ce

hung in the air

again, but a single, thunderous look from Elder Alistair silenced her. The

reluctance. "By the authority vested in me as Elde

happen now, in the small, stone chapel on the manor grounds. A quick,

heelchair, my new dress-a simple one provided by a grim-faced maid-feeling like a costume

yard, Constantine spoke, his voic

anor was so desperat

ed. "I thought... it wa

t was part of it. But not the most pressing reason." He paused, ga

he world seemed to t

ith bitter irony. "Celeste Sinclair. From the Sinclair Alpha line. T

ce of trash to be disposed of to make way for a more valuable acquisition. The cold, calculated cruelty of it

ee," he said softly, "our bonding today... it is more than a n

is wasn't just me being rescued

ge, born of desperation and gratitude, was now tinged with some

e and beeswax. Alistair stood before the altar, his face grim. Eleanor and

on, "Do you take this woman to be your mate, to cherish and protect in sickness and in health, for a

esonating with a certainty t

blood seeping through the back of his fresh shirt. I thought of Celeste Sincl

no hesit

, my voice str

o the final part of the cere

lvet box. Inside, nestled on a bed of white silk, was a ring. It was a simpl

cool against my skin. He slid the rin

e. I had nothing. Nothin

uched his lips. "It's alright," he murmured

skipped

bonding. As my pen scratched across the paper, a strange sense of liberation washed over me. My life was

k into the cool evening air

all pretense of civility gone. She

ess cripple and a useless Omega. A match made

satisfaction of an argument. He simply

leanor," he said, his

leading me away from the chapel, away from my pa