Contractually married my ex-mate's Father

Chapter Five   Aria   "Aria Nightwind," a woman's voice called beside me at the entrance of the hall where I stood in an elegant white dress, adorned with the rarest onyx stones that sparkled like moonlight against a blade's edge, with a bouquet of lilies held tightly in my grip.   The dress was expensive, yet it was the farthest thing from a wedding dress in my closet, but I didn't mind. I couldn't bring myself to use the dress I had initially picked for my wedding because it reminded me of my ex-mate, and I didn't consider my union with Zane Blackstone a marriage. To me, this was another political and dynamic strategy meant to secure my birthright.   "So, you're the girl who crawled into Zane's bed." The voice taunted, and I scrunched my nose, swearing I knew that voice very well.   The fact that she addressed the Alpha king by his name had to mean she had a cordial relationship with him.   I turned slowly in the direction of the voice and saw brown eyes glaring at me with disgust.   The owner of the eyes was tall and elegant, dressed in a blood-red satin gown that clung to her curves like a second skin.   I recognized her immediately. She was Adeline, Rhett's aunt, the sister of the alpha king's dead wife, and the Pack's matron who sometimes acted in the capacity of the Luna.   She had moved into the palace less than a month after her sister's death to take care of Rhett, who was very young at the time.   Some said she moved on to take care of him as the alpha king refused to marry. Others claimed she had other motives in the palace. Like warming the alpha king's bed, for example.   The thought made me frown, which was quite odd. I wasn't supposed to concern myself with Alpha Zane's affairs. Our marriage was nothing but a contract.   "Adaline," I greeted and politely nodded before interlocking my arm around her elbow. Although I had requested that my brother not come to my wedding, my father was in attendance, but he couldn't walk me down the aisle because it was customary that the Pack Matron walk the new Luna down the aisle during her wedding.   "Adaline? Suddenly, you are on a first-name basis with me? By the goddess, every woman who plans to make her way through life by being a slithering snake needs to learn a thing or two from you," she spat bitterly, and it took everything in me to remain civil.   "I beg your pardon, Adeline. I would have to insist that you give me some respect. I will soon be Luna Queen," I said, my fingers clenching around my bouquet.   "I see. So tell me, soon-to-be Luna Queen, when Rhett rejected you, did it bruise your pride so badly you had to seduce his father to remain relevant?"   "You tried to have your way with the son, and when he saw you for what you are, you decided to dig your social climbing claws into the father."   My chest tightened, my nerves gnawing away at her sheer audacity. I knew she was trying to get under my skin and provoke a reaction from me, so I dug deep, turning my anger and irritation into strength, and took several tagged breaths.   Meeting her eyes, I modulated my voice so that only she could hear and whispered, "If I were you, I would watch my words and tread carefully."   Her eyes darkened, dragging over my frame with a frown, but I didn't bother to give her more of an audience. Instead, I turned away, ignoring the fire in my chest to focus on the man at the end of the aisle. He was impossible to miss in his perfectly tailored black tunic. His silver-streaked hair fell down his shoulders in loose curls.   Goodness, he looked so handsome...   His back was to me as I marched down the aisle, each step bringing me frighteningly closer to potential destruction or redemption.   My wolf stirred beneath my skin. Something about his scent and our close proximity called out to her, but I pushed it away, reminding myself that this was a contract and we shouldn't feel giddy or too comfortable.   "Aria," Zane rumbled when I stopped in front of him, short, simple, and formal.   I didn't miss how fierce and challenging his and Adaline's gaze was, but neither said a single word to each other.   The next moments move in a blur. An elder from his pack spoke, welcoming and thanking everyone who had gathered, or something to that effect. The ceremony began properly, and I paid no attention as the officiant drifted.   His voice was like a white noise backdrop to the troubled thoughts in my mind. I was still stuck on the reality of my wedding, not to the man I'd dated for the past four years, but to his father, and it didn't feel right.   On the officiant's instruction, Zane took my hand and focused solely on me.   "I, Alpha Zane Blackwood of the pack and the Alpha King, take you, Aria Nightwind of the Nightwind pack, to be my mate, my bride, and my luna."   His words were firm and final, as he spoke loudly for all to hear, and I couldn't help but draw in a shaky breath. It should have been Rhett saying these words to me, but here I was with his father, acting on uncertainty and impulse, hoping that if he was watching, it would hurt and break him just as much as his betrayal hurt and broke me.   Zane cleared his throat, pulling me back to reality, and I shook my head, my eyes closing as I focused on the task at hand.   "Uh-I, Aria Nightwind of the Nightwind pack, accept you, Alpha Zane, to be my mate, groom, and Alpha," I said softly, and my body instantly buzzed with electricity. I felt a weak connection form between us, and I inhaled sharply at the shock of it. I didn't realize that chosen mates could also feel sparks, and my heart fluttered. If Zane felt the same connection as me, he didn't show it. His face was expressionless, and I couldn't help but wonder what was going on in his mind.   Just when we finished the nuptial rites, a familiar scent caught my attention, and my heart stuttered when I saw Rhett, tall and sexy as always.   I was reminded of what had drawn me to him for a brief moment. He was a handsome man; his father's genes were present in his chiseled jawline and dim eyes that threatened to suck in whoever and whatever they rested on.   Although red, puffy, and full of pain, it surprised me how much power those eyes still hold over me as he watched me. I knew I shouldn't give in to his stare, but I was weak for Rhett, especially when he looked so helpless and vulnerable.   It hadn't been up to 48 hours since our rejection, and it took a month to heal completely from a broken bond. My wolf was calling for his, howling in my head to reach out to a man that was no longer ours.   God.   I wanted to go over there and hold his pale face until colour appeared on it. I wanted to scream and shout at him for ruining what could have been us.   Us?   There was no us!   We had our past, but now we exist as two separate beings. I was Aria, and he was Rhett, totally forbidden and off limits to me.   "If things didn't happen as they did, would you ever consider me forbidden?" I heard him loud and clear in the mind-link.    Wait, did I say that out loud or did he just read my mind? I arched my brow questioningly at him and he spoke again   "This doesn't need to be the end for us. We can still fix this. We can still fix us"