I would have."

　　My chest tightened painfully. 

　　"There should have been another way. I was supposed to be the Luna. I'm your mate!"

　　Mate. I knew the word. But hearing it from her made it feel different, important, and sacred. My mind searched desperately for another explanation. She was someone else, maybe a friend, or a relative, just anyone, but Ronan spoke.

　　"I know, baby."

　　My stomach dropped. Baby. He called her baby.

　　"That human is nothing to me."

　　I stepped closer before I could stop myself, and then I saw them, his arms around her. My eyes widened when I saw my husband crashing his lips on her.

　　The woman's fingers tangled in Ronan's shirt as they kissed fiercely, and she moaned his name.

　　My world went completely silent, and the music downstairs disappeared, everything did. Because the man I had just married was holding another woman like she was the only person in the world who mattered.

　　"You're mine, Sadie." His hand gently touched her face. "Nothing will ever change that,"