Chapter 80 The Forced Wedding
Young Sera called a meeting the next morning to discuss Michelle’s case.
Everyone gathered in the war room. Kael, Lyra, Garrett, Mora, and now Diana, who had offered to help since she understood what Michelle was facing.
“Tell us about Michelle,” Kael said.
Young Sera opened the file. “Michelle is nineteen years old. She lives in the Eastwood Pack. Her Alpha father promised her to another Alpha named Vincent Cross as part of a political alliance. Vincent is forty-five years old. Michelle has never met him. She does not want this marriage but her father says she has no choice.”
“When is the ceremony?” Garrett asked.
“Twelve days from now. It is a formal mating ceremony with witnesses from both packs. Once the ceremony happens, the bond is permanent. Michelle will be trapped.”
“Can we buy her out as we did with Diana?” Mora asked.
“No. This is not a sale. This is a political marriage. Michelle’s father is not doing this for money. He is doing it to secure an alliance with Vincent’s pack. Money will not change his mind.”
Lyra frowned. “Then what are our options?”
“We could go to the Eastwood Pack and demand they release Michelle. Use my authority as Luna Queen to stop the wedding.”
“That will not work,” Garrett said. “Political marriages are protected under the pack law. As long as both Alphas consent, the ceremony can proceed. Michelle’s consent is not required.”
Young Sera felt anger flash through her. “That is wrong. How can pack law say an omega does not need to consent to her own mating?”
“Because pack law was written by Alphas who saw omegas as property,” Kael said quietly. “Your grandmother fought against these laws her entire life. She made progress but could not change everything.”
“Then I will change it. But first I need to save Michelle.”
“How?” Lyra asked. “If we cannot stop the wedding legally, what do we do?”
Young Sera had been thinking about this for days. There was only one option she could see. One way to stop the wedding that did not require permission or legal authority.
“We help Michelle run away. Before the ceremony happens. If she is not there, they cannot force her to bond.”
The room went quiet.
“That is kidnapping,” Garrett said carefully. “If we take Michelle against her father’s wishes, he can bring charges against us. Against you specifically as Luna Queen.”
“Only if he can prove we took her. What if Michelle runs away on her own? What if she just happens to find sanctuary at the Northern Kingdom afterwards?”
Kael looked concerned. “You are suggesting we help her escape but make it look like she did it herself.”
“Yes. We give her the tools and support to run. But we do not take her directly. That way her father cannot prove we were involved.”
“He will suspect us anyway,” Lyra said. “Michelle asked you for help. Her father probably knows that. When she disappears, we will be the first ones he blames.”
“Let him blame us. Suspecting and proving are different things. As long as we are careful, he cannot charge us with anything.”
Diana spoke up for the first time. “I can help. I know what it is like to be in Michelle’s situation. I can talk to her. Help her plan her escape. Make it look natural instead of organised.”
“That could put you in danger,” young Sera said. “If Michelle’s father finds out you helped her, he might come after you.”
“I do not care. No one helped me when I needed to escape. I had to figure it out alone. Michelle should not have to do that. I want to help her.”
Young Sera looked at Diana with new respect. The omega had been rescued just three days ago. She was still healing from her own trauma. But she wanted to help someone else facing the same situation.
“Okay,” young Sera said. “Diana will make contact with Michelle. We will help plan the escape. But we do it carefully. No direct involvement. Nothing that can be traced back to the Northern Kingdom.”
“What about after Michelle escapes?” Mora asked. “Where will she go? If she comes straight here, her father will know we helped her.”
“We send her to a safe house first. Somewhere neutral. Then after a few days, she comes to the Northern Kingdom. That way there is distance between the escape and her arrival here.”
“We do not have safe houses yet,” Garrett pointed out. “The omega protection network is still being built.”
“Then we use a regular house. We rent a place in neutral territory. Set it up as a temporary shelter. It does not have to be perfect. It just has to keep Michelle safe for a few days.”
They spent the next hour planning details. Who would rent the safe house? How would Diana contact Michelle? What supplies would Michelle need for her escape?
It was complicated. Risky. Full of things that could go wrong.
But it was the only plan that had a chance of working.
“One more thing,” Kael said when they were finishing. “Thomas Reed’s pack is allied with Vincent Cross. If we help Michelle escape, we might make an enemy of Thomas as well.”
Young Sera had not thought of that connection. Thomas was already angry about her refusing his marriage proposal. If she ruined his ally’s wedding, he would be even more dangerous.
“I do not care,” young Sera said. “Michelle’s safety is more important than keeping Thomas happy.”
“I agree. I just want you to know what we are walking into. This rescue could have consequences beyond just Michelle’s father.”
“Every rescue has consequences. We handle them as they come.”
Over the next few days, Diana made contact with Michelle through secret messages. They used code words in case someone was watching. Diana pretended to be a friend from another pack. Someone Michelle had met at a gathering.
Young Sera watched Diana work and saw the strength she had not expected. Diana was good at this. Good at being careful. Good at planning escapes.
“You are really good at this,” young Sera told Diana one evening.
“I had a lot of practice. I planned my own escape for two years before I finally ran. I learned how to be careful. How to hide what I was doing. Those skills help now.”
“Have you thought about doing this long term? Being part of the Omega Protection Network? Helping other omegas escape bad situations?”
Diana looked surprised. “You would want me to do that?”
“You are good at it. You understand what these omegas are going through. You know how to be careful and smart. That is exactly what the network needs.”
“I would like that. I would like to help others the way you helped me.”
Diana’s work paid off. Five days before the wedding, Michelle sent a message confirming she was ready to run. She had packed a small bag. Had saved some money. Had told no one about her plans.
Everything was ready.
“The escape happens tomorrow night,” Diana told young Sera. “Michelle will leave during dinner. Her family eats together every night. She will excuse herself to use the bathroom. Instead, she will leave through a back door. A car will be waiting three blocks away to take her to the safe house.”
“Who is driving the car?”
“A volunteer from a neutral pack. Someone who believes in the Omega Protection Network. She does not know Michelle’s name or why she is running. Just that she is helping an omega in danger.”
“Good. The less people know, the safer everyone is.”
The next day felt longer than any day young Sera could remember. Every hour felt like ten hours. Every minute stretched forever.
She tried to focus on other work. Tried to attend to normal pack business. But her mind kept going back to Michelle. To the escape happening tonight.
Kai found her pacing in her room that evening.
“You need to stop worrying,” Kai said. “Diana planned this well. Michelle will be fine.”
“What if something goes wrong? What if her father notices she is gone before she gets away? What if the volunteer driver does not show up?”
“Then we deal with it. But worrying about things that have not happened yet does not help anyone.”
Young Sera knew he was right. But she could not stop her mind from imagining every possible disaster.
At eight o’clock that evening, Diana’s phone buzzed with a message.
Diana read it and looked up with a huge smile. “She is out. Michelle made it to the car. She is on her way to the safe house.”
Young Sera felt relief flood through her body. The hardest part was done. Michelle had escaped.
But three hours later, another message came. This one was not good news.
“Michelle’s father discovered she is missing,” Diana said, reading from her phone. “He is searching for her. He sent warriors to check roads and neighbouring packs. He is offering a reward for information about where she went.”
“How much time until Michelle reaches the safe house?” young Sera asked.
“Another hour. Maybe less.”
“Will she make it before her father’s warriors find her?”
“I do not know.”
Young Sera made a decision quickly. “Send warriors from the Northern Kingdom. Have them meet Michelle’s car. Protect in case her father’s warriors find her before she reaches safety.”
“That connects us directly to the escape,” Garrett warned. “If our warriors are seen helping Michelle, her father will know we were involved.”
“I do not care. Michelle’s safety is more important than protecting ourselves. Send the warriors.”
Garrett nodded and left to organise the team.
The next two hours were the worst. Young Sera sat with Diana and Kai, waiting for news. Checking phones constantly. Jumping at every sound.
Finally, at midnight, a message came from the warrior team leader.
“Michelle is safe. She reached the safe house. No one followed her. Her father’s warriors did not find her.”
Young Sera felt tears of relief. “She made it. Michelle is safe.”
Diana started crying too. Happy tears. Grateful tears. “Another one saved. Another omega who does not have to be forced into a bond she does not want.”
“How long does Michelle stay at the safe house?” Kai asked.
“Five days,” young Sera said. “Then she comes here. By that time, enough distance exists between the escape and her arrival that we can claim we did not help. We just offered sanctuary after she ran away on her own.”
The next morning, news spread quickly. Michelle’s father announced that his daughter had been kidnapped. He accused the Northern Kingdom of stealing her to ruin his alliance with Vincent Cross.
He demanded that Michelle be returned immediately. He threatened to bring charges against the Council of Alphas. He called young Sera a criminal who hid behind her title while breaking pack law.
Young Sera read his accusations and felt anger but also satisfaction. Michelle was safe. That was all that mattered.
“How do we respond?” Lyra asked.
“We deny everything. We say Michelle is not here. We say we do not know her whereabouts. We let him make all the accusations he wants without proof.”
“He will not stop. He will keep pushing. Keep demanding answers.”
“Let him push. As long as Michelle is safe, I do not care what he says about me.”
But Michelle’s father was not the only problem.
Three days after the escape, young Sera received a message from Thomas Reed.
The message was short and direct.
“You helped Michelle escape. You ruined Vincent’s wedding. You made enemies of both our packs. I warned you that rejecting my alliance would have consequences. Those consequences are beginning. Watch your back, Luna Queen. Not everyone is as patient as I am.”
Young Sera showed the message to Kael.
“This is a threat,” Kael said. “Thomas is escalating. He is not just pursuing you romantically anymore. He is becoming actively hostile.”
“What do we do?”
“We increase security. We make sure you are never alone. We watch for any sign that Thomas is planning something. And we prepare for the fact that he might try to hurt you.”
Young Sera had known helping Michelle would have consequences. But she had not expected Thomas to react this strongly.
“Do you regret it?” Kael asked. “Helping Michelle even though it made Thomas angry?”
“No. I would do it again. Michelle is safe. That is worth making enemies.”
“Even if those enemies try to hurt you?”
“Even then.”
Five days after the escape, Michelle arrived at the Northern Kingdom. She was thin and scared but also relieved. Free. Safe.
Young Sera met her at the entrance.
“Thank you,” Michelle said immediately. “Thank you for saving me. I know it caused you problems. I know my father is making trouble. But thank you for helping anyway.”
“That is what Luna Queens do. We protect omegas. No matter the cost.”
Michelle settled into the Northern Kingdom with Diana and Sarah helping her adjust. Three rescued omegas. Three lives saved. Three girls who would have been trapped and miserable if young Sera had not acted.
But the consequences were growing. Michelle’s father was filing formal complaints. Vincent Cross was demanding compensation for the ruined wedding. And Thomas Reed was watching. Waiting. Planning something that would hurt young Sera when she least expected it.
Young Sera knew a storm was coming. Knew that saving three omegas had made powerful enemies. Knew that being Luna Queen meant facing threats from Alphas who hated what she represented.
But she would face those threats. Would fight those enemies. Would defend the omegas she had saved and the network she was building.
Because that was her job. Her responsibility. Her choice.
Three omegas saved. Many more are still waiting for help.
The work continued. The dangers grew. But young Sera was ready.
As ready as an eighteen-year-old Luna Queen could be.
Which would have to be enough.