My Second Chance Mate is a Barbarian (Sera and Fenris) novel Chapter 126

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Sera

"Are you going to be sick, child?"

I kept my eyes locked on the stone wall directly in front of me. "I am perfectly fine."

The old woman let out a dry, rattling hum that vibrated in her chest. She stood behind me, her rough, calloused hands smoothing the dark fabric down my waist. "You don’t have to lie child."

I didn't answer her. I couldn't. If I opened my mouth again, the weird, heavy welling in the bottom of my stomach might actually crawl up my throat.

This was the same woman who had presented the black dress for the cermony. She was here now in my room to get me ready. But I wasn’t feeling ready.

Mina stood off to the side, holding a wooden box of silver pins. She looked at me, her brow furrowing slightly, and then quickly looked away, digging her fingers into the box. Mina wasn't scared about how the event would go. To her, this was a straightforward fact: I was getting married to the Alpha.

But my head was spinning.

Three years ago, it had been my absolute mission to make sure I married the Alpha of Blackwater. I lived for it. I bled for it. Kane promised me the Luna title, but he never kept his word. He fucked me for years, used me for his personal political work, and still dumped me on a stage for a noble woman without a second thought.

Now, another Alpha was actually going to bond with me. A much more powerful Alpha. The Butcher of the North. This was everything I wanted, right? A seat of power. Safety from my father.

So why did I feel this terrifying, hollow drop in my gut?

The old woman stepped around to my side. She grabbed one of the three delicate silver chains attached to the front panel of the dress and linked it to the back panel, right over my bare ribs. The cold metal bit into my skin.

The dress was exactly as it had been in the box that day. It was a midnight shade, catching the firelight with deep, blood-red undertones. It was incredibly soft, but it carried a strange, heavy weight that pulled it perfectly flush against my curves. The plunging V of the neckline exposed my collarbones and the inner swell of my breasts. My entire back was completely bare down to the base of my spine. The skirt swept the floor, but the two massive slits on the front of my thighs opened all the way to my hip bones, leaving my legs entirely exposed to the freezing air whenever I took a step.

It was a dress designed for exactly one thing. Access.

"I dressed a Luna once," the old woman said casually, hooking the second silver chain over my hip.

“She wasn't from the North. She was married off to Ironmaw by a neighboring pack. When she first arrived, she was incredibly timid. She absolutely hated being in a crowd. She hated talking. Half the pack actually thought King Viktor had bought himself a mute."