Free Web NovelChapter 9: Kiss the Bride
Nina burst into her room panting heavily, her hands clutched around her neck.
Gina stood in the center of the chamber with the two servants from the night before. All three stopped dead when they saw her, their eyes moving first to her pale face, then to the dark red handprint staining her throat.
"What in the world happened to you?" Gina asked, her voice laced with sudden worry.
Nina crossed the room and sat down shakily on the edge of the bed, the sudden movement triggering another sharp cough. She winced, swallowing down a hard lump.
Gina walked over, reaching down to pull Nina’s hands away from her neck.
"Who did this to you?"
Nina swallowed again, her chest tight.
"I sleepwalked into the Alpha’s quarters."
Her voice was hoarse, raspy as she rubbed her fingers over the bruised skin.
Silence fell over the room like a physical weight. Gina blinked once, slowly.
"The Alpha’s quarters?" Her voice dipped, stretched between utter disbelief and horror. "You entered his chambers, and you are still breathing?"
Nina stared back, confused by the reaction. She had expected shock over her near-death experience, not shock that she was simply alive.
"No one who has ever entered the Alpha’s private rooms has walked back out," Gina murmured. "Not while breathing, at least." freёwebnovel.com
Nina’s lips parted.
"What?"
"You are lucky, that is what. Let me see." Gina leaned closer, studying the dark bruises as her jaw tightened. She exhaled and shook her head. "This will require heavy cover. My gods, if you wished to die, throwing yourself down a staircase would have been quieter. Why would you go near his rooms right after I warned you?"
Nina lowered her gaze. Her true reason would sound insane to anyone else, so she kept quiet.
"Girls, hurry," Gina ordered sharply. "We have thirty minutes until the ceremony. Fix her hair and conceal these marks as much as humanly possible."
The servants set to work immediately. Nina sat in a daze, her mind still reeling from the cold realization of how close her life had come to being snuffed out.
In less than twenty minutes, the girls stepped back. Nina walked to the floor-to-ceiling mirror to look at herself.
The wedding dress was exquisite, adorned with intricate lace embroidery that looked entirely handmade. Her skin shimmered under the warm lights as the girls carefully arranged the long hem of the gown.
"Hmm." Gina tilted her head, watching her reflection. "The Matriarch certainly selects the prettiest brides to die."
Nina’s breath hitched, and she immediately looked away from the glass.
A soft knock sounded at the door. One of the maidservants went to answer it, pulling the heavy wood open. The moment Nina saw the armored guard standing on the other side, a violent shudder ran down her spine.
"It is time," the guard announced.
Rodrigo stood before his mirror while Seven fastened the final button of his black suit jacket. His dark hair was cleanly pulled back, save for a few stray strands escaping across his cheekbones.
His eyes were closed, but his mind was replaying the events of the dawn.
Why had she come into his room? Did she truly possess no sense of fear, or was she simply foolish? He had spent the last two hours turning over a million different reasons why she would climb into his bed.
Had his grandmother sent her as a pawn?
Or was the girl actually telling the truth about her affliction?
A soft knock interrupted his thoughts. Seven signaled to the guard, who cracked the door open. The distinct, rhythmic tap of the Matriarch’s walking stick made Rodrigo’s eyes open.
"Leave us," she commanded.
Seven bowed low and filed out with the guards, shutting the heavy door behind them.
Rodrigo watched her reflection in the glass for a few silent seconds before he slowly turned around.
"What do you want?" he asked bluntly, walking toward the bureau. He reached for a velvet box and flipped it open.
"Rio, you of all people should comprehend that everything I do is for your own—"
"Grandmother, if you would please cut to the chase." Rodrigo raised his cold gaze. "I have a wedding to attend."
The Matriarch’s hands tightened around the silver handle of her stick, her teeth clenching.
"Alpha Boldron is dead."
Rodrigo’s hands paused for a fraction of a second. Then, he calmly took out the heavy Alpha’s band and slid it onto his index finger.
"Should I declare this as great news? When is the funeral?" A faint smile touched his lips.
"It would have been great news, had he not been slaughtered by his younger brother, Hades."
Rodrigo’s smile died instantly.
The Matriarch crossed the room, her voice dropping.
"You know exactly what that means for the northern borders."
Rodrigo clenched his teeth, his thumb slowly rolling the heavy ring around his finger.
"When is the funeral?"
The Matriarch drew a breath.
"In two days."
The air was chilly outside the grand wedding hall, the stone steps still damp from the heavy rain of the previous night.
Nina shivered as her father took his place beside her.
Jonathan was holding her arm. For the first time in twenty-two years, he was touching her. And it was only to walk her to her death.
She swallowed the hard lump in her throat, biting the inside of her tongue to keep her composure. All her life, she had fantasized about a moment like this. A gentle pat on the head. A warm embrace. A smile that actually reached his eyes. Anything small to prove that her existence mattered to him.
But it had all been a lie. She had just been a foolish girl wishing for the love of a man who had none to give.
Tears burned the corners of her eyes. Her fingers trembled against his sleeve. She bit harder on her tongue, forcing the emotion back down. She would not let him see her break.
Nina inhaled a shaky breath.
Slowly, the massive oak doors groaned open.
The wedding hall was enormous. Engraved marble pillars lined both sides of the aisle, and candles flickered silently in golden chandeliers overhead. Nina blinked, her eyes adjusting to the dim, amber light.
The guests were remarkably few.
The Matriarch sat at the very front, her back rigid, her sharp eyes already locked onto Nina. Charlotte and Dominic sat to the left, their expressions entirely unreadable. A handful of other high-ranking pack members filled the remaining seats—faces Nina did not recognize.
Nina took a steadying breath and looked toward the altar.
Her blood ran completely cold.
Rodrigo stood there in his black suit, his expression a blank mask, his glacial gray eyes fixed entirely on her. He looked like death itself.
But it wasn’t the Alpha who made her stumble this time.
It was the man standing directly beside him.
Dante.
Nina’s foot caught on the heavy lace of her dress, and she lurched forward, nearly falling flat on the marble floor. Her father gripped her elbow roughly, stabilizing her.
What was Dante doing here?
Her mind scrambled in pure panic. Dante was the Alpha’s cousin—of course he would attend the wedding. She should have anticipated it. What she hadn’t imagined was that he would be the groomsman, standing right there at the altar.
And now he was staring straight at her, his eyes narrowed with deep suspicion.
If he recognized her from before, she was finished.
Nina shut down the terrifying thought the moment it flared. She clenched her teeth and forced herself to look away from him, focusing entirely on the floor. One step after another. She could feel every eye in the room burning into her. The walk felt endless.
But soon, she was there.
She stopped in front of Rodrigo. Nina instinctively stepped an inch backward as the terrifying memory of the morning flashed through her mind. His hand crushing her throat. The way he had nearly squeezed the life out of her body.
His gaze was locked onto her now, intense and unwavering, but she refused to look back at him. She had been frightened of him before, but now? After what had happened in his bed? She was utterly paralyzed.
Her eyes flickered up briefly, meeting Dante’s suspicious glare, and she snapped her gaze away instantly. As if her day could not get any worse.
Jonathan released her arm without a single word, stepping back to take his seat next to Marjorie. Her stepmother looked as though she had just won a grand trophy.
The priest stepped forward—an elderly man clad in long, sweeping ceremonial robes. He began to speak, his voice echoing loudly through the rafters as he read through the ancient Rite of Mates.
Nina exhaled slowly and pinned her eyes onto the large wall clock hanging directly above Rodrigo’s head. She would look at anything to avoid those gray eyes. She could feel his gaze tracing her face, causing her to nervously shift her weight from one foot to the other.
Rodrigo stared at the woman standing in front of him.
She was gazing up at the ceiling as though there were something inexplicably fascinating hidden in the rafters. Her hands were clenched into tight fists at her sides, her pale shoulders rigid with tension.
She was terrified. Of him.
Good. She needed to be. Because he wasn’t entirely certain he would be able to restrain his fury the next time she pulled a stunt in his quarters.
He blinked, studying her features clearly for the first time in the light.
She was beautiful. Her features were soft, almost entirely innocent. Her eyes were large and round—the kind of eyes that were completely incapable of masking a single emotion. He could tell exactly how frightened she was simply by the way they glistened, holding back tears.
His gaze dropped lower. Her neck was bare. The dark bruises from his own fingers had been carefully concealed beneath thick layers of powder and makeup, but he could still see the faint outline of the marks.
Something strange flickered deep in his chest. He pushed it down, ignoring it entirely.
The white dress clung to her body in ways that naturally drew the eye. Rodrigo frowned, pulling his gaze away to look at the congregation. They looked as though they had gathered to attend a funeral rather than a wedding.
Bored by the sight of his family, he moved his eyes back to her. She was far more interesting to look at. fгeewebnovёl.com
But the exact moment his gaze returned to her face, her eyes snapped down and locked with his.
Her lips parted slightly, her chest heaving as her round eyes widened in panic. She looked away immediately, a bright blush creeping up her neck and staining her cheeks.
Oh no.
Nina cursed bitterly under her breath. Why did he have to look at her at that exact moment?
Her heart was pounding so violently against her ribs she was certain the entire front row could see her shaking.
"The rings," the priest commanded.
Nina lifted her head, forcing herself to appear calm as she watched Dante step forward, carrying a crystal-clear box containing the matching bands. Her pulse spiked. She kept her eyes glued strictly to the velvet inside the box, completely refusing to look up at Dante’s face. She could feel his gaze on her, heavy and unwavering.
"You may exchange your rings," the priest instructed.
The entire hall fell into a dead silence.
Nina’s eyes lifted slightly as she watched Dante present the box to Rodrigo. The Alpha reached in, his long fingers selecting the smaller band.
Her ring.
Nina’s breath caught in her throat. Her skin prickled with a strange heat as he closed the small distance between them. She held her breath, unable to move.
"Your hand."
His voice was soft. Smooth. It sounded nothing like the cold, terrifying roar from that morning.
Her lashes fluttered as she slowly lifted her right hand. It was trembling visibly.
Rodrigo’s cool fingers brushed against hers as he took her hand. The brief touch sent a sharp jolt straight through her body. She swallowed hard.
He slid the ring calmly onto her finger, his movements slow, careful, and completely unhurried. The moment the metal settled against her skin, Nina snatched her hand back as though she had been burned.
Rodrigo’s eyes flickered. He clearly noticed the rejection, but she didn’t care. What did he expect after nearly choking her to death?
"Luna, you may place the ring upon the Alpha," the priest instructed when he realized she was simply standing there, frozen.
Nina blinked, her mind snapping back as she reached for the larger ring with shaking fingers.
Rodrigo stared down at her small hand for a few seconds before extending his own toward her. Nina looked at his outstretched palm. Long fingers. Strong. The exact same hand that had wrapped around her windpipe just hours ago.
She swallowed the rising dread. Raising her hand slowly, she slid the heavy band onto his finger. The very tips of her fingers grazed his skin, and she pulled back instantly, stepping an inch away from him. She let out a silent, ragged exhale.
Then, suddenly, the priest’s booming voice broke across the silent hall.
"You may now kiss the bride."
Total silence.
Two seconds passed in absolute stillness, as though every person in the room was trying to process what they had just heard.
Then, chaos erupted.
Low murmurs and shocked gasps rippled through the small crowd. The priest never spoke that line. Rodrigo never, under any circumstance, kissed his brides. Something was terribly wrong.
Nina snapped her head toward the priest in utter shock.
"I apologize... I apologize for my mistake," the old man stammered, his face turning pale as sweat broke out across his forehead. He fumbled frantically with the parchment scroll in his hands. "This line was not written here..."
Nina’s gaze darted instantly back to Rodrigo.
The Alpha was staring at the trembling priest with cold, murderous eyes—looking as though he wanted to reach out and snap the old man’s neck right there on the altar.
Then, slowly, his heavy gray eyes turned to look down at her.
Nina’s blood ran cold.
