I'm Getting Married but the Groom is not YouChapter 1
Allison’s POV
The faint thump of bass echoed through the walls like a steady heartbeat, each note rattling my desk lamp. Downstairs, the Hawthorn Pack was throwing one of its usual loud parties — another excuse for the Alphas’ sons to parade Trisha around like a fragile little moonflower.
I sat in the dim glow of my bedroom, my fingers cold despite the warmth of the summer air. The phone pressed against my ear felt heavy.
“Allison,” my mother’s voice came soft but firm on the other end, “the threats against you in Plum Blossom are no longer there. Your father and I… we feel it’s time you came home.”
I didn’t reply. My gaze stayed fixed on the half-moon outside my window, glowing over the Hawthorn forest like an omen.
Luna Althea, my mother, hesitated before adding, “We’ve arranged a marriage for you, sweetheart. For your safety… and because you are who you are. You know we’ve always tried to protect you. But the pack’s ready now. Strong enough to keep you safe. So… will you return to Plum Blossom and marry your fiancé?”
Her words settled heavy in my chest, but I stayed silent.
“If you don’t want to,” she continued quickly, “we’ll speak to the other family. We’ll cancel the engagement if that’s what you want, my dear.”
Still silence.
She sighed on the other end, clearly thinking I was about to refuse again — like I always did before.
But this time, something inside me shifted. The quiet realization that there was nothing left here worth fighting for.
I adjusted the phone in my hand and said, calm and even, “I’ll come back and marry him.”
There was a sharp inhale on the other end.
“You… agree?”
“I agree,” I repeated, my tone detached. “But I need a little more time here. A week, at most. I need to finish a few things in Hawthorn before I leave.”
“Allison…” my mother’s voice wavered, full of surprise and relief.
“Go ahead and start the wedding preparations,” I added. “I’ll be home in time.”
We exchanged a few more words — she fussed over details as mothers do — before I hung up.
The music downstairs drifted back into my awareness. Louder now, the crowd singing Happy Birthday.
I didn’t have to wonder for whom. Of course it was for Trisha.
A knock at my door broke me out of my thoughts. I already knew who it would be before I opened it.