A Bride for the Pack Heir

When Elias ran away from our wedding for the seventh time to be with his childhood sweetheart Rebecca, his father, Dubois Pack Alpha Hector, offered me ten million dollars as an apology.

Elias just scoffed:

Dad, she's not worth that much money. That money would be better invested in Rebecca's art gallery.

Alpha Hector looked at me awkwardly.

But I wasn't angry at all.

After all, I'd already collected compensation like this six times.

This time, I wanted something new.

I pointed at Elias's most despised younger brother Leo and said:

"Give him to me instead. I'll marry him!"

Elias seemed to have forgotten that my parents were witches who had done the Dubois Pack a great favor.

We had an agreementonly the werewolf who married me would be qualified to become the Dubois Pack's Alpha heir.

Seeing I wasn't joking, everyone was shocked.

After all, this wasn't the first time Elias had run away from our wedding.

Before, when "Clara Gets Abandoned" was trending all over social media and I was the laughingstock for half a year, I'd never once mentioned calling off the engagement.

Alpha Hector hurried to reassure me.

"Elias is just confused right now. Just wait a little longer..."

He called Elias again, but before he could say much, he was cut off.

"You don't need to lie to me. No matter how angry Clara gets, she'd never say she won't marry me. Besides, I'm not breaking up with her. I'll be back after spending some time with Rebecca."

Rebecca's coquettish voice came from nearby.

"Elias, I'm just helping you test her. If she's still willing to marry you after being stood up so many times, that proves her feelings for you are real!"

Listening to them flirt so shamelessly, I pulled at the corner of my mouth.

"You're really that confident I'll keep waiting for you?"

As if he hadn't expected me to be listening too, Elias's tone faltered.

When he spoke again, his voice had softened.

"Clara, you know what Rebecca's like. She's depended on me since we were kids and can't accept me getting married yet. Can we just postpone the wedding a bit longer? Once I get her settled down, we'll hold it again."

Postponed six times alreadywasn't that enough?

When Rebecca first found out Elias and I were together, she immediately came to make a scene.

Elias had kept a straight face and told me in front of her that he only saw her as a sister.

But later, for the sake of this "sister," he turned me into the entire pack's laughingstock.

Alpha Hector was furious with disappointment.

"The wedding starts in three hours. I've already booked you a flight. Get back here right now! There are reporters everywhere waiting to watch this spectacle. Have you even thought about Clara's situation?"

"I..." Elias's voice carried obvious hesitation, and my heart unconsciously trembled along with it.

But the next second, Rebecca clung to him coquettishly.

"Elias, I already bought the movie tickets. If you leave, I'll just get another guy to go with me. Plenty of guys are chasing me anyway!"

"No way!" Elias snapped with irritated urgency.

When he spoke to me again, his words were full of helplessness.

"Clara, I really can't get away. Besides, you've handled this so many times before. This little thing won't be hard for you."

He made it sound so casual, as if the humiliation and mockery I endured in front of the cameras was just a trivial matter.

A dull, suffocating pain spread through my chest. I couldn't help but laugh bitterly.

"Do whatever you want."

Whether he came back or not didn't matter anymore.

Eager to keep Rebecca company, Elias didn't notice anything wrong with my emotions.

"Be good, don't be mad. I even got you a gift."

A photo popped up on my phone.

A necklace dangling from his fingers.

Another hand-me-down from Rebecca.

I'd become her trash bin.

I still remembered the first gift Elias ever gave mea red ladies' watch.

Although red was my least favorite color, because it came from him, I treasured it.

Until one day when I took it in for repairs and traced the serial number back to its previous ownerRebecca.

When I confronted him, Elias showed not a trace of guilt.

"I'm not good at picking gifts. Rebecca was just helping out. Don't be so petty."

He claimed he wasn't good at picking gifts, yet everyone in the city knew.

Every year on Rebecca's birthday, Elias would rent out the most expensive observation deck in the pack and set off grand fireworks visible throughout the entire city for her.

Jewelry that only appeared at auctions would be laid out like water before Rebecca for her to choose from.

Yet the thought he put into me wasn't even one ten-thousandth of what he gave Rebecca.

Even now, he couldn't be bothered to buy something new to appease me.

Rebecca acted as if she hadn't caught the sarcasm in my words and laughed cheerfully.

"I picked out the gift Elias is giving you! Do you like it?"

Rebecca laughed proudly and urged Elias to hang up.

Alpha Hector looked ashamed. He didn't have the face to keep persuading me to wait for Elias to come around.

"Are you sure about choosing Leo? His background..."

I cut him off and looked straight into Leo's eyes, which were churning with dark undercurrents.

I took a deep breath.

"I choose him."

My mother once mentioned she'd seen Leo at a high-end private auction.

This illegitimate son wasn't as simple as Alpha Hector imagined.

Between love and profit, I had to grab hold of one.

The groom's suit needed to be remade, so Leo and I set our wedding date for one week later.

Alpha Hector's expression was complicated as he let out a long sigh.

"On your wedding day, I'll announce the change in the Dubois Pack's Alpha heir."

With a new groom, naturally everything else had to change too.

When I went to the jewelry store to select new wedding rings, I unexpectedly ran into Elias and Rebecca, who had just returned.

When our eyes met, Elias's expression went cold.

"Clara, you really have some nerve, getting Dad to freeze my bank accounts."

"What I hate most in this life is people forcing me to do things. Don't think just because I came back that I'll marry you."

His eyes showed a trace of annoyance.

"Did you specifically find out my schedule to ambush me here?"

Rebecca pushed him and said coquettishly.

"Clara's devoted to youwhat kind of attitude is that?"

Rebecca linked her arm through his without any restraint, raising her eyebrows with a cheerful smile toward me.

"That's just how he is. Don't take it to heart. Don't worry, I'll definitely train Elias properly before handing him over to you."

Elias let her press tightly against him, his expression full of indulgence.

But before, when I'd gone shopping with him and just wanted to hold his hand, he would subtly pull away.

"So many people are watching. It's kind of awkward."

Turned out, he was only uncomfortable with my affection.

I took a deep breath, suppressing the surging emotions in my heart.

"Don't worry. I won't force you to marry me."

Elias froze, his brow just beginning to furrow when the clerk walked over.

"Miss Clara, the wedding rings you selected have been wrapped."

Elias scoffed and raised an eyebrow.

"Already picking out wedding rings, but you still say you don't want to marry me?"

He grabbed my hand.

"Put it on. Let me see if it fits."

His words suddenly stopped as his gaze fell on the fading ring mark at the base of my finger.

His voice caught.

"Where's the ring I gave you before?"

"I threw it away."

My tone was flat.

The day I decided to switch grooms, I threw it away.

That was the first gift Elias ever gave me, with both our initials engraved inside the band.

The usually rebellious Elias had rarely blushed as he shoved it into my hand.

"I carved this myself. If you lose it, you'll have hell to pay."

But later, he was the one who lost it first.

When I dug his broken ring out of the trash, Elias awkwardly rubbed his nose.

"Rebecca got drunk and insisted on taking it off to look at it. Somehow it ended up like this. Just throw it away. I'll make a new one."

But I waited forever, and he never made a new one.

Elias frowned hard, his gaze irritably landing on my empty hand.

"Can you stop making a scene? I said I'd marry you, so I will. There's no need for these games of playing hard to get."

Rebecca tugged at his sleeve, pouting coquettishly.

"Elias, this is the newest limited edition! I tried so hard to get it but couldn't!"

Elias's tight frown relaxed as he handed her the ring box.

"Then try it on?"

Rebecca's eyes lit up as she moved to open it and put it on.

I grabbed Rebecca's wrist, my voice turning cold.

"Hasn't anyone told you not to touch other people's things?"

Before I even applied pressure, Rebecca started crying out in pain with reddened eyes.

Elias panicked and grabbed my wrist, flinging my hand away.

He used too much forcethe sharp pain made my vision go black.

Rebecca accused me with red eyes.

"I just wanted to look at it. Why are you being so rough?"

Elias's heart ached as he shouted at me.

"You made her cry! Clara, aren't you going too far?"

He completely failed to notice my face, pale from the pain.

It was always like this. As long as Rebecca frowned or shed a tear, he would stand firmly on her side without fail.

Suppressing the sourness in my heart, I reached out.

"That's my wedding ring. Give it back!"

Elias's face darkened as he shoved the ring box into Rebecca's hand.

"This style isn't suitable for a wedding ring. Pick another one."

What wasn't suitable? It was just another excuse to make me yield to Rebecca.

And besides, I wasn't marrying him anymore, so why should he decide what was suitable?

Just as I was about to tell Elias about the change in marriage partners, he scooped Rebecca up and impatiently cut me off.

"I don't want to hear your excuses! If you target Rebecca again, I'll have to seriously reconsider our relationship."

Watching his resolute departing back, I laughed self-mockingly.

Elias, there's no need.

I've already made the decision for you.

During the wedding preparations, the news was full of scandals about Elias and Rebecca traveling together.

Everyone was curious about my reaction.

People in the pack had already started taking bets on whether I'd marry Elias no matter how many times he abandoned me.

I heard that when Rebecca found out the two families were holding the wedding again, she bet everything she had, counting on making a fortune.

But this time, she was probably going to lose everything.

On the wedding day, I'd barely woken up when my assistant called in a panic.

"Miss Clara, this is terrible! Elias brought people to tear down the wedding venue!"

First he ran away from his own wedding, and now he wanted to interfere with me marrying someone else?

Suppressing my anger, I rushed to the hotel to find Elias directing people to move the flower arrangements.

Before I could speak, he launched into a barrage of questions.

"Didn't I say we're not getting married for now? What are you doing, forcing me into marriage by acting first and asking later? Last time with the ring, Rebecca was very upset. Until she agrees, the wedding's off."

I stopped the workers who were about to leave, my voice cold:

"Put everything back."

Elias's face darkened.

"Don't you dare! Don't forget, I'm the Dubois Pack's Alpha heir. Even after you marry in, you'll have to watch my mood."

Alpha heir?

Ha, Elias, not for much longer.

Just as I was about to call Alpha Hector to have them removed, Rebecca pushed through the door wearing a wedding dress.

She lifted her skirt and twirled, acting coquettish toward Elias.

"I just said it looked nice, and you insisted I try it on. Now that I have, if you dare say I look ugly, you'll never hear the end of it!"

Then, as if just noticing me, she said with surprise.

"Clara, what are you doing here?"

I actually heard a trace of accusation in her words and responded sarcastically.

"Do I need to notify you when I come to my own wedding venue? Are you going to take that wedding dress off yourself, or should I get someone to help you?"

Elias's face darkened as he shielded Rebecca behind him.

"Clara, don't go too far!"

Wrecking my wedding venue, wearing my wedding dress that took two years to makeand I was the one going too far?

Looking at the security guards by the door, I ordered directly.

"Throw these two out!"

Elias grabbed my wrist, anger rising in his eyes.

"Not even married yet and already acting like the Dubois Pack's Luna?"

He flung my hand away forcefully.

"Tear everything here down and burn it. Teach her a lesson!"

To make amends, Alpha Hector had taken the initiative to provide staff for the wedding venue.

These people didn't yet know about the heir change, so they immediately began following Elias's orders.

Seeing a worker carry a portrait out of a room, I shot to my feet.

"Put that painting down!"

The noblewoman in the painting looked at me gently, like a silent comfort.

My nose tingled, and I nearly burst into tears.

My mother died young, leaving only this portrait she'd painted of herself before passing.

She said she hoped to watch me find a good match and live a smooth life through the painting's eyes.

This was my most precious possession, and naturally Elias knew it too.

After a moment's hesitation, he pointed toward the hallway.

"Put the painting outside first."

Rebecca's eyes flashed as she quickly stepped forward and snatched the portrait from the worker's hands.

"Elias is right. Such a valuable thing should definitely be handled carefully."

She said "handled carefully," but as she passed by, she deliberately dropped a lit lighter.

Flames rapidly licked at the fragile canvas, my mother's image fragmenting in an instant.

My eyes nearly split with rage as I lunged forward, but caught only a handful of ashes.

"I'm so sorry, Clara. The frame was too heavy and I couldn't hold it."

Hearing Rebecca's fake apology, I finally lost control and slapped her hard.

Rebecca screamed, and I gritted my teeth and landed several more slaps.

The next moment, a sharp pain suddenly shot through my scalp.

Elias yanked me away with a dark expression.

"Clara, have you lost your mind? It's just a broken painting, and you actually dare lay hands on Rebecca!"

Just a broken painting?

I looked at him in disbelief, my heart feeling like someone had viciously chiseled into it.

He knew perfectly well this was my mother's portrait!

Elias also realized what he'd said, his lips moving.

Just as he was about to speak, Rebecca covered her face and started crying.

"Elias, is my face disfigured? If my face is ruined, I don't want to live anymore!"

Elias held her with heartache, coaxing her with soft words.

Rebecca wouldn't let it go.

"Elias, why won't you stand up for me? Do you even care about me anymore? My parents are both gone. If you don't care about me, I might as well die!"

She started climbing toward the window, frightening everyone into rushing to stop her.

Seeing the scene descend into chaos, Elias gritted his teeth and ordered coldly.

"Slash Clara's face! When Rebecca's face heals, then you can treat hers!"

The staff were afraid of making things worse and tried to dissuade him.

Elias said coldly.

"So what if we offend the witch family backing Clara? I'm the Dubois Pack's Alpha heir. You think Dad would punish me over a witch?"

Seeing the others still didn't dare act, he decided to do it himself.

As he gripped my chin, Elias avoided my gaze.

"If you hadn't hurt Rebecca first, it wouldn't have come to this."

I looked at the faint finger marks on Rebecca's face and swallowed the metallic taste in my mouth, laughing through my tears.

"Elias, the biggest mistake I ever made in this life was being with you!"

Hearing the hatred in my words, his hand trembled, cutting a small gash at the corner of my eyebrow.

Warm blood dripped onto his fingers, and Elias's movements froze abruptly.

Rebecca shrieked.

"Elias, are you feeling sorry for her? Are you abandoning me?"

Elias's face twitched as his grip on the knife tightened.

"Clara, don't blame me."

As the cold blade approached again, the door was kicked open with a bang.

The knife stopped right in front of my eyelid.

Watching Leo grip Elias's wrist in an iron hold, Elias's expression turned murderous.

"You?"

"How dare a bastard who can't see the light of day try to stop me?"

The man laughed softly and, under Elias's shocked and furious gaze, swept me up in his arms.

"If you hurt my wife again, I guarantee I'll make you wish you were dead!"