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Robin stared at herself in the mirror, shivering. The white lace and seed pearls shone brightly in the dingy light of the attic, and she felt the weight of the dress drag her down with each step as her mother made the final adjustments. Blush and concealer couldn't hide the pallor, nor could she entirely control her trembling.
"Oh, do be still," her mother chided around a mouthful of pins. "It's not like you're going to a funeral, child."
"It might as well be, Mother," Robin said stiffly. "You know I don't want to do this."
Rosa sighed as she set the pins on a nearby table. "You have to," she said, putting her hands on her daughter's shoulders. "It's the only way we can stay safe. If your father hadn't stumbled on that raid, we wouldn't be forced to beg Asher for his help. But here we are."
"Why can't you marry him?" Robin insisted, shaking her mother's hands off impatiently.
"Because, dear, he asked for you," Rosa said firmly. "I didn't want us thrown on the streets, or worse, so hush up and do as you're told."
Robin grimaced. "I'd rather be on the streets," she muttered, but she obediently let Rosa put the veil on her dark h air. The finishing touches done, Robin silently followed her mother downstairs.
There, the White Spring pack waited. They were New York's most ruthless and bloodthirsty pack, with a fearsome reputation for cruelty that no other pack could match. Alpha Asher was the most ruthless of all, and his atrocities were legendary. Robin didn't like the idea of being tied to such a man for the rest of her life, but after her father's death at the hands of the Black Cold pack, the White Springs had demanded reparation for George's ill-timed intervention. It had been a case of wrong time and wrong place, but the White Spring pack had been on the verge of finishing the Black Cold pack off for good. George had inadvertently allowed twelve-year-old Gloria to escape when he'd taken the hit meant for her, and now she was well out of reach, likely having sought haven with her mother's pack, the Green Arches, sworn enemies of the White Springs.
Now Robin, herself a distant cousin of Gloria, was forced to marry Alpha Asher to pay for George's innocent mistake. And as she laid eyes on him for the first time, she shivered all over again. Asher was tall, dark and handsome in every sense of the word, but his eyes were cold gray, and he wore the air of a man who carried bloodshed in his pocket. None of his pack looked any friendlier, and Robin resisted the urge to run.
But it was too late; the contract had been signed in her's and Asher's blood, meaning that, the moment they spoke their vows, the contract would take hold. Breaking it thereafter would bring death to the oathbreaker, another reason why Asher had likely insisted on signing it in blood. He wasn't going to let her out of his grasp now that he had her, and as Robin joined her soon to be husband, she felt his intent rake her up and down. Unbidden tears came to her eyes despite her best efforts to quell them, and several of her future pack members eyed her with contempt. 111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrBEQq8ihvb
Then the priest called in to officiate the marriage began, and Robin gave her answers by rote, amazed at how calmly she spoke her vows to love, honour, cherish, and obey. Asher's voice was like lead as he promised to guide, love, protect, and honour her, and when he placed his ring on her finger, she felt as if a shackle had just been slipped on. The ring was delicately wrought out of leaves and vines, but it weighed like the heaviest stone, and Robin felt no joy as she slipped the matching ring onto her new husband's finger.
The kiss sealing their union was brief and to the point. Robin had dreamt of her first kiss being tender and sweet, but Asher's kiss was businesslike and cold, and none of the pack cheered. In fact, once the ceremony was over, they left abruptly, leaving Robin, Asher, and Rosa in the living room. Robin took deep breaths to try and calm her nerves.
"It's done, then," Asher said coldly. "Luna, it's time to go. Say your farewells and meet me in five minutes." His tone indicated dire retribution if he wasn't obeyed, and Robin gave her mother as long a hug as she dared, feeling Rosa trembling as she returned her daughter's embrace.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP3w5WGqJmi
"Stay safe," Rosa whispered, giving her daughter one last kiss on the cheek. "And be strong. You know you can endure anything thrown at you."
"I hope so," Robin said, but as she stepped out into the grey September afternoon, still in her wedding dress and veil, she felt her newly-formed courage slipping away. Asher was waiting for her, arms folded, his face like thunder as he leaned against the black Ferrari that would take him and Robin to the airport, where a private jet would then whisk them away to Fiji for their honeymoon.
"You're just in time," Asher snapped. He flung the passenger side door open, and Robin got in silently, moving her voluminous skirts out of the way before they got caught in the door. Asher said nothing as he climbed in the driver's seat, before gunning the engine and pulling away in a violent squeal of tires that was sure to leave skid marks for a good mile. Robin shivered as the cold wind battered her in the face, but she kept her expression calm. She wasn't going to ask Asher to put the roof up. Hands clenched in her skirts, she endured the frigid ride to the airport, and she kept her hard-won calm through the check-in process, ignoring the stares as she navigated the busy thoroughfare in her wedding dress. Asher's glare kept the gawkers at bay.
The private jet was, mercifully, well heated to take the chill from Robin's bones, but she was not permitted to take off her dress just yet. Asher turned to her once they were on board, and without warning, slapped her full across the face. Robin stumbled and almost fell, shock rendering her speechless as she put a hand to her reddened cheek.
"First lesson," Asher told her. "You do not ever display such weakness in public again. You are the Luna of the White Spring pack and you will act as such. If I ever catch you snivelling like a cub again, I will beat you to within an inch of your life. Do you understand me?"
Robin swallowed. "Yes, Alpha," she said meekly.
Asher grunted. "Good. Now go and get changed. And from now on, you will address me by my name. I will not have you be formal around me. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, Asher," Robin said, shaking as she felt the full force of the contract properly take hold of her. It was as if her signature had been burned into her very bones, and as she went to get changed, she knew she was chained more thoroughly than even the strongest steel.
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