“What’s your name?” she asked.
He smirked, and it made the scars on his face stand out more. Her heart raced as he took a step closer to her. She didn’t know what to do or say. It was against the rules to even be out here with him, but seeing as he was supposed to be her husband in a matter of days, she didn’t know why it would be a problem.
“My club name is Ugly Beast,” he said.
“Ugly Beast?”
“It’s what I’m known as.”
“I don’t want to call you that.”
“It’s all you’re going to be able to call me. Now, let’s go inside. I don’t like how these sons of bitches are looking at us.”
He placed a hand at her back and moved her back into the house. The kitchen was bare, and as they made their way back toward the party, she stopped, placing a hand on his shoulder, stopping him.
“Just a moment. I don’t want to go in just yet.”
With each step they took into her old family home, the feeling of being trapped flooded her.
“It’s fine.”
He moved them out of sight, into a dark corner where there was no light. She enjoyed the dark so much.
The door to their right opened, and she saw three women leaving the bathroom.
“Did you see his face?” the woman asked.
Abriana didn’t recognize them.
“I know. He’s a monster, but then, she’s so plain as well. They’re going to make really ugly babies.”
They started to laugh, and Abriana glanced up at Ugly Beast.
She was used to having people say bad stuff about her looks. She was plain and had known that for a long time. Even her mother refused to sugarcoat it for her and had told her at a young age to accept any guy that found her desirable.
What kind of person did that?
When she had children, she’d tell them every single day how much she loved them. How much she cared. It would be a complete contrast to her own childhood.
“I’m sorry,” she said.
“What for?”
“For what they said.”
“Do you want me to slit their throats?”
“You’re offering to kill them?” she asked.
“They disrespected you in your home. When you’re mine, any bitch that tries that will get killed. Simple as.”
“You can’t kill them. They’re wives and daughters. They’re protected.”
He leaned down. His lips brushing against her ear. “In case you haven’t noticed, sweet cheeks, your men don’t give a fuck about women. One pussy is just as good as another.”
“Isn’t that the same with all men?” she asked.
“Yeah, it is, but we’ve got standards. You’re loyal to the club, we’re loyal to you. Fuck us over, you’re gone.”
He was so close, and she saw how blue his eyes really were. Most of the time he was glaring, like he was now, but there was something different. Ugly Beast was a strange man, one she wasn’t entirely sure she liked, but even still, he gave her a semblance of hope, which was more than anyone had ever given her.
“It’s time for us to join the party.”
Whatever spell had fallen over them, was gone. He grabbed her arm, and before she could protest, they were heading back to the main throng of the party.
She recognized the women from the bathroom, who gathered around.
“It’s time for the ring,” Smokey said, coming toward them.
She saw the disapproval in her father’s eyes, and tried to ignore it.
“You guys good for me reaching into my pocket?” Ugly Beast asked.
There was a round of snickers as he opened up his jacket, and she waited as he pulled out a small velvet box.
This was it.
The moment that would engage her to this man. Her mother and father were doing everything to organize the wedding, and soon she’d belong to this man. All of her life, she’d been told her life would be forever bound to a man. This would be her future.
Her hand shook as she held it out, hoping no one saw.
Weakness wasn’t something they liked to see in their world.
She was surprised by the ring, a single silver band with a tiny diamond. It was, in fact, incredibly beautiful.
Staring up at him, she realized he was watching her reaction.
“It’s beautiful.”
He gave her a nod, and that was it. His men took him away, and she watched as they drank with revelry, without a care in the world. All the social gatherings she’d been part of had always been reserved, filled with tension.
She’d seen people die in front of her.
Blood.
Death.
She’d even been forced to step over brain matter.
All of this and still, she found the courage to keep on going.
She watched Ugly Beast and his MC. They were … amazing. The other women felt sorry for her, for the life she was about to have as an old lady. Nineteen years old, bound to a man whom she knew nothing about, and yet, in that moment, she felt a little wave of excitement about what it could all mean for her. This was a new chapter in her life, one she couldn’t wait for, and yet she was equally scared.