The Alpha's Ghost Bride

Chapter 8 – The Chosen One

Megan

When we got home, everything felt like it was about to explode. Harry, Karla, and Mika were furious—angrier than I’d ever seen them before. The tension in the room was heavy, suffocating even, and I stayed quiet, keeping my head down as they raged about what had just happened.

Harry was pacing back and forth in the living room, his face red with frustration. “We need another plan,” he spat, his voice sharp and greedy. “We need money to survive this bankruptcy. If we don’t, we’ll lose everything.”

Karla, standing near the window with her arms crossed tightly over her chest, let out an angry huff. “If Alpha Jake is really dead,” she snapped, “then they’ll be looking for a bride for him soon. But it won’t be a Luna, not a real one. It’ll be a ghost bride.”

Her words hit hard. A ghost bride… not a Luna.

I shivered at the thought, even though I tried to hide it. Alpha Jake was the leader of the Crest Moon Pack, and if he was dead, the idea of being tied to him as some sort of ghost bride was terrifying. It was an old tradition, one I never thought would affect me—or anyone in this house.

Mika’s voice suddenly rang out, cutting through the tension like a knife. “No! I won’t do it. I won’t become some ghost bride!” She was furious, her face twisted in anger.

I stood silently, trying to avoid their gaze. I knew my place in this family—or rather, this household. I wasn’t really family, just the girl they took in, the girl who never truly belonged. As I quietly started to gather Mika's things from the living room, my hands shaking slightly, a loud knock on the door made me jump.

“Get the door, Megan,” Karla ordered coldly, barely glancing at me.

I swallowed hard and walked over to the door, trying to calm the nervousness that was building in my chest. When I opened it, my heart nearly stopped. Two pack members stood there, but they weren’t just any pack members—they looked like soldiers, their eyes still carrying that wolfish gleam, even though they were in human form. They had an intimidating presence, one that sent shivers down my spine.

“We have a message,” one of them said, his voice gruff. He handed me a letter sealed with the Crest Moon Pack's symbol. “Madam Lucille has personally chosen Mika to become the ghost bride of Alpha Jake,” he continued, his tone formal but with a chilling undertone. “Your family will receive one hundred million dollars for it.”

One hundred million dollars. The number echoed in my mind as I stared at the letter in my trembling hands. It was a fortune, more money than I could ever dream of. I turned back toward the living room, where Harry, Karla, and Mika were now all staring at me, their expressions a mix of shock and greed.

Harry swallowed hard, his eyes wide. He looked at Mika, but she didn’t meet his gaze. Instead, she stormed out of the room, her face set in anger.

Karla stepped forward, forcing a smile. “We’ll… we’ll need to talk about this,” she said quickly, trying to sound polite in front of the pack members.

The soldiers gave a curt nod. “If you’re interested, come to the pack house tomorrow,” one of them said. “If not, disregard the letter. But remember, this offer won’t last long.” With that, they turned and left, their footsteps heavy as they disappeared into the night.

As soon as the door closed behind them, Karla’s fake smile vanished, and she whirled around to face me.

“Megan, close the door!” she snapped angrily.

I hurried to do as I was told, but before I could fully shut it, Mika stormed back into the room, her face red with fury.

“There’s no way I’m becoming a ghost bride!” she shouted. “I won’t do it! I won’t spend the rest of my life tied to a dead Alpha!”

Harry and Karla both turned to look at her, their eyes narrowing. For a moment, there was silence, and then Mika’s gaze landed on me. I froze.

Mika’s lips twisted into a cruel smile. “Why not make Megan the ghost bride instead?” she said, pointing directly at me. “She’s never been useful to us anyway. Might as well make her useful now.”

My heart dropped. I stood there, speechless, as Harry and Karla exchanged a glance. And then, to my horror, they both grinned.

“You know,” Harry said slowly, his eyes gleaming with greed, “Mika might be right. Megan could be the substitute ghost bride. Alpha Jake’s already dead, so it’s not like she’ll be Luna. She’ll just be married to a dead Alpha, nothing more.”

Karla nodded in agreement, her smile cold and calculating. “This is finally the time Megan will be useful to us. It’s perfect.”

I felt the blood drain from my face. “No,” I whispered, my voice trembling. “I don’t want to… I don’t want to do this…”

But Karla’s hand shot out, slapping me hard across the face. The sting of it brought tears to my eyes, but I held them back, refusing to cry in front of them. “It doesn’t matter what you want, Megan!” she hissed. “You owe us. You owe us for everything we’ve done for you. You will do this, whether you like it or not. Consider it p*****t for your adoption.”

I felt like the world was crashing down around me. My chest tightened, and I couldn’t breathe. I wanted to scream, to run, to hide—anything but this. But there was nowhere to go. Nowhere to escape.

Harry’s voice broke through my panic. “Tomorrow, we’ll go back to the mansion and give them our answer. Megan will be the ghost bride, and we’ll get the money. It’s settled.”

With that, he and Karla turned and walked off to their room, still talking greedily about what they would do with all the money. I could hear them laughing, already making plans for their future, as if I didn’t exist.

Mika stood there, watching me with a smug grin on her face. “Thanks to you,” she sneered, “we’ll survive the bankruptcy. And I won’t have to be the laughingstock of the pack. You’re finally good for something.” She laughed cruelly before turning on her heel and disappearing into her room, slamming the door behind her.

I was left alone in the living room, my knees buckling beneath me as I collapsed to the floor. Tears streamed down my face as I sobbed uncontrollably.

How could this happen? How could they do this to me?

I had never been anything more than a burden to them, but this… this was beyond anything I could have imagined.

My entire body shook with fear, anger, and despair. I didn’t want to become a ghost bride. I didn’t want to be tied to a dead Alpha for the rest of my life.

But no one cared what I wanted. To them, I was nothing. Just a means to an end. Just a tool they could use to get what they wanted.

As I cried on the floor, feeling utterly helpless, I couldn’t help but wonder if there was any way out of this nightmare. But deep down, I already knew the answer. There wasn’t.

Tomorrow, I will be sold off, my fate sealed as the substitute ghost bride of Alpha Jake.

The next day, I woke up feeling as if I’d been dragged from a deep, dark place. My eyes felt heavy, my head ached, and my entire body seemed to resist the idea of getting out of bed. But there was no escaping what awaited me. I barely had time to gather my thoughts when Karla stormed into the attic room where I was staying.

"Megan, get up!" she snapped, her voice sharp and unforgiving. "You’re not going to laze around all day. Get dressed, or I swear, I’ll throw you out and disown you. We need to get to the Crest Moon Pack mansion, and I’m not in the mood for your delays."

Tears sprang to my eyes as I scrambled out of bed, trying to move as quickly as I could despite my lingering exhaustion and dread. I knew better than to argue with her. She was merciless, and the threat of being cast out into the streets was too terrifying to contemplate.

I pulled on the clothes I had been given, a plain dress that felt uncomfortable and too simple for the occasion. I could see the disdain in Karla's eyes as she glanced at my attire.

As we drove to the Crest Moon Pack mansion, Harry and Karla's greed was palpable. Their excitement about the money was almost enough to distract me from my own fear and sorrow. They whispered eagerly to each other, exchanging greedy glances as we approached the grand estate.

When we finally arrived, the mansion loomed ahead like a fortress, cold and imposing. Lucille was waiting for us, her posture rigid and her expression as cold as the stone walls of the mansion. She scrutinized me with a look that was both judgmental and uninterested, her eyes narrowing as she took in my appearance.

“So, this is the girl you’ve brought?” Lucille’s voice dripped with disdain. “I thought you were presenting your own daughter, Mika. What’s this?”

Harry and Karla exchanged uneasy glances. Karla stepped forward, her voice quick and defensive. “Mika’s health isn’t suitable for this role. She has asthma and is always weak. Megan here is our adopted daughter, and she’s willing to take on the role of the ghost bride.”

Lucille raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed. She looked me over again, her gaze lingering on my cheap clothes. “I see,” she said slowly, her voice laced with skepticism. “Well, if no one else shows up to audition today, Megan will be chosen. We’ll wait a few hours.”

As the minutes ticked by, I stood there, feeling a mix of dread and faint hope. I silently prayed that someone else would arrive and take the offer, sparing me from the terrible fate awaiting me. But as the hours dragged on, my hope began to fade. No one else came forward.

Lucille, her expression growing more impatient, finally turned to me. “It seems you’re going to be the ghost bride after all,” she announced. “We’ll prepare for the wedding soon.”

I trembled in fear, feeling tears prick at the corners of my eyes. The weight of my situation pressed down on me like an unbearable burden. Harry and Karla exchanged triumphant grins, their eyes shining with anticipation.