The mist of the New England air wistfully breezed around Margaret and her brother, Nathaniel as they began to descend on the trail that led back to their home. A lone wolf howl sounded far in the distance, but it still managed to send a fleeting shiver down Margaret’s spine, while her brother caught sight of her timid expression and smirked.

“They have been said to stalk through the night, soundless and stealthy as the devil himself,” her brother voice rose with the animated joy of storytelling. “To tear the throats of young little girls who won’t go to sleep!” She shrieked with terror as her brother mimicked the sounds of wolf howls when their Mother came to the doorway, with her hands firmly on her hips as she gave Nathaniel the evil eye and scolded them for the ruckus they were making.

“That’s not a comical matter, Nathaniel, those wolves terrorize the sheep every year.” Nathan protested, as their Mother shooed him out of the room. She ran her fingers over the single blue jewel of her necklace. “You don’t ever have to fret about any wolves as long as this is around your neck, my pet.” Her mother planted a soft kiss on top of her head, as Margaret’s head flooded with questions.

“But why, Mother, it is such a chore at times.” she whined, as her mother stroked her long blonde locks, as she helped her out of her long thick coat and guided her towards the bedroom, with a long wooden comb.

“It is a special necklace, and trust me, my songbird, as long as you have it around your neck nothing bad would ever happen to you.” As her mother proceeded to comb her hair, her fears of the wolf were put at bay, and she allowed herself to feel safe that no wolf would ever be able to find her.

She breathed deeply, allowing the air to fill her chest as she looked at her reflection in the mirror, thinking how wrong her mother’s advice as she pursed her lips in a thin line, shutting her eyes. Yet here she was, dressed completely in white from head to toe, feeling the dread rise from her stomach, thinking about the upcoming ceremony and day ahead.

“I am ready,” her voice a shaky tremor, as her mother carefully placed the veil, on her head. The innocence of her pearlescent pale lacy veil tickling the bridge of her nose. She stood solemnly, trying hard not to think of the day ahead. Her numerous relatives and friends were bursting with joy at the jubilant occasion, but to her, that white veil could have been dyed a dismal black . A march to my own death, she thought glumly.

Her upper lip curled in disgust as she began to think more thoroughly about the man that she was arranged to marry. Only after three months she had known him and not a day had gone by that she hadn’t wished she could run away, slip a dose of hemlock into his drink, or yank a fitted noose onto his thick, meaty neck.

He always looked at her like she was another conquest; with desires too dark to name, too despicable to put thought to. Like he was the hunter and she was a beast he craved to call his own propped up on display on his wall of other hunting trophies.

Her sisters stroked her hair reassuringly before the wedding saying that the man chosen for her was the ultimate gentleman. A man to his word, devoted and faithful. But even they were blind to those greedy eyes and wandering hands. She had known from the start when her parents had announced the proposal, he took her into a vacant parlor where he lay a threatening hand on her thigh…

She closed her eyes and gazed up at her mother slowly, giving her a small nod, as her mother rearranged the necklace she had given her. Her mother gave her a small tight smile.

Before she was able to proceed down the hallway, her brother Nathaniel beckoned her, and took her into a small room, away from the onlooking eyes of other wedding guests and her mother’s care.

“We haven't much time, but I need to tell you to be careful and don’t let that necklace out of your sight. Please, Margaret, it’s important for you to understand,” his pleaded, squeezing her hand slightly as she furrowed he brow.

“What do you mean? What could happen to me if it's taken off--”

Nathaniel cut her off, and put a finger to his lips, as he heard footsteps walk past them outside of the room.

“Please just be careful, for all of our sakes, Maggie, good luck on your big day.” He opened the door and walked out with her, and she proceeded down the hall as before, her heartbeat thudding uncomfortably loud in her chest.

As she slowly proceeded down the aisle with the organ’s notes drowning in her ears. Her mother was counting on her for this marriage to be successful, to save the family with a way of income as well as the estate they resided in. The church was dressed in a prim and proper fashion with little decorations other than bushels of wildflowers and daisies that stood tied to the pews, in celebration of the spring wedding. The mid-April weather seemed cheerful and bustling with lush life, but Margaret seemed oblivious to. Her mind and thoughts felt dark and stagnant as she finally looked up to her groom awaiting her at the altar, as she tried to suppress a shudder. Anyone else would have said he looked impeccable and handsome, in a dark suit with a tiny daisy at the lapel, his dark brown hair combed to the side, brown eyes sparkling, but she tried to hide her disgust. She made her way to the altar, and as the priest began the ceremony, reciting clearly in a monotone voice. The rest of the ceremony blurred by with her melancholy thoughts as they exchanged their vows and I do’s. When it came for the groom to kiss the bride, Margaret tried to internally steady herself, as he pushed the veil over her head and bended slightly to kiss her. His lips felt like threatening invaders, and she pulled back first, feigning a small smile.

“You may be shy now, my dear, but you mustn't deny your husband on his wedding night.” he whispered into her ear as she stepped back out of his reach. As she went to greet her family and her guests, she could feel his hungry eyes on her. Waiting for the night to come, and the atrocities that would await her. She put her hand to her necklace; her sole protector that she held dear, couldn’t seem to save her now.

The wedding reception’s events seemed to blur together, with numerous family members and friends congratulating her, as her heart sank in her throat. She returned to her bedchamber, and began to undress into her nightwear, reminding herself to breathe, as she looked at her pale reflection in the mirror, the sapphire jewel glimmering in the faint glow of the candlelight. She took a deep breath to cleared her senses and rationalize. Her mother had been arranged to marry her father, and they had gotten along. But, her now husband was different from the suitors who tried to court her; they were polite, if not boring, but kind and courteous. Her husband was too...slippery, he appeared the perfect man to her mother, but his dark eyes betrayed a different creature from within when he gazed at her.

“Ah, my dove, eager to begin the consummation of our marriage, are we?” He shut the door in a rushed manner, standing behind her as he planted a kiss on her neck.

“Actually, due to the day’s activities, I must rest, so I regret to decline your offer but--” Her words were swallowed into her throat, as he began to undo the buttons on her dress, as she pulled away from him, telling him to stop, but as his fingers inched towards her necklace, her blood ran cold.

“Please stop, I’m tired, I...I don’t want to!” she slapped his hand off of her, but he didn’t seem to notice her protests, as he pushed her forcefully on the bed.

“Now, now, I am your husband, you must do as I say. Take off your necklace so you can properly disrobe and do your wifely duty.” Beer reeked on his breath, as he clambered on top of her clumsily, she pushed him away forcefully, slamming her fist into his throat, and pulled with all her weight from his grip hard sending him spiraling backwards but there wasn’t enough time. Violently, he snatched her mother’s necklace from her neck.

The colors of the glow of the candle, and the quilts and the other objects of the bedchamber melded together in a dizzying space, as her use of smell and hearing magnified, right before her eyes.

Her wedding dress was on the floor, but she wasn’t nude. A thick layer of fur decorated her skin and she tried to feel for her ears and mouth to discover that they were rearranged. Looking for a mirror on her desk, she peered and didn’t see a girl staring back at her but a larger than life dark grey wolf with a row of ferocious daggers that lined its mouth and a cold hearted amber stare. The man stumbled over his legs to see the view, but she circled him in a slow manner before he had noticed.

His brown eyes grew wide with alarm, but she didn’t hesitate. Even as a wolf, he looked no different to her.

She leaped on his now minuscule figure and clamped her jaws hard on his throat, tearing it apart piece by piece with her teeth, ignoring the muffled cries of pain and shouts of agony that pierced the air, but she didn’t stop until she felt the heart beating throb at his throat cease and his breath give out.

Smacking her lips, she released him gently from her grip and backed away slowly.

I am a bride. And this is my wedding. She thought with a fierce sense of achievement.

With raspy breaths, she leapt through the window and sprinted until she had made it into the woods, and kept running until her home seemed to be miles behind her. The fresh New England air of the night engulfed her, and she felt a pleasant breeze through her fur. The woods seemed alive to her sense of smell and ears, she could hear the crackling of twigs being overrun by squirrels, but most of all she could hear them. Other wolves, who lived in the forest. Their howls pierced her hearing, but for once she wasn’t afraid. Blissfully, she raised her snout to the sky and let out an fierce howl, joining in with their voices, as she tread on into the woods. Maybe as a wolf, she would be able to feel that sense of freedom she was not able to feel when she was human, constricted in a world of a society and arranged marriages. Maybe she would be able to belong in this world of wolves, better as a human. She continued to run towards their howls, savoring the feel of the breeze whisking through her fur and the rocky ground under her paws.