Fiona's POV
"Are you ready yet? They're waiting for us already! You all need to be quick! You... Quit standing at the corner and help them out. They're not even halfway through. You... Help her put on her shoes, while they fix her hair and face. Stop acting like a 100 year old tortoise and be quick!!", The mating coordinator bursted into the dressing room and began making orders to hasten the process.
I looked at myself in the mirror again. I couldn't recognize myself, due to the makeup that was loaded on my face. It also made my head very heavy for my neck. Maybe this was how it felt. I'd never done make-up in my life - not until now. My stepmom would've beaten me to death if I'd ever touched her makeup.
Anyways, that wasn't what I wanted to think about.
I was finally getting married to the future Lycan Alpha of Zecrim pack! I was literally giggling on my insides. Never in my life would I have imagined that I would get married to a handsome prince of an Apex pack.
Not only was I getting married to my dream groom, he was in love with me too. He'd professed his feelings to me, and he sealed it with some good outdoor sex. What more could I ask for? Maybe this was the Moon Goddess's way of consoling me.
"You're ready, Fiona", the make-up artist's words jerked me out of my reminiscing about last night.
"How do you look? Don't you feel beautiful?", She asked.
I stared at the reflection of myself in the mirror. It wasn't until now I realized make-up could turn a rejected woman into a goddess.
"I look and feel beautiful! This is astonishing!", I giggled, and my remarks put a smile on the artist.
"Okay. I think it's time to go meet your groom-"
Her attention drifted from my face to the door. It seemed someone walked in.
"Queen Mother! You're just in time. Come take a look at Fiona's beauty-"
"I need the room alone", the Queen Mother cut her off.
"Oh? Should we-"
"Don't you understand what I meant?! Get out of here, dummies!! All of you!!!", She thundered, causing all the ladies to scurry out of the room.
From the mirror, I saw her turn her attention to me, her dark red eyes meeting with mine. I shivered in my seat, but I tried not to show it. She'd been my arch tormentor since I stepped into the pack, and I should've expected her to ruin this day for me.
Step by step, she got closer to me, her glare unwavering.
"I see you're enjoying yourself. I have to give kudos to the artists. I didn't know ugly witches could be this beautiful", she quipped, a smirk on her face.
Her words hurt like arrows were shot to my chest, but I acted emotionless.
"It's funny how a vermin like you thinks herself worthy of someone as elegant as my son. Out of all the girls in the pack, he had to pick a piece of trash from an almost-extinct pack", she spat.
"Your son loves me", I blurted. As she shifted her focus from the reflection on the mirror to my body, I felt my intestines churn, cursing me for saying something like that.
"Oh? Is that what he told you?", She asked.
"Not only did he tell me. He... He had sex with me last night", I said.
I saw her smirk turn into a grin. Gradually, it progressed to a chuckle, but soon enough, she bursted into a loud cackle. I wore a look of confusion, wondering what was funny.
"Why are you laughing?"
She became mute immediately. With anger, she grabbed my chin roughly and made me face her.
"My son will never end up with you. He will marry someone of his class, and not a rejected vermin like you. Let that get into your head!" With that, she let go of my jaw and stormed out of the room.
I tried to keep calm. It was my day. Nothing was going to ruin it, not even her.
I got out of the room and walked down the small corridor.
I was about to step out when I noticed something. I noticed that there was an activity in the last room to the exit. I didn't see the face, but they were making someone up too.
Out of curiosity I was about to go see for myself what the activity was about when the mating coordinator came out of nowhere.
"We've been waiting for you, Fiona! Let's go meet the others", She led me out of the corridor to the open gathering.
I forgot about the activity I saw when I saw Dylan waiting for me in front of excited people. I saw my step mum and dad in the crowd. I saw the Alpha and Queen Mother seated at the table of honor.
I was led to an elegantly dressed Dylan, and the ceremony commenced.
An elder came up and stood between us.
"Now, she's here, let's begin. The Moon Goddess has destined these two together and they have decided to obey the wishes of the Moon Goddess. We've come to join them as one on this beautiful day. Fiona, do you take Dylan as your husband?", He asked me.
"Yes, I do", I giggled, my eyes filled with sparkles.
Satisfied with my answer, he turned to Dylan.
"Dylan, before these people do you accept this lady as your wife?"
"No"
The smile on my face was wiped away immediately. The crowd became uneasy with murmurs. What was going on?
"My wife is right there", he pointed behind me. All eyes turned to the entrance of the gathering, including mine.
In utter shock, I saw my stepsister Jemisha in a wedding dress, walking towards us.
I turned to Dylan, still appalled by this drama.
"Dylan? What's happening? Why is my stepsister here?", I asked him, confused by what was going on.
"Because she's my bride?"
"I... I don't understand. I thought you said you loved me. We... We had sex last night!", I exclaimed, my heart beating rapidly against my chest.
"Oh please. Are you a child? We just had fun. What? Did you think I was going to get married to you? Oh, poor Fiona. I just wanted to have a taste of you, nothing more. She's the love of my life - the person I wanted to get married to"
His words hit me like a loaded trailer to my chest, causing tears to fall down my eyes. I couldn't believe he just said that to me.
Jemisha stepped up the pulpit and Dylan held her hands.
"What are you still doing here? Shoo", Jemisha frowned at me.
"What is this nonsense, Dylan?!! Was this the plan?!! Do you want to make a fool of me?!!", The Alpha sprang up to his feet and boomed in anger.
The crowd watched in sheer surprise at what was going on.
"Dad, this is the woman I love, not Fiona. If you disagree, I'll forfeit the position of the pack leader", Dylan threatened.
"Have you gone nuts?!!"
"Depends on you. Will you sit down and let this ceremony resume?"
The Alpha reluctantly got back to his seat, though fuming.
I took a glance at the Queen Mother and my stepmother. They both had smiles of evil triumph, and I knew then that I'd been set up.
I was pushed away from the pulpit, and I watched at the corner of the gathering, as the man of my dreams got married to my stepsister.
I came to a conclusion right there and then - I was not useful to these people. I needed to leave.
I need to run away.
*******
Four nights had passed, and my legs were beginning to fail me. With each step in took in the deep forest, my legs got heavier. I wanted to stop walking and take a rest, but I feared that wild animals were going to eat me alive.
The memories of my betrothed rejecting me for my stepsister on the altar still replayed in my mind, but I had no tears left in my eyes to shed.
As much as no one cared about me, I had to leave without being noticed. I couldn't bear the risk of being questioned by the custom officers at the main border.
I knew I would be punished mercilessly if Dylan knew about my absence, so I had to pass a secret channel very few people knew about, and that was very deep in the forest, even though I had no directions of where to go next.
My tongue was feeling like a dry slob of cement in my mouth. The dust I'd gathered over the course of four trekking days make me feel heavier. The journey was longer than planned, so the food and water that was given to me got exhausted two days ago.
I began regretting going on this mission. It would've been better to die in Dylan's hands than deep in the forest, secluded from the rest of life. I didn't know how if I was even going to survive.
I was too tired to keep walking. I wanted to continue, but I could barely feel my legs anymore. My brain couldn't will them to move any further.
I decided to sit down and rest the body against a tree. I didn't have the strength to look up at the sky, but it felt like there was going to another round heavy downpour any moment from now.
I began to hear harsh rustles of leafs. I wanted to believe that it was just the wind doing it's thing, but I heard again. And again. Each time getting close.
All of sudden, I heard someone strike the wind behind me, like he was running across the other side of the forest.
I stood up immediately, my chest beginning to pound loudly.
"Who is there?" I turned around and I saw no one but I was so sure I heard someone pass by. A shadow passed by the corner of my eyes and I readied my stance, my eyes frantically searching in fear for any danger in the dark.
"Whoever's hiding in the dark should get out now!! Who's there?!!", I yelled loudly, hoping my voice carried some kind of firmness.
I felt the atmosphere begin to get polluted with some kind of an evil force. I sniffed the air.
I prayed it wasn't what I wasn't thinking.
I heard another noise behind me, and I turned just in time to see a being pass me and dash into the woods.
Someone was definitely here.
"Stop being a bitch and come out!! Come out of your hiding place!! Come out of the dark and face me!!", I screamed like a petrified teenager, my hands up and ready to punch any weird thing that'd come out of the bushes again.
I heard ruffles again. This time, it wasn't coming from one place. It was coming from everywhere. I saw different pairs of bright red eyes in the bushes as the footsteps became louder and closer.
Slowly, they came out - all covered in pure black attires, each having hideous scars on their faces. They'd formed a circle around me, and they were slowly closing in on me.
It didn't take me much to realize who they were...
Rogues.
"Well, well well. You've called the bitches out, haven't you?', their leader hissed with a mischievous smirk on his scarred face.
"Look, I don't have anything to give you. I'm a poor miserable woman who has nothing of value in her possession. Please, just let me go. Please", I begged in a quivering voice, but they kept closing in on me.
"Please-"
One jumped at me immediately but I managed to evade and with the help of the adrenaline surging through my veins, I landed a high kick to his face, he fell over and the others didn't hesitate to troop out. I did my best to defend myself, after seeing they kept pouring out like ants would go after sugar, I knew there was no way I'd fight them all off.
I fled.
I ran as fast as my legs to take me but I was so tired, my vision blurred as oxygen burned in my chest like a raging fire. I was soon tackled and slapped numerous times, making stars cloud my vision but it didn't stop me from digging my claws Into his neck.
They began hitting and slapping consciousness out of sense, kicking me in the tummy countless times until I was too weak to speak.
"Pin her down!" They rushed to pull my hands apart, subjecting them to their body weight as they took a knee on them.
"No! Stop! Leave me!" The rogue tugged at my shirt before it tore under the force, he groped me and I could hear him curse from sexual satisfaction as I was touched inappropriately.
"Looks like we got a good catch. She should last for a few months." One of them said with lust dripping from his eyes and voice. and before I could retaliate, I was slapped so hard I almost lost consciousness.
"Tie her down. She's going to be my toy tonight", I heard their boss say, and he began undressing.
So was this it? Was this how it would end for me? I was going to be raped twice in my lifetime? Was this how much the Moon Goddess hated me?
The last thing I saw was the rogue being thrown off my body and blood splattered in the air and on my bare bruised skin.
I heard scowls and loud thuds. I heard the roar of a wolf.
I could barely keep my eyes open but I saw a man fighting them.
Fighting for me.
Darkness consumed me for way felt like hours, my eyes fluttered open when I heard him calling me.
"You're alive." There was relief in his tone, he had a small smile and the most beautiful set of eyes. However, I had a strange mark that covered a side of his face.
His face was the last thing I saw before slipping into unconsciousness.