Chapter 6
After I slipped out of the wedding dress, my father spoke up, albeit reluctantly. “Don’t you think you should meet Alpha Logan Pauley before the wedding tomorrow? It seems right for the two of you to at least be acquainted.”
Alpha Logan–my future mate. Yes, even though we’ve never met, and there are no feelings between us, we’re about to get married. But it doesn’t matter; marrying him will make my pack and my family happy. As for me, it doesn’t really matter.
I paused, weighing his suggestion, but ultimately declined. “No thanks, Dad. I trust your judgment.”
Sensing my mood, my mom exchanged a silent look with him, signaling to let it
1/4
- go. Just as we settled into the car, Aunt Camelia’s call interrupted us. “Elena, haven’t you told Alpha Simon you’re back? He doesn’t seem worried at all.”
“I caught him escorting that little vixen upstairs,” she continued indignantly. “I almost wanted to claw her eyes out!”
Suddenly, it made sense why he hadn’t reached out. He was busy playing gallant. I averted my eyes, hiding the tumult of feelings within. “I already brought up the breakup. Even though we’re mates, he never wanted to make our relationship public. At best, he’s just a friend now, and he has no business knowing about my wedding.”
Aunt Camelia sighed deeply over the phone. “Alright, I’ll never understand your generation. Anyway, I’ve got a flight booked for midnight, so I’ll be there for the wedding.”
2/4
“Thank you, Auntie. Travel safely,” I replied softly.
After we hung up, mom’s suppressed frustration bubbled over. “All these years and he hasn’t even given you a proper confession? You spent ten years on that?”
“If I’d known, I would have insisted you come back and settle down ages ago. What kind of person is he? You’ve been standing up for him, and I really believed you were happy! How dare he treat my daughter this way!” She practically growled at the thought, her wolf barely kept in check by the thread of human control she had left.
I patted her hand gently in reassurance. “I never lied to you. I was truly happy back then.”
3/4
Before Beta Veronica appeared, our relationship felt nearly perfect. We were so close to our happy ending. How did it all unravel so quickly? I suppressed the tears threatening to surface and turned to the window, finding solace in the unfamiliar cityscape that seemed to offer a fresh start.
Later, when I returned home and finished washing up, my mom furiously tossed her phone onto the sofa. “Who reported the photos I posted? Why should my daughter’s wedding dress upset anyone? Why is there so much hostility online? Why can’t people just be happy for others?”
