Page 12 of Bound to Enemy (Wolf Billionaire #3)

CHAPTER 12

ALESSANDRA

I stood in the kitchen looking at the shot of whiskey Lily had poured for me. The corset of my white gown sucked my stomach in, pushing all my organs together and restricting my breathing.

Lily had told me that beauty was pain and breathing needed to be sacrificed. I, of course, did not care for any of this, well at least I thought I didn't up until the moment I walked out of my room and down to the kitchen to wait for my cue.

I stared out the glass door at the setup that had been laid out for the ceremony. Wooden benches filled with pack members were here to celebrate my union with their alpha. The stage where we were going to stand for the proceedings was right at the very front, and Daxton stood at the bottom.

I had not seen that man since the healer's room. We had not uttered a single word to each other since, and the first time I was going to face him would be on the stage on our wedding day.

I caught my reflection in the mirror and was taken aback yet again by how similar I looked to my mother with my hair up. Lily had worked wonders on my face by keeping my makeup light, but she highlighted my eyes with a subtle hint of gold on the lids. She had put my hair into an elegant updo with small wisps that dangled around my face, giving me this ethereal fairy-like look. It was very different from my usual high ponytail. I looked softer, feminine, and less mean.

"You are striking, Ale," my father came up behind me with a small smile on his lips. His eyes roamed the length of my body, drinking in my entire appearance. His eyes glistened with unshed tears, the pride of a father shining at me with great brilliance.

My father had always been this big, strong macho man who hardly showed any emotion. But within the last few weeks, I watched him turn from this hard exterior man to this ball of softness.

I moved the flowy skirt of the dress around and looked down at it.

The dress was a simple white gown with a tight-fitting bodice, with whale boning that sucked me in so my waist was virtually non-existent. My hair was adorned with a flower crown made from blue roses to represent the colors of my soon-to-be husband.

"You look like your mother," he choked out, barely able to get the sentence out. "She would be so proud of you, Ale."

The sting in my eyes threatened to open the floodgates that I had been holding back all day. The day my mother was killed was the same day I had asked her what the mating ceremony was like. She had smiled, thinking of when my mating ceremony would come and how excited she was to give me away to a man who loved me. I could still picture her bright face and shining eyes.

Well, the day had finally come, and there was no man who loved me or my mother.

She was so full of life then. Little did I know that only a few short hours later, I would stare into those very eyes, void of life, for the last time.

"You ready, Dad?"

He nodded and came to stand beside me. "Are you ready, Ale?"

No, I wasn't. "I am."

I steeled my back and stared out the glass door. All the pack members took their seats, and then the entire area fell silent. The large stage at the end of the aisle boasted the five elders who helped to govern the pack sat on top. I didn't miss the way they eyed and whispered about my friends who sat near the front.

These people were stuck in their ways, and they would never look at us as their equals. I had come to accept that bitter truth.

The glass door opened. It was time.

My father grabbed my hand and gave it a gentle squeeze, showing me that he was right there with me.

I breathed in, filling my lungs with as much oxygen as possible before I breathed out and let all the stress and anxiety out. It was now or never.

We took the first step out of the house and made our way toward the aisle.

Truth be told, everything felt like a blur. From walking down the aisle, the pack members who watched me walk hand in hand with my father to the end of the aisle where Daxton was waiting ready to receive me.

I had avoided him like the plague, unsure of how to proceed from what had happened. He was yet to apologize for what he had done, but I didn't think that I would be getting an apology from him. If he had wanted to apologize, he would have done so before today.

His jaw locked in place, his eyes moving from my face to meet my father's gaze. Something passed between them, an unspoken agreement of sorts before my father lifted our joined hands and offered me to Daxton.

"Remember your word, Daxton." That was all my father said before he placed my hand in Daxton's and stepped away.

Daxton towered over me, casting a large shadow over my much smaller frame, possibly a foreshadowing of what my life was to look like.

"You look beautiful," he muttered under his breath. His voice had been so low I had thought that I had imagined it for a second.

He led us up the stairs of the stage so we could stand in front of everyone like a big spectacle for all to see. The last time I had stood before a large group of these people, I was nearly taken out by their alpha. And now here I stood ready to join myself to him.

The breeze blew through the trees, the cool air calming the heat that ravaged the surface of my skin from the nerves.

One of the five elders stood from his chair. He was an elderly man who looked like he was knocking on death's door. I didn't miss the condescending look that he cast my way before he looked at the large crowd and began the ceremony.

Mating bonds were not often this grand, but the mating bond between Alpha and Luna was always treated differently. This was the future of the pack, and all needed to be present to witness the legacy continued.

The palms of our hands were cut with a blade, and we pressed our palms together to signify the unification of our blood. Throughout the entire proceeding, I kept my eyes on Daxton's chin, unable to meet his stare.

"As we stand in front of the Blood Moon pack, we unite Alessandra Fraser to Daxton Vale, alpha and Luna to this pack." Our conjoined hands dripped with blood from palm to wrist, and our DNA mixed to signify the unification of not only us but our packs too. From that moment on, Blood Moon and Blackstone stood as one.

For weeks I had known that this man would be my mate. I knew that I would be joining myself to him forever, but now that the moment had arrived, it all felt like a dream, a nightmare of sorts.

I had trained for more than half my lifetime to take over from my father when he stepped down as alpha. Though the title of Luna was no lesser title to Alpha, it still felt that way. I was to subdue myself to my alpha, to Daxton. He was the head, and I was to be his support. I was not his equal; I was simply his second.

For the first time since the proceedings began, I lifted my gaze to meet his eyes and stilled.

His blue-green waters intensified as the elder before us continued to speak. I was used to looking into his eyes and seeing malice and disgust. However, for the first time, I didn't see the hatred in his eyes; I didn't even see indifference. I only saw his understanding, and was that... respect?

That was new.

The elder draped our joined hands in a silk cloth that was meant to represent the mate bond taking effect.

"Here stand Alpha Daxton Vale, protector and leader of the Blood Moon pack. And here stands Luna Alessandra Fraser-Vale, protector, mother, and leader of the Blood Moon pack. Long may they live and may the moon goddess strengthen them, impart divine knowledge, and may they be granted all the powers of her great divine. Long live the alpha and luna!"

The entire crowd erupted into cheers, even if they were fake. They smiled and chanted, 'long live the alpha', over and over again.

Now it was the part I had been dreading the most. My heart picked up its pace, and my mind turned to literal mush.

Daxton's eyes smoldered, his gaze darted to my lips and then back up to meet my eyes.

The kiss.

It was a customary part of the ceremony, to show the beginning of the union to our people. It was much like that of a human wedding.

The last time we had kissed, I had run out on him like he was made of fire. I didn't speak to him for two weeks up until this point.

Daxton must have seen my hesitation and decided to take matters into his own hands. He stepped forward, eating away at the distance between us effortlessly.

He used his free hand to cup the side of my face and draw my face closer to his. The blood rushed past my ears, drowning out the sound of the pack members in the distance.

Heat rushed to the surface of my skin, coloring my cheeks a gentle pink. I would never openly admit it, but I had been thinking of his lips. That taste I had experienced in that bathroom had been too brief. I wanted more. I craved more.

Daxton Vale was a dangerous one; he was a lethal but addictive drug. Just the right amount of him would send you on cloud nine, but take a milligram too much, and you were done for.

Inch by inch, the space between us slowly dissolved until we were but a whisker hair from each other. Our breath mingled together in a thick cloud of passion and desire.

I felt my wolf stir from deep within me, and the low-frequency hum carried throughout my entire body.

The anticipation moved through every cell, jumping from neuron to neuron until finally, he pressed his lips down onto mine in one heated and desire-filled kiss.

But as quickly as our lips connected, he pulled away, and the kiss ended. To my shock, all I wanted to do was pull him back to me.

His eyes darkened, but the little flecks of gold littered his irises, giving his chameleon eyes a new shade I committed to memory.

All of a sudden, I felt this overwhelming strength surge through my body. It was this red-hot fire that moved from our conjoined hands all the way into the marrow of my bones. It was unlike anything I had ever experienced in my entire life. My chest rose and fell rapidly as I tried to contain the power within me.

"Don't fight it," Daxton breathed the words into my ear. "It's our wolves converging and sharing power."

I had been told that this would happen. It was how our wolves became one; we would soon share a link that no other wolf would have with us. It connected us on a whole new different level, not only physically but mentally and emotionally.

I did as Daxton instructed and allowed the power to split me in two. It kissed and scorched every fiber of my body until the fire settled into my chest, burrowing its way into the soft flesh and making a home within my chambers.

Daxton turned us so we now faced the crowd. He lifted our joined hands in the air and let out a rippling howl that moved over the space. The rest of the wolves followed suit, cheering with excitement for their alpha.

My eyes moved over the sea of white until they came to rest on my people, my home away from home. Lily had tears in her eyes and was busy trying to wipe the wetness that flowed from them. Alex cheered and smiled brightly at me like I had completed an impossible task. Then my eyes connected with Jason; he was clapping along with the rest, but his face resembled more disdain than happiness.

He wasn't happy about this union, but he also knew the importance of it. No one would ever be good enough for me, or so he told me countless times. He even said he didn't deserve me, 'I was a rare ruby no one should have the privilege of handling', or so he had told me over the years.

I threw him a small smile to which he returned with his barely-there one too.

My father sat right at the very front, looking as proud as ever. He had suffered much, and I was happy that I could not only do this for him but also my pack.

Today marked the first day of our charge against the rogues. The tides were turning in this war, and I was going to make sure that we came out victorious in the end, even if it meant that my own life had to be the payment.