The Alpha's Unwanted Bride

06 Unfair

Elsa

The moment my father and I stepped onto the makeshift aisle in the garden, an uneasy silence fell over the crowd.

I could feel eyes on me, especially from the men who couldn’t seem to stop staring. The wedding gown I wore was more revealing than I had ever imagined wearing.

Though it was long, the lace barely covered anything, leaving me feeling exposed and vulnerable.

I had learned that Alpha Adam had sent it himself, and the thought of him choosing something so revealing only added to my sense of humiliation. I felt naked despite being dressed.

But what struck me even more was the absence of Alpha Adam himself. As I approached the front, it wasn’t him standing there, waiting for me. Instead, it was the same brown-haired man I had encountered at his house. My heart sank as I frowned, turning to my father with confusion and hurt in my eyes. Was this a game? Was a ball to be passed around?

"He is representing Alpha Adam. He couldn’t make it. He’s busy at the office," my father explained softly, his voice heavy with guilt and sorrow.

Busy at the office? On his wedding day? The humiliation I felt was overwhelming. It was bad enough that I was being forced into this marriage, but for Alpha Adam to not even bother showing up made it so much worse.

I had never witnessed such a thing in my life, and it was like a slap in the face. This was the first time I had ever felt so utterly discarded.

The ceremony was rushed, devoid of any warmth or joy. There was no reception, no celebration—just a hollow, perfunctory exchange of vows. When it was over, the brown-haired man led me to the Alpha’s house, where he showed me to one of the rooms.

"How do I change out of this?" I asked him, gesturing to the gown that felt more like a cage than a dress.

"Wear the joggers in the wardrobe," he replied bluntly as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

My heart sank further at the realisation that my marriage to Alpha Adam wasn’t going to be conventional in any sense. Who wears joggers on their wedding night? It was clear that this was not a union of love or even respect.

Noticing that I wasn’t taken to the master’s bedroom, I understood that I would be sleeping alone.

The thought brought a mix of relief and sadness. I wasn’t sure what I had expected, but this cold indifference wasn’t it.

With nothing else to do, I decided to take a shower, hoping the water would wash away some of the pain and numbness I felt.

After my shower, I slipped into my underwear, feeling too drained to bother with anything else. My wolf, who had been silent through it all, remained quiet, sharing in my deep sense of loss and resignation. Alone in the unfamiliar room, I allowed myself to cry once more, the tears coming in waves as I lay down on the bed. Eventually, exhaustion overtook me, and I fell into a restless sleep, the reality of my situation settling into my bones like a cold, unyielding weight.

Early the next morning, a man barged into my room without so much as a knock. I hadn’t seen Alpha Adam since the wedding, and though he hadn’t come to consummate the marriage, I was secretly relieved.

I was still in my underwear, so I quickly wrapped myself in the bedsheets, feeling both exposed and annoyed at the intrusion.

The man didn’t seem to care about my state of undress; he simply walked in as if it were the most normal thing in the world.

"I need you to sign these papers," he said, thrusting a stack of documents into my hands. I blinked, trying to clear my swollen eyes and make sense of what was happening.

"What for?" I asked, my voice hoarse from crying the night before.

"Your wedding certificate and your agreement," he replied curtly. I took the papers from him, feeling a knot form in my stomach.

"Okay, let me read the agreement," I said, trying to buy myself some time to figure out what was going on.

But he shook his head impatiently.

"No time. The lawyer needs to take them back, and you and the Alpha will be returning to his house in thirty minutes." His words only added to my confusion.

"Am I not going to live here?" I asked, hoping for some clarity, but he just shook his head again, offering no explanation.

Realising I wasn’t going to get any reasonable answers from him, I reluctantly signed the documents and handed them back. What choice did I have?

I didn’t have any luggage, no clothes, or toiletries.

I hadn’t been given a chance to prepare for this sudden move. I made do with what I had. I used the mouthwash in the bathroom and rinsed my body with water, feeling more like a prisoner than a bride.

I found an oversized pair of joggers and a hoodie in the wardrobe, threw them on, and sat down in the chair, waiting for someone to come and tell me what to do next.

I wished I could say goodbye to my father, but I knew Alpha Adam wouldn’t allow it. I hoped to call him once I got to wherever they were taking me, assuming I would be allowed to use my phone.

The thought of being cut off from the only family I had left made my heart ache.

Soon enough, someone came to escort me out of the room.

I had thought—naively, perhaps—that I would be sharing a ride with Alpha Adam, that we might at least have a conversation, but I was wrong.

They put me in a separate car, away from him, and we drove off in a convoy.

The whole situation felt surreal, like I was being transported to another world, one where I had no control, no voice, and no hope.

As the car sped along, I couldn’t help but wonder what awaited me at Alpha Adam’s settlement and how much more of myself I would lose before this was all over.