Chapter 6 Why? - Amelia’s POV
She led me back to my room where the blue dress waited. It was the colour of midnight, with long sleeves and a modest neckline that would hide the worst of my bruises. The fabric was heavy and smooth in my hands, like nothing I'd ever worn.
"Why am I being dressed like this?" I asked again as she helped me into it, careful to avoid brushing against my back.
"I told you, I don't know," she replied, tugging at the fabric to make it lie flat. "I was just told to make you presentable for the Alpha and Luna."
'This isn't normal,' Kaela said, her mental voice tight with concern. 'They don't dress up servants for meetings. Something's wrong.'
Fear coiled in my stomach, but I forced it down. Whatever was happening, I had no choice but to face it. The woman worked quickly, combing my damp hair and arranging it to fall over one shoulder. She applied makeup with practiced efficiency—concealer to hide the dark circles under my eyes, a touch of colour to my pale lips, something to make my unusual eyes stand out.
When she was done, she stepped back to assess her work. "Look," she said, gesturing to a small cracked mirror propped against the wall.
I barely recognized the person staring back at me. The dress hugged my too-thin frame in a way that almost made it look intentional rather than the result of systematic starvation. The sleeves covered the cigarette burns on my arms, the hem long enough to hide similar marks on my legs. My heterochromatic eyes—one green, one blue—seemed brighter against the dark fabric, and my normally dull dark hair fell in soft waves over my shoulder.
"You clean up well," the woman said, a hint of surprise in her voice.
'You've always been beautiful,' Kaela insisted fiercely. 'No matter what they did to you.'
I looked away from my reflection, uncomfortable with the attention. "What now?"
"Now we go upstairs. The Alpha and Luna are waiting in the office."
The walk through the pack house was surreal. I'd spent the past four years trying to be invisible, keeping my head down, staying out of the way. Now, in this dress, I couldn't help but stand out. The few pack members we passed did double-takes, their confusion evident. The woman led me through corridors I rarely had reason to enter, up staircases I hadn't climbed in years, until we reached the Alpha's office on the top floor.
My heart hammered against my ribs as she knocked on the heavy wooden door.
"Enter," came Alpha Marcus's voice from inside.
The woman opened the door and gave me a little push. "Good luck," she whispered, and then she was gone, leaving me alone to face whatever waited for me.
The Alpha's office hadn't changed since the last time I'd been there, four years ago, when he'd told me I was no longer welcome in the main living quarters. The same massive desk dominated the space, the same floor-to-ceiling windows looked out over the pack territory. Alpha Marcus sat behind the desk, his expression unreadable. Luna Elena stood beside him, her honey-blonde hair perfectly styled, her clothes immaculate as always.
"Amelia," Luna Elena said, her voice cool and detached. "You look... adequate."
I kept my eyes lowered, hands clasped in front of me. "Thank you, Luna."
'Don't thank her,' Kaela spat. 'She's not complimenting you. She's assessing you like livestock.'
"Do you know why you're here?" Alpha Marcus asked, leaning forward slightly.
I shook my head. "No, Alpha."
He exchanged a look with Elena before continuing. "You've been chosen for a great honour. One that will benefit the entire pack."
Something in his tone sent ice through my veins. Whatever this "honour" was, it wasn't going to be good for me.
"You've been selected as the next bride of Alpha King Aleksandr," Luna Elena announced, watching my face carefully for a reaction.
The floor seemed to tilt beneath my feet. Alpha King Aleksandr. The ruler of the Luna Kingdom. The most feared werewolf in existence. The man whose reputation for brutality was legendary, even in our remote pack.
'No,' Kaela whispered, horrified. 'No, no, no.'
"But..." I struggled to find words through the shock. "His mate died. And his wives... they all..."
"Died under strange circumstances," Alpha Marcus finished for me, his voice flat. "Yes, we're aware of the rumours."
Everyone in the werewolf world knew the stories. Alpha King Aleksandr's true mate had died four decades ago in circumstances no one dared discuss. His subsequent three wives had all met similar fates—two dead on their wedding night, the third within a week, with whispers of foul play. And then there were the seventeen potential brides his wolf had rejected outright, some of whom had never been seen again.
"They say he killed them," I whispered, unable to stop myself. "Or that he had them killed. Or that he's cursed."
Luna Elena's lips thinned. "What the common wolves say doesn't concern us. What matters is that he has requested a bride, and we have offered you."
'They're sending you to die,' Kaela raged. 'They know exactly what they're doing!'
"Why me?" I asked, though I already knew the answer.
Alpha Marcus leaned back in his chair, regarding me coldly. "Because you're expendable. You have no wolf, no value to the pack beyond the menial labour you provide. And right now, we need the Alpha King's support more than we need another servant."