CHAPTER 4: The wrong bride

Xavier along with Edward arrived at the temple to see it crowded with people both on the inside and out, and their sight made Xavier grunt in displeasure.

Once out of the carriage, they made their way into the temple, which now had a narrow pathway that led to the altar. The wedding planners had readjusted the sitting pattern to accommodate the crowd of people expected and it still wasn’t enough, despite it being an unexpected wedding.

Yes, a royal wedding no matter how sudden has always seen much crowd, but he thought his would be different. He knew almost everyone present at the temple hated him and he hated every one of them right back. They knew of his feelings towards them, so he didn’t understand why they were still so many.

Perhaps they came to see his to-be bride. She was fair, kind, beautiful, and loved, and they came to see the monster in the body of the alpha king whom she was about to marry.

“You need to smile!” Edward whisper-yelled to him from behind while they approach the first row seat in the temple.

“I will snap your scrawny little neck if you as much as think you can tell me what to do on my wedding day.” he bit out harshly.

Edward heed his warning and remained silent. They made their way over to stand before the altar of the temple where the priest officiating the wedding stood in a grey robe with a purple cloak on it.

Just as they came to the altar, a mild trumpet sound went off, announcing the emergence of the bride in the temple, and a joyous cheer went through the crowd.

Xavier never felt nervous about anything in his life, but here and now, hearing the crowd cheer while he awaited his to-be wife, he could feel the tingle of excitement running through him. And along with the excitement, was his nervousness.

The bride came to stand beside him, adorned in a gold robe matching the one he wore and a veil shielding her face.

Ariel from today would become his fair and beautiful bride and queen of the kingdom. He hated the whole idea of matchmaking, but with the turn of things, it hadn’t been that bad yet.

He wasn’t considering changing his ways and becoming a new person, but perhaps he would get a wife he wouldn’t think about killing off so soon.

The priest cleared his throat and Xavier snapped out of his thought to keep his attention on the middle-aged man.

“Before the moon goddess and the people of this great kingdom we gather to join these two in holy matrimony of becoming husband and wife.” the priest’s loud voice echoed through the temple and Xavier mentally countdown to the time he would stop speaking.

Xavier glanced at his rather quiet bride, whose face hid behind them, and he felt a sense of happiness. A fair and submissive woman would be the answer to his prayers if he ever took the time to pray.

After reading out the portion dedicated to marital relationships in the holy books, the young temple boy presents the golden bracelets that signify the matrimonial union to the priest who takes it and continues.

“Do you swear to take this woman before you to be your wife and queen from this day and forever?”

“Yes, I swear,” Xavier answered, and picked the bracelet from the palm of the priest. He took his bride’s rather cold right hand and wore the bracelet on it.

The priest turned to the bride. “Do you swear to take this man before you to be your husband, your alpha and your King?”

“Yes.” she nodded, her voice small.

Her soft and fragile hands took hold of Xavier’s and the feel of them got him thinking about what they could do and how much pleasure they would bring him. She placed the bracelet around his wrist and thunderous applauds and cheer went through the congregation seated, celebrating their union and it took a while for it to die down.

“By the power vested in me, I pronounce you husband and wife. You may now unveil and kiss your bride.” He instructed.

Xavier’s hands came up, and he took the veil off his newly wedded wife’s face and he leans in to kiss her and everyone awaited the action. He stopped and pulled away when he realised that the face behind the veil wasn’t the face he expected. This face wasn’t fair, nor was it beautiful. It was an ugly face.

Sure, he was never acquainted with Ariel, but he had seen her face a few times to know what she looked like. Ariel was fair, enchanting and beautiful and the ugly one next to him was the opposite.

His eyes narrowed for a second and when the realisation dawned on him, he stumbled back from her. With eyes filled with many emotions, he turned around to the eight elders of the council of alphas seated on the front roll of the temple and he silently demanded an explanation.

The crowd who had watched his every move so far gasped out in horror at seeing his blazing red eyes.

Edward steps up towards the altar where Xavier stood, ignoring the daggers his brother sent his way, and spoke with a subtle voice. “If you cause a scene. You will go down in history as the alpha king who was a joke!” though the eyes of the alpha blaze with fury, he grits his teeth and calmed himself.

Xavier hated to admit it, but Edward had a point. Losing it here and now and snapping the manipulative little throats of the elders and that of the ugly bride behind him would be the end of him. And so he walked away from the altar and into the inner court of the temple.

The eight elders which made up the council of alphas, along with Edward and Xavier stood at the inner court of the temple watching in silence as Xavier paces around, his hand running through his hair.

“Speak and explain to me what the hell happened back there! Why did I just marry that ugly maiden in place of my chosen bride, Ariel? Tell me why I’m now bonded in holy matrimony with someone different from the bride the council of elders chose yesterday?” he exploded, his eyes beaming bloody red as they darted between the elders.

Xavier’s anger terrified everyone, and at this moment, that was exactly what he wanted. Together the council of Alpha’s could set their mind in one accord and place the elder’s curse on him if he posed a threat to them, but he was certain that the rage coursing through him could give him the strength to rip their hearts out before they utter the first chant.

“Was this the plan all along? To mock me and make me out like a fool before the people of this kingdom? Speak or I shall rip out every one of your hearts and face the consequences!” he roared like a wounded beast.

“Alpha King, you need to remain calm!” Koz, an alpha of the council, spoke up, stepping forward toward Xavier.

“Be calm?” He chuckled amidst his fury. “Are you fucking kidding me right now? I just wedded and was about to kiss the wrong bride, an ugly bride, at that and you ask me to be fucking calm? I should have your heads!!” he surged forward, launching his long and sharp claws out to drive them through Koz’s chest.

Edward, being the only one who could stop his brother, dashed forward and stood as a shield before Koz and Xavier’s claws drove into his chest instead, piercing past his robe and the first layer of skin. He gasped out and his hand grip onto Xavier’s, stopping him before it could meet his ribcage.

Xavier realised what just happened, and he withdrew his claws from Edward and his hand dropped to his side.

Edward stumbled back a few steps but regained himself and Xavier turned away and in rage flipped over the reading table at the centre of the inner court with a few books and papers on it.

After a long moment of silence, Xavier turned back to Edward. “Did you know about this?” pain appeared in his eyes but disappeared almost immediately.

“I did not, but what’s done is done and we need to figure out the next step.”

“My King, nothing which has happened today was supposed to make you look like a fool,” Chike who had brought the scroll to him yesterday step forward towards him with boldness.

“Your chosen bride was Ariel of the house Asika, but due to some unfortunate forces yet unknown, she died in her sleep last night. As the custom demands, the younger sister takes the place of the chosen bride if there’s a tragic event such as death before her marriage and the same goes for the groom as well.” the other alphas behind nodded in agreement and Xavier’s fist clenched.

Chike continued. “This is the custom and we cannot change it, not even for you, my king. The bond’s already made and it can never be broken until death. If you still wish to put her away, then you will have to step down as alpha king.”