Chapter 1 Married To The Wolf King
Bella
My mother died when I was six. Because of her best friend.
My father, the mayor of the town, had introduced her to us, but not as my mother’s friend . No, he had brought her in as the woman who bore him his second child. As his lover.
And just like that, everything I thought I knew about my home shattered.
He walked into our house that day with her by his side, holding the hand of a girl my age—my equal in years, but not in place. Not in the way we would be seen.
The shock had been too much for my mother.
To find out that her husband was a cheat and that the betrayal had not come from a stranger, but from her own best friend.
It broke something inside her that could never be fixed. She had gone quiet after that. Three days later, after suffering a heart attack brought on by that very grief, she gave up the ghost.
And just like that, she was gone.
Ever since then, my whole life has been conditioned.
Conditioned to shrink and obey.
Conditioned to become someone small enough to be tolerated in a house where I was never truly wanted.
“You will marry the king of the wolves, Bella! There’s no two ways about it!”
My father’s voice cut through my thoughts like a blade, dragging me back to the present.
I clenched my fists, forcing myself to meet his gaze even when every part of me wanted to look away.
“I am already engaged to Logan, father. You of all people know that. Rita is the one meant to marry the werewolf king… why are you trying to force me to?”
The words came out sharper than I intended, but I didn’t take them back.
I knew better than to think my voice would matter.
This wasn’t the first time he had brought this up. Not the first time he had tried to rewrite my life as if it belonged to him alone.
For long, the wolves and humans had been at war. Now they wanted peace.
And peace, apparently, came with a price. A marriage alliance.
My father always took pride in Rita, parading her as his only true daughter, the child born of the woman he loved. The one worthy of his name, affection and his acknowledgment.
But when it came to offering a daughter to the wolf king, suddenly, I existed.
“Logan doesn’t even want you, Bella. Quit acting all high and mighty as if the fiancé you keep parading feels the same way about you. No way in the world am I getting married to one of those forest beasts. Father raised you until now, it's high time you repaid him by doing exactly as he requests of you.”
Rita’s voice slipped in like poison, uninvited, but never unwelcome in this house.
I hadn’t even noticed when she arrived.
I turned to look at her, my chest tightening, words forming at the tip of my tongue but I swallowed them.
She hissed lightly, as if I wasn’t worth the energy of a full argument, before turning on her heels and heading toward the door.
Of course.
She was leaving again. Going out on one of her outings, on one of the many freedoms she enjoyed so effortlessly.
Freedoms I was never allowed.
I had chores to do. Responsibilities to fulfill. Invisible chains that kept me bound within these walls. Even if I finished everything and begged for permission to leave, her mother would never grant it.
“Rita is the one meant to be the wife of the wolf king, father. She—”
I tried again, my voice softer this time but I didn’t get to finish.
The slap came fast.
It echoed through the room as my head snapped to the side, the sting blooming across my cheek almost instantly.
“Don’t you ever compare yourself to my precious daughter, Bella!” he snarled, his voice dripping with disgust. “It is because of her mother that I am mayor today. If I had limited myself to just your useless mother, I wouldn’t have advanced in my political career. She had no connections!”
“Mother is dead because of your betrayal! At least respect her by not talking down on her memories!” I snapped back, my voice rising to match his, trembling with years of buried anger finally clawing its way out.
I had endured this for the past decade of my life. Every reminder that my mother had meant nothing in this house. I had swallowed it all, patiently waiting for the day I would finally leave. Waiting for marriage to become my escape from this suffocating place I had never truly called home.
But hearing him insult her again and reduce her life and existence to nothing, I couldn’t stay silent.
Without waiting to hear whatever else he had to say, I turned toward the door. My chest rose and fell rapidly, my anger so raw it felt like it might tear through my skin. I could hear him calling after me, with his voice commanding but I paid him no heed.
For once I chose not to listen.
All my thoughts were on Logan.
I needed to see him.
I needed to beg him, if I had to, to bring the date of our marriage closer.
Because with the way things were going, and the desperation I had just seen in my father’s eyes, I knew, deep down, that he wouldn’t hesitate.
He wouldn’t hesitate to drug or force me.
To hand me over to the wolf king in Rita’s place, just so he could keep his precious daughter close and safe within his reach, instead of sending her away to the werewolves.
“Get back here, Bella!” the voice rang out again, sharper this time and laced with warning.
I didn’t turn back.
I already knew who it was.
“You will get married to the wolf king, and that is final! There is nothing you can do about it! Do you understand me, Bella?!” he snapped again, his authority echoing through the house like a decree.
But I didn’t stop nor slow down.
I forced my legs to keep moving, one step after the other, even as my heart pounded violently against my chest.
As I approached the gate and reached out to push it open, my fingers trembling slightly, I noticed the men standing at a distance.
Watching and following me.
Their expressions were hard and unfriendly.
I understood and no words were needed as I already knew who they were.
And I knew exactly why they had been sent.
A chill ran down my spine, but I didn’t stop.Instead, I quickened my pace, my steps growing faster and urgent, until I pushed past the gate that separated my father’s house from the rest of the city.
And then I began to run.
I ran as fast as my legs could carry me, my breath coming in ragged gasps, my heart racing wildly as fear began to replace my anger.
I didn’t look back, because there was only one place I needed to go.
Only one person I believed could save me.
Logan.
The only savior I had left.