Chapter 5 My wedding day

SIENA

The sky cried before I could.

Rain tapped softly against the windows as dawn crawled in, thickening the air with that heavy stillness that only comes before something terrible.

The world felt quiet. Too quiet. Like it knew what today meant, and didn't want to watch.

I sat frozen in the dressing chamber, numb inside this white gown that clung to me like it belonged to someone else. The omega attendants moved quietly around me, tightening strings and smoothing fabric with practiced grace, but I barely felt their touch.

The dress was wrong. Too tight across my ribs, too loose at the waist. It wasn't made for me. Not really. Just like this life.

They had curled my hair, pinned it into something elegant, sprayed it into submission. A silver crown rested on my head. Heavy. Cold. It pressed down like a warning.

When I looked into the mirror, I saw a stranger staring back. Regal, sure. Composed, maybe. But hollow.

A girl dressed up like a Luna. Playing pretend.

Then she walked in, unannounced, of course.

Mara.

She didn't need an invitation. She never did.

Her red gown was bold, hugging every curve like she wanted the whole world to see. Her smile was too confident, her lips painted a crimson that looked almost... dangerous.

"Well, well," she said, her voice honeyed and sharp, "Look at our little Luna-to-be."

I didn't turn. I didn't want to give her the satisfaction. "What do you want, Mara?"

She stepped further in, slow and deliberate. "To offer my blessings," she said, mockingly sincere. "And maybe... remind you of who you are. Where you came from."

She circled me, fingertips grazing my veil. "You may wear white, Siena. But it doesn't make you clean. Doesn't make you one of us."

I swallowed hard, trying not to flinch.

She leaned close, her breath warm at my ear. "You'll stand next to him today. But standing beside a king doesn't make you a queen."

Her words sank into me, cold and familiar.

Then she smiled, sharp, cruel, and left without waiting for a response, her laughter echoing in the silence she left behind.

A knock came. A beta's voice, emotionless. "It's time."

My body moved before I was ready. I stood on shaking legs, my breath shallow, my hands cold. The hallway outside stretched into silence.

And there they were. The doors.

Tall, heavy, carved with the Blackfang crest like a warning etched in wood. Behind them waited the life I didn't choose, the mate I didn't ask for.

Lorenzo.

My heartbeat roared in my ears.

When the doors opened, everything stopped. The room, the whispers, the air itself, it all held its breath.

I stepped forward.

The aisle was long. Too long. And lined with faces I didn't know how to read. Elders. Betas. Warriors. Omegas. None of them smiled. No warmth. Just... watching.

Judging.

I saw her, Mara, seated at the front, dressed in red like it was war paint. She smiled when our eyes met. A slow, taunting smile. Then she winked.

I didn't flinch this time. I let her look.

Let her see me survive this.

At the end of the aisle, Lorenzo stood like he'd been carved from stone, tall, silent, unreadable in black. His gaze found mine for a moment, cool and distant, then flicked away again.

We stood before the elder. The air between us felt colder than the rain outside.

"Do you, Lorenzo of the Blackfang Pack, accept Siena of Silverfall as your mate and Luna?"

His answer came without pause. "Yes."

And then the elder turned to me.

"Do you, Siena of Silverfall, accept Lorenzo of Blackfang as your mate and Alpha?"

My breath caught. Just for a second. Long enough for my thoughts to scream all the things I couldn't say.

But I said it anyway.

"...Yes."

The words felt like surrender.

The elder raised his hands. "Then by the sacred bond of the moon, and by the will of the packs, I bind you. May your union strengthen our future."

Lorenzo took my hand. His touch was steady, but it didn't feel warm. He slipped the silver ring onto my finger with the precision of a warrior, not a mate.

I didn't look at him. I couldn't.

"You belong to Blackfang now," the elder said.

"Rise, Luna Siena."

The words felt surreal.

Luna.

They bowed to me. All of them.

But it didn't feel like honor. It felt like duty. Like performance. Like chains wrapped in silk.

Lorenzo and I walked back down the aisle together, our arms linked, our steps in sync, yet we were miles apart.

Outside, the rain had stopped. The clouds broke just enough to let a little silver light through.

But I still felt cold.

The reception blurred by in a haze. Toasts, murmured blessings, empty smiles. My seat beside Lorenzo felt like a throne I hadn't earned. He said nothing to me the entire time.

Mara, of course, watched everything from across the room. Her smile never faded.

I slipped away when I could.

The garden outside was still damp, the air thick with mist. But at least it was quiet.

Alone, I touched the ring on my finger. It shimmered, beautiful... but it didn't feel like it belonged to me.

Not yet.

Maybe not ever.

Then I heard her.

Mara.

Again.

"You really did it," she said, stepping out of the shadows.

I didn't turn. I didn't need to.

"But here's the thing," she continued, circling like a vulture. "A ring doesn't make you his. A title doesn't make you Luna. And a wedding?" Her voice softened to a whisper. "That doesn't mean you've won."

She leaned in, close enough for her words to sink into my skin. "You may wear the crown, Siena. But you'll never wear his heart."

And then she stepped back, smirking.

"Oh, and..." Her smile widened. "You might want to enjoy tonight. Secrets don't stay buried forever."

She walked away, swallowed by the fog.

But her words lingered. Like poison.

I stood there, alone. Heavy with a truth I couldn't name.

I wasn't just an omega anymore.

I was a bride.

I was the Luna.

And the weight of it settled in my bones.

×××

That night, when the castle had gone still and shadows stretched long against the walls, I woke with a jolt.

The room was too quiet. Like the world was holding its breath again.

Then I felt it.

A pull. Not a sound exactly, but a whisper in my blood. Primal. Ancient.

I slipped from the bed, the ring on my finger faintly warm.

The window was cracked open. Cold air curled into the room.

And then... I saw it.

A flicker of light in the trees. A small flame, distant, pulsing.

Not fire. Not destruction.

Something older. Wilder.

Calling to me.

My heart pounded.

I didn't know what it was. I didn't understand it.

But I could feel it.

Something inside me was waking up.

And whatever it was...

It wasn't going to stay quiet for long.

Not with the storm already on its way.