Chapter 2 Strange marks
I was being led out of Elara’s room, disguised as her, dressed like a corpse bride. Beneath the veil, tears slipped down my cheeks as I walked quietly between the maids. My heart felt so heavy I could barely breathe. Every step I took felt like a step away from my life, my identity, my freedom.
When I got to the mating ceremony hall, I was welcomed by dozens of faces, different Alphas from different packs, their eyes cold and unreadable. My gaze moved around the hall, hoping to at least see the cursed Alpha, but there was no sign of him.
The ceremony began, still no Alpha. Laughter and music filled the hall, but it didn’t comfort me, it only made my stomach twist harder. I felt like a ghost in my own body, like I was being buried alive in another woman’s life.
Something in me kept whispering that I needed to see him. I wanted to know who this Alpha was, the man everyone feared, the man I was forced to marry. But he never showed up. Time passed, and when it finally came to the ritual part, I still hadn’t seen him.
Was this a joke?
I turned to my father, who was busy laughing and chatting with some Alphas like nothing was wrong. He didn’t look the slightest bit worried. I frowned, biting back my anger. Then the seer ordered for the blood bowl to be placed on the golden moon statue.
Still, no Alpha.
My heart started beating faster. The longer the silence stretched, the heavier my chest felt. Even my father began staring at the entrance now, his face starting to shift. The pack seer leaned toward him and whispered, “Where’s he?”
Dad’s face darkened. “Let’s wait a little,” he muttered coldly.
We waited. Thirty long minutes. The crowd was whispering now, restless, curious. Then suddenly, everything went quiet. Completely quiet.
Everyone turned to the entrance.
And when I looked too, I froze.
A woman stood there, dressed fully in black. Her presence alone made the air feel heavier. I could sense the dark energy around she, it wasn’t normal. Her scent wasn’t purely werewolf either. It smelled mixed… wrong. Half witch, half wolf.
Her hair was pure white, her eyes sharp and glowing faintly. Her makeup was black, making her look almost haunting. She walked in slowly, like she owned the place, her heels clicking on the marble floor. The crowd parted silently for her until she reached the front.
“Greetings, Alpha Ramen,” she said, bowing slightly. Her voice was calm, but there was something dangerous in it. “I’m Vennessa, seer of the Zarek pack. Alpha Kaelrix sent me.”
That name alone sent chills down my spine. Alpha Kaelrix, the cursed Alpha.
She gave me a brief look before turning to my father. “Sadly, Alpha Kaelrix won’t be attending the ceremony due to political issues,” she continued smoothly. “So I’ll be marrying her on his behalf.”
Her tone was too calm, too confident. It made me uneasy.
Then she looked right into my eyes and smirked. “Swapped,” she whispered.
My entire body went numb.
She knew.
She knew we were swapped.
How, how did she know that?
Then she leaned slightly toward my father, her voice low but sharp enough for me to hear. “Alpha Ramen, we know about the bride switch. Alpha Kaelrix, knows too. And he prefers this one, Elinra.”
She said my name.
My stomach twisted. My knees almost gave out. How did she even know?
“Thank you, Vennessa. My daughter here is good,” my father said with a proud smile.
Good?
I wanted to scream. I wanted to slap that smile off his face. He wasn’t a father. He was a monster in human skin.
Vennessa glanced at me one last time and let out a faint laugh. “I doubt.”
Her words cut deep. I wanted to tell her she was right, that I wasn’t good, that I wasn’t meant to be here, that I was scared out of my mind. But I couldn’t say anything. I just stood there, feeling smaller than ever.
I wanted to run away so bad. But I couldn’t. If I did, Kaelrix would destroy the pack. He’d kill innocent people. And no matter how much I hated my parents, I couldn’t let that happen.
To everyone, I was the weaker twin. The unwanted one. The imperfect one.
And now, I was being sold off like a pawn just to protect them.
The thought made me sick.
When the ritual started, my hands wouldn’t stop shaking. The seer did everything alone, but when it came to the marking part, she took out a small knife and pressed it against my neck. The sharp pain made me flinch, but what shocked me most was that she didn’t mark me once, she did it three times.
Three marks.
It burned so badly that I almost screamed, but I kept quiet. Everyone stared in silence, and I had no idea why.
After the ceremony, my mother ordered the maids to pack my things, and Elara’s too. She didn’t come near me. She didn’t even look at me properly. She just stood at a distance, silent, like she couldn’t wait for me to be gone.
My chest hurt so much. I bit my lips to stop myself from crying again.
Outside, a black carriage waited with two large black horses that looked almost demonic. The maids loaded my belongings into it quietly.
Vennessa turned to me. “Any last words to your parents?”
Last words?
I looked at my father. His eyes were cold, emotionless. “Thank you for being the worst father on earth,” I said, my voice low but steady. His eyes widened for a second, then hardened again. “Tell my mother the same,” I added. “And tell her I curse the day she became my mother.”
I didn’t wait for him to answer. I climbed into the carriage and didn’t look back. Not once. That pack, that family, they were dead to me now.
The ride was long, quiet, and endless. I didn’t sleep. I didn’t even close my eyes. Twenty hours later, we stopped.
When I stepped out, I froze again.
In front of me stood a massive mansion, surrounded by dark clouds and hundreds of crows perched on its towers. The air was heavy and cold, and every breath I took felt like poison. Lightning cracked through the sky, lighting up the entire place for a second.
“This place…” I whispered, my voice shaking. “It’s real.”
“This is the Zarek pack,” Vennessa said, her tone calm as ever. “Leave your things. The moon soldiers will handle them. We need to show you to the Alphas.”
“Alphas?” I repeated, frowning. “Why did you say it like that?”
She turned to look at me, her expression unreadable. “You didn’t know?”
“Know what?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
“Our pack isn’t ruled by one Alpha,” she said slowly. “It’s ruled by three.”
I blinked, my mind spinning.
“Three?” I whispered, my voice trembling.
She gave me a small, knowing smile. “You’re about to meet your Alphas.”
My knees almost
gave out, my heart pounding so fast I thought I’d faint.
Three Alphas?
What kind of curse had I walked into?