I Married The Villain Alpha

Annalise's POV

"What if I don't?" those words escaped Vincent's mouth, his voice grazing my flushed ears. My eyes widened at his question as did his like he couldn't believe the words he said himself.

"What the hell is he talking about? What if he doesn't? Does this mean he's in love with Iris? No, wait, wait! Calm down and think about this carefully Annalise!" I forced myself to breathe, but my mind raced with questions.

"Wasn't this the man who hated Iris with every breath he took? And he didn't think twice about abandoning her when the time came."

Suddenly, Vincent's grip tightened on my arms, jolting me back to him, to the dark, consuming gaze that seemed to pin me in place.

His stare burned into my skin, a mixture of desperation and raw intensity flickering in his eyes that stirred something inside me. Something I couldn't quite explain… like I wanted to give him a chance.

"Are these my feelings or Iris's ?" As a matter of fact where is she? I wondered silently again.

The garden around us fell into an eerie silence. Vincent's spoke, his smooth, almost vulnerable voice breaking the silence. "What do I have to do to make you forgive me?... I know you're angry at me… so tell me… what is it that you want?"

"What do I want?" My lips parted as I took a shaky breath, fighting to find the words. "What I want is to be free. Free from this fate."

"How many times do I have to say it, Vincent?" I said finally, the sound of my own voice startling me. "I want you to call off the wedding. I don't want to be tied to you." My stomach knotted as my words hung in the air, echoing back to me, final and terrifying.

His expression shifted, his eyes narrowing. The softness vanished, replaced by a darkness that sent an icy prickling through me. "Vincent I-" I tried to continue.

"Iris," he interrupted, voice low and steely. "You seem to be misunderstanding me." A slow, calculated smile crept across his lips as he reached up, tucking a stray lock of hair gently behind my ear. "I am not giving you a choice Iris, I am merely trying to fix a mistake I've made." He spoke calmly, leaning forward.

My breath hitched as he leaned closer, so close I could feel the warmth of his breath against my cheek.

"You belong to me Iris and there's nothing you can do about it." He whispered, his tone a dangerous promise shadowed by an intensity that left no room for argument.

Vincent leaned back, his eyes now glowing faintly with a hint of mischief I could sense.

His words crashed over me like ice, freezing me in place. He meant it. Every word, every possessive claim. I could feel the weight of them pressing down on me, stealing the breath from my lungs.

My mind screamed at me to resist but I stood frozen and helpless. "Do I really have to marry this man?" I thought silently, my heart now pounding hard in my chest.

"Look Iris…" Vincent spoke again seeing my expression. "I am not trying to scare you… you are simply making this difficult for both of us" he continued. "I am the King of the Alphas of Estoria…" his eyes glistened with pride.

"I command power and one day you will be the queen of the kingdom and my Luna as well… you should be grateful for this opportunity and not act like a spoiled brat!" he snapped calmly.

"An opportunity?" I scoffed, word tumbling out before I could stop it, my pulse racing with defiance.

"Yes!" He answered "Many would kill to be in your place," he continued, his hand sliding to cup my cheek, while his other wrapped firmly around my waist. "And here you are, throwing it all away."

"Iris…" His voice was gentle now, almost coaxing, as he brushed his thumb along my lips, his gaze dipping down, lingering. "Stop being so stubborn, will you? It's no use. You wanted my attention, and now you have it."

My stomach twisted. His green eyes, smoldering, drifted back to mine, a faint hint of amusement flickering there. "Although, I must admit… your defiance excites me," he whispered, his tone laced with a dark, teasing edge.

A familiar heat crawled out of me dancing on my skin. My mouth went dry as I tried to grab onto the last bit of sanity that Iris's wolf dragged away fiercely.

Things were getting dangerous again and the last thing I wanted to was for things to happen the way it did the last time.

I swallowed before opening my mouth to speak. "Let go of me Vincent!" I demanded trying to push my way out of his grip again.

Surprisingly he agreed easily and loosened his grip completely, letting out a satisfied chuckle.

"I'll leave you alone for now so you can take your time and carefully think of what you want." He spoke, a smirk plastered on his face.

I remained silent at his expression not sure of what to say to him. Finally, I sucked in a deep breath and picked up my dress to leave the garden but my legs felt heavy.

I turned away from Vincent, my legs barely holding me up as I forced myself to walk. Each step felt like I was wading through water, my body dragging from the weight of what had just happened.

The scent of the garden, the presence of Vincent, all of it faded into a dull haze as I focused on putting one foot in front of the other.

My mind raced, replaying his words, his smirk, the way his fingers had gripped my skin like he could somehow keep me from escaping.

"What am I going to do?" I muttered under my breath, feeling a new wave of fatigue press against my shoulders.

My vision blurred slightly, the hallway stretching endlessly before me, yet I barely saw it. All I wanted was to get away, to reach the silence and safety of my room.

Finally, I stumbled into the dim hallway, my hands reaching out for support as my body refused to cooperate.

Hannah, Roselle, and Selene appeared in my line of sight, but their voices were muffled, like they were calling to me from far away.

I barely felt their arms wrap around me as they guided me forward, their worried faces swimming in and out of focus.

I collapsed exhaustedly on the bed trying to shut off my brains as different thoughts began creeping in at the edges of my mind.

"What am I going to do?" I mumbled quietly turning to my side.

My gaze fell to the scroll sitting on the table across my room. It was the scroll I wrote done all the details I could recall about the novel.

I shot up and rushed to it opening it and scanning the words as I refreshed my mind with the details I wrote done.

"Iris falls in love with him… but he doesn't love her… they get married… Vincent falls in love with an Omega…" I stopped, my eyes widened at the information that almost slipped my mind.

"That's it! Vincent falls in love with the female lead… I just need to wait for him to meet her!" A new hope sprang in me. "But that means I still have to marry him" the realization dawned on me weighing me down as I sank to the chair in front of the table.

"Ugh! Vincent what's your goddamn problem! Why do you suddenly care you bastard!" I cursed outwardly feeling a little shocked at my words.

I barely cursed in my past life but here I was now cursing away as the words flowed naturally on my lips.

I sat in silence for about a minute, my eyes glued to the window that reflected the golden color painted over the sky.

The breeze began to settle into a cold wind that made the hair on my skin stood.

"Wait a minute!" An idea popped into my mind as I picked the scroll back up to read it's contents.

"Iris is the daughter of the Duke of Everett!" I whispered to myself. "Of course!" I slapped the table excitedly. I just needed to meet with her father and convince him to help me.

Iris's relationship with her father wasn't explored in depths as far as I remembered but I did know they weren't very close due to his emotional negligence in her upbringing.

All he did was spoil her with his riches thinking it would be enough to fill the hole but it never did.

"I just need to get to him!" I clenched my fist in determination. No matter how uninterested he was in her life, he hardly said no to Iris's requests.

A knock came jolted me back from my thoughts. The door opened a little with Hannah's head poking inside as I turned to look.

"Err Your Grace, may I come in?" Her voice cracked with worry.

"it's okay, you're already inside." I teased, beckoning her to come in while I walked over to my bed to sit.

She had a tray in her hands with a teapot and cup arranged on it. She approached me and placed the tray on a nearby stool. I patted the bed beside me signaling her to seat beside me while she poured the tea.

I watched her carefully pour out the tea into a beautifully decorated china and give it me.

As I lifted the cup, the faint, earthy aroma of ginger wrapped around me, grounding me in the moment. "Ginger?" I asked, my brows raised.

"Yes your grace, it's one of your favorite." She replied with a smile.

"Oh!" I almost forgot Iris had her little quirks too. The tea was a pale amber color, glowing softly in the dim light, like a small, warm promise in my hands.

I took a slow sip, and a delicate heat spread through my chest, its spiced warmth chasing away the chill that lingered in my bones.

"I can see why she liked it." I thought, a quiet chuckle escaping my mouth as I let the light, almost floral aftertaste on my tongue calm my nerves.

Sometimes it occurred to me what a privileged life I was living in Iris's body and then I wondered if I even deserved it… to live comfortably.

All my life till I died as Annalise, I took every breath believing nothing good happened in my life because I didn't deserve it. However, now I was searching for another opportunity to try living again.

Hannah watched me as I drank and I urged her to pour one for herself. She refused at first but soon gave in to my demand. Although she saw herself as my servant but she was much more than that to me.

Her face was the first I saw in this strange world, one filled with so much care and love, the one I desperately craved in my past life. An image of my mother flashed in my mind, the sight of her lifeless body.

My stomach twisted as I attempted to brush it off but it didn't go away. My hands trembled as I fought to remain calm gripping the cup tightly. Hannah noticed and immediately dropped her cup collecting mine as well so she could hold my shaky hands.

Her old wrinkled fingers holding mine gently. Her eyes searched mine but I only averted it as the tears began to well up in me.

I clenched my jaw, willing the tears to stay hidden. 'Get it together, Annalise,' I whispered to myself. But Hannah's gentle gaze didn't waver. Her kindness seeped into every crack I had tried so hard to patch over.

My eyes only continued to burn and I was starting to lose the fight. "Is everything alright your grace?" Hannah asked softly, her gentle voice breaking my defense.

Her question repeated in my mind as it drifted back to my past memories, the real me.

My heart sank in my stomach at the realization that I never made any meaningful or lasting relationship with anyone in my past life.

Tears began to spill before I could catch them. The familiar ache that I thought I left behind me in that river came back, taking all over my body.