Page 1 of What Haunts the Heart
Prologue: Oakley
“Inow pronounce you, man and wife,” boomed the priest, who sounded far too much like my father for comfort.
I gazed down into the wide, sorrow-filled eyes of my betrothed, Claire. They pleaded with me, begging me for some semblance of mercy.We don’t have to do this,they cried.This isn’t how it was supposed to be! This isn’t what either of us want!
I stared at her helplessly, frozen in place.
At the very front of the room, Father stood with his arms crossed over his chest. His ice-blue eyes were sharp as knives. They stabbed into me without remorse for the agony they caused, because my heart was splitting in two and there was nothing I could do to stop this train-wreck from happening.
“You may kiss the bride.” How could five little words have the power to end our lives? To strip us from our freedom as human beings? To take away our choices, our happiness, our everything?
Our packmates, trading their suits and gowns for fur and fangs, surrounded the dais. They circled us slowly, yipping and yowling. They threw back their heads and shrieked to the blood red moon, demanding this sacrifice of our souls.
Unable to fight the command in their cries, I pressed my lips to Claire’s and sealed our fate. As tears slid silently down her cheeks, my vision shattered into fractals.
Father’s cold laughter would haunt me for eternity.
I woke up screaming.
