Chapter 2 The Wedding

I stormed away from Jasmine as I searched for Hannah and Sarah. I wasn’t going to stand and let them make such decisions about my life.

As I was about to step out of the hall, Sarah’s voice cut through the air, halting my movements. "The bride isn’t supposed to leave the ceremony before the wedding is conducted,"

I turned back, fury bubbling up inside me. "You bitch!"

"Come on don’t call your mother a bitch!" She teased

I scoffed "You are not my mother."

"Yes I’m not and I’m thankful for that." She said, "By the way, don’t you just adore your wedding decorations?" She gestured around the lavish setup that had been arranged.

"It’s not my wedding, it’s Hannah’s," I snapped, frustration evident in my voice. Just then, Hannah piped up, "How is it my wedding when your name is on the banner?"

"You fuckin…" I started, but she cut me off, her voice rising. "Oh please, don’t start with the ramble. Your name is on the banner, which clearly means you are the bride."

"I’m not the fucking bride, okay? I have put up with a lot of your nonsense, but not this," I retorted, my heart racing.

"Oh darling," Sarah said, a teasing glint in her eye as she tugged at a loose strand of hair that had escaped my bun. "You talk like you have a choice."

I swatted her hand away, "I do, and I’ve already made up my mind."

She let out a light chuckle, her eyes narrowing playfully. "Well then, in that case, I’ve made up my mind not to pay for your father’s surgery. It’ll be a win; you don’t listen to me, and I let your father die."

"You can’t do that!" I growled

"Yes, I can. I can do anything I want, Eli, and you know that better than anyone."

She was right, I did. Sarah has pulled up so many taunts on Dad risking his life so many times.

I sighed, turning my attention to Hannah. "Why are you even doing this? I thought you liked him. Isn’t he the perfect man? You wanted someone with money, he’s got it. So why?"

She laughed dryly, "Oh, honey… he’s got way more than that."

"What do you mean?" I asked, my heart racing.

"Just marry him," She said quietly. "You’ll find out."

I didn’t know what that meant, but it terrified me.

Sarah crossed her arms, her voice cutting through the room. "So, tell me, Eli, will you marry Alpha Malik and save your father? Or do you want to keep being stubborn?"

I couldn’t answer her; my mind was swirling with so many thoughts. I don’t want to marry Alpha Malik, but I knew Sarah was capable of letting Dad die considering she already took away everything he owned.

As I struggled to find clarity, my mind zoomed back to Steven. I lost Steven, I don’t want to lose Dad.

Just then, the wedding song shifted to a chorus that echoed the urgency of the moment. It was time to get the ceremony started.

Sarah looked at me and said, "Are you in or not?"

I knew I had no choice, Dad means a lot to me so I agreed "Yes, I’ll marry him."

"Great," She grinned as she held my hand tightly and began leading me down the aisle.

With each step I took, tears welled up in my eyes but I didn’t let them slip away as I tried to maintain my composure.

As Sarah and I neared Alpha Malik, his intense gaze locked onto me as anger burned through his expression "This isn’t my bride, who is she!"

I could feel the intensity of his anger but it didn’t scare me, though I can tell that everyone else was scared, including Sarah.

Sarah’s eyes bowed down to him as she started to speak "Alpha Malik, please calm down, I can explain."

"Don’t you dare tell me what to do? Why is my bride switched?" He yelled again "This isn’t the woman I was promised to marry." He said, his anger was intense making me wonder if it’s the reason Hannah doesn’t want to marry him.

"I'm sorry for that, Alpha Malik. Please forgive me." She begged, dropping to her knees, her hands shaking with fear.

My eyes felt like they were being deceived. I had never seen Sarah like this before. The way she spoke and the fear in her eyes were unsettling; I had always known her to be a wicked woman, not one to be easily frightened.

Alpha Malik scoffed at her submission. "You have one minute. Explain what the hell is going on here, and it better be a good explanation."

She nodded instantly, her hands still trembling as she began to stammer, "Alpha Malik, there was a change with your bride. Hannah, daughter, who was supposed to be your bride is mentally ill, which is why she was replaced with my stepdaughter, Eli who is much better than her."

Alpha Malik's gaze shifted to me, scanning me from head to toe. "She’s an omega, isn’t she?" he asked.

"Yes, Alpha, she is, but I assure you…" Before Sarah could finish, he cut her off.

"I don’t want her, she’s not fit for me, an omega cannot be my Luna." He declared

"But she’s great, Eli is perfect."

He glanced at me again and scoffed, "I doubt that." He stepped closer, his eyes raking over me. "Her body, her face, her scent, they’re nothing but low to me. She’s not fit to be my Luna or even to stand here with me. She’s just an omega."

I was taken aback by his words. The audacity he had to speak poorly of me shattered my composure. For a split second, I saw Steven and how he called me “Just an omega”

The same humiliation burned in my chest, but this time, I couldn’t hold it back. "Who do you think you are?"

The crowd gasped at my outburst, and though I didn’t understand why, it gave me a sudden surge of confidence.

"You talk like you’re the greatest, but you aren’t. You’re just an Alpha, nothing more. And yes, I am an Omega, but that doesn’t mean I’m not fit to be the Luna."

Alpha Malik’s face twisted in disbelief. "Did you just talk back to me?" His voice radiated anger.

I met his gaze, then turned to Sarah, who was desperately trying to silence me, but I wasn’t going to be silenced. "Yes, and I’ll do it again if I have to. You don’t have the right to talk so poorly about me Alpha Malik. Just because I’m an omega, does not mean I shouldn’t be treated with respect."

Alpha Malik seemed taken aback by my words as if no one had stood up to him like that.

Sarah's eyes widened as she held my hand tightly, a look of fear on her face. "Eli, what are you saying?" She asked in a hushed tone. "Apologize to him right now!"

"Why should I apologize when he was the one who talked poorly about me?" I responded defiantly.

Sarah's grip on my arm tightened, her gaze unwavering. "You have to stop being stubborn, Eli. He isn’t someone to mess around with, so just apologize and get this over with!"

I wanted to do that but the anger of everything that happened today kept boiling in me and I wanted to keep going.

"No," I stated firmly, meeting his eyes.

"Did you just say no to me?" He questioned, his eyes boring into mine

I shook my head "I said no to apologizing for something that isn’t my mistake."

Sarah swiftly rose to her feet, addressing Alpha Malik. "I’m sorry about her. I’m so sorry for everything she’s been blabbing. I assure you she isn’t always like this. I don’t know what’s wrong with her today, but…"

"What are you saying?" I cut her off

"Eli, shut up!" Sarah interjected sharply. "You should apologize to him right now otherwise… You know what I will do to you." I can tell that she’s referring to not paying Dad’s hospital bills.

I looked at her and then at Alpha Malik, who was facing me with an angry look. Even though I didn’t want to apologize, I felt like I had to.

Just as I was about to say something, he cut me off, saying, "I think I’ve seen enough!"

Sarah's face went blank. "What?" She questioned, fear evident in her voice. "No, please, Alpha Malik, she’s sorry for everything. Tell him Eli, tell him you’re sorry."

"Keep quiet," Alpha Malik said to her as he turned his gaze back to me.

A smirk suddenly graced his face, and he took a step closer to me. He lifted my chin to make me face him as his piercing gaze fixed on mine, "What’s your full name?" He asked, his voice stiff as a rock but somehow ringing in my ear like a swift bliss.

"Eliana," I responded

"I like girls like you, Eliana," He murmured, his finger brushing away the strand of hair that had fallen across my face. His touch was deliberate, almost possessive. "Girls who act bold, confident… just like you. But do you know what I love even more?" His smile sharpened. "Watching that confidence shatter beneath me."

He turned his gaze away from me as he declared. "I, Alpha Malik, claim Eliana as mine."

Shifting his gaze to meet mine his eyes sparkled with dominance as a smile tugged around the corner of his lips, he declared “Welcome to my world, Eli." He leaned closer and whispered "You’ll hate every single day until you learn to obey."

My heart sank as I stared at him in fear. What have I gotten myself into?