~Daphney
"If I catch you crying again, I'm going to lock you in the kennel with the dogs."
"Forgive me, ma'am" I replied, wiping my tear stained face with a small napkin.
Aunt Renee shot me one last warning glare before plastering a bright smile and sashaying back to her seat.
My heart broke into a million pieces as I watched the only man I've loved gently slide a ring down my cousin's fourth finger.
That was the same ring I always told him I wanted to for my wedding, the same ring my father wanted to give my mother the day I was born.
Iris smiled brightly as she admired the diamond encrusted silver ring before planting a kiss on alpha Adrian's lips.
The crowd broke into loud cheers as some clapped and others chanted and hailed them.
They looked so good together, perfect if I may be honest, but that should have been me. I should have been the one up there.
The master of ceremony ordered for the floor to be cleared so the bride and groom could have their first dance with their families.
There was no way I would dance with them, the layers of makeup on my face made feel extremely irritated and the corset of my dress was so tight I could barely breathe.
I felt sick to my stomach and exhausted so I hurriedly rushed to the most secluded part of the ball room to rest a little.
Soon after, all the other bridesmaids and groomsmen joined the couple on the dance floor. I had no intentions to dance, I wasn't even supposed to be here but after spotting Aunt Renee's angry face, I made my way past the crowd of sweaty bodies and headed towards the dance floor.
I kept to myself and moved slowly to the rhythm of the music until I was certain her attention had been diverted to something else before making a run for it.
Suddenly, I felt someone's fingers wrap tightly around my arm.
My breath caught in my throat as I realized it was him.
It had been almost so long and yet, his touch still ignited something within me.
"Where are you off to, pretty girl?", he said as he pulled me towards him.
"I..uhmm-" I stuttered, tucking loose strands of my hair behind my ears.
I secretly wished the ground would open and swallow me but that would only ruin Iris' wedding and earn me a round of beating from Aunt Renee.
"Don't I deserve a dance?" he said as he put his hands around my waist, closing the gap between us.
I swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat and shook my head nervously, slowly putting my hands on his shoulders.
We swayed to the beat of the music in silence and I took that time to observe him carefully.
He was still breathtakingly handsome, he looked a lot tan and his long hair had been trimmed to frame his face.
The grey tuxedo he was wearing complimented his skin tone and it clung perfectly to his fit body.
He still smelled the same and it felt like bliss sniffing him again after so long.
As if on cue, the lights were dimmed and the musicians played louder.
I broke out of my thoughts to look around.
"What's going on?" I whispered as I pulled away from him.
He shook his head.
I turned around hoping to see anyone I knew or at least figure out what was going on when I suddenly felt him behind me.
His 6'8 frame towered above my 5'4 body and I could feel his hot breath as he leaned into me.
"I've missed you so much, Daphney" he whispered in my ears sending a million electric waves through my body.
I felt his fingers push my hair aside, exposing my neck.
"It's been several long, painful and agonizing months and I have been searching and waiting for you" he added, his fingers circling my exposed shoulders.
"Stop lying to me," I whispered, shaking my head.
I held my breath hoping this was all my imagination and it would go away in seconds.
It didn't.
This was all real. He was really here, touching me in such an ungodly way when he should be with his new bride.
I silently prayed that the lights would be turned back on or someone would walk towards us but nobody came.
"Take your panties off and hand them over to me" he whispered in my ears causing goosebumps to spread through my body.
"You no longer have access to me. You've chosen your bride, please go to her," I begged as I tried to escape him, but his arm was wrapped tightly around my waist.
He sighed heavily, his body tensing behind me.
"Since when did you become so disobedient?" he asked with a noticeable change in his tone.
"I'm not, I'm just doing the right thing," I said, shaking my head in disapproval but within seconds I felt his hand go up the slit of my dress.
My heart began to beat twice as fast and I could barely breathe.
"Adrian, please," I moaned as I felt him pull the thin fabric off my waist and down my legs.
He folded it into his pocket with his free hand while his other hand made its way to my throbbing core.
As much as I hated what was happening, I didn't want him to stop.
I felt his cold fingers explore every corner of my body.
I heard him moan under his breathe as he gently inserted his fingers into me causing a moan to escape from my lips.
"Shh...people will hear," he whispered as he pressed his left palm over my mouth.
I almost passed out. The mixture of pleasure and guilt was overwhelming, my legs could barely hold my weight.
It had been several months but he still had this erratic control over me.
I hated it.
I hated him.
This was his wedding for fuck's sake. We shouldn't be doing this. Not here, not now or even ever.
He was a married man and this was beyond wrong. Worst of all, he was married to my cousin.
If anybody caught a glimpse of what we were doing, Aunt Renee would have me thrown into the forest for the outcasts to devour.
As the guilt cut deeper into my bones, I mustered enough courage to pull away from him.
I stared at him hoping to see a hint of remorse. Instead, he looked confused and a bit disappointed that I decided to opt out of his dumb game.
Was this all I was to him. An instrument for his pleasure alone. Good enough for him to fuck but not good enough to be his mate.
We had known each other for almost 3 years and my foolish nineteen year old self had fallen for his charm and let him take my innocence.
We did the most romantic things together but he never wanted me the way I wanted him.
He told me he had no intentions of picking a mate, the only thing he cared about was ruling the realms and keeping the demons at bay.. And now, I just watched him marry Iris, my cousin.
Crazy of him to feel he still had the same access to me after he had betrayed me.
I decided to walk away from him, to end everything. I felt my heart rip into a million pieces as he stood there and watched me leave like I meant nothing to him..
I ran as fast as I could towards the bathroom. I paid a lot of money to look good today and the last thing I wanted was to cry and ruin my makeup.
Tears stung my eyes and blurred my vision but I kept running until the feeling of cold wine on my skin made me halt.
The expensive looking glass fell to the ground and shattered into a million pieces.
"I'm so sorry" a dark red haired man gasped, handing me a small napkin from his pockets.
I stared at the bright red stain spread across the white fabric, my heart shattering to pieces.
"It's fine, it will wash off easily," I lied trying to make things less awkward.
I turned away from him and walked to the bathroom smelling like a reckless bartender.
I stared at my disheveled reflection in the large mirror above the sink.
Even though I looked a mess, I still looked prettier than her. She was resentful and mean, every single thing Adrian claimed he hated.
Iris was a mean woman who enjoyed terrorising servants, nothing was special about her. Except that she was the daughter of an Alpha and she had inherited most of his abilities.
"What does she have that I don't?" I screamed at my reflection.
"What!!!"
I felt hot tears roll down my cheeks, maybe the sting of my eyes would make me forget about the pain I felt in my heart.
I screamed at my reflection until my throat was sore. Even though my reflection couldn't talk back, yelling made my heart feel a lot lighter.
A loud knock on the door snapped me out of my anger.
"Aunt Renee" I whispered to myself as the knocking got louder.
I quickly wiped my tear-stained face and fixed my makeup before opening the door, revealing an old woman carrying a large bag.
She looked at me confused before taking slow steps to the large mirror where she proceeded to wash her shaky hands.
I walked out of the bathroom and found the dark haired man standing outside.
"I've been waiting for you," he said, handing me a large black coat, " this will cover up the stains."
"Thank you, Sir," I smiled softly.
He smiled back, his green eyes brightening up, "You're welcome. Now, would you like to share why you were screaming in the bathroom like a crazy person?"