What was he planning on doing now?
………
All of the council members were seated above us, each of them discussing the next move.
The entire room was quiet as we all waited for what their next decision was. I tried to stay calm but it was hard knowing how heartless and manipulative these people could be. They strived on making everyone’s lives miserable, so what could they possibly do to us now?
James wrapped his arms around me as Austin did the same for Lucy. none of us wanted her here knowing that she was pregnant and the stress wasn’t good for the baby but she insisted on coming.
My gaze went back to the members as they all stood.
“We didn’t expect things to go in this direction. However, judging by everything we’ve been through these past few weeks, we’re forced to make these harsh decisions.” The prosecutor announced suddenly. His eyes turned in our direction as they focused on one person. “Isabella Cross, you will replace your sister Eden and marry Hunter.”
I froze and so did everyone else in the room with me.
nO nO nO!
This couldn’t be happening!
Book 2 The Alpha’s forbidden Bride – End
To create a smoother reading experience, we prepare direct access to the third book of the Alpha Prince And His Bride Series for you. Keep scrolling, and you can enjoy the sequel, The Alpha’s Substitute Bride.
Blurb:
He has a mistress. He was promised my sister as his bride but was given to me instead. He doesn’t want me. He doesn’t love me. Then why, oh, why doesn’t he just let me go?
Hunter, the notorious and dangerous Alpha, was widely feared in the supernatural world. Everyone knew of him and his heartless deeds. After witnessing the death of his mate, he’d completely lost it and lived a life meant only to kill. It was the only thing that kept him from thinking about his dead mate, so he did everything he could to make living easier. But he wanted a wife, someone who could keep him company, someone he was sure he wouldn’t love, for he never wanted to be weak for another again. That was why he wanted Eden Cross; he didn’t feel anything for her, but instead, everything changed when he’d been given her sister, Isabella Cross, in place of her. Hunter didn’t want her didn’t want her because she made him feel again, and he hated every minute. But he was stuck with her because the deal had already been made; now he had to fight the intense attraction between them, for falling for Isabella Cross was the last thing Hunter planned on ever doing.
Book 3 The Alpha’s Substitute Bride
“Isabella Cross, you will replace your sister Eden and marry Hunter.”
There was a dead silence in the crowd, a silence that travelled all the way to my heart. The quietness did nothing to calm the b***d drumming in my ears at the unexpected news.
Those were the last words I ever expected to hear. They were words that I didn’t know would completely change my life forever.
I wasn’t the only shocked one in the crowd. My sister Lucy’s mouth was wide open as she held onto her husband Austin for support. My other sister Eden had a guilty and horrified look on her face. I could tell that she was already blaming herself for the sudden turn of events. Her mate James had his arms wrapped around her as he sent a deadly glare Hunter’s way.
When I had helped Eden escape from her own wedding to be with James, the last thing I was expecting was to have to take her place. I knew the council would try something crazy but this… This, I wasn’t expecting. I understood that they needed to fulfill their end of the deal and get Hunter married to someone linked to the council, I just didn’t think that they would be so quick to choose me.
I had no idea how to feel about the matter. I realized that no one was saying anything. I had to speak up before Eden said something that could ruin her relationship with her mate. She wouldn’t live with herself if she thought that she was destroying my life by being with James.
I couldn’t let her take that blame.
“You can’t do that!” Hunter roared suddenly before I could respond. His voice shook the entire room so much that even some of the servants took a step back. He was angry; I could tell by the way his chest moved and the veins that threatened to pop on his arms. But for some reason I also sensed a hint of panic in his voice.
As far as I knew, Hunter never showed any type of emotion. I must be imagining things.
His immediate rejection for some reason made my stomach churn uncomfortably. I tried to hide my obvious distress at his words. I hated the look on his face at just the proposal of getting married to me.
Was it really that bad to consider being tied to me?
I shouldn’t care.
He was a beast, someone that so many people feared. Then why did his words affect me so much? Why did I want him to happily accept me as his bride?
I couldn’t understand his actions. What was so wrong with me? I was taught the same skills as my sister. I didn’t lack in any of the training the council had given to me. So then why did Hunter oppose this arrangement when he was so willing to get married to my sister?
Maybe I already knew the answer but was not willing to accept it. The clues were there, he had the opportunity to marry me but each time he still chose Eden. I didn’t know why, but it wasn’t me that he wanted.
“You saw everything… Austin’s family has the support of the Blackners. fighting with all of them combined is a suicide mission. I do what’s best for the council and I always have, Eden will stay mated to James. I will not get involved in that and I must apologize for not keeping my promise to you but you must know of my current situation.” The prosecutor apologized with no sympathy in his voice whatsoever. If he was trying to gain Hunter’s sympathy, he wasn’t doing a very good job at it. “Isabella has all of the qualities that her sister possesses; there is nothing wrong with her. She will prove just as beneficial to you as Eden would have.”
The prosecutor made the same exact points that I was currently thinking. I didn’t think this day could get any more embarrassing for me than it already was.
Hunter’s jaw clenched and his hands tightened into fists at his sides. “I will not marry Isabella. You have destroyed the relationship that we share by betraying my trust on multiple occasions. first you promised me a bride and then you take her away and offer someone else in her place. Is this how you do business? Do I have to inform everyone in my circle about my experience here?”
“We will like to make up for that.” The prosecutor assured Hunter as he tried to calm him down. I was surprised to see this nervous side to him. It was obvious how important keeping Hunter satisfied was to him. “If you do not wish to have Isabella, then there are many other women to choose from.”
I felt an immediate pull at my heart.
Other women to choose from? This time I couldn’t hide my discomfort at his words. I didn’t like the idea of Hunter with another woman. What made my gut twist even more was the fact that Hunter actually seemed open to the idea. He wasn’t immediately saying no like what he’d done when the prosecutor had offered me instead of Eden. That was another stab at my pride and I tried to dampen down the horrible feeling of being unwanted.
“Victor!” He roared. “Bring in the rest of women; let them stand in a line before Hunter. He will choose whom he will carry home.”
I couldn’t believe this was actually happening to me. Hunter was so against marrying me that he was willing to choose any other woman that wasn’t me?
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