Wedding Ruined, I Inherit the Pack

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On the eve of my wedding, Kael, the Alpha of Shadowfen Pack, took me to his hunting celebration.

His deputies whistled and hooted:

Alpha Arthur's eldest daughter from Frostveil Pack is truly pure. Our Alpha Kael is so lucky.

Kael lowered his head and kissed my hair, his pride impossible to hide.

My Elara is, of course, the best. Not like those wild sluts out there.

I went to the woods to clear my head after drinking too much. As I walked back to the door, I heard Kael's mocking voice from inside the room.

"Purity? What's that worth? She's stubborn as a rock, like a dead fish in bed. If she couldn't help me take over Arthur's territory, and if she didn't have the same face as Sera, I wouldn't even bother touching her."

My blood instantly froze, and I felt my wolf howling wildly.

Sera, my twin sister, Alpha Arthur's youngest daughter from Frostveil Pack.

The next day, my wedding to Kael proceeded as planned.

All members of Frostveil Pack and Shadowfen Pack gathered at the ceremony altar.

I wore a gown embroidered with white wolf totems, waiting to complete the ceremony with him.

Just as we were about to exchange rings, Sera, with her visibly swollen belly, walked towards us, surrounded by a group of wolf guards.

Kael stepped forward to shield her, his eyes devoid of any guilt as he looked at me.

"Elara, Sera is carrying my heir. Shadowfen Pack needs her as my Luna. This engagement ends here. Please, let us be."

I looked at my own sister, my flesh and blood, and at the fianc I had loved with all my heart, and then I smiled.

I brutally tore off the necklace around my neck, which symbolized the alliance between our two Packs.

Holding up the hem of my gown, I walked step by step towards the man sitting in the shadows.

Killian, the Beta of Shadowfen Pack, a broken wolf who couldn't shift, his hind leg injured by silver seven years ago.

The entire Pack gossiped that this crippled wolf had watched over me for seven years.

I knelt before him and whispered, "They all say you like me. Now, I'm single. Do you dare marry me?"

"Elara's lost her mind!"

"She actually chose a cripple? A broken wolf who can't shift!"

"Frostveil Pack's reputation is ruined because of her! The Alpha's daughter, marrying a crippled Beta who can't shift!"

Piercing laughter erupted from all directions, each sound like a claw tearing away my last shred of dignity.

My mother, Eleanor, rushed down the aisle like a madwoman, gripping my arm tightly.

"Are you insane? Spiting Kael isn't worth ruining your entire life over a Beta?!"

On the altar, Kael wrapped an arm around Sera's waist, a sneering smile on his face as he watched the drama unfold.

"Tsk, I underestimated Elara. She's certainly got guts."

Sera let out a delicate chuckle, deliberately caressing her pregnant belly, her eyes brimming with provocation.

"Guts? I think she's gone mad. Elara, are you really going to spend your life with a broken wolf who can't even stand properly? He can't even protect you."

My heart felt like it was being ripped apart by wolf claws.

I thought tearing up the engagement would free me from my cage, but instead, it led to even more profound humiliation.

Just then, Killian stood up.

His right leg was weak, and he stumbled as he rose. Every step he took showed he was enduring immense pain.

Compared to the triumphant Kael on the altar, Killian was in the mud, Kael in the clouds.

I suddenly regretted it.

Impulse is a devil. Why did I choose a broken wolf who couldn't even walk normally?

Was I really going to marry him and be mocked by the entire North American wolf community for the rest of my life?

Killian stopped in front of me and pulled a ring from his pocket.

The band was polished from one of his own shed wolf claws, with only a small, dull moonstone embedded in it.

It couldn't even compare to a fraction of the diamond earrings Kael casually gave Sera.

The laughter from the crowd grew louder.

"Hahaha, even the wedding ring is pathetic!"

"Elara, are you truly willing? Following him, you'll even lose your inheritance rights to Frostveil Pack!"

My eyes almost welled up with tears.

I was Alpha Arthur's eldest daughter of Frostveil Pack, born at the top of the pack. When had I ever suffered such humiliation?

But the next second, Killian reached out and gently took my hand.

His hand was warm, steady, calloused from years of holding weapons, yet incredibly gentle.

"I do."

Two words, deep and firm, without a hint of hesitation.

Those two simple words instantly calmed my restless heart.

My throat tightened. "Are you sure? Right now, I'll only bring you endless trouble."

"I'm not afraid."

He looked into my eyes, not flinching.

The laughter from below turned into furious growls. Someone bared their fangs at Killian.

"Two failures, a perfect match!"

"A cripple with a madwoman, truly a match made in hell!"

Kael strode down from the altar, looking down at me with an air of condescension.

"Elara, don't be childish. Come back. The child in Sera's belly needs a father, and you need an Alpha who can protect you."

Listening to his words, a coldness spread through my heart.

Kael played with my feelings, got my sister pregnant, and this philandering man still had the nerve to say he'd protect me?

I looked at Killian. His leg might be broken, but his heart wasn't rotten.

"Yes, I will."

I extended my hand, and Killian slipped the smoothly polished wolf claw ring onto my ring finger.

The ring fit perfectly, as if it had been custom-made for me seven years ago.

The crowd erupted in an uproar, wolf howls echoing everywhere.

The sneering expression on Kael's face instantly vanished, replaced by pure fury.

He lunged forward, grabbing my wrist with a force that almost crushed my bones.

"Elara, you'd rather choose a cripple to spite me than lower yourself to beg?"

Before I could struggle free, my father, Arthur, rushed over.

I thought he was coming to pull Kael away, to protect me.

But he raised his hand and slapped me hard across the face.

"Slap!"

The sharp sound echoed piercingly in the quiet woods, silencing all whispers.

My cheek instantly swelled and turned red, and I staggered back two steps from the force of the blow.

The entire scene fell silent for a moment, then erupted into even louder murmurs.

"You've brought utter disgrace upon Frostveil Pack! Get back here immediately!"

Father's eyes held no hint of tenderness, only raging fury and undisguised disgust.

I covered my face, tears nearly spilling out.

Not from pain, but from the bone-chilling disappointment.

My own father would rather watch his daughter be betrayed by her fianc than jeopardize the alliance between the two Packs, to preserve his ridiculous reputation.

Sera then came over, pretending to intervene, reaching out to pull us apart.

"Daddy, please don't be angry. Elara is just acting on impulse."

As she spoke, she deliberately bumped me hard with her shoulder, and I stumbled and fell to the ground.

The wolves below began pointing and scoffing disdainfully.

"This Frostveil Pack's upbringing, tsk tsk"

"The elder daughter is a lunatic, but the younger one is much more sensible."

"Good thing Alpha Kael chose the right person, otherwise Shadowfen Pack would be in chaos with that madwoman."

Sera proudly caressed her pregnant belly, her eyes filled with the triumph of a victor as she looked at me.

Killian tried to rush to my aid, but Kael's two guards held him back firmly, pinning him in place.

"What are you? A broken wolf, daring to touch the future Luna of Shadowfen Pack?"

Kael sneered, looking down at me.

I lay on the ground, watching Killian's anxious but helpless face, a despair deeper than any physical pain welling up inside me.

Was this the man I chose?

He couldn't even get close to me, couldn't protect me.

Kael knelt down, reaching out to help me up, his voice laced with false tenderness.

"Do you see now? This is your choice. How can a broken wolf who can't even stand protect you? Come back. I can let bygones be bygones, as if none of this ever happened."

This man, who just last night mocked me as a "dead fish" in a separate room with his friends.

Now he was acting all tender and loving.

Disgusting.

I used all my strength to violently swat his hand away.

"Get lost!"

Kael's face instantly darkened, the killing intent in his eyes almost overflowing.

"You're ungrateful."

He stood up and kicked the hem of my gown by my side, tearing the fabric instantly.

"Since you're so cheap, go live with your cripple. But don't you dare regret it!"

Seeing this, Arthur rushed forward again, raising his hand to strike me once more.

"Why aren't you apologizing to Alpha Kael?!"

Eleanor also rushed over, weeping, pulling my arm and shaking it.

"Elara, are you mad? Are you going to ruin your whole life just to spite him?"

The laughter from the crowd never stopped, like they were watching a meticulously choreographed farce.

"Elara really is crazy."

"To choose a broken wolf out of spite, she must be really desperate."

"Frostveil Pack truly is cursed, to have a daughter like that."

Sera opportunistically walked over, proudly displaying her belly, looking down at me, her words full of false concern.

"Elara, calm down. Even if we had a misunderstanding, Kael truly cared for you. Look at Killian, he can't even protect you. Is he truly worth entrusting your life to?"

Every word she spoke stabbed at my heart.

I lay on the ground, feeling the malice surrounding me.

Had I, indeed, made the wrong choice?

Just then, Killian suddenly burst out.

He used all his strength to break free from the two guard wolves' hold.

Even though he trembled with pain, he limped towards me.

He knelt down and carefully helped me to my feet.

"I'm sorry. You shouldn't have to suffer like this."

Then he turned his head and looked at the triumphant Kael.

"You're right, I can't protect her right now."

My heart instantly sank to the bottom.

Even he, was he going to abandon me?

But the next second, he looked up, his gaze sweeping over all the wolves present. "But at least, I won't hurt her."

"You mock her for being crazy, mock her for choosing me, a broken wolf, out of spite. But have you considered? What exactly pushed an Alpha's daughter of Frostveil Pack to tear up her own engagement at her wedding ceremony with her own hands?"

The entire crowd fell silent instantly.

"It was betrayal. It was deceit. It was harm from her own flesh and blood."

"My leg was injured by silver, I can't fully shift into my wolf form, but my heart isn't rotten.

I can't give her the position of Luna of Shadowfen Pack, I can't give her countless treasures, but I can give her absolute loyalty.

Not like your Alpha, who got Elara's twin sister pregnant before the wedding."

Kael's face turned ashen, and his full Alpha presence instantly erupted, pressing down on Killian.

"Stop being so dramatic! What right do you, a broken wolf, have to speak here?!"

"What right do I have?" Killian interrupted him, meeting his dominance without an inch of retreat.

"I have the right to love her and protect her. What about you? What right do you have?"

"Stop talking nonsense!" Kael roared furiously, ordering the guards behind him.

"Throw this broken wolf out! Never allow him to step foot into the territories of our two Packs again!"

Several guard wolves swarmed over, grabbed Killian, and, ignoring his struggles, dragged him forcibly out of the venue.

At that moment, my mother, Eleanor, clutched my arm tightly, pulling me up from the ground.

"Let go of me! What are you doing!"

I struggled desperately, but her grip was too strong, making me powerless.

"Shut up! You've embarrassed us enough!"

She dragged me, pulling me towards Frostveil Pack's underground silver cage in the woods.

I was thrown into the underground cage, crafted from pure silver. Just getting close to it brought an agonizing burning sensation.

"Bang!"

The heavy iron door slammed shut, followed by the sound of a key turning in the lock.

I rushed to the door like a madwoman, pounding on the silver bars.

"Open the door! How dare you lock me up! Open it!"

Kael's voice drifted from outside.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please excuse the little interruption earlier."

"Now, my discarded ex-fiance is reflecting in the silver cage downstairs. How long do you think it will take for her to come to her senses and beg me?"

A deafening roar of laughter erupted from the crowd.

"Alpha Kael is truly amusing!"

"This is more exciting than watching wolves fight!"

"That woman deserves it! Serves her right for being so ungrateful!"

I became the publicly displayed joke of this grand ceremony.

My phone vibrated in my pocket.

I pulled it out and saw a SnapChat from Mom.

"Elara, stop making trouble. The child in Sera's belly is the future of our alliance. Her happiness is what matters most. Kneel and apologize to Kael, and this whole thing will blow over."

I stared at the words on the screen, feeling a chill run through me.

Sera's happiness matters most.

What about me?

Doesn't my happiness matter? Doesn't my dignity matter?

Do I deserve to be betrayed, humiliated, and locked in a silver cage, made a laughingstock for the entire Pack?

Music started playing outside. Kael and Sera were dancing at what was supposed to be my wedding, the applause from the guests growing louder and louder.

And I, like trash, was locked in this dark, cold silver cage.

My phone buzzed again. This time, it was a SnapChat from Sera.

"Elara, I know you're angry right now. But think about it, Kael is so amazing, what's wrong with him having a few people he likes? Just be magnanimous, give me the Luna position of Shadowfen Pack, and I'll ask Daddy to let you out."

I slid down the cold silver bars, curling into a ball on the ground.

The burning pain in my body, my family's betrayal, my lover's humiliation,

Everything, like a tide, engulfed me, pushing me into a bottomless abyss.

The sound of a key turning came from outside. The iron door opened, and dazzling moonlight streamed in.

Kael stood at the doorway, followed by a group of curious pack members, all holding their phones, their cameras pointed at my disheveled self.

"Elara, what have you decided? Ready to apologize?"

I looked up at his hypocritical face, about to speak.

Suddenly, from the direction of the ceremony grounds, a thunderous wolf howl erupted,

Followed by dense, murderous howls, one after another, growing closer and closer.