Married To The Resurrected Alpha Prince

Cecelia POV:

"... Cecelia Kensington of House Kensington shall be joined with the late Alpha Prince, Jude Montgomery, of the Silvermoon Pack in a binding ceremony."

The King's envoy read the words from the parchment scroll. His voice was flat, a dull blade sawing through the last of my dignity.

I knelt on the cold stone floor of the parlor, the chill seeping through the thin fabric of my dress. The air smelled of mildew and the cheap, cloying perfume my stepmother, Eleanor, wore.

She stood beside the fireplace, a triumphant smirk playing on her lips. My stepsister, Deja, mirrored her expression, her eyes glittering with malice.

A stifled giggle escaped Deja's lips.

Marrying a dead man. A living widow. This was the price for being a threat.

My gaze fell to my hands, clasped in my lap. The skin was rough, marred by the faint, silvery scars left by the wolfsbane poison. The same poison that had splotched my face with yellowing patches, earning me the title of "the Ugly Kensington" throughout the capital, Lunaris.

The envoy rolled up the scroll with a snap. His eyes, cold and impersonal, landed on me as if I were a piece of cargo.

"Pack your belongings, Lady Kensington. You are to be at the prince's castle before nightfall tomorrow."

Eleanor glided forward, her face a mask of false sympathy. "Cecelia, this is a great honor. The Kensington family will remember your sacrifice."

Her eyes held no pity. Only the relief of discarding a burden.

I ignored her. My knees ached as I pushed myself to my feet, the pins and needles in my legs a welcome distraction.

I met the envoy's cold gaze.

"I understand," I said, keeping my voice steady.

My composure seemed to unsettle him. A faint frown creased his brow, as if the timid Omega of rumor didn't match the woman standing before him.

Deja stepped forward, deliberately bumping my shoulder.

"Congratulations, sister," she whispered, her voice laced with venom. "You're finally getting married. Though I suppose a dead man is the only one who would have you."

I didn't give her the satisfaction of a response. I turned and walked toward the narrow staircase that led to my attic room.

The sound of their unrestrained laughter followed me up the creaking steps.

They had no idea. The ugly, sacrificial Omega they looked down on wasn't mourning her fate.

I locked the door to my small room, the bolt clicking into place. Leaning against the wood, I let out a slow breath. My heart was still racing, the anger I had held back refusing to fade.

I walked to the cracked mirror in the corner. The face staring back at me was pale, covered with yellow patches and scars left behind by wolfsbane poisoning.

My fingers slowly touched my cheek, tracing the rough skin beneath my fingertips. The sensation was real. The scars were real.

I had repeated this to myself countless times since waking up. Yet every time I saw this face, I still needed to remind myself of the truth.

I was Cecelia Kensington again.

The last time I had seen this face, I had been standing at the edge of despair.

When I was told I would be married to a dead prince and spend the rest of my life as a living widow, I believed my fate had already been decided. There was no escape, no future waiting for me.

In that moment, I chose to end my life.

But death was not the end.

When I opened my eyes again, I found myself in a civilization far beyond anything I had ever known. A world where I was given the chance to study knowledge this era could never provide. I learned advanced medicine, cutting-edge science, and the secrets of supernatural biology. Years of research, countless experiments, and everything I discovered remained with me.

I became a physician specializing in supernatural biomedical research. I developed treatments, studied different species, and searched for ways to overcome diseases that others believed impossible to cure.

I thought that life was my second chance. I never expected that one day, I would open my eyes again and return to this world.

When I opened my eyes again, I had returned to the day I was told I would marry a dead prince. I was Cecelia Kensington once more, back at the moment when my despair had begun.

But this time, I was no longer the powerless girl who had been forced to accept it.

Perhaps the Moon Goddess had given me this chance, allowing me to return and change the fate I once believed was already decided.

I walked to the wooden chest in the corner and lifted the false bottom. Inside was a single petri dish. A special fungus grew slowly within it, capable of breaking down the toxins of wolfsbane. According to my research, the antidote would be ready soon.

Restoring my face was only the first step. The real question was what I would do after that.

Marrying a dead prince sounded like another cruel joke from fate. But it was also an opportunity.

A prince's castle meant access to resources, records, and secrets hidden from ordinary wolves. If I could secure my place there, I could uncover the truth behind my adoptive parents' deaths and find the person who poisoned me.

I opened my luggage and began to pack. There was little to bring. A few simple dresses, herbs hidden inside the lining of my bag, and a syringe filled with a powerful sedative tucked into my sleeve. Just in case.

Jude Montgomery. The Alpha Prince of the Silvermoon Pack. The "War God" spoken of throughout the kingdom.

I knew almost nothing about him, except one thing.

He was believed to be dead. And tomorrow, I would become the widow of the Alpha Prince of the Silvermoon Pack.

I looked out at the dark castle grounds, my hand resting against the cold window frame.

This time, I would not let this world decide my fate. And I would take back everything that had been taken from me.