Dahlia stood frozen to the ground. Nothing made sense to her anymore.
She had just found her betrothed husband chained to the bed post with her sister straddling him.
"How could you do this to me?" She cried as she took in the sight before her.
Her hands shook with terror and streams of tears flowed down her swollen eyes as she watched her husband-to-be struggle to get out of the chains around his wrists and ankles.
Her half-sister, Gwendyln, sat elegantly at the edge of the bed. She was in her lace underwear and a look of contempt and pride was plastered on her face.
"Nobody can ever hear of this" Damian warned as he tried to slip into his underwear.
"How long has this been going on?" She said, her voice breaking as she spoke.
"Let it go Dahlia. Damian deserves to be with a real woman" Gwendyln scoffed, her voice laced with malice and hatred.
"Dahlia, please. No one can hear of what you just saw" Damian begged.
She was torn between calling off the wedding and accepting what she had seen.
Exposing Damian would ruin him but not in this case- he was a Prince and she was a mere human girl.
No one would ever believe her.
"Dahlia, please say something" Damian begged as he wrapped his hand around hers.
She pulled away from him.
He was no longer the man she had once loved and adored, he was a vile person who had soiled their union by sleeping with her sister.
A loud knock echoed through the room and they all gasped in fear.
Stepmother stepped into the room and her face twisted in confusion as her eyes moved from Gwendyln to Damian and then Dahlia.
"The ceremony is about to start" she said slowly as she tried to process the scene before her.
"Come darling, let's not keep our guest waiting" Damian said nervously as he dragged Dahlia out of the room.
The elegantly designed halls were filled with luxuriously dressed men and women.
Dahlia's heart raced and she considered turning back. But she couldn't, marrying Damian would set her free from her cruel stepmother and sister.
With one deep breath and sweaty palms, Dahlia made her way down the aisle.
Damian stood with his old father and some of his brothers and they exchanged nervous smiles as she arrived at the altar.
The old priestess cleared her throat and pulled out a large bowl and an emerald dagger.
"Before the seven gods and ancestors, I hereby join this man and woman as one till death takes its course".
The crowd chanted in support but soon fell awkwardly silent as their attention shifted to the large Oak doors.
"What's happening?" Priestess Ophelia asked as she tried to get a better view.
Damian shrugged and urged her to continue the ritual.
Ophelia nodded and began the procedure by making a small cut across Dahlia's palm and allowing the drops of blood fall into the bowl in her hands.
Dahlia's eyes remained fixed to the door and the crowd. She felt a knot form in her stomach when the crowd dispersed to reveal a beautifully dressed Gwendyln.
She was draped in a sheer white silk dress that accentuated her curves and her long brown hair was styled in soft waves that framed her face. She looked like a bride.
This was obviously her way of showing Dahlia that she was meant to be on the altar with Damian.
"Your grace" Ophelia called out to Damian whose eyes were fixed on Gwendyln.
His mouth hung open and he looked like he had been placed under a spell.
"Your grace" Ophelia said again- this time, much louder as she waved her small hand in front of his face.
Damian gasped and shifted away from her.
"Is everything alright, your Majesty?" Ophelia asked with concern.
"Yes..yes...everything is fine" he nodded nervously.
"I just can't continue the ritual" he said as he returned his gaze to Gwendyln.
"What?" Dahlia gasped. "We've already begun".
"I'm sorry, Dahlia. I can't marry you" he said firmly.
"Damian, please. Don't do this" Dahlia begged as tears flowed down her eyes.
"Your Majesty, we've began the ritual. We must complete it or she will be bound to Hades for eternity" Ophelia interceded.
Dahlia gasped at this revelation. She knew she was done for. Nobody could get Damian to quit his obsession with her sister, even if he completed the ritual, it will only be a few weeks before he decided to take another wife.
"Damian, I beg you to reconsider" his father finally spoke up.
"No" Damian barked. "She's a filthy human, she will taint my bloodline".
"Perhaps, my heart has been won by another" he said with a smile as he stretched his hands to Gwendyln.
"Before the seven gods and council, I- Prince Damian Vacar of Velaris, claim thee- Gwendyln Amaya River, as my mate and bride" Damian announced in a loud voice.
There was a mixed reaction from the crowd, some people cheered while others murmured amongst themselves.
"You can't do this to me, please Damian, she's my sister" Dahlia fell on her knees and cried.
"I am a Prince, heir to the throne and future Alpha of the most powerful pack in Velaris, I can be with whoever I want" he boasted as he pulled Gwendyln to his side.
"Your Majesty, please, the moon is almost out, the girl will die if the ritual isn't completed" Ophelia tried to reason with him..
"Then let her die" he spat before picking up up his new bride and walking to the wine table to celebrate.
"Please, you have to help me" Dahlia begged the old priestess.
Ophelia looked upon her with compassion but there was nothing she could do.
"Please" Dahlia begged.
The moon was rising and each passing second, she felt her strength slipping as blood began to gush out her nose and mouth.
"I can make your transition to death less painful" Ophelia offered but Dahlia shook her head in disapproval.
"I still have time, someone might take compassion on me and claim me as their mate" Dahlia said courageously.
"Please, child" Ophelia pressed on but Dahlia's mind was made up. She was willing to wait.
The pain grew worse as the moon continued to rise. Dahlia's eyes had turned pitch black and her skin had turned pale. She could barely speak and long red hair had begun to fall off her scalp.
She sat alone with priestess as everyone else was engrossed in celebrating Damian and Gwendyln.
Dahlia mourned the life she almost had, the love, family and peace. But hope was a dangerous thing for a woman like her. It was hope that brought her to Damian and still the same hope that left her broken.
"I want to go now" she said softly as she accepted her defeat.
Ophelia nodded and began chanting in a low guttural voice.
A strong overwhelming sensation came upon Dahlia and with that, she took her last breath and faded into darkness.