Amia's POV
"Smile even if you are close to breaking down," I said silently to myself as I raised the golden cup to my lips that would seal my fate. My gaze was lowered, and tears were threatening to fall.
My hands were trembling, and my breathing was loud.
"Drop the cup and run away!" I could hear a low whimper from my wolf that indicated her clear intentions.
"If we run now, we die," I whispered to my wolf, then glanced to my side where my mate was standing.
I quickly held my breath as tears ran down my cheeks.
I couldn't bring myself to even look above his huge, sleek tail, which made my body shiver in fear.
"Miss," the voice in front of me called softly.
I looked at the elder with a pleading expression on my face.
I was screaming silently, asking him or anyone to pull me out of the hellish nightmare I was about to walk into.
"You haven't taken a sip from that cup; everyone is waiting," he whispered in a low growl that sounded like a warning.
Of course, he was displeased with how I was acting. After all, he was an elder who worked for my father, the Alpha.
"What are you waiting for, you stupid bitch? Do you want to die?" My father's voice came through the pack's mind-link.
His voice not only held hostility but also dominance.
I closed my eyes and drank from the cup, ignoring my wolf's whimpers, which were now louder than before.
When I opened my eyes, the elder had a wicked smile on his face that showed how much he was enjoying seeing me in such a state.
He quickly grabbed the cup from my hands and moved it to my mate.
When scaly manly hands grabbed the cup, I felt like throwing up.
"I will fucking kill you if you mess this up!" My father growled again through our mind-link.
This time, I could hear his sincerity. He wasn't going to hit me until I was passed out; he was going to murder me. Yet, that wasn't what I feared the most.
What I feared was watching him do terrible things to my little sister.
When the cup was given back to the elder, he raised his hands as everyone seated behind us stood up in the garden.
"Please do hold hands," the elder said as I hesitated but turned to face my mate, my gaze still lowered to the ground.
I slowly moved my trembling hands, waiting for him to take them, but a few seconds turned into minutes without him doing anything.
"Lord Ezra," a female voice called softly behind us.
I heard a loud hiss, and then shortly afterward, cold, scaly hands roughly grabbed my own, and instantly, amazing tingles erupted throughout my body, making the nausea I felt subside.
The elder went on to tie a red ribbon tightly around our hands and then took a few steps back.
I stood still, praying to the goddess for something to go wrong so this ceremony could be canceled. But when the ribbon vanished from our held hands, I knew there was no way out.It was finally done. I was now wedded to the very monster I feared.
As everyone celebrated, I sat there in fear, blaming myself.
I blamed myself for being weak and for being an omega like my little sister.
I hated the moon goddess for letting my mate be a half-serpent, half-man, but above all, I hated myself for being born.
When I heard light movements behind me, I froze. Shortly, a delicate human hand was placed on my shoulder.
"Please come with me; we have to prepare you for your first night with the lord," she whispered.
I hesitated but moved from the seat I was sitting on and followed her. As we walked through the cold passage of the palace, I wondered what the lady in front of me was.
Although I did not see her face, I could see her back. She had a small frame that looked fragile and long black hair that reached her bottom.
Although she smelled a lot like a human, I had my doubts because there was no record of a human living in the Serpent's Nest (meaning territory) and surviving.
"My darling daughter, a word," the Alpha's voice called from behind, and instantly my foot became glued to the ground in fear. The lady stopped walking, but she couldn't turn.
As he approached us, sweat drops formed on my forehead, and the nausea that had gone instantly returned.
When a rough hand grabbed my shoulder tightly, I bit my lower lip in pain to hold in a whimper.
"I came to tell you congratulations, child," he said and then leaned forward close to my ear.
"If you mess this up, your little sister will lose her fingers, then her tongue, and soon after, her pretty little eyes. As for you, you will be beaten to a pulp and ripped to pieces. So make sure I never hear any complaints from the Lord," he warned in a whisper and then took a few steps back.
"Make me proud," he said loudly and cheerfully.
"Ye...s, Alpha," I answered in a cracked voice, then slowly followed the lady as she began to walk.
Tears were running down my cheeks as we walked upstairs because each step I took felt like I was walking on glass.
"This will be your room," the lady said as she opened two large doors.
"No one will attend to you because we will all be attending to our lord and guests. I suggest you change your attire and wait for the lord to come to you," she said, then walked out of the room, shutting the doors behind her.
The room wasn't quite dark because of the moon that shone brightly through the huge window that led to the balcony. Also, my kind could see properly even in the dark, so it was easy for me.
As I looked around, something became clear: this room was neglected in almost every way.
The walls looked dirty and worn out, and the floor had a few cracks. The fireplace, which was out, looked very dusty. The bed was huge, but the bedsheet there was dirty.
The wooden wardrobe, which was open, only had very few gowns, and the small rough table opposite the bed had only one chair and a book on top of it.
It was clear that this was deliberately chosen and given to me. Yet, what they didn't realize was how happy I felt. To me, such a room was beyond my dreams.
Because back in the pack, I slept on a thin, torn mattress that was laid on the ground.