The wedding hall was almost too much.
Not in a bad way, just... too perfect. The kind of place you would see on a magazine cover, with gold lights flickering above and flowers white ones everywhere.
They were tied to chairs, scattered on tables, and tangled across the arch like someone had told the florist to drown the place in roses.
Outside, reporters hovered like wasps, waiting for a shot of the woman marrying the almighty Marcel.
Lucy sat in front of the mirror, still as glass.
Her dress fit like it had been made for her. Her makeup was flawless. Everything looked exactly how she used to imagine it as a kid.
And yet her throat felt tight.
"You okay?" June asked, barely glancing up as she sorted through her makeup kit for the third time.
"I'm fine," Lucy said.
June gave her a look in the mirror. "That's not a real answer."
Lucy let out a quiet breath. "I can't back out, June. Not today."
June didn't argue. "I'm just saying, you still have time. You don't have to do this."
Lucy shook her head. "He's here. My dad actually showed up. You think I can walk out now and leave him standing there? After everything?"
"You don't owe him this."
"I'm not just doing it for him," Lucy said, voice lower now. "If I walk away, everything falls apart. The deal... the arrest."
She didn't say it loud, but June didn't need her to.
"I know," June said softly. "Then let's get you married and pretend like it's everything you've ever wanted."
Lucy gave her a small, tired smile. "Thanks."
June reached for her brush again. "For the record though, we were supposed to do a small garden wedding. Remember? Just a handful of people, barefoot on grass, maybe one drunk aunt."
Lucy gave a dry laugh. "Yeah, then life slapped me with reality and a contract."
Out by the altar, Jeremy fiddled with his tie for the fifth time.
"You sure about this?" he muttered.
Marcel didn't look at him. "It's not exactly a love story."
Jeremy smirked. "Well, you've got the wedding. Next thing you know, you'll be suggesting you start a family. Maybe get a couple of goats, raise a baby or two."
Marcel rolled his eyes. "I'm regretting making you my best man."
"Too late. I already practiced my speech. It's mostly dad jokes and vague threats about what happens if you make her cry."
Claire arrived just as the music softened.
The silk of her green dress clung in all the right places. Her heels made no sound as she walked, but every head turned anyway.
She didn't care.
She wasn't here to be polite.
She was here to watch him marry someone else and to make sure it wouldn't last.
She sat quietly near the front, her eyes never leaving Marcel.
Then came the interruption.
Lucy's ex slipped through the back, looking like he had walked straight out of a bad dream. His shirt was wrinkled, his sleeves half-rolled. Eyes darting. Hands twitching.
It only took seconds for the whispers to start.
"Is that—?"
"Yeah. That's him."
"The one she dumped?"
"Guess heartbreak makes you forget how to iron."
Someone nearby snorted. "Wouldn't you pick Marcel? He's loaded. Plus, those suits?"
Marcel noticed too.
He didn't flinch. Just moved.
Security followed him as he made his way down the aisle.
When he reached the guy, he leaned in and said something no one could hear.
The ex didn't argue. He just turned and walked out like a man who had just remembered he didn't belong.
###
Back upstairs, Lucy took her father's arm.
He didn't say much.
Just looked ahead, stiff and silent.
Still, he was here.
And that mattered more than she wanted to admit.
They stepped into the hall as the music swelled, and all the voices turned into silence.
Phones were raised.
People stared.
The whispers came in waves.
"She's doing it for money."
"No, look at her. She looks like she's about to cry."
"But that dress…"
"They weirdly look good together."
June stood tall on Lucy's side, scanning the crowd like a bodyguard.
Her eyes found Jeremy.
He smiled,just enough to be seen.
She quickly looked away, cheeks warming despite herself.
He didn't look away.
Just smiled a little more.
Like he knew.
Marcel and Lucy were standing opposite to eachother, Jeremy and June standing at there back.
"Marriage," the pastor began, his voice steady and rich, "is not just a promise,it is a covenant."
Everyone fell quiet. The golden arch wrapped in white roses framed the couple, and for a moment, the hall held its breath.
Lucy smiled. Her hands were steady, but inside she felt nothing like the serene bride everyone saw. Not today. Not after the contract she'd signed. Not with the two-year countdown already ticking.
Marcel's fingers brushed hers as they turned to face each other. His expression was unreadable,calm, maybe even tender,but she knew better.
They were playing a part.
From the front row, Mr. Valentino sat stiffly, hands folded, jaw tight. He was trying to be present, but the weight in his chest wouldn't lift.
This is your daughter's wedding, he reminded himself. Smile. Be proud.
But all he could feel was failure.
He had worked hard his entire life, built empires from scratch,yet when Lucy really needed him, he messed up.
And now because of that mistake,she was marrying a man with power in his eyes and secrets in his silence.
At the other side of the Hall,Mrs. Johnson sniffled into her napkin. "She looks like a queen," she whispered, squeezing her husband's arm.
Mr. Johnson chuckled, beaming. "Our Son's wife is so beautiful,That's more than I ever dreamed."
The pastor continued. "Do you, Marcel Elias Johnson, take Lucy Maria Valentino to be your lawfully wedded wife"
"I do," Marcel said, not missing a beat.
Lucy stared at him for half a second. Then smiled. "I do."
Applause erupted as they sealed the vow with a kiss,beautiful, gentle, controlled. Not a soul in the room could've guessed their marriage came with terms, with rules. With an expiration date.
The cameras flashed. The crowd clapped louder. The fairy tale had begun.
But Jeremy, standing off to the side, felt it,the shift. A sudden cold, like a storm had slipped into the room.
He turned.
At the entrance stood a woman in silver. Still. Watching.
Marcel's jaw clenched tight.
"Your mom?" Jeremy asked quietly.
Marcel just nodded slowly.
Annie his mother, the Alpha widow. A pure-blooded wolf who hardly ever showed up in public.
She didn't smile. Didn't clap. Just stood there, watching as her son kissed his bride like she was some kind of stranger.
When the ceremony was done and the guests headed inside for the reception, Marcel slipped away.
He found her waiting in his dressing room, just like always,sharp and cold.
"You went through with it," she said without looking him in the eye.
"She's my wife for now."
Annie's voice was low and hard. "She's human, Marcel."
His eyes darkened. "And that's a problem for you? You gave me to humans to raise me."
"It's a problem for the council," she said, voice like ice. "They're already doubting you. Marrying a human, someone with no bloodline, no ties to our world,you've just made yourself a target."
"I'm not scared."
"You should be." Her voice dropped to almost a whisper. "They will come for you. And if they can't get to you, they'll go after her."
Marcel stepped closer. "Let them try."
She gave him one last look, then disappeared into the night like smoke.
####
Back inside, Lucy smiled for the photos, posed like a perfect bride, accepted every congratulations with a practiced grin.
Mr. Valentino stepped out to take a call.
Or so he thought.
Earlier, a man in a sharp black suit had approached him quietly. "Sir, I have a business proposal. Can we talk?"
Valentino frowned. "Now? At my daughter's wedding?"
The man smiled politely. "Just five minutes. It could change everything."
He hesitated, then nodded. "Alright. Five minutes."
They walked down a side hallway, past the kitchens, away from the noise and the celebration.
Further.
And further.
Then
A sharp thud.
The last thing Mr. Valentino saw was a shadow holding something black before everything went dark.
He didn't hear himself being dragged. Didn't hear the trunk slam shut.
Inside, the party went on, loud and unaware.
In the dressing,
''i would be going,''
Marcel Wolf mother said,and left.
Marcel gripped the sink, chest rising and falling fast. Sweat soaked his shirt.
"Something's wrong," he growled, eyes glowing faint gold.
His reflection flickered,then changed.
It wasn't his face looking back.
It was the wolf.
The curse hit like a shock.
Outside, guests laughed and danced.
Inside, Marcel's bones cracked.
He gritted his teeth, fighting it. The room shook with a low growl. His claws tore through his cuffs. His pupils narrowed to slits.
"No... not now. How is this even happening?"
Something had disturb
ed nature. A witch's whisper slipped through the veil, calling the beast at the worst possible moment.
He could smell the humans,his wolf was hungry.
And unlike him,he couldn't control his wolf,he was Hexed by a Witch.
Marcel roared.
The mirror shattered.