Married

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CHAPTER 2

~Snow's POV~

The phone call from my father had come in with the usual irritation and pressure he always brought. 

His voice was cold and demanding leaving no room for negotiation. "Find a Luna by the end of the day, Snow, or your brother will take what's rightfully yours." 

His words echoed in my head, a warning and a threat. I clenched my jaw, already seething at the thought of my older brother, the illegitimate son with his hidden agenda, circling like a vulture to claim the alpha position. I needed to act fast.

I slammed the phone down and buzzed my secretary. "Find me a woman," I barked, my patience thinning. "Someone willing to sign a marriage contract for a year. I don't care who she is, just get it done."

My secretary stammered a hurried "yes," and I could hear her heels clicking rapidly away. 

Time was ticking, and every second felt like sand slipping through my fingers. I needed someone, anyone who could fill the role of Luna, even if just for appearances.

An hour later, I waited, pacing outside the floors of the registry office, feeling the seconds drag into minutes, my frustration building. 

I called my secretary and her stammering made my chest tighten. I knew what it meant. There was a delay. I hated delays. 

"Celia, where is the lady?" I asked through gritted teeth, holding back my rage as I clenched my fist.

"Sir, she's…" I hear her gulp. "The lady had an accident on her way here and…"

I cut her off, my patience worn thin. "Enough," I snapped, my voice firm. 'I don't have time for your excuses. Get me a replacement, now and send her to the marriage registry. I don't care who it is, just make it happen.'"

I dropped the call and a few minutes later, my mum's call came through. Finally, I decided I couldn't wait any longer and shoved my phone into my pocket. 

I would marry the next woman who walked towards that door if it came to that. As if on cue, a woman strode in—confident, beautiful, her eyes sharp and her movements quick, her wedding gown rumpled. Her presence was a challenge I felt in the pit of my stomach and Glacier purred in approval. 

"She'll do," my wolf stated as though I asked his opinion. 

She walked straight up to me, her eyes locked on mine. "Are you ready to get married?" she asked, her voice calm, steady, but with a daring edge I hadn't expected.

For a split second, I hesitated, then caught myself. This had to be the woman my secretary was sending. I let a smile play at the corner of my lips. 

"To you? Always," I replied, amused by her directness.

Her gaze held mine fiercely. "Great. Let's get this over with," she said, and before I knew it, we were in the registry, reciting vows I'd never meant to say.

The ceremony was fast, a blur of words, and when it ended, she turned to leave, giving only her first name, Zara. I handed her my business card. "Snow," I introduced myself simply, watching her reaction. She didn't flinch, didn't blink—just took the card with an unreadable expression.

I asked for her number and she gave me without hesitation. "You'll have to move in with me immediately."

It wasn't a choice, I know and I loved the way her brows knitted. "Huh… why?"

"You're now my wife. Is my wife supposed to sleep outside on our wedding night?" Her brows lifted and then a small smile followed. 

She was about to retort, probably but I beat her to it. "Don't get your head in the clouds. I need to finalize the formal agreement papers as well."

She nodded but her attention was elsewhere, already on her phone, sliding through the screen and typing furiously. Once done, her lips curved into a smirk before she glanced up at me, her eyes flashing with some hidden victory.

She departed, and I couldn't shake the feeling that I had just married a storm. Moments later, I received a message from my secretary. "Sir, I've found a replacement. The lady is on her way to the registry. I'm so sorry!"

My heart skipped a beat, and a realization dawned. I stared at Zara's name on the marriage certificate, feeling a wave of disbelief. She wasn't the one I was supposed to marry.

I couldn't complain. I was determined to marry anyone.

I chuckled, a slow grin spreading across my face. A woman who dared to take fate into her own hands? I'd chosen better than I thought. As I watched her leave, I knew this was going to be interesting. 

I followed behind her. Just as she got outside at the last stair, Zara's phone buzzed with a series of frantic messages and then a call. My enhanced hearing caught his desperate tone, demanding where she was and insisting they still needed to be married.

She paused, her face set in a stubborn expression and the next thing, she took a picture of her left hand now adorned with the ring she'd hastily bought. Either that or she was too poor and they were knockoffs, then she sent him a photo. 

She glanced back at me, and I saw a glint of defiance in her eyes.

"Well," I muttered under my breath, a smile tugging at my lips, "this just got interesting."

***************

~ZARA~

I barely made it out of the marriage registry when my phone started buzzing like a swarm of angry bees. I glanced down, seeing Ivan's name flash across the screen, over and over, like some desperate chant. 

A bitter smile curled my lips. "Really?" I muttered, scrolling through his frantic messages. He demanded to know where I was and why I wasn't at the ceremony, insisting we still needed to be married. Married? 

The nerve.

My thumb hovered over the screen for a second before I decided to end his delusions once and for all. I held up my hand, the cheap but shiny ring I'd bought on my way to the registry catching the light. 

I snapped a picture and sent it to him with a message: I'm already married. Then I turned off my phone, sliding it back into my pocket. I wasn't going to waste another second on that man.

I had a new life to figure out, and it started today.

I arrived at our shared apartment. Sigh, now I regret moving in with him eight months ago when he said he needed me. Turned out, he only wanted to ensure my love was his.

I made my way up the stairs. Each step felt heavier than the last, but I pushed through. I was done feeling sorry for myself. Ivan had made a fool out of me, but I wasn't going to let him think he'd won.

I pushed the door open, the familiar scent of his cologne and their sex hitting me like a slap. I let out a bitter laugh. I wouldn't be needing that smell in my life anymore.

I grabbed my suitcase and began tossing my clothes in, not bothering to fold them. My eyes fell on Ivan's beloved television, the one he refused to let me touch.

Rage flared inside me like a wild flame. I picked up the nearest heavy object—a lamp—and hurled it at the screen. The glass shattered with a satisfying crash.

"Oops," I muttered, not feeling even a hint of remorse. 

My eyes caught sight of his laptop and I snatched it from the table. "You won't need this," I whispered before smashing it against the floor, again and again, until it was nothing but a pile of broken parts.

"Perfect. Shattered like our relationship."

I dragged my suitcase to the door, pausing to look around. This place had once felt like a promise. Now it was just a reminder of betrayal.

Just before stepping outside, my phone rang. It was a strange number. Before I could think, it ended, and a message followed.

Snow: Sending you a ride. Your location?

I chucked and replied. Just where did Ella find this call boy?