CHAPTER FOUR
Third Person's POV
As the future Alpha, I still have to take orders from my so-called father, who happens to be the coldest of all. I once loved my father when I was little. We were living happily with Mom before he brought in his mate, and then Mom left and never returned. Father became distant to me, and I despise him because he told Mom to leave, and to this day, I couldn't find her. Thankfully, the mate bond thing ended with Father. Every werewolf in town can choose their own partner without any interference. At least that's the case for those who are in love – not in my situation, though.
My childhood friend really loves me, or maybe she's just obsessed with me. I told her many times that we can't be together, but she later agreed to a friends-with-benefits arrangement. I'm not sure, but I don't reciprocate her feelings in the same way. Even when we were younger, I only befriended her because she was lonely and bullied a lot; I didn't know she'd grow into a clingy wolf.
When Father first presented the marriage proposal to me, I was somewhat relieved that it wasn't my childhood friend. Still, I didn't take it well because why would he decide my life for me, especially by signing a marriage contract with a stranger? He didn't hear me out and just walked away, saying, "If you don't accept this, I'll make your life a living hell."
As I sifted through documents at the office, my best friend's call interrupted the monotony. "Hey, bruv, guess what? A new club's grand opening tonight, and I'm dying to crash it," he said, his excitement infectious. I welcomed the distraction from office work and agreed to join him. A night out was exactly what I needed to blow off steam after Father's constant stress.
At 7:00 PM, I headed downstairs, and my half-brother, dressed in all black, sat on the sofa, smirking at me. His smug expression always grated on me. Two years my junior, he was a constant reminder of Father's infidelity during his marriage to Mom. His sole purpose seemed to be annoying me, and Father's insistence that I include him only fueled my frustration.
My half-brother had somehow charmed my friends, including my best friend, who knew about my disdain for him. I suspected he'd be at the club, courtesy of my so-called friend. This night was shaping up to be disastrous.
"Come on, let's go! We're running late," my half-brother called out, his tone annoyingly authoritative. "Dad called for you, but just keep it brief so we can roll out." His bluffing was laughable; he acted like he'd invited me himself. I shook my head, heading to meet Father while mentally plotting my best friend's demise for this betrayal.
As I headed to his room, I saw him all dressed up. He looked at me, nodded his head, and then walked past me before saying, "Let's go bring your bride home." I was speechless at first, still shocked by his words, and then I snapped out of my shock and ran after him because I needed an explanation for what was happening.
"Father, I never agreed to this proposal you brought up. If you insist that you need her married in this house, why don't you get your second son married to her?" I spat at him angrily.
"Son, I know what's best for you, and I know you'll benefit from this marriage. Now, enough of this talk. Get in the car before I get mad at you," Father said nonchalantly. I had no choice but to listen to him if I wanted to be the next Alpha. If not, he'd pass it down to my half-brother, which I didn't want to happen.
We arrived at her house. As Father knocked on the door, a man in his fifties opened it, his hands shaking. I assumed that was her father. We sat down, waiting for her to arrive. I learned that she was out with friends but was already heading over. I had to miss my precious nightclub outing for this unwanted bride.
Lost in thought, the villain in my story right now entered – my so-called soon-to-be bride.
Sheila's POV
I drove as fast as I could. Dad's tense voice still rang in my ears. It took an hour and some minutes to get home. As I rushed to park my car, I saw two black Rolls-Royces parked. Without thinking much, I hurried to the doorstep and opened the door. I entered and was met with men in all black sitting in the living room, while my dad stood in a corner, facing the wall with a swollen cheek and shaking. I stood frozen at the door, tears in my eyes, unsure how to react because I was getting scared. I didn't know who those people were or what they were doing in my house, hurting my dad. I heard someone gasping for air, and I followed the sound with my eyes, seeing my uncle lying down weakly with various bruises all over his body, worse than Dad's.
"Don't you know you're wasting more of our time standing there?" the older man said, presumably their leader. I replied in a shaky voice, stuttering, "W-what do y-you want from u-us?" He laughed menacingly, his mocking tone sending chills down my spine. "I don't need anything from them anymore; it's you I need. Sign the marriage certificate and stop wasting our time." What was happening? I pinched myself, hoping this was just a dream, but reality remained unchanged. When he saw my confused look, he sighed and asked my dad and uncle, "Did she know who you two truly are?" They immediately looked down, avoiding eye contact. "Dad, what's he talking about?" I asked, tears clouding my vision. "I'm sorry, Sheila. We're not who you think we are. I failed your mother and I failed you. Please forgive us." He turned to the leader and quietly asked, "Can you spare some time for me to explain to her?" The leader smirked and said, "Enough of this. I have a flight to catch. Bring her over and make her sign this now." Two hefty men in black dragged me to the document and forced me to sign it. As soon as I signed, the leader said, "Congratulations, daughter-in-law. Now give her to her husband to take her to the car." They pushed me toward a guy with black glasses, a gray shirt, and black pants, who was drinking coffee at the kitchen counter – I hadn't noticed him earlier. When he removed his glasses, my jaw dropped in shock; he was my arranged husband. He looked at me expressionlessly and said, "You have no idea what you've gotten yourself into." Then he forcefully dragged me out of the house and into one of the Rolls-Royces.