MARRIED TO THE HYBRID ALPHA

ROSA'S POV

"Oh myyyy!! You look so pretty my love." Audrey gushed, the moment she walked into my chambers. "Good job girls." She patted the shoulder of one of the many maids present in my room with me.

"Thank you." I muttered. "They did a great job indeed." I said, looking at myself in the mirror.

"You don't seem fine." Audrey caught on, making me release a low sigh. Who was I kidding? Audrey would always catch on to these things.

"I'm fine." I gave a small smile, but she shook her head in negation, refusing to believe me.

"You all, leave at once." She ordered, and the maids all exited my chambers in a file.

"Laura, you can stay." I called back.

"No, it's fine Luna. I will...."

"I said, stay." I cut her off firmly, making her shut the door and walk back to my side.

'And you trust her enough?', Audrey's voice filtered through my mindlink.

'I do'.

"And for the sweet love of the goddess, please don't tell me you and Ryan had another fight." She sighed in frustration.

"Not at all" I debunked her thoughts.

"Then what is....." She was still speaking, when a knock on the door interrupted her. I quickly caught on his scent, and my heart helplessly fluttered.

"It's him." I looked up at Audrey, wide smiles in my eyes. It was as if the reason for my discomfort had flown across the open balcony of my chambers.

"Why do I smell Blaze instead? I'll get it." Audrey grinned, making her way to the door. That was when I noticed she was fully dressed, from hair to makeup, to outfit, and even shoes.

It suddenly occured to me that it was almost time for the matrimonial ritual.

Audrey opened the door in a way that only she could converse with Ryan.

"Ryan.... and Blaze!" Audrey's added im surprise. "What is she doing here?" She asked, putting forward her hand to most certainly take Blaze.

"She had been very unsettled, and Logan failed woefully at bringing her some peace." I heard Ryan's voice from the other side of the door.

"Annddd...?" Audrey demanded. From the way she sounded, I could tell she was grinning and probably wiggling her brows at Ryan.

"And I offered to bring her to you." Ryan responded.

"But she seems just fine to me. Annndddd....?" Audrey pushed.

"Fine!" Ryan sounded frustrated now. It made me want to laugh. "I wanted to see my mate. I'm not so sure she's doing well. I can feel her emotions, and they are gloomy. Please can I see her?"

I felt those sweet tingles in my belly again, as goosebumps began to appear on my skin. He was worried about me. Awwwn.

"Oh, but I'm sorry Ryan. You can't see her until the wedding. But she's very fine though." Audrey replied, causing him to release a sigh.

"Please, I just want to talk to her. I don't feel....." He trailed off, probably thinking of the best word to qualify how he felt.

"Ryan." I called, standing from my seat and walking towards the door. The side eye Audrey gave me, was enough for me to know that I dared not show my face to him.

Standing behind the Door, my hand subconsciously rested on it.

"Love?" Came his voice.

"Heyyy..... I'm fine. I truly am." This was such a bad time to tell him a story, when he didn't know the backstory prior to now.

"Please don't lie to me."

"Ryan...."

"Don't you want to go ahead with this?" He asked, his voice shaky at the end of his statement.

"Not at all!" I rushed out. "Not at all, Ryan. More than anything else, I want to be with you."

"Then what plagues you so?"

"It's a long story." I finally succumbed. "Was just having a bit of an emotional crisis some moments back, but it's all gone now. I promise to tell you everything later."

"You're sure?"

"Hundred percent." I found myself smiling. It was a new feeling to have someone whom I could vulnerably share my experiences with. Someone who wasn't Audrey,

"Fine, then." Came Audrey's voice. "Off you go." She shooed Ryan away.

My eyes fell on Blaze, who clutched her mom's hair with her tiny hands. This was the first time I was seeing her since they arrived our pack, and it was so beautiful to see how much she had grown.

"Blaze sure doesn't seem like an unsettled baby." I commented, a knowing smile on my face.

"Trust me, Audrey. She'd rather be with Logan, than anyone else. She definitely wasn't unsettled." Audrey chuckled, shaking her head in amusement.

"Come here, sweetie." I stretched my hand out to Blaze, who also reached out for me. That gladdened my heart! "My beautiful Blaze." I cooed, dropping a chaste kiss on her cheek as I made my way back to my seat.

"Would you mind sharing the problem with me, before you put on your wedding dress?" Audrey demanded.

"It's nothing serious, Audrey. Just my father." I sighed.

"What father?" She asked, her brows kissing each other in what seemed like disapproval.

"Like it or not, he is my father, Audrey. The only family I have."

"No, Rosa. I am your family. Ryan is, Logan is, Blaze is, Layla is, Laura is.... many of us are, but definitely not that man." She muttered the last part. "What is this about?"

"I don't know." I flung my hands in frustration. "I don't know. Maybe closure?"

"What?"

"I know!" I yelled in frustration, and Blaze released a troubled sob. "Sorry, sweetie." I cooed, burping her gently on my thighs.

"These things trigger her, Rosa. The Flaming wolf is triggered by immense sadness or pain." Audrey reminded me.

"But she's just a baby." My eyes widened slightly.

"A baby who saved four whole kingdoms, even before she was born?" Audrey released a humourless chuckle. "Don't get yourself worked up, it's nothing so serious. That's just her nature." She shrugged. "But more than anything, I now realize how much sadness you still feel when you think about him. I'm sorry I tried to minimalize your pains."

"No, you didn't." I shook my head in disagreement. "You're just concerned about my emotional well being, and I understand. But the thing is, I doubt I would really be able to close that chapter of my life, until I have confronted him. I want to know why he despised me so much. Why he hated my very existence. Why he physically tortured and abused me, until my body became a map of scars. Why he let me be bullied and..." I trailed off, scared that I might start crying. ".... and sexually molested. Why he never really loved my mother. His mate."

"Rosa...." Audrey sounded sad now, and I didn't want that. Subconsciously, I began bouncing Blaze atop my thighs, knowing she could break into sobs at any time. The amtosphere was thick with emotions.

"I sent out an invite to the wedding last week. I sent it to shadow moon. To my father." I admitted. "And clearly, he has no plans of coming. He hasn't shown up yet."

"Look at the brighter side of things. His presence might sour you mood at the end of the day. Speaking from experience, it is important you're happy on this day. It doesn't happen twice. Well, it does in some cases." She quickly added, clearly referring to herself and Logan. They had gotten married twice.

We both chuckled.

"I just want today to be perfect, Rosa. Tomorrow, we can decide what to do to that father of yours. But for today, don't let him steal your joy, okay?"

"Okay." I nodded in agreement, suddenly feeling energized for the day ahead.

"Come put on your dress already. Ralia just mindlinked me that Ryan and every other guests are waiting for you to show up at the hall."

"Oh, goddess!" I yelled in disbelief. "Laura come help me quickly."

The next quarter hour passed in a blur, as we all got busy doing the final touches on my look. My dress was to die for, and I couldn't even express the happiness I felt when I looked in the mirror.

The gown was fully beaded from neck to toe, and wasn't too full, just like I liked it. Matching crystals decorated my hair, and my makeup was the minimal kind. Just something light to enhance my looks.

Audrey and Laura had assisted me out of my chambers, being extremely careful with each step we all took, until we got into the carriage. It was a short ride, but very much needed.

We finally approached the entrance of the great hall, and the whole place fell silent.

Gosh! There were a whole lot of guests. So many of them!

I turned to Audrey, who flashed me a teary smile. Suddenly, the smile disappeared, replaced by a very obvious frown.

"What do you have on your neck?" She queried in confusion, pointing at the crystal ball that rested on the skin coloured lace of my gown, overlaying my chest area. "Goddess! We forgot your neck piece." She almost yelled out.

"No, we didn't." I muttered calmly, releasing a sigh.

"What?"

"We didn't, Audrey. This is actually quite special to me." I looked down, ashamed to tell her why it was. "It was gifted by my father." I finally admitted, and her lips opened in realization. "The only nice thing he had ever done for me. Please just let me have it on for today, will you?"

"S... s... sure." She gave a difficult shrug. "Of course." She nodded. I knew she wasn't really cool with it, but I just couldn't help the way I felt today. If he couldn't attend my wedding, maybe I'll just have a keepsake of him. One he would have taken back, had I not lied it was lost.

Just then, king Logan came to stand by my side. What was happening?

"I requested he walked you down the marriage aisle." Audrey filled me in, making me go speechless for a moment.

"What....?" I whispered, looking up at King Logan, who had this proud smile on his face.

"It would be an honour, Rosaline." He muttered, offering his arm to me. I gingerly entwined mine in his, and we both stepped into the hall.

As soon as we got in, everything narrowed into my vision. I could see the faces of everyone present, including vampires and some familiar witches.

I saw the Fae king as well, and I realized my mate was so much more revered than I had thought. A lot of dignitaries were present to honour him.

I looked ahead to see Ryan, who was quite a distance away from me. I was just at the beginning of the aisle, and he was at the end of it, standing before the not-so-familiar officiating Chief.

I didn't have the time to appreciate the beautifully decorated hall, because I just couldn't seem to take my eyes off him.

I could hear the low sounds of chants, being sung by a select few amongst the Honourable families. It was a matrimonial ritual chant, and I had never heard anything more beautiful in my life. Their voices, though low, still overshadowed the coordinated rhythm being produced by the fiddlers and flute men.

For some inexplicable reasons, these beautiful sounds brought tears to my eyes. Not sad ones. Happy ones. Very happy ones.

I was getting married to a man who genuinely cared about me, and didn't make it seem like I was opportuned to have him.

But if we were being honest, I was. Judging from these past couple of days, I wouldn't wish better for myself. And somewhere deep within my heart, I knew if Ryan had made the decision to be with me, then he was gonna stand by it.

The closer we got to Ryan, the more magnificent he seemed. Today, he hadn't braided his hair. Instead, he packed some upwards, leaving the rest to fall down his back and shoulders.

The silver colour of his hair contrasted greatly, to the velvet black robe he wore. The minimal designs of gold on the robe, made him look..... so royal.

I hadn't even realized when king Logan and I, finally got to him.

"You're so beautiful." Ryan smiled, making an identical smile appear on my face.

"Hmm.... The Hybrid Alpha Grins." Logan teased, before taking my hand and placing it in Ryan's.

"Thank you." Ryan whispered to Logan, who gave a curt nod and walked back to his seat. "Thank you for accepting to do this with me." He turned to me.

"This is my only choice, Ryan." I replied, and his face fell. It took me a couple of seconds to understand that I may have passed my message the wrong way. "I mean..... you're my only choice. Even if there were other options, you'd still be my only choice."

"Goddess..." A helpless grin appeared on his face, making those butterflies run around my belly aga...

"Hmm... hmm!" The officiating chief cleared his throat loudly, cutting our interaction short.

It seemed to be that the man had been trying to get our attention for a while now. My cheeks most definitely went red as a result of the embarrassment I felt.

Just then, the chants of the Honourable families got louder, and the council chiefs began to surround us, chanting the matrimonial ritual of the moon realm. After all that was done, the officiating chief began the joining.

Alpha, Luna, please repeat these vows after me." He requested, then turned to Ryan. "I, Ryan Baxter,"

"I, Ryan Baxter." Ryan repeated.

"Takes Rosaline Anderson, my gift of a lifetime from the moon goddess."

"Takes Rosa Anderson, my gift of a lifetime from the moon goddess."

Ryan had said that, looking deep into my eyes with so much affection. All I could truly see was sincerity.

"To cherish, love, and be bonded under the grace of the moon goddess."

"To cherish, love, and be bonded under the grace of the moon goddess."

"Till death do us part."

"Till death do us part."

After Ryan had recited all those, I was next.

I had never said words more true. He was my gift for eternity, and he was the only man I wanted to be bonded with, for life.

"Under the authority of the moon goddess, the witness of the council of chiefs, and in the presence of the supernatural races, you're now husband and wife. You may kiss your bride." The officiating chief informed.

"Just the part I have been waiting for." Ryan muttered, a naughty smirk on his face.

Gently pulling my face closer to his, he placed his lips against mine. Kissing me so tenderly, he sealed our marital bond for life.