Chapter 50: Their Wedding

Cass knocked on the door of Ran's bedroom even though the door was not closed.
'What is it?' Ran asked tiredly without turning around.
Since dawn, she had been forced to wash her face three times, sit in a bathtub full of milk and have her leg hair ripped off her skin because apparently all brides do that.
She managed to avoid everyone for the past three days and locked herself up in her room, refusing to eat or get some sun. Cursa tried suggesting she should do her Beta rounds one last time, accept everyone's congratulations, and smooth things over with the pack after that disastrous and confusing gathering.
Ran had told her to piss off quite unpolitely.
She heard Acamar march up to her room once, ready to barge in and order her out but he had been accosted by Cass who said that her hunger strike had a plus side—that usually brides went on a diet before their wedding but Ran's had been announced too late for her to do that.
Her uncle grumbled about her not needing a diet anyway but somehow Cass managed to convince him to leave her alone.
That morning, however, Cass was insistent that she eat something. That Acamar would still force her to marry Caph even if she fainted.
Ran had snapped that she'd never resort to such disgusting tactics.
Cass held up the wedding dress she was supposed to wear. 'Ta-dah!' she squealed. 'Time to wear this!'
Ran slid the knife she had been toying with into the drawer and closed it shut.
She never even thought of such a repulsively passive tactic for even a moment.
She smiled at Cass and stood up to meet her cousin, trying her best to look pleased with the dress. 'It's beautiful,' she said without sincerity.
The white dress trailed along the ground, the skirt puffy because of the layers and layers of gathered tulle. The bodice was made of silk, intricate beaded embroidery trailing along the side, down onto parts of the skirt.
Cass showed her a date sewn into the inner seam of the bodice.
'This was your mother's,' she said quietly.
Ran touched the dress gently.
It was just a dress.
She scowled at Cass.
Her cousin laughed.
Then her face turned serious. 'I know you're tired of hearing this but really, Caph is a good guy.'
'Believe me, I know,' Ran wanted to tell her. But the sound that came out was a grunt.
Cass helped her into the dress. Cursa came in to do her hair, curling it and styling it in a way Ran didn't think was possible with hair.
When she was done, her aunt patted her shoulders. 'You love him.'
A statement. Not a question.
'Anyone can see that.'
Ran chose not to reply.
'Your uncle just wants you to be happy.'
'By ordering me around?' the words came out harsher than she intended.
Cursa sighed and squeezed her shoulders. 'At least say hello to Caph. He's in a foreign county and you're making it difficult for him to feel at home.'
Ran's hands curled into fists.
After her aunt left, she stared at her own reflection in the mirror for a long time.
She didn't recognise the female staring back at her.
Soft wavy hair in ringlets around her neck. Half her hair bundled up and decorated with a net of white sparkly beads. Her mother's wedding dress was slightly loose on her because of her hunger strike but she could see the embroidered wolf leaping up at her waist in the mirror.
Ran felt pretty.
She pulled open the dresser drawer, retrieved her knife and wrapped it in the white towel Cursa used to dry her wet hair.
She made her way to the guest room where Caph was getting ready.
He had arrived yesterday with his entire family.
Ran heard her uncle showing them to their rooms.
She heard Caph asking about her.
His uncle telling him to do something about her.
But he didn't.
He never came knocking on her door.
She never heard his voice.
Ran knocked on his door now and waited for his voice.
No answer.
She couldn't feel him on the other side.
She glanced at the towel in her hands. Maybe he was inside but because of what she had decided to do, their bond had been broken.
Ran twisted the knob and closed the door behind her.
He was not in the room and there was only one hour until the wedding started.
She took out the knife and let the towel drop to the floor.
She brandished it.
Her hands were shaking.
She gripped the knife harder.
She couldn't waver.
She had to do it.
Unlike Caph, she could never choose her bonded mate over her pack.
Eridanus had to come first.
Eridanus existed even before he did.
She couldn't let his father gain a foothold in her domain.
Not if she could do something to prevent it.
Ran remembered how she had marked Dingo's face.
How she had been unable to kill him.
Footsteps.
The door opened and she felt the energy that thrummed in the air whenever they were together.
No regrets.
She lunged at him.
Caph grabbed her wrist and shoulder, pushing her into the wall. Heedless of the knife an inch from his chest, he leaned in and kissed Ran.
He was relentless, desperate.
He was drenched.
Soaking wet.
Wearing regular clothes.
His wolfy smell engulfed her.
Her hands shook.
The knife dropped.
Caph caught it, threw it across the room into the wall.
And then he was wiping tears from her eyes. Pulling back to see her face but then overcome with the urge to kiss her, then pulling back to see her face again.
'I'm sorry you had to wait,' he whispered.
She pounded his chest and wriggled out of his grasp. 'You traitor!'
He stumbled backwards and saw her full regalia. 'You're beautiful.' A boyish grin bloomed on his face. 'Let's get married now.'
'No,' she said. 'I'm going to kill you.'
The girn turned into his signature half-smirk. 'You don't have to anymore. I'm a zeta wolf now. Let's get married before my father finds out I've gone rogue.'
Her jaw dropped. 'You what?!'
'I left my pack. Declared my intentions to leave the pack to my Beta brother, Cast, and revoked my allegiance. He's on his way to tell my father about it. Your family's downstairs right? Let's say our vows before he arrives. Then there's nothing he can do about it.'
He took her hand and dragged her to the door.
She resisted him. 'Wait. You're not dressed.'
Caph's half-smirk grew bigger, making Ran feel slightly breathless. 'That won't matter once we're married.'
She frowned. 'Your father can still hurt you.'
Caph interlinked their hands. 'But you'll protect me, won't you?'
She stared at him.
'I can't do anything about your uncle's command that you make me Alpha, but Ran, as a lone wolf, I promise to dedicate my life to you and to Eridanus. I'll make sure your father's will is done and I'll make sure you never have to hurt anyone you love ever again. Okay?'
Ran whispered, 'Okay,' and Caph scooped her up, bounding down the stairs two at a time.