Chapter 162

Agnes

By the time we made it back downstairs, I’d managed to smooth down the remainder of the wrinkles in my skirt and quickly fix my hair. Thea was already chattering to Elijah about the tasty cakes she’d eaten while we were gone, even though he’d told her not to ruin her dinner.

But right now, neither of us cared about too much cake. For all I cared, Thea could eat cake until she was sick. Tonight was a night of celebration.

Now, as we stepped back into the main ballroom, I was surprised to find that the party was still in full swing. Guests danced and laughed, glasses clinked, the orchestra played a lively waltz. It was as if nothing had happened, as if Olivia hadn’t shown up in a wedding gown, as if Mason hadn’t drugged me and tried to take me away.

James spotted us immediately, breaking away from a small group to hurry over.

“There you are,” he said, looking relieved. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”

His eyes dropped to our hands then, noticing the rings that glinted in the light. A small smile tugged at one corner of his mouth, but he said nothing about them.

“Is everyone…” I trailed off, glancing around nervously. Had the guests noticed the drama? Did they know what had happened?

“You don’t need to worry about that,” James replied quietly. “They saw Olivia arrive, of course—that couldn’t be missed—but we kept everyone distracted.” He gestured to Evelyn, who raised her glass of champagne and smirked from across the room.

I let out a small sigh of relief and glanced at Elijah. His face was smiling, but there was a hardness in his eyes now.

“Good,” Elijah said. “Where are they now?”

James’s expression darkened. “Detained. We’re holding them in one of the private rooms if you want to go and speak to them. Mason’s still pretty roughed up from your… encounter.”

I felt Elijah tense beside me, his jaw tightening at the mention of Mason’s name. I thought I was going to be sick. Once, I had truly loved Mason. And while that love had faded over the years, I never thought he would go to such lengths to hurt me. Never.

“No need,” Elijah said after a moment. “I have other plans.” He turned to James. “Bring them out. Into the party.”

James’s eyebrows shot up. “Are you sure that’s wise?”

“Yes. Bring them to the back of the room where they can see the stage.”

James nodded. “As you wish, Alpha.”

As James headed off to follow Elijah’s orders, I looked up at him questioningly. “What are you planning?”

“Justice, finally.” He hiked the up on his hip and ruffled her hair, making her grimace. “Come on, princess. We’re going to make an announcement.”

With that, he led us through the crowd toward the raised platform where the orchestra was playing. People parted for us, bowing their heads respectfully as we passed. Some looked curious, others knowing.

I spotted Gertrude near the dessert table, giving me a thumbs up and a wink. She must have been in on the wedding plans, too, which was surprising considering the fact that I’d never known her to be very good at keeping secrets.

As we climbed the steps to the stage, Elijah signaled to the conductor, who nodded and brought the current piece to a gentle close. The room gradually fell silent, all eyes turning toward us. He set Thea down and placed one hand on her shoulder, his other resting on the small of my back. Even through the armored bodice, his palm was warm and soothing.

From my vantage point on the stage, I could see James emerging from a side door, leading Olivia and Mason. Olivia’s elaborate wedding gown was wrinkled now, her carefully styled hair falling around her face in disarray.

Mason looked even worse—his face was bruised, a cut above his eye crusted with dried blood.

Good.

Elijah cleared his throat, and the last of the murmurs in the crowd died away.

“Friends, pack members, honored guests,” he began, his voice carrying easily through the large room. “I want to thank you all for coming tonight. Many of you were told this was a formal gala, but that wasn’t entirely accurate.”

A ripple of whispers moved through the crowd.

“Tonight was meant to be a celebration of love. A surprise wedding ceremony.” Elijah turned to me, his eyes softening. “When I met Agnes, we married quickly. Not for lack of love, but because my daughter needed a mother, and Thea and Agnes connected immediately thanks to Agnes’s loving heart and beautiful aura.”

He squeezed my hand, the metal of his ring cool against my fingers.

“But I always knew I wanted to give Agnes the wedding she deserved. A proper ceremony, surrounded by friends and family, to show her just how much she means to me. That’s what tonight was supposed to be.”

The crowd let out a collective “aww,” and I felt my cheeks heat. Thea beamed up at us.

Elijah lifted our joined hands, the rings catching the light. “And in many ways, it still was. Agnes is my wife, not just on paper, but in my heart. These rings, which we just exchanged in private, symbolize that bond.”

The crowd cheered. Warmth washed over me, and for a moment, I almost forgot that Olivia and Mason were watching. But then Elijah’s expression hardened, and he pointed to where they were standing at the back of the room, James and a few other pack members flanking them.

“But our celebration was nearly ruined,” Elijah then said. “By them.”

All heads turned to follow his gesture. Olivia lifted her chin defiantly, composed as ever, but I could see the fear and rage flashing in her eyes.

“Olivia showed up uninvited, wearing a wedding gown, intent on ruining our special night. And Mason…” Elijah’s hand tightened around mine. “Mason drugged my wife with an aphrodisiac, attempting to lure her away from me, to make her believe she was in love with him.”

Gasps and murmurs rippled through the crowd, faces turning back to Olivia and Mason with expressions ranging from shock to disgust. There were a few shouts, even some vulgar words and gestures. I covered Thea’s eyes with my hand, although she swatted me away and watched with rapt fascination and maybe a hint of glee.

“But they failed,” Elijah went on. “Because true love cannot be broken by outside forces. I love and trust Agnes too much to be fooled by their schemes. I knew immediately that something was wrong, that she was not herself.”

He looked down at me, and the love in his eyes made my breath hitch in my throat. “Despite their attempts to tear us apart, they only made our bond stronger.”

The crowd applauded, and I blinked back tears. Even after everything, after all the manipulation and lies, we had found our way back to each other. We always would. Because we were meant to be mates.

“There’s something else you should know,” Elijah continued, his tone turning somber. “Many of you remember Olivia as my first wife, as the mother of my child. What you don’t know is why our marriage ended.”

The room fell completely silent, everyone hanging on his next words. He glanced at Thea as if in question, and she nodded slightly, giving permission.

“Olivia abused our daughter.” His voice turned rough. “Emotionally, psychologically. She made Thea’s life a nightmare.”

Thea pressed closer to me, and I wrapped my arm around her shoulders. But she wasn’t trembling, wasn’t afraid. When I glanced at her, I saw nothing but a firm resolve in her eyes. It was moments like this that reminded me that she truly was older beyond her years sometimes. A blessing and a curse, because if it weren’t for Olivia’s actions, then perhaps she could just be a happy seven-year-old girl. I hoped to change that for her, though.

“I divorced Olivia to protect Thea,” Elijah went on. “But because of the mate bond, because unmarking her could have killed her, I allowed her to remain in our lives. I let her manipulate the bond, let her cause pain to my family, because I didn’t see another option.”

He shook his head, regret flashing across his face. “That was a mistake. One I won’t make again.” He looked down at Thea, then at me. “I’m sorry. Both of you.” Thea and I both offered him tender smiles, and Thea wrapped her arms around his legs, giving them a squeeze.

Finally, turning to where Olivia and Mason stood, Elijah’s voice took on the full authority of the Alpha. “Olivia, you are hereby arrested for child abuse and for conspiring against the Luna of Silvermoon Pack. Mason, you are arrested for drugging the Luna with intent to harm.”

I watched as Olivia’s face drained of color, while Mason simply looked resigned, as if he’d expected this outcome all along.

“Neither of you will hurt my family again,” Elijah declared. “And I will find a way to break the mate bond without killing you, Olivia. But until then, you will be held accountable for your actions.”

At a nod from Elijah, James and the other pack members secured silver handcuffs around Olivia and Mason’s wrists—special restraints that would prevent them from shifting. The crowd parted to let them through as they were led toward the exit, some people even cheering as they passed.

Thea watched them go, and to my surprise, she was… smiling. She turned to Elijah, tightening her grip around his legs. “Thank you, Daddy. Thank you for stopping that awful woman.”

Elijah’s expression softened as he crouched down to give her a kiss on the cheek, then the other. “Always, princess. No one will ever hurt you again.” He ruffled her hair again, making her whine and try to fix the braid. I hid a giggle behind my hand. “Why don’t you go play with the other kids?” he asked. “I think they’re about to serve the chocolate fountain.”

Thea’s eyes lit up, and she glanced at me for permission. At my nod, she scampered off, joining the other children once more.

As she disappeared into the crowd, Elijah turned to me. The orchestra, sensing the shift in mood, began to play again.

Elijah extended his hand to me, his eyes filled with more love and tenderness than I had ever seen.

“Shall we share our first dance as husband and wife?”