Chapter 39

Soren

Hours pass after Celia left and I find myself standing in a banquet hall wearing my nicest suit with a small smile on my face. It’s big enough for people to see that I’m happy to be here, that I’m happy to be getting married to Bianca, my chosen mate.

All of the faces blur together after the first hour. I shake many people’s hands, especially Bianca’s Lycan relatives and noble class, and pretend to act like there isn’t a budding pain in the back of my head beginning to form. I excuse myself and find a small space to seek refuge in, drinking a cool glass of water to combat the heat in the back of my head.

From all around me, heads begin to turn towards the entrance. I raise an eyebrow and turn on my heel, peering over the countless amounts of heads to catch a glimpse of what they are looking at.

Celia walks through the door, her arm linked with Ethan’s. She is dressed in a beautiful floor length gown, the color of the fabric complimenting her skin tone as well as the colors inside the banquet hall. A simple yet extravagant diamond necklace is draped around her neck, the heavy and large diamond sitting perfectly in the middle of her chest.

My breath gets caught in the middle of my throat, my heart skipping a beat at the sight of her effortless beauty. I clear my throat, adjusting my tie and looking to the side, forcing the heat to leave my cheeks. Out of the corner of my eye, I notice Bianca glaring at me with a warped scowl and knitted brows on her face. She crosses her arms over her chest.

For Bianca’s sake, as well as my own, this has to be the last day that I pay attention to Celia. I can no longer care about her or have the image of her face plastered in the back of my mind and thoughts. She cannot take over every second of my day. I need to be able to live my life and so should she.

It would be unfair to the both of us if we didn’t follow through with the contract she signed of her leaving the pack.

I cross the large banquet hall and fixate my eyes on Bianca. As soon as I am in her close proximity, I wrap my arm around her waist and pull her to my side. Her tense body slightly relaxes, shoulders slumping ever so slightly. She looks up at me with big eyes and a smile that tells me thank you.

I have to bond with Bianca before it’s too late. Maybe, just maybe, when our inner wolves connect and bond, the pain inside my head will permanently go away. I won’t have the need for a Healer anymore let alone one that looks like Celia.

“You have my complete and utter devotion, Bianca,” I lean down and whisper the sweet words into her ear, “you always have. My attention is forever yours.”

Bianca sweetly smiles at me and turns her attention away. I look down at the side of her face, watching as she observes Celia with a close and careful eye. Without even having to ask, I know that the wheels inside of her head are turning.

I can’t blame her for it, though. I know that the reason she is so protective and angry whenever Celia is around is because of me and my careless feelings. In our marriage, I will make it up to Bianca. I have to.

Celia

The inside of the banquet hall is bigger than I expected. It is lavishly decorated and people float from all around, their eyes glued to Ethan and I as we walk inside. My heels click across the marble floor, sticking close to Ethan’s side as we nod and bow our heads to people who greet us.

I do not recognize a single person here. It is just a blur of faces that pass me by, their laughs and chuckles filling my ears, making me more alert than I intended to be. My eyes glaze over the room, looking round for any other familiar faces from the hospital or people who I have met in passing while I was in my contracted relationship with Soren.

His face catches my attention. My body freezes, heart pounding inside my chest as soon as I notice just how close and affectionate he is with Bianca. He was never like that with me…

What am I expecting, though? For him to fall to his knees and beg for me to come back into his arms? Our relationship is over and I will be out of his life after tonight. He will forever be in my memory, though, forever cemented into a place in my heart as the first man I truly loved.

“Ethan,” I tear my gaze away and look up at the man, “let’s look for the Duke.”

Before I left for the event, my grandmother told me to look out for an elderly man with a white beard and gray hair. He usually wears black and blue military clothing to events like this. She said that he’ll know who I am as soon as our eyes meet.

Ethan and I traverse the room, slipping between other couples and groups that have formed. We approach the left side of the room, a place where many Lycans stand and mingle. We weave through the crowd, noticing a man who looks exactly like the Duke my grandmother described.

We approach him, bowing our heads. His dark blue eyes latch onto mine and he sucks in a sharp breath, body tensing, and stepping forward. He tilts his head to the side and places a finger under my chin, lifting it up as he observes my face.

“You,” he turns to a nearby servant, “go get the artifact.”

As soon as the servant steps away, one of Soren’s servants calls the attention of the room, announcing that the wedding shall begin here in this room. Soren and Bianca take their places on top of a stage, microphones in hand.

I cement my feet into the ground, squeezing Ethan’s arm as Soren begins to speak his vows into a microphone, his eyes trained on Bianca.

“I promise to love and cherish you for the rest of our lives,” his voice booms throughout the room and onlookers swoon at his sweet words, “I vow to always make you happy, even through the darkest of days. I love you. I cannot wait to spend the rest of my life with you.” The crowd quietly claps as their attention turns to Bianca.

Her face is serious. There is no smile or grin to show how happy she is about the union with Soren, the Alpha King of the Werewolf pack. Instead, she licks her lips and turns to the room.

A silence falls over the crowd. Ethan and I share a confused look, raising an eyebrow before turning back to the bride.

“I demand a pause,” Bianca states. The crowd gasps and people begin to whisper amongst themselves, wondering if something has gone wrong between her and Soren.

My heart drops in my chest, a sinking feeling of dread seeping into my skin.