The Wedding Bells

Adira’s POV

I stared at my reflection in the mirror for a little longer as the girl looking back at me didn’t feel real.

Dressed in a white wedding gown that hugged my body perfectly before flowing down in soft layers around my feet, I looked… so pretty.

I swallowed.

Was that really me?

I’d always been an ugly duckling who lacked everything from backgrounds to parents.

But today…

Today, not only did I look pretty, but I was about to have a family with the person whom I loved the most.

“I can’t believe I’m this pretty,” I whispered under my breath, shyly, as heat crept up my cheeks.

“Get it together, Adira,” I muttered, gently tapping both sides of my face. “Don’t start crying before the ceremony even begins.”

I inhaled slowly, trying to calm the storm building inside my chest.

After all the suffering, the nights I thought I wouldn’t survive, I was standing here, about to marry the future Alpha of the Shadow Hunters Pack.

Xavier Hunter.

Even thinking his name made something in me soften.

He wasn’t just the strongest warrior and the heir whom everyone respected and feared. To me, he was the man who had seen me at my worst, drowning in darkness, and still chose to stay.

He held my hand to remind me that I wasn’t alone.

I remember the first time he looked at me with warmth, unlike others.

He never tried to change me and simply stood beside me while I fixed myself.

And now… I was about to become his Luna.

The title felt heavy, but I was ready to bear it.

A soft knock sounded at the door, pulling me out of my thoughts.

“It’s almost time,” someone called gently from the other side.

My heart began to pound with anticipation. 

“Brother…”

I stared at an old locket resting in my palm, “I’ll come back for you,” I whispered. “And once I have the power, not even our uncle and aunt will be able to stop me.”

My fingers closed around it, steadily despite the storm inside me.

When our parents died, we were too young to understand the cruelty of the world. We were sent to live with our uncle, but that house was never our home. I wasn’t treated like a human there, waking before sunrise, scrubbing floors until my hands burned, swallowing insults like they were daily meals.

My little brother tried to protect me. He would stand in front of me, take the blame, and argue back. But when he did, they hurt him worse. So I learned to stay quiet and endure.

But even that wasn’t enough.

One night, I overheard them talking about me as if I were nothing but an object. Soon after, they sold me to an old man who was worse than a monster. His house was colder than any prison. He enjoyed control and inflicting fear. And his wife stood beside him, watching, never once showing mercy.

The only reason I held up till now was because of you.

I pressed the locket to my chest. “They thought they destroyed me,” I murmured. “But the thought of you kept me going. 

A tear slipped down my cheek.

“Wait for me,” I whispered. “I’ll snatch you from my uncle and hold you close to my heart.”

With that resolve in my heart, I turned around to leave.

“Where’s everyone?” I asked softly, my voice echoing slightly in the empty house. “Is my cousin not coming with me?”

The driver waiting by the door lowered his head respectfully. “Forgive me, Miss. Young Miss asked me to bring you directly to the venue.”

“Oh…?”

A small crease formed between my brows.

That was unlike June.

In that cold, suffocating house, she had been the only warmth I ever knew. While others looked at me like a slave, she would sneak into my room with warm food.

When she heard I was getting married, she was happier than I was, and help me with the preparations.

Even the gown I was wearing now was chosen by her.

And now… she wasn’t here?

I forced a small smile and nodded at the driver. “It’s fine. Let’s go.”

Soon, we were inside the car, the engine humming softly as we pulled away from the house. I looked out of the window with nervousness.

“Miss…” the driver spoke again after a while. He glanced at me through the rearview mirror and sighed, his expression unreadable. “Please have some water and try to relax.”

I hadn’t even realized how tightly I was gripping my bouquet.

“Oh… thank you.” I accepted the bottle, my fingers trembling slightly.

I gulped the water down without thinking. My hands were still trembling.

Maybe I was just too overwhelmed to think clearly.

The car’s movement became steady as my eyelids felt heavy.

Just for a second, I told myself. I’ll close my eyes for just a second.

When I opened them again, my neck ached from the awkward angle I had been sleeping in. The sky outside the window was darker now.

Feeling uneasy, I quickly checked the small clock on the dashboard. My breath hitched.

It had been two hours, and we were still driving in that dark. 

My heart began pounding so loudly that it felt like it echoed inside my ears.

This wasn’t the route to the wedding venue.

I turned toward the window, wiping away the faint fog from the glass with my palm. The scenery outside was unfamiliar, with empty roads, scattered trees, no buildings, and no traffic. We were far from the city and from the venue.

“Where are you taking me?” I demanded, my voice no longer soft. I pushed the bouquet off my lap, letting it fall onto the seat beside me.