Substitute Luna

Listen to Running With The Wolves by Aurora.

Mathilda

I take a peek at the courtyard where things are being set for the wedding ceremony, and I cannot help but stare in awe because this has got to be the most tremendous wedding of the century. No doubt it will cost a fortune.

Tons of workers are carrying out their duties in the exceedingly busy place, and I'm certain we'll be having close to five hundred guests from different packs because it's no common wedding. Maybe a bit of a commoner getting linked with wealth and power.

My elder sister, Genova, is getting married to billionaire Alpha Cahill, the newly crowned Alpha of the Blackwood pack and it's not like she has any choice. My late father died in debt, and the only way we can clear them is to marry off our sister to Alpha Cahill who has picked an interest in her. She's the eldest Brewer sibling with seven years ahead of me, followed by my three elder brothers.

Genova is considered to be one of the fairest in our pack. She's completely perfect with magazine-cover-worthy looks, generous blonde hair, and a pretty face with good fashion sense. Men swoon over her. No doubt Alpha Cahill, was smitten at first sight and courted Genova for three months with marriage in mind.

This of course sparked jealousy and hatred between the female population both in and outside the Blackwood pack.

You see, we're from the lowest ranking family in the Blackwood pack with barely any recognition. All thanks, that will change once my sister gets married to Alpha Cahill, and we will be able to clear off dad's debt and uphold a high status in the Blackwood pack.

I've been struggling to sponsor myself in school since my mom and elder siblings have been working their asses off to pay the million-dollar debts my late dad is owing.

It's quite ironic because he didn't do anything meaningful with it. He gambled with the money and lost it all. Which actually led to his death, leaving his family to suffer for all his misdeeds.

Voices coming along the hallway avert my attention away from the window, and I see my brothers all clad in their suits, each debating whose outfit is more ill-fitting and it puts up a smile on my face.

"Hey little sister, you aren't ready yet?" Damon, my eldest brother asks with a slight frown.

"My dress got torn while I was wearing it, it's getting fixed by mother, as I speak." I flatten my hands on the shoulders of Archibald, to dust off invisible dirt, then straighten his tie, "you look dashingly handsome. Will probably do a great job of stealing some hearts, even though you're just the bride's second brother,"

"Thanks, Tilda," Archibald presses a kiss on my cheek, "you're the only one who's said the truth so far. Damon and Caden keep bashing me with insults."

The eldest and last of the Brewer brothers only let out snorts in return.

Continuous professional click-clack of expensive heels on stairs has our heads turning in the direction of where it's coming from.

"Mother," my brothers chorus almost immediately when the straightened blonde hair, elegant beauty takes slow strides towards our direction. Her green dress suits her perfectly.

"Are you done with my dress?"

"Have you seen Genova?" I barely finish with my question when my mom makes this inquiry, with her face hardened like she chewed bile or something with terrible taste.

"Why, she mentioned stepping outside to take some fresh air," Caden clasps his hands together as he cocks his head towards our mother.

"Hm, you mean to have a smoke?" Damon raises his chin thoughtfully in the air and taps on it.

"What!?" Mom gasps in shock, with her jaw touching the floor.

"How can you say that, brother?" Accusing Damon of this, I move towards my mom and wrap my hand around her. "Genova doesn't smoke, she's the most collected and poised elder sister one can ever have."

"Yeah, speak for yourself." Archibald steps forward and holds up a couple of pictures to our faces.

My eyes widen in outermost dismay on seeing the pictures of a certain elder sister of mine with two cigarettes between her lips. Then another where she's blowing out curly white puffs.

"Oh my god," I gasp out incredulously, then blink in absolute disbelief.

"Why did you keep such pictures of our family's eldest child?" Damon whacks Archibald at the back of his head.

"To perhaps bribe her into doing his biddings, judging from how mom disapproves of it and doesn't bother to hide her dislike towards women who smoke," Caden chips in with an uplifted brow, green eyes glinting with mischief.

"Smokers are liable to die young," he adds.

"That's for humans. Werewolves do not develop some sort of kidney or cardiovascular disease and die. We're immune to all of that." Archibald points out.

"Still doesn't give any good reason to smoke because if mother was some smoker, I'll bet dad wouldn't have married her." Damon pins on this. "Do you think Alpha Cahill will tolerate such a dirty habit?"

"Christ, I cannot believe this," I facepalm on seeing how my mom's jaw is still touching the floor from bewilderment. I am still finding it hard to fully comprehend that the lovely Genova Brewer smokes.

"Find her!" Mom thunders when her vocal cords decide it's time they get done with the little break they were having. And my mom's bellow was so loud that it caused the birds on this side to fly off to the other side of the garden.

Sally, Genova's bridesmaid, comes running with her hand clutched tightly on the Hem of her pink satin dress, almost stumbling on the floor due to the six inches length of her stiletto heels.

Damon, being the gentleman, rushes towards her side to help her.

"And what's the meaning of this?" Mom glares at Sally. She's never liked the girl for her own reasons, but that's beside the point. The habitually calm and cool-headed Sally Fitzpatrick is panting like she just did a marathon in her human form with wolves.

"Genova is missing!" Sally yells so hard that she doesn't need a gong and a trumpet to make this announcement.

These three words and audible gasps of shock from the workers outside put us all in panic.

"How did you know?" Damon lets go of her, and she goes crashing to the floor due to her ill-judged movement.

"She dumped the wedding dress inside a bathtub full of water, and I've spent over an hour searching everywhere for her," Sally says, sitting upright and helping herself out of the broken heels.

My stomach squeezes and tightens into knots, as I try to properly align the words I just heard.

"Can it be that she eloped with an old lover?"

"Did she possibly develop a tad of cold feet before the wedding?"

"Aside from smoking, which of course is a bad habit, Genova is a nice girl. Alpha Cahill might be abusive because of his alleged monstrous nature,"

"Fucking worse timing of the century, isn't it?"

Several uncertain questions are flying in the air, until my mother, Meredith Rose, slams her fist against the table in front of everyone, startling us all and gaining silence almost immediately

"Enough!" She bellows, her veins bulging out along her neck in exasperation. "We've got to figure out a way out of this, Or Alpha Nolan will shred us into pieces. The loans we are owing, your father's uncleared debts after his death. My fucking god, I can't believe Genova will do this to us," mom facepalms in distress, tapping her feet against the floor in frustration.

"Let's go find her, it might be she's homesick already and wants some time alone," Archibald suggests, while he's being stopped by Sally with a raise of the hand.

"Few of the workers formed a search party and one came with the news of someone seeing a tomboy who bore a striking resemblance to Genova, running away with a man." Sally points this out, and all three of brothers exchange knowing looks, with their lips thinning.

"Jack Snyder," they chorus and I gasp.

Because I cannot believe she's running away with that psycho ex of hers. Who in their right state of mind will ditch her own wedding with Alpha Nolan and run away with a man who's lost all sanity?

My mom who has been silent all these while suddenly shivers-jolts, her eyes sparkling with certainty, then she points at me, the youngest Brewer sibling.

"You, Mathilda...you will have to take the place of your sister to marry Alpha Cahill,"

"What?" I blink.

The world immediately stops moving as I replay the words of my mother in slow motion and let out a scoff because she's kidding right?

"Mother.." Damon starts to speak but she cuts him off with a hand held up.

"You have to marry Alpha Cahill," she repeats and something sharp splits through my chest, as my heart does a dangerous backflip and slams down my ribcage.