"Are you ready to leave, My Lord?" Degar asked when he walked into Cullen’s chambers to see him getting dressed.
The marriage ceremony between him and his new wife had been scheduled for today and he was getting ready in preparation for the ritual.
Even though he knew that this was a necessity, he still couldn’t wait to get it over and done with.
The marriage rites had taken a toll on his mental health and the sooner this facade of an event ends, the better for him. His marriage to his late wife didn’t even stress him as much as this one did.
"I am almost done." He answered feeling uninterested. Degar took note in his tone and Cullen hoped that he wouldn’t go further to ask him any more questions.
"Your escort as well as the special elders of the pack are waiting for you My Lord."
Cullen threw him a glance, he wondered if anyone didn’t understand that he was doing this because he was compelled to and not the other way round.
"And Alfonso?" He proceeded to ask. Ever since the issue of his marriage had been brought to Court, he had seen more and heard less of his Beta.
His silence wasn’t actually what bothered him but what he might be planning and the outcome of that silence.
He had decided to give him a benefit of doubt but that doesn’t mean that he had taken his eyes off him completely.
"Alfonso would be joining us as well. He’s waiting for you alongside the other elders."
Cullen nodded his head while the maids clothed him in his attire. When they were done, his long silky hair was styled in a way that accentuated his face and they finished the look with his regal robe and shoes.
"You look very good." Degar smiled at him and he rolled his eyes in irritation "I’m glad you’re getting married again. At least I won’t be the only one to handle your tantrums."
"We are finished, My Lord." Moira announced with a bow.
"I had hoped that you would come with me, Moira." His jaw ticked, his lips drawn in a tight scowl as he looked down at her.
"The tradition of the pack doesn’t allow it, My Lord." She told him calmly.
"I am only a slave that is meant to serve you. I am not your mother, nor am I a full member of this household but don’t worry, I will be here to welcome your bride when you bring her home."
Cullen sighed tiredly. Everyone keeps on stressing about his bride when he wasn’t even interested in having one.
He doesn’t even care if she agrees to come home with him. His pack had put this burden on his shoulders to carry so he couldn’t care less if she died on her way here.
"Can we leave now?" Degar inquired and he nodded his head in affirmation. The faster they leave, the sooner they get it over and done with.
Cullen trailed after Degar till they made their way outside to where the elders were waiting for him. They exchanged greetings before starting their journey to the Blue Crescent pack.
Cullen and the elders arrived at the pack at exactly noon and after being welcomed by Alpha Cullman and his council of Elders, they were led to the place where the ceremony was supposed to take place.
Cullen sat down on the throne like a chair reserved for him while he waited for his bride to join.
The ceremony kick-started almost immediately and just then, Cullen felt his wolf waken like it had the night before.
He jerked and sat up instantly. His eyes searched frantically for the woman who had caused his wolf to become restless.
Degar noticed his uneasiness and leaned in closer. "Is everything okay?"
"She’s here." He said in response to Degar’s question. Degar didn’t need a soothsayer to remind him what Cullen meant by that statement.
He was referring to his mate. The woman at the club.
"But didn’t you say that you didn’t feel anything last time? Is she close?"
"She’s very close." He breathed heavily, the mood around him altered and he bared its teeth in alert.
The rush of adrenaline at this point was bigger than anything he had ever experienced.
He sniffed through the air and caught a whiff of her familiar scent. It enticed him but then, he pretended not to notice.
Cullen waited. He had wanted to see if his wolf or the universe was playing tricks on him. He wanted to see if he had been imagining things or if what he had just felt was real.
Eventually, the door flew open and she walked in. He watched her round the table and took a seat right next to him but then he discovered another problem. His wolf wasn’t reacting to her.
He knew so much about the mating bond and pull. If they were highly compatible, then his scent would rub off on her but still he didn’t perceive anything. Not even the slightest dent.
Angered, he reached out to her hands and pulled her up from where she sat. "Come with me."
She tried to protest but he was already dragging her out of the hall to a more private and secluded area. The guards had tried to follow but he instructed them not to take a step until they were back.
"Who are you?" He asked while she struggled to release her hands from his firm grip.
"Let me go, you’re hurting me!" Aria cried out in pain at the invasion. His nails had dug into her flesh but he still didn’t budge.
"You’re the one I saw at the club aren’t you?" He proceeded to ask and she looked at him clueless. "The one whom I had rescued that night?"
"I don’t know what you’re talking about!" She yelled at him in anger. "I have never met you in my entire life and the reason I know you now is because we have been set up to get married to each other."
He scoffed at her audacity. "You don’t know me? Then why did you leave the other day I came for the ceremony? Why did you rush off?"
She arched her brows in confusion. "Were you expecting us to have a chit chat? A romantic conversation for an arranged marriage?"
"You aren’t exactly the type of man that I would spend my time chatting with."
"You’re not even the type of man that I would end up getting married to even if I had my way so don’t flatter yourself for thinking that I ran away because of you." She baited him even more.
She scoffed in mockery "You might be the Lycan King of the seven kingdoms and you might be feared by everyone around you including my father but you don’t scare me, not even a little bit." She spat in rage.
His grip on her hands tightened and she winced in unwelcome pain.
Cullen noticed that his wolf didn’t set off even when she cried out in pain. It didn’t feel a single thing at all. What is this sorcery?
"I said that you should let me go!" She screamed at him. Her eyes almost bulged out of their sockets.
"I never asked to get married to you so why don’t you just call off this alliance? Why are you so bent on making my life miserable?"
"I had wanted to call off this alliance." His statement took her aback.
"In fact, on my way here, I had given it so much thought but now that you had the audacity to lie to me," His lips twitched in a smirk, "I want nothing more than to go through this marriage, Aria Cullman."
Her breath hitched and she panicked in fright. Just the kind of reaction that he had hoped for.
"I will get married to you Aria and I will do everything in my power to see to it that it happens today."
"You dare to challenge me, did you not? What better way to punish you than to see how far you’d last in my home; miserable, broken and separated from your family." He chuckled, a deep and empty one.
"And don’t worry. I’m sure you’ve heard stories about me." He leaned in closer.
"All of which are true to the very least, I can assure you. I will make you suffer and regret your words. You will count the days till you breathe your last and no, I do not bluff. I meant every single word that I had just said."
She trembled, her whole body shaking as her lips curled up in horror.
"That’s it Aria. Remember this fear that you feel today because it will be the same that you feel everyday, the same fear that will eat you up till you decide to leave this world."
He let go of her hand and she took a step back, "I will never get married to a ruthless man like you. Over my dead body!"
"Alright then. Do it and watch how I make your people suffer. They will pay the price for your mistake instead." He threatened and she quickly took to her heels and ran away.