Chapter 16
Olivia's POV
“Love Reborn from Shattered Bond: Alpha Ethan & Olivia’s Unlikely Union,” Mia snorted at the news headline as she read it aloud. “These reporters are just making shit up now.”
“I don’t know, Ethan and I are unlikely, and Aiden did in fact shatter our bond.” I adjusted my wedding dress, my hands trembling slightly. The satin fabric felt smooth under my fingers, but it did little to soothe the nerves twisting in my stomach.
Mia turned to me, her voice softening. “Liv, you slay in that dress. You’re going to be the happiest bride in the world. Forget the paparazzi, Ethan won’t be able to keep his eyes off of you.”
I smiled weakly at her encouragement, though the butterflies in my stomach fluttered more violently. This wedding wasn’t about love, but I still found myself hoping for just one second that Ethan would look at me the way a groom should on his wedding day.
I wanted a husband who would look at me like I mattered to him.
A sudden knock at the door made both of us jump. “Maybe that’s Ethan now, too eager to wait to see his bride,” she said with a grin, heading for the door.
Mia wiggled her eyebrows at me as she opened it, but her teasing smile was replaced by a fierce glare. “Seriously, Aiden?”
His presence filled the room as he pushed his way past Mia. Tension thickened the air with anger practically radiating off him.
Mia stepped in front of Aiden, crossing her arms. “You can run along now, you weren’t invited.”
Aiden ignored her, his eyes locked on me. “Olivia,” he said, his voice low and urgent, “I’ve explained this before. Amelia wasn’t ever going to be my Luna. I never meant for her to take your place.”
The words dragged up memories I had tried to bury deep. The hurt, Aiden and Amelia’s betrayal, it all came rushing back. But today was not about him or our past.
“I’m not talking about this today, Aiden.” I said firmly, my voice sharp.
But he wouldn’t hear it. “You can’t fool everyone with these lies. Pretending to be Luna, faking Fated Mates, it’s dangerous! The Alpha Council could sentence you to death if they find out. Ethan’s gambling with your life, Olivia. You can still change your mind.”
Mia sneered, stepping closer to him. “So, you’re here for what? To elope with Olivia? To challenge Ethan for her heart?” Her tone was mocking, filled with disdain. She didn’t flinch as Aiden’s frustration mounted.
He hesitated, struggling for words, his confidence wavering. “I… no, that’s not…” Of course, Aiden wouldn’t openly challenge Ethan, he’d never win.
Aiden’s stuttering response made something inside me snap. How typical. Always so sure of himself, but never when it really mattered.
I straightened my spine, staring at him coldly. “See? You only care about yourself. You’re not here because you care about me. You’re here because your pride is hurt.”
The words flowed out of me like a dam breaking, weeks of pent-up frustration and pain fueling my anger. “My marriage to Ethan bruises your precious ego. You fucked up, Aiden, and now you’re deluding yourself into thinking I would ever be with you again.”
I wasn’t going to let Aiden live rent-free in my head. “Wake up, Aiden. I know you don’t love me. You want to use me to get back at Ethan, to feel powerful again. I’m done being part of your game.”
For a moment, Aiden just stared at me, his jaw clenched tight. Then, his face twisted and I as something between regret and bitterness washed over me. “Olivia,” he said quietly, his voice almost sad, “from this day on, we are enemies.”
The weight of his words hung in the air, thick and suffocating. Once, those words would’ve broken my heart, but now they just felt like the inevitable end of a chapter I should’ve never started.
I stood my ground, refusing to let him see how much he could still hurt me.
“So be it,” I said, my voice steady and cold.
Without another word, Aiden stormed out of the room, leaving Mia and me in silence. For a moment, neither of us moved, the tension still prickling the air like static.
Finally, Mia let out a long breath. “That guy’s such an asshole.”
I laughed softly. “You can say that again.”
She walked over to me, adjusting the veil that had shifted slightly in the chaos. “You okay, babes?”
I nodded, though I wasn’t sure if I was trying to convince Mia or myself.
Mia gave me a reassuring smile. “Just focus on the positive; you’re brilliant, powerful, hot, and you’re stronger than all of them combined.”
For the first time in what felt like forever, I smiled a genuine smile.
The car ride to the venue stretched on, my thoughts spiraling as I tried to prepare for what was about to happen. When we arrived, the sight of the ceremony hit me all at once—the sheer grandeur of it.
The space was draped with thousands of roses, a soft breeze carried their scent with the music from a string quartet. For a fleeting moment, I let myself slip into the fantasy that this was real. That I was marrying my Fated Mate.
Ethan stood in the clearing, still as a statue. My hands tightened on the bouquet as I reached him, trying to focus on the moment.
“I, Ethan Blackford, claim Olivia Hartwyn as my Mate and Luna of the Storm Haven Pack. I pledge my loyalty, power, protection, and lifeblood,” Ethan declared, his voice steady, formal.
Ethan knelt before me, pressing his forehead lightly to my stomach, exposing his neck in the traditional show of submission. The gesture felt mechanical, devoid of the intimacy it should have had.
My heart clenched.
I placed my hand on his head, my fingers brushing his dark hair as I recited the familiar words. “I, Olivia Hartwyn, claim Ethan Blackford as my Mate and Alpha of the Thorne Ridge Pack. I accept your pledge of loyalty and protection and vow mine in return.”
The Priest's voice rang out, “You may now mark your Mate!” The crowd held its breath, waiting for the moment they all expected Ethan and I would solidify our bond with a bite.
Ethan rose to his full height and grasped my hips, pulling our bodies flush together.
I tilted my head to the side in my own gesture of submission. The grip on my body tightened as Ethan trailed his lips down my neck.
For a split second, I let myself hope that he might make this real. For a moment I craved his bite.
But instead of sinking his teeth into my skin, Ethan merely nipped at my skin before lapping at the sting. He placed a chaste kiss on the spot he should have marked. There was no surge of power, no bond snapping into place. It was a simple, ceremonial promise.
And it left my heart aching.
Guests clapped and cheered, but beneath that the whispers grew louder. Everyone had noticed. This was the moment we should have marked each other, the moment our fates would have been bound forever.
Ethan had denied it.
As he pulled back, I forced a smile. Aiden’s words echoed in my mind. Did Ethan avoid marking me because he didn’t want to expose our lie? Or was he leaving me to face the consequences of our actions alone?
