Ashes Of A Mate

The Bride and The Burn Lexi smirked at the small mirror in her hand as the diamonds on her neck glistened softly under the moonlight that seeped into the majestic cottage in the woods. Her mother-in-law had gifted her the necklace as a wedding gift. Mother-in-law. She bit down on her bottom lip to soften the smile that involuntarily cut across her face. She had done it. She had married the Alpha of the Crimson Moon pack, she had been completely engulfed in for the last decade. Her fingers felt the surface of the necklace as she beamed at it. Lexi’s father, Old Alpha Orion Jared of the Crimson Moon Pack, had arranged for her to marry the only son of his Beta, Ethan who became Alpha Ethan after Lexi’s father transferred the Alpha power to him. Suddenly, she could feel his presence in the room with her. Her eyes fluttered shut and she inhaled deeply, trying to trap his scent in for as long as she possibly could. Maybe if her eyes were open, she would have seen his reflection in the mirror and caught a glimpse of the malice that dwell in his sinister eyes. He walked closer to her and wrapped his textures fingers around her tender neck, right above his mother's necklace. She sighed and leaned her back on his sturdy chest, surrendering herself to him. Her moan came. It was gentle; a direct contrast to the chaos that erupted between her legs. His touch was sizzling, and her skin was begging for warmth. His grip gradually got tighter and he pushed her body deeper into his with the same increasing intensity. “Alpha Ethan…” She could barely hear her own voice as she reached for his hand that had become a tight collar around her neck. All she could feel was lightheaded suffocation. Her eyes flew open in panic as she realized his grip was not getting any softer. That was when she looked in the mirror and saw it; the evil intent in her eyes. His glare at her was so intense that it caused her to startle and throw the small piece of glass to the floor. In its fall, it birthed a hundred more of its kind. “I can't breathe.” She was merely wheezing as she tried to dig her nails into his hand to tear it off her neck. He sucked in a sharp, angry breath and threw her across the room aggressively. It was the first sound she had gotten out of him that night. “Ethan, why?” Her confusion mingled with denial as she pressed her hand to her temple to feel the warm liquid that leaked from there. Red. “My Ethan.” She whispered and raised her hand to reach for him with tear filled eyes. He shot her a dangerous look. “That was for Alina, not you.” He heaved angrily as he pointed at the piece of jewellery around her neck. He stared at it angrily as if he was torn between ripping it off her neck; “Alina?” Lexi looked at him in confusion. Everything about the evening confused her. It was their wedding night and it was supposed to be magical. Alina was Ethan's girlfriend, who was reported dead but her body was not found. How on earth would he blame her death on her? She had waited for years just to feel Alpha Ethan’ touch on her body. She had ever prepared herself to be presented to him, yet there she was. Alpha Ethan stooped to the ground and picked a piece of the broken glass that was scattered everywhere. Each step he took towards her was a new conspiracy. Lexi could feel her heart thump heavily in her chest as his boots crunched the glass beneath them. “She would still be alive if it wasn't for you.” With each step, she crawled backwards away from him until her back hit the wall. If she was being honest, she had been feeling like something was off the entire wedding. Maybe it was the mate bond, but she could feel his cynicism the whole day and it disconnected her from him. Their bond had never been as strong as the average bond because for all the years of their romance, they had never consummated their relationship. It was part of the reason she was so excited for her wedding night. She had waited a long decade to be with him. She was aching to be joined at the hip, and until he had strangled her and flung her across the room, she thought he felt the same ache. “Who are you talking about?” she asked as she pressed her head on the wall and waited for him to approach her. “Alina!” She had heard the name somewhere, but it still seemed rather vague to her. As he stalked towards her with murderous intent, she racked into the farthest corners of her mind to find an answer. “I wish it was you who died. Every moment with you is torture.” He rolled his eyes in a manner that suggested he was fed up with his own pretense. Suddenly, the name rang a bell in Lexi’s mind. She hadn't heard of her in a long time. “Alina.” It was a gentle gasp; a show of disbelief. She couldn't believe that she hadn't taken this into account. Then again, Alpha Ethan had been pretending for a while. It was very easy to forget. “Is that what this is about? Can we just talk about this?” Her words blurred into a loud screech as he sliced her across the face with the sharp piece of glass in his hand. She held her face and stared at him in pure horror. She bled out; her crimson fluid trickling down to the brown wooden floor. He breathed in deeply and smirked at her. His eyes were dark in a way that she could not recognize, even though she tried. He stooped to her level and held her jaw firmly. Just with the look he gave her, he unraveled her entire world in seconds. The man she had fallen for and loved for ten years was no longer, and the more she stared at the sinister look in his eyes, the more she doubted that he ever existed. It suddenly felt like Alpha Ethan had always been that evil man, full of hatred. Maybe the love she had found in him was a work of her own imagination.