Chapter 2
Red Moon Pack
Zara's POV
It's my wedding day.
I run my hands down my white dress as I stand in front of the full-length mirror in my room. My lips are pulled up into a smile and my mismatched eyes twinkle with happiness. My black curls are pilled up on my head with a tiara positioned on top of them. I look and feel beautiful.
A knock is heard on my door. "Come in," I say, without looking away from my image in the mirror.
The door opens to reveal my mother who pauses at the door as she gets her first glimpse of me in my wedding dress. Her eyes water and her palm covers her mouth as she gasps.
"You look so beautiful in that dress," she whispers, stepping into the room and standing behind me so that we're both staring at each other in the mirror. My mismatched eyes hold her brown eyes as we smile at each other.
"Thank you," I tell her and turn around to face her. I pull her into a tight hug, taking care not to ruin either of our makeups. "Thank you for taking me into your family and caring for me like I was your own."
They took me in after my parents abandoned me in the woods and I'll be forever grateful for that.
She rubs my back. "You don't have to thank us for that. Accepting you into our family was the best thing that I've ever done and I don't regret a moment of it."
I pull away and blink rapidly to stop the tears that are threatening to escape my eyes. I refuse to ruin the makeup that I spent nearly an hour on.
"Let's go," my Mom says as she grips my hand. "Your father and James are waiting at the church," she says with a smile.
At the mention of my fiance, a shiver of excitement runs down my spine and I smile as I let my mom lead me out of the house and into the car that's waiting outside.
I don't let go of my mother's arm as the car drives down the road leading to the church.
As the car gets closer to the church, my thoughts start running wide and the questions start trooping in.
I shake my head before the doubts can start crippling in. I want this wedding. It has been my dream to get wedded to James and finally bear the mark that will enable me to share a mind-link with the rest of the pack.
I guess that I could have easily gotten connected to the Pack's mind link by taking a Blood oath -which involves drinking the Alpha's blood and swearing your allegiance to the pack- but I want to be linked to the pack by bearing James's mark. So basically, I have been waiting for this moment my whole life and I don't want to wait a moment longer.
We're both in our mid-twenties and unlikely to find our fated mate. Taking this next step just seems like the obvious thing to do. Besides, James has always treated me well. The thoughts in my head are just pre-wedding jitters.
I need to just push them away and focus on the moment. Once I see James waiting for me at the altar, all my doubts will wash away.
"Are you ok?" My mom asks as she looks at me tentatively.
I force a tight smile onto my face. "Yes, I'm fine." She looks like she doesn't believe me so I add in a little bit of the truth. "I'm feeling a bit nervous," I admit.
My Mom smiles in understanding. "Everybody goes through some pre-wedding jitters," she assures me with a pat on my hand. "I didn't get married to your father as he was my fated mate but I was nervous when we were to mark each other."
Her words put my nerves at ease, and I breathe in deeply as the car rolls to a stop in front of the church.
My Dad is in front of the church and he rushes over to us. He opens my door and assists me in getting out.
When I'm standing beside him, he smiles brightly at me, and his eyes shimmer. "My daughter looks so beautiful," he says.
Again, I have to fight and force the waterworks down. "Thank you," I tell him.
My Mom has already rushed into the church, leaving my father and me outside.
"Are you ready?" My dad questions as I interlock my elbow with his. He's looking at me with a furrowed forehead. "We're not yet at the altar and I'm willing to help you skip town and get a new name."
I chuckle, half-worried that he actually means what he's saying. "I'm ok. Also, I don't think Alpha Kelvin will be happy when he finds out that his Beta had a hand in assisting his future daughter-in-law to run away."
My Dad rolls his eyes. "My daughter comes first. He'll survive," he says with a dismissive way of his hand.
We're both laughing as the doors open. My breath hitches as I look inside to see the small gathering of our families, along with Richard, the Gamma of the Red Moon Pack, who has always slightly terrified me for some reason unknown.
Shaking that thought out of my head, my gaze drifts over to the alter where James is standing in a suit and looking every bit like the gentleman that I know he is. So why does my breath become shallow as I draw closer to him? Why does it feel like the walls are closing in on me as James flashes me his signature smile?
My father's grip on my arm tightens, and I look up to find him looking at me reassuringly.
"You've got this," he whispers and I nod determinedly.
We get to the altar, and my father hands me over to James, but not before whispering a threat to him that has James gulping.
I shake my head at my Dad as he walks to an empty seat beside my Mom.
Then the ceremony starts and we go through all the usual rites until it gets to the main deal.
"James, do you take Zara to be your wife?" The priest asks, looking towards James as he waits for an answer.
James looks at me and with no hesitation, he answers. "Yes, I do."
His swift answer twists that blade of guilt deeper into my heart.
Then the wedding officiator turns to face me. "Zara, do you take James to be your husband."
My breathing turns shallow and my hands become clammy. I take in a deep breath and open my mouth to say the words that will change my life forever. "I-"
My words get cut off as James's father stands up abruptly and yells out four words that send chills down my spine.
"We're under attack!!"