Marriage First, Mate Second

Chapter 3 : A happy hoax

“Enough!” I shout. Now the music stops and all the guests stare at us.

Immediately two men come and help Sebastian to his feet. I remind myself that I cannot defend him against Levi. The latter is now my husband, and Sebastian is not in my good graces at the moment.

“Has he hurt you?” Levi asks and places a hand on my shoulder, there is a warmth spreading around me and I lock my eyes on his. I feel the heat from his gaze and it takes me by surprise. I shake my head.

“No. I’m just a little... shocked.” I frown. Levi looks at Sebastian angrily.

“Take him away,” Levi tells the men holding Sebastian, wrapping a protective arm around me.

“Don't worry. I know the way out,” says Sebastian, separating from the two men giving me a venomous look on his way out.

I know this has only just begun, but I still have hopes.

I sigh.

“Are you all right?” asks Sophie, who has come running up to me.

“I am,” I respond, taking her hand. “But I need some moment to breathe,” I say to Levi.

“Of course,” he says. He lets me go and I feel like I don’t want to move away from him.Damn that man, it’s as if my own body betrays me when he is around. How does he make it possible so that everything gravitates around him?

Sophie pats my hand and we start to walk out.

“It's not a good wedding if there isn't a fight,” Levi jokes to make me laugh as we move away. Seems that he’s handsome and also funny?

“I guess that's true,” I affirm, as I'm in no mood for jokes. Although the truth is, he has made me smile slightly, and he sees it.

“Amber?” says a second voice, approaching slowly.

I turn to see Rose, who is coming towards us. She looks beautiful in a pearl blue dress that matches her sweet, heart-shaped face perfectly. But instead of a happy expression, her eyes and cheeks were stained with the tears she kept shedding.

As soon as she is in front of me, she throws herself into my arms. She began to cry copiously. I look at her, not understanding what is happening.

“Sophie, could you leave us alone for a moment?” I ask my best friend, who immediately stands up.

“Sure,” she answers, with a deeply empathetic look.

As soon as she leaves, I pull Rose away from me a little, so that I could wipe the tears from her face.

“Rose, what's wrong?” I ask gently.

“What do you mean what's wrong?” She sniffles and looks at me with deeply hurt eyes. “I ruined your wedding!” she shrieks.

“You didn't ruin anything. Calm down,” I comfort her in a gentle voice, trying to calm her down.

She looks at her hands. They are in her lap and they are shaking.

“Are you all right?” I ask instead, worried.

She nods.

“I am,” she affirms, then grimaces. “I mean, I'm still terribly frightened, you know? It was a horrible experience.”

“I know. It must have been,” I reply, patting her hand.

As a child, Rose had suffered a trauma. She almost drowned when she got caught in the waves of a strong current. Since then she has had a terrible fear of very deep water.

Honestly, part of me doesn't understand what she was doing today so close to the surface of the lake that she fell in. She naturally avoids big water bodies. But I feel it's not the right time to ask her about it. She is clearly still terrified about what happened.

“Oh, Amber. I am so sorry,” Rose says, sniffling,”I'm definitely responsible for everything that has happened. If I hadn't been so clumsy, Sebastian wouldn't have had to come to my aid, and your wedding wouldn't have been ruined.”

Her expression is pitiful. Her nose is red from crying.

“You didn't ruin anything,” I tell her, trying to calm her down, “What happened between Sebastian and me is entirely personal. You bear no responsibility for it.”

But Rose stubbornly shakes her head.

“None of this was my intention,” Rose says while wiping her nose with a handkerchief.

“I'm sure of it,” I comfort her, ‘I know that you would never hurt me intentionally.”

“If I had known he would be so upset about it, I would have been more careful about going near the lake.”

“I know, honey,” I tell her, “Don't worry. None of this is your fault.”

Her gaze drops and then her brow furrows. She looks around and finds Levi, off in the distance.

“Can I ask you something?” she says with total innocence.

“You know you can,” I reply.

“What's all this about you marrying Levi Grant?” she asks curiously. Her gaze fixes on me. “I mean... I thought it was Sebastian who you loved and were going to marry.”

Slowly, my lips compose a fake, but utterly convincing smile.

“The designs of the Goddess are mysterious,” I answer vaguely while I tuck a lock of hair behind her ear.

She didn't seem convinced by my performance. Her brow furrows and for a moment I think I see annoyance in her expression.

“So, are you two really married, are you his wife?” she asks.

“I am,” I reply with a sweet smile, “Till death do us part.”

My words trigger something in her. Before I know it, Rose's face is again streaked with tears. She bends down and begins to wipe away the tears with a handkerchief while shaking her head.

“I'm sorry,” she says between whimpers, “I'm still very upset about what happened this morning,”

“Why don't you go get some rest,” I tell her soothingly, “Then we can catch up on all this.”

“Yeah. It'd be best,” she winces. “I keep replaying all those horrible moments in my head, and I just... I need to rest. That's all.”

Without letting me say anything else, Rose stands up and runs out. I see her slender figure leave the room in the blink of an eye. I really need to talk to her later.

Luckily, the ceremony is soon over. After what seems to me an endless day of slow hours, I finally see the time to go home.

Only then Levi approaches me.

“Are we going home?” he asks me, and his arm finds its way around my waist. It is so strange, his gaze is very intense, his moves so determined, it has me so confused.

I look at him with intrigue.

“What do you mean?” I ask.

“You are my wife,” he clarifies, pointing out the obvious. “And I think it's best for you to live with me now. We'll go home together so you can rest.”

I look at him and scan my surroundings uneasily before answering.

“This is all fake,” I tell him,” You know that better than anyone!”

“So what?" he says indifferently. "Anyway, it's best if you come with me.”

My lips pout, but at this point I'm too tired to argue. Although I have to be honest with myself, something about him makes me trust him. I enjoy being near him, and I have no idea why.

“Fine,” I reply, avoiding his inquisitive eyes.

For the sake of appearances, I take Levi's hand and walk with him to the door. Luckily, most of the guests have already left and there is no one to see us off.

As soon as we get into the car, I realize that my life has changed forever. It has taken a completely unexpected and totally terrifying turn. Should I be scared?

I sneak a glance at Levi, detailing his profile. I've never been in the enemy pack's domain. Everything about him is a riddle to me. From the way he looks at me, how he acts around me, how he manages to be so handsome, so intimidating, and so irresistible at the same time.

He begins to drive. The city speeds past us, and I force myself to remember to breathe.

“Well, what's the plan from now on?” I ask him.

Levi shrugs.

“I don't know. What do you have in mind?” he asks.

“Honestly, I'm not sure,” I tell him, ignoring the signals my body is sending to ask him to move closer to me, “I mean, thank you for saving me. The criticism for what Sebastian did is not only going to affect me, but the members of my pack. I can't let them pay for my mistakes.”

Levi nods.

“I understand,” he replies, “That's why I did it too. There has been a feud between our packs that must end. We need peace between them once and for all. It was the perfect opportunity.”

“I agree with you on that,” I affirm looking out the window at the buildings passing by. “But that doesn't take away the fact that this marriage is a sham.”

“I know,” he answers calmly, and my body also calms hearing him. How is it that I barely know him and he both calms me and turns me on at the same time? It’s infuriating. And also, kind of sexy. But I can’t let him know that I feel this way.

“And that means, obviously, that I won't sleep with you,” I emphasize, just in case that was his intention. And also, in case he can sense my body’s interest in the idea, even though my mind definitely doesn’t agree.

Levi smiles slowly. He doesn't seem to be disturbed by my words.

“I thought so,” he murmurs in a tone that almost seems to be amused.

“We are not a couple either. We are married in the public eye, and we must maintain the appearance of a perfect marriage. But in reality, everyone is free to lead the life they want, as long as they do it in secret.”

“That's fine with me,” Levi says, nodding quietly.

I imitate him and look away. Boundaries are necessary at this point, I think.

The only thing I really want is to go home. But then I remember that I don't know where that place is anymore.

“All I ask is that you keep up this hoax for me, just as I will for you. I also have loved ones. I don't want them to get hurt because they think we've done this without thinking,” Levi says.

“Okay...” I answer.

Imagining Levi this way is strange, but I remind myself that he is an Alpha, and he is as desired as he is feared. His duty is to think of the pack. That he protects those he cares for is sexy. And I shake my head to clear these thoughts and focus on what to do next.

“Right. The hoax starts when we get home. From then on we'll figure out how to put this lie together.”

I sigh, but finally accept his words.

“Good,” I answer quietly, “Seems like we’re on the same page.”

I can't stop thinking about the mess I've gotten myself into. Maybe I didn't think things through when I accepted Levi's deal.

Still, looking at him, I can't feel that this is all wrong. Maybe it scares me, and maybe I don't feel confident about what to do next. But all I know is that right now, Levi and I have a common goal, and we will work together to make everyone believe that we are the perfect match. Even if I have to lie to everyone I love in order to do it.

But it will be worth it. If it will protect them, and also put an end to this war, I will do it. Even if inside of me, my heart is broken.