My Husband's Mate Is My Sister

Chapter 4

~LUCAS~

Her beauty was radiant. Avery just had to walk into a room, and she would have my full attention. The mate bond, indeed, wasn't something that a man could ignore; it didn't matter how weak or strong he was, this kind of bond would cripple anyone that didn't know how to handle it.

And f**k me, I wasn't handling it well at all. I was marrying her sister, her sister! In a few minutes, Freya Blackner would become my wife, and it wouldn't matter what I felt for Avery. None of it would matter.

This is your last chance, Lucas. Your last chance to run. Your last chance to say no to this torture and do what you actually want.

Avery's eyes glistened with torturous tears, and I felt an intense, sharp pain in my chest. It was as if the pain threatened to spread throughout my entire body, leaving me overwhelmed and vulnerable. I hated seeing it. She didn't deserve to cry; she didn't deserve to feel any pain at all.

It shouldn't be like this. I was supposed to be her knight in shining armor. I was supposed to protect and love her the right way. I've never felt this defeated in my entire life, and I knew that today would be a day I would never forget.

The second the melodious music hits my ear, I know that my time is up. All of the guests stand up as they wait anxiously for the bride. . . My bride. The bride that I didn't want. The bride that no matter how hard I tried, I wouldn't be able to love. My heart already belonged to another and had no space for anyone else. A part of me believes that Freya already knows this, but I hoped that it wasn't true. I didn't want to hurt Freya; it's not her fault that her father was a complete psychopath. She wasn't to blame for any of this.

Her first step down the aisle prompts me to look at her. All eyes were already on her, but for some reason, none of them seemed to matter to her. She seemed shocked, however, that I was looking her way— so appalled that she falters a little before her father tightens his hold on her so that she doesn't trip in her wedding gown.

In those few seconds, I made a vow, a vow to protect her no matter what. Even if I couldn't love this woman, I knew that she deserved some sort of happiness, even if it meant that I had to let go of mine. If I couldn't be happy, I should at least be able to make her happy. All of us didn't have to suffer; she would be my wife, and that meant that I had to put her above everyone else, including that of my mate.

I bury my emotions in my chest as Gideon hands his daughter over to me. I gently take her hand as she stands in front of me.

Freya's eyes are sad, and it hurts me to know that while I've been so concerned about myself and Avery, she has also been suffering a great deal. Not once did I worry about her, and not once did I think about what this forced marriage was doing to her.

Her father was giving her away to a complete stranger who wasn't in love with her. How did she not hate that man? How could anyone even love him after the crazy sacrifices he's asked for? I didn't understand the relationship between these Blackners, and I probably would never be able to understand it.

The ceremony starts, and all I can do is think about how f*****g hard the rest of my life is going to be like. I'm nodding and responding without even realizing it. I was out of my damn mind at this point.

"Do you, Lucas Lance Vinci, take this woman to be your wife, to live together in holy matrimony, to love her, to honor her, to comfort her, and to keep her in sickness and in health, forsaking all others, for as long as you both shall live?"

Forsaking all others? f**k. My eyes wandered to Avery for a few seconds, and I knew I had made a terrible mistake when I felt Freya's trembling fingers.

Damn it, Lucas. Get a damn grip on yourself!

I swallow hard before I whisper, "I do."

"And do you, Freya Blackner—"

I can't listen to anything else. The last words I hear are Freya's quiet 'I do' before my mind goes completely blank.

The rest of the ceremony is a distant blur to me.

My life was over. There was no longer even a small hole for me to escape. I was trapped with nowhere to run.

Freya was now my wife.

And Avery wasn't. It was something I had to live with now, no matter how much it destroyed me inside.