The Shadow Alpha's Bride

Gazing out over the estate, Elowen stood at the wide windowsill. Her family's manor, a vast stone building surrounded by tall oaks, was stunning in its stern, icy manner. With their dark wood paneling and endless portraits of distant ancestors, the walls felt heavy, almost oppressive. But today it felt more like a jail.

With the engagement ceremony just around the corner, Elowen's hands were shaking as she fiddled with her gown's lace. Instead of making her feel like a princess, the delicate fabric made her feel like a shroud. Like the weight of everything he expected of her, she could hear her father's deliberate, steady footsteps coming up behind her.

He said, "You've been chosen, Elowen," in a tone as icy as stone. "It's not a question of choice, but of duty."

She slowly turned to face him as her breath caught in her throat. Sharp and unreadable, his eyes locked with hers. She said, "I understand," but she knew it wasn't true even as she said it.

She never requested the fate of being arranged to marry the enigmatic Alpha. For reasons she didn't fully comprehend, the idea of being tied to a guy she had never met made her heart throb like a bird in a cage inside her chest.

Elowen's eyes remained fixed on the door as her father left, and she heard her mother's voice, quiet but anxious, talking to someone. During their chat, her father's name-the Alpha-slipped through the cracks, but it wasn't only the word that stopped her. Once more, the word "duty" was mentioned. Her destiny was being sealed with every passing second. She felt like a pawn in a game she couldn't get out of, and she tightened her hands as a chill went down her spine.

Elowen brushed a lock of hair behind her ear as she walked to the vanity. There was a sense of unease in the air, despite the distant buzz of distant relatives and staff getting ready for the ceremony.

Outside, the wind had picked up, rustling the leaves, but then-a low, savage roar pierced through the darkness. It wasn't the howl of a wolf, but something darker, more primal. Her breath seized, and she halted, peering out the window, seeking the dark woodlands beyond the estate grounds.

"Do you hear that?" she whispered to her maid, who had entered quietly behind her, holding a tray of fresh flowers. The maid's face had gone pale, her lips tight with dread.

"What is it?" Elowen's voice sank to a whisper as she came closer.

The maid shook her head, setting the tray down with trembling hands. I'm not sure, lady. It doesn't sound typical.

Elowen swallowed forcefully, battling the uneasiness that was rising in her chest. Was it a beast? Or another thing? As though the air itself had thickened to warn of an impending storm, she couldn't get rid of the unsettling feeling that was creeping over her skin.

Elowen's heart continued to race even though the sound vanished as swiftly as it had come, leaving only quiet in its wake. Her own doubt was reflected in the glass as she turned back to face her reflection. Her mind was filled with questions. Was it nerves, or was something sinister stirring up?

When nighttime finally arrived, the same eerie ambiance pervaded the air. Elowen came down the magnificent staircase, her robe now secured and her hair carefully braided, her heels clicking on the gleaming marble. The deep, hushed tones of expectation were already drowning out the discussions of the guests who were already wandering about.

Elowen's eyes darted to the door as it opened. The mysterious Alpha had come.

Dorian strode into the room, imposing himself. His eyes scanned the room with an almost unnerving intensity as he moved through the crowd like a predator. He was tall, with dark hair that fell in waves over his shoulders. His features were keen, his jaw firm, and though his face remained unreadable, there was a fire in his gaze that made Elowen's breath catch. In addition to the foreboding atmosphere that seemed to follow him, his dark cloak billowed around him like smoke.

His voice was rich, low, and oddly captivating as he said, "Elowen." "This is the moment I've been waiting for."

The chill of his words spread through her, making her skin tingle with a mixture of fear and something else-something that fluttered deep inside her.

She could not take her eyes off the intensity in his eyes, so she managed a halting nod. He was not your typical man, and it was obvious from every part of her. As though alerting her that this meeting was more than an arranged union, her heart thumped in her chest.

The air seemed to get heavier and the room tighter as Dorian moved closer. She felt like she was being forced to solve a jigsaw with every word he said and every glance he gave her. There was a part of her that wanted to go, to escape the fate she knew was waiting for her, but there was also a part of her that was pulled to him in ways she couldn't define.

"Alpha, what are you really capable of?" Elowen pondered, a deep-seated worry blending with her interest. Though it appeared like fate had already made up her mind, she wasn't sure if she was prepared to find out.

Elowen's heart hammered in her chest as the service continued, the weight of the ancient stones in the chapel bearing down on her like a vice. The air was thick with anxiety, the fragrance of incense and roses mingling in her nostrils. Her father, standing at her side, beamed with delight, but all she could feel was the increasing sense of inevitability. She was to be tied to Dorian, the intriguing Alpha whose presence had fascinated her since the minute they met.

Dorian stood behind her, his posture straight, his hand clutching hers securely, almost possessively. His warmth flowed into her flesh, his touch hard and unyielding, as though marking her as his.

"You're mine now, Elowen," Dorian's voice was a faint murmur, just for her, as the vows proceeded. His words glided into her ear like a whisper, yet there was an irrefutable weight to them, something darker. "More than just ceremony binds us."

There was an electric quality to his words, a sharpness, as if the air between them had thickened. In response to his remarks, Elowen felt a peculiar pulse that seemed to originate inside her chest, causing her breath to catch. There was a change in the air that she was unable to identify but could no longer ignore.

She clenched her fingers around his, but she felt a chill. The feeling in her chest grew stronger as soon as the vows were over. In ways she couldn't understand, she sensed fate-or maybe magic-sealing their relationship.

Later that evening, Elowen sat alone in her room, her robe lying on the floor as if it had been forgotten. Elowen could only gaze up at the night sky as the moonlight filtered through the window, filling the room with a gentle glow. She felt as though the events of the day were too much to handle.

"Elowen, what have you gotten yourself into?" she said in a barely audible whisper to the empty room. She had vowed to fulfill her responsibilities and contribute to this planned marriage, but she didn't find happiness or fulfillment in the arrangement. Rather, she was overcome with a sense of loss and an agonizing emptiness in her chest.

Her thoughts were whirling like a storm as the evening grew darker. There was still a slight echo in the pit of her stomach from the feeling she had experienced during the ceremony. She stood up and walked over to the window to gaze at the full moon. Tonight, there was something unnerving about the gentle light that swept over her. It felt... strange.

Like an unspoken vow, Dorian's allure persisted in the atmosphere. She was unable to ignore the odd allure, but there was more to it-something primordial, something old that made her skin crawl with fascination and terror.

A deep, unexpected tremor swept through her as her hand gripped the window sill. Her body reacted, and she couldn't get rid of the sensation that the relationship they had just formed was more than just a family contract; rather, it was something more sinister, something that bound her soul to his in ways she couldn't comprehend.

"Am I truly destined to be this?" Elowen looked from the moon back to the room's shadows and whispered, her voice cracking a little.

She shuddered as the moonlight around her. Something wild, something beyond want, flickered through her veins. It was a call, not just a link. And she didn't know if she was ready to answer it.