The Alpha Family

The substitute bride

Serenya

Who knew my life would spiral downhill—twice?

The wedding dress was on the mannequin like it had claimed its throne. I stared at it, unmoving. Maybe if I looked long enough, it would vanish, and take this nightmare with it. But the longer I stood there, the more real everything became. The dress didn’t vanish. Instead, It shimmered under the chandelier’s light, ivory satin and lace mocking me with its elegance. It should’ve been Celis standing here, not me.

A knock. Then footsteps, quick and sure.

I panicked, assuming it was my mom. I hurried, pulling off my hoodie and jeans, scrambling to shove my body into that dress before she could unleash another fit. But it wasn’t her. It was the assistant, Natalie, I think her name was, sent to help me into the gown.

“Oh,” I mumbled, swallowing the bile in my throat.

She smiled, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. “You look… beautiful, Miss Serenya. Like you belong in it.”

If only she knew.

She helped zip the back carefully, her fingers adjusting the lace sleeves and fluffing the small train. Her eyes held a soft warmth that made my stomach knot. I hated how kind she was being. I didn’t deserve that, I wasn’t the bride.

“Thank you,” I whispered.

She paused. “Would you like a moment alone?”

I nodded, blinking furiously. I couldn’t let the tears fall. She gave a gentle curtsy, then exited.

The silence returned like an echo. I felt like I was standing inside someone else’s life. Not mine, not even Celis’s.

Then the door burst open. My mom stride in.

Her heels clicked like gunshots against the marble floor. She didn’t glance at the bouquet I had accidentally knocked over earlier or the wedding veil crumpled on the vanity. She only looked at me, no, through me.

“Out,” she barked to someone behind her. It was Natalie.

The girl obeyed without a word.

Mother’s eyes traveled from the hem of my dress to the neckline, then rested coldly on my face.

“You remember who you are, don’t you?” Her voice was sharp.

I didn’t answer.

“You are marrying your sister’s mate. That’s not something to celebrate, it’s something to endure. You will do your duty. You will not bring shame to our family. You will not let the Dorne family complain about you. Do you understand?”

Still, I stayed silent.

Then she moved forward and grabbed my arm, yanking me closer.

“Do you understand?” she hissed.

I nodded. Barely.

“Good,” she snapped, releasing me like I burned her fingers. Then, without another word, she stormed out of the room.

The door slammed behind her.

And I collapsed.

I slid to the floor in a heap, still in the dress. My palms trembled as I clutched my chest, trying to force air into lungs that didn’t want to breathe. My heart… my heart felt like it was tearing itself apart.

Minutes passed. Maybe longer. I didn’t know.

Finally, I crawled to my phone. Messages from Elara were flooding in.

Elara: “Serenya, don’t do this. Pick up.”

Elara: “Please tell me this isn’t true.”

Elara: “Where are you? I’m outside. I’m coming in—”

I turned the phone face down.

This was wrong. All of it. How could I go through with this? What happens when Kaelith finds out I’m not Celis? That I’m just a substitute bride forced into this circus?

I opened my hidden social media account, one only Elara knew about, and logged in.

I drafted the message with shaking fingers.

To: kaelithdornepr@privatepress.org

Subject: The truth behind that veil

This is not a hoax.

The woman you’re about to marry is not Celis Vale.

Celis has been in a coma for weeks. The girl you’re being forced to marry today is her younger sister, Serenya. This is a cover-up by the Vale family.

Call off the wedding. You’re being scammed.

I signed it with a fake journalist name. My thumb hovered over the send button. Then, I pressed it.

It was done.

I stared at the screen, waiting. Refreshing every now and then, but nothing.

No reply.

Nothing.

I looked at the time. Fifteen minutes until the ceremony. Fifteen minutes until I walked down that aisle like an offering to a man who didn’t know who I was.

The door creaked open again.

A tall woman with cold eyes and stiff posture entered, the “chief bridesmaid,” someone my mom had picked out from god knows where. She wasn’t even a friend. Just a body in a dress.

“It’s time,” she said mechanically.

I checked the phone one last time.

Still no reply. I placed it carefully on the counter. My fingers lingered on it, just in case.

A ping.

I turned, but the woman was already pulling me toward the door. The ping echoed like a scream in my ears.

But I couldn’t go back.

The hallway was lined with white roses and the scent of lavender. I couldn’t breathe. My heels clicked against the marble floor. My heart pounded like a war drum.

And then, I stepped into the grand hall.

Chandeliers sparkled above, and golden light bathed the room in an almost surreal glow. The chairs were filled. Faces I didn’t recognize turned toward me. Some smiled, some whispered.

Claps broke out, soft at first, then growing louder.

I wanted to run. Yet, I walked.

Every step I took was another step away from myself. From the girl I used to be. From the truth.

And then, there he was.

Kaelith Dorne. Talk, broad, he was dressed in black and silver. Cold eyes, piercing as hell. His face didn’t change when he saw me. But something in his gaze flickered, just for a moment.

Did he know?

Could he tell?

He extended his hand. I placed mine in his.

His skin was warm. Warmer than I expected.

“You’re late,” he whispered, voice low and unreadable.

I didn’t know how to respond. So I nodded.

The officiant began to speak. The words blurred together. Oaths and promises and legalities. I felt like I was underwater.

“Do you, Kaelith Dorne, take Celis Vale to be your lawfully wedded mate—”

He didn’t correct him.

“—in sickness and in health, in wealth and power, until the contract ends or is fulfilled by fated bond?”

A pause.

Kaelith’s jaw flexed.

“I do,” he said finally.

And then, it was my turn.

Do I? I wanted to scream no. But my lips moved on their own.

“I do.”

Applause. Rose petals rained, music played. And just like that, I was no longer Serenya Vale. I was the wife of Kaelith Dorne.

The substitute. The imposter. The secret bride.