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I sat through hours of make up and hair, letting the beauty team test styles and redo things they deemed unworthy. My hair was hard to work with and I knew it, but they had straightened it and added thick, loose curls instead of my usual tight kinks. My hair was always significantly longer when straight, touching the small of my back. Instead of closer to my shoulder blades.

I was never one for much make up, but that didn't matter. The ladies coated my face with layers of crap, all to achieve what they called natural glam. I wasn't sure what part of that was natural, but they insisted so I relented.

No one had bothered to come to my room except Anya, who stayed by my side every minute. Dominic stayed outside until Vlad came back to switch him out. I wondered if they always stayed on shift like that or if it would change after tonight.

Anya helped me slip into the free flowing wedding gown and buttoned up the back. I hardly watched in the mirror as she raked my hair back over my lace covered shoulders. I tried to stay as numb as possible. If I let myself feel anything, I was sure to come unglued. I just had to make it through the ceremony and it would be over. Werewolf receptions weren't for weeks. They didn't happen until there was "good news" to spread. Like a pregnancy.

I gulped down the thought. That was definitely going to unhinge me if I thought about being pregnant in a few weeks.

"You look beautiful," Anya said as she squeezed my shoulders.

I tried to smile, but Edric's words crept into my mind. He thought of me as a child. I couldn't help the self-conscious thoughts from invading.

"Thanks," I said.

She offered me a sad smile. "Just get through tonight and everything will calm down. I promise."

I nodded firmly. She was right. I could do it. I didn't love him and I probably never would, but I could make it work. I had to.

"It's time to go," she said softly.

I took a breath and followed her out of my bedroom. I had zero idea where the wedding was happening or if Edric would even show up. Everyone had been so concerned whether I would run; they probably should have been watching him.

All four of my guards and Anya surrounded me without a word. I could feel how much they all pitied me and I hated it. I didn't want anyone's pity. The situation was awful, but it could have been far worse. I could have had to live for years under Rick's rule. Edric could have been a disgusting perv. Granted, he could be, but the fact that he ignored me led me to believe he wasn't going to touch me if I didn't want him to.

Vlad peeked over at me for a moment. I wondered what they all thought of my situation. Did they think I was an idiot for going quietly? Should I have thrown a fit? It wouldn't have changed anything. A fit would have just made everything worse.

The dress billowed around my legs as we made our way through the maze of halls and flights of stairs, clear across to the other side of the estate.

Grand double doors were open, revealing what I assumed was a ballroom with hundreds of pews filled to the brim with people I didn't know. Two guards closed the doors before anyone could see me as my group of four loosened their tight formation.

Edric came up on my side dressed in his tux, waiting to walk down the aisle together. He didn't say a word to me. I had never imagined the moment I got married, but I knew this wasn't how I would have done it. Maybe I would have picked an outdoor venue and followed the human tradition of walking separate from my fiancé. In a perfect world, my parents would have been seated at the end, watching me marry the man I loved.

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