Chapter 2 2: Unexpectedly whisked away

Three days later

Heather's POV

The day we had all been dreading was finally here. Debra's wedding day. At first, I thought Father was eventually going to change his mind. I thought he would never do such a thing to his most precious and beloved daughter but I was wrong. The preparations were currently going on downstairs. It was official. Debra was getting married to Prince Keith and there was nothing anyone could do about it. I sighed and got up from my bed when I heard a sudden knock on the door.

I pulled open the door and was met with a maid and my stepmother behind her. She shoved me aside and walked in. The maid hurried after her with a heap of clothes. I could barely make out her face.

"What is going on?" I asked in confusion.

"Shouldn't you be getting ready?" she asked gazing at me with a distasteful look.

"I was about to. I thought the guests wouldn't be arriving till later. I will get dressed right away," I replied hurrying towards my closet.

"What's the rush? The maid is here to help you get dressed," she responded calmly. I turned around in surprise.

"I don't need help. I can get dressed on my own. Besides, they should be dressing Debra up. She will be the center of attention," I said thoughtfully.

"Don't worry about my daughter. I can take care of her myself," she declared harshly. It was surprising how her mood could switch so fast. She turned towards the maid.

"I want you to get her ready. Dress her up nicely," she ordered before turning around to leave.

"Right away Luna," the maid replied with a bow. I glanced between them both in surprise.

"What's going on? Why do I need to dress up nicely?" I asked her but she ignored me and walked out of my room.

"Have a seat, my lady. We need to start with your makeover," the maid said politely. I took a sit on the chair and she got to work.

"Did my stepmother say anything to you?" I asked.

"No, my lady. She only instructed me to make you look beautiful," she replied. I had this unsettling feeling down in the pit of my stomach. My stepmother wasn't the type to concern herself with my looks. She would never want me to outshine Debra or take her spotlight. It has been that way all my life. Something was wrong.

"You can wear your dress now my lady," she said pulling me from my reverie. I nodded and started to wear the dress she had picked out for me. Was it perhaps a misconception and stepmother was finally warming up to me? She spoke nicely to me for the first time today.

"Is there another dress for me? This corset is too tight and the diamonds are digging into my skin," I complained. I could barely breathe.

"I'm sorry my lady but that's the dress the Luna picked out for you. She won't like it if I make you wear another one," she replied. I nodded in response.

"It's fine. I won't be wearing it for too long anyway," I muttered. My hair was in a tight bun with some flowers attached to it. My makeup was exquisite and the dress was shimmering brightly. I had never been adorned in such exquisite clothes before.

"Shall we? My lady?" the maid asked picking up the edges of my gown. I took in a deep breath and I immediately regretted it wincing at the harsh impact of the diamonds against my skin. We got out of my room and walked down the hall then downstairs. The guests were already present. I spotted my Father, stepmum, and Debra. Her dress caught my attention. Why was she wearing such a simple gown on her wedding day?

"There you are. Here comes the bride everyone," Debra announced staring at me with a wide smile on her face. I stopped in front of them.

"Bride? What are you talking about?" I asked, confused.

"Move over to the front quickly. You've kept us waiting enough," my stepmum said.

"The bride should be at the front which is Debra, not me," I replied. Father walked up to me.

"Keep your voices down. You will be getting married to Prince Keith in Debra's place," he declared. My head flung towards his direction and I felt the impact.

"W..what? Why? You said Debra was the one getting married. What are you talking about all of a sudden?" I stuttered, my heartbeat racing.

"Is everything alright Alpha?" a man standing with a group of people asked curiously.

"Everything is absolutely fine. Give me a minute," he replied. From the way Father spoke, I could tell they were from Devontae. They all nodded slightly and resumed talking. People were busy enjoying themselves drinking and dancing to the music oblivious to the turmoil that the supposed bride was going through. He turned towards me with a clenched jaw.

"Do you want to ruin the reputation of this family? If the people of Devontae hear a thing about this, do I need to explain to you like a little girl what's going to happen to this pack?" he asked angrily. Debra stifled a laugh.

"I made a promise to the Alpha king and nothing will stop me from fulfilling it. You are getting married to the prince right now," he uttered firmly. My hands fell limply to my side. My heart sank. How could this be happening to me right now? As the elder sister, I thought Debra would be getting married before me. But they fixed my marriage without even informing me about it.

"Shall we start the ceremony?" my stepmother asked in a delighted tone.

"Of course but the prince wasn't able to make it. The ceremony will have to be held without him," the man from earlier replied.

"We don't have a problem with that. The prince must be a busy man," she replied with a smile. I went through the ceremony in a daze. I couldn't think about anything. I was like a statue. I was made to place my thumbprint on a piece of paper. My stepmother held my hand and made sure I did it correctly.

"It's time we leave if we want to make it to Devontae on time," the man said.

"Absolutely. This way," my stepmother said leading them outside. I glanced around but I couldn't see Fatherer anywhere. We walked outside and Debra suddenly hugged me, I stiffened.

"I told you, didn't I? That I was going to make your life miserable. Brace yourself because this is just the beginning," she whispered in my ear before letting go of me. My stepmother also hugged me. To the people present, it looked like an emotional moment but it was an entirely different thing. They were both enjoying my misery.

"You were happy my daughter would be the one to suffer but how the tables have turned. Enjoy your marriage with the useless prince," she taunted before letting go of me. A carriage suddenly stopped in front of us.

"Get in my lady," the man said to me. I grabbed my gown and got in.

"We will miss you sister," Debra said with a sniffle holding onto her mother. They both smiled sinisterly. The carriage began to move and I started to get whisked away to Devontae. Their eyes filled with resentment and loathing was the last thing I saw before the horse's loud neigh and the carriage sped off.