OPAL

The sound of distant banging makes me groan.

I turn to lie on my front and use the pillow at my head to cover my ears. Sleep has a tight hold on me and refuse to let go. I don't think I could open my eyes even if I was threatened to. Slowly, I begin to drift off to sleep again, but then I hear someone calling my name.

The voice is muffled, but I hear it clearly enough.

"Opal!"

This time, I sigh in frustration and sit up, forcing my eyes to open. They're burning like crazy—this always happened when I haven't slept too long, or when I had way too much to drink the night before.

There's this sour taste in my mouth. I hear my name being called again while trying to open my eyes once more.

The sight before me turns my insides to ice. My eyes fly open, the exhaustion I felt merely moments ago trickling out of me.

"Opal!"

Oh no. Aunt Janice. I rise from the bed, dizziness making me rock on my feet. I keep going, though, looking around in disbelief.

I'm still at the hotel.

And the sun has risen.

I unlock the door and open it, and my aunt stares at me with wide, fearful eyes that intensifies all the negative shit coursing through me right now.

"Opal," she begins in disbelief, "Opal, what happened?"

"I...I don't know," I admit, turning on my heel to get dressed. I'm butt naked, too. I find my dress on the floor next to the bed. I throw it over my head, ignoring the way my hands are shaking. "I must've overslept. I must've—"

"You missed the meeting with the prince!" she says in a shrill voice. "Opal, your father is out of his mind! I came here as soon as he called me! I think he'll kill us both."

I groan, sitting on the edge of the bed and rubbing my sleepy eyes. They're burning like crazy. My stomach is twisted into painful knots. "By the goddess."

I'm in the deepest shit of my life.

"Opal, your wedding is in half an hour!" she yells when she sees me sitting. "Stand up! You're marrying the most feared man in the country and you're this calm?"

"I'm far from calm, Aunt Janice!" I retort. I have this strong urge to cry. "It's just...the wedding is still happening?"

"By the goddess!" she claims. "I thought that you'd go straight home as soon as you got my message! It seems you—what? Got drunk? Why would you do that when you knew that the meeting with your future husband was going to happen?"

"I...what message?" I ask, confused. I can't seem to remember her sending me a message.

"I messaged you telling you that the guy had to reschedule!" she exclaims. "You told me it was alright. That everything was fine."

"What are you talking about? He was here."

"Who was?"

"The guy."

She looks around the room in confusion. "Opal. They canceled. They even refunded me."

"He was by the door!" I argue. "I let him in."

A line forms between her brows, but she gives her head a shake and says, "That doesn't matter right now. The point is that we have to go. You have to get cleaned up and ready for your big day. You've run out of time completely."

"How mad is my father?"

"What do you think?"

As I gather my things from the room, I do so with a heavy heart. I can't believe I missed the meeting. This whole marriage has already started on the wrong foot—what'll he think of me?

We head outside, walking quickly, our footsteps muffled by the carpet beneath our feet. When we reach the elevator, that's when it all starts to sink in. What I did last night. How amazing it felt to be held by that man. How I'll probably never again experience such tenderness.

After today, I'll be a prisoner.

Tears well in my eyes, hot and unforgiving. I feel Aunt Janice's eyes on me. I don't return the look, focusing instead on my feelings and the soreness between my legs from last night.

Will the Alpha Prince wish to claim me? Will I stand being touched that way by an impatient and cruel man? Maybe this whole plan was a bad idea because now I have something to compare it to.

Shuddering, I push the thought out of my mind. Aunt Janice rushes me outside. We get in her car and she speeds away, muttering under her breath.

I press my forehead against the cool window and stare at the city all around us. I'll be married to the Alpha Prince, yet feel no sense of accomplishment whatsoever. There are probably women who would dream to be in my position—there's someone out there for everyone, after all. Isn't that how the saying goes? However, the bitter truth is that I couldn't care less about power and authority.

I've never been remotely interested in any of that.

I exhale sharply when we reach our house, steeling myself for what my father is going to do and say. I'm not looking forward to that at all. He'll kill me, plain and simple. Last night, he seemed so excited. He'd be meeting the most powerful man in the country for the very first time.

I ruined his plans.

Honestly, it's a wonder the man still wants to marry me. I wouldn't have.

The thought humors me enough to stretch my lips in a thin smile. Aunt Janice grabs my arm and we rush inside. One of our maids is cleaning the dining room. Aunt Janice asks her, "Clarice, my brother. Where is he?"

"The Alpha left an hour ago," she claims, looking at me in confusion. I'm a mess, after all. My hair hasn't been combed. My dress is wrinkled. My shoes are in my left hand.

"Where to?"

"The...the Lunar Chapel?"

"Goddess," Aunt Janice breathes out before tugging me to the staircase. As I charge up the stairs, I briefly wonder what it would be like to not attend the wedding. Run away instead.

"We have to get you ready in ten minutes!" she practically yells. "There were supposed to be assistants here. Where are they? Oh, goddess damn them! Opal, put your dress on."

"You want me to walk inside the chapel while reeking of another man?"

Anger flashes in her eyes and she grips my arm tightly. I've never seen her look this furious before. It startles me enough to sober me up somehow. I feel drunk not from the champagne I consumed last night, but from disappointment and shattered hopes.

"This isn't a game," she says in a low voice. "Do you understand me? They're dangerous people, the Danforths. Don't make a decision that will lead to your death, Opal. Do you understand me?"

I gulp and nod, and her gaze drifts down to my neck before a desperate look crosses her features. "Goddess. Look at your neck!"

Gingerly, I touch the skin. "What's wrong with it?"

"That man gave you lovebites!" she remarks before shaking her head. "There's much to do. Quick, there's no time!"

In the end, we get ready in twenty minutes. My hair is brushed away from my face, and I'm in the lovely white wedding gown, looking as regal as ever. Aunt Janice does a great job with my hair and makeup and covers up the red marks on my neck fairly well.

I shudder as I remember how he gave them to me, murmuring sweet, possessive words to me. Calling me his.

A strong sense of longing takes over my mind as we drive to the chapel, Aunt Janice speeding in hopes of getting there as quickly as possible. I'm lightheaded. I think a part of me is still in disbelief.

Am I really getting married? Is that truly happening?

By the time we arrive, we're ten minutes late.

And my father, as predicted, is fuming.