Chapter 19: 19: Maybe The Moon Goddess Was Right
Once he had said his piece, Cassian dropped me back down to the floor. I landed with a thud, trying my best not to make even the slightest sound that hinted at my discomfort, just in case he decided that was reason enough to continue torturing me.
With one last huff, he turned and left. At the doorway, he nearly bumped into Soren, who halted in his tracks and veered quickly just to avoid a collision.
Soren’s eyes trailed after Cassian as the latter disappeared. Only then did he look into the room.
"What..." he trailed off, shock evident in his voice.
To his credit, he deserved to be. The bedroom had been completely destroyed. The bed was a mess, and some parts of the bedframe had even chipped off due to our aggressive lovemaking― no, sorry, fucking.
There wasn’t any love made in that. Only pure animal instinct that took over the better part of our human rationality.
I was still naked, shielded only by my limbs and the covers that had been chucked onto the floor. My clothes — or to be exact, the wedding dress I wore — were nothing more than torn fabric chucked everywhere. It looked as though a hurricane had swept through the room, even more so by the thunderous expression on Cassian’s face when he left.
However, Soren did not pursue the topic. His lips tightened into a stiff line. To be fair, there was no need to ask. One sniff and it was more than obvious what had just happened here.
"Ahem," he cleared his throat. "Let’s get you cleaned up then."
He crossed the room and threw open the wardrobe, picking out a box tucked away in a corner before coming over to me.
"I had this prepared for you, but I never really found an appropriate moment to pass it to you," he said with an awkward laugh.
With every step he drew near, I tightened into myself even further, trying to preserve the final tatters of my dignity. Soren paused when he noticed my small action. Instead of completely closing the distance between us, he placed the box on the floor where he stood. He stretched to his full height, his lips pressed tightly into a thin line as he watched me silently.
"Change," he said. "The wedding is about to start."
With those words, he turned and left, this time, closing the door shut behind him.
I was finally left alone in the silence.
I waited until I was sure that Soren had completely left before shuffling from my spot. My entire body ached, and it felt as though I had just been rolled over by a stampede. However, my hands still robotically reached for the box that Soren had left behind.
If I didn’t show up at the wedding, who knew what sort of humiliating punishment the brothers might have waiting for me? This was the wedding of the Alphas and the Luna of the pack. Not showing up would be as good as treason.
Carefully, I removed the lid of the box. My eyes landed on the delicate gown inside, and a small gasp escaped my lips.
It was gorgeous.
The fabric was soft and seemingly weightless, layered in translucent veils that shifted between a pale green and gold. It had a gentle neckline and a fitted bodice, with layers of lace embroidered into the fabric to resemble flowers.
It was a floor-length gown, and when I lifted it out of the box to hold it over my body, it seemed like it would be a perfect fit.
And it was. It didn’t take me long to change into it.
Admittedly, I should be ashamed by how excited I was to don a gown in celebration of my mates’ wedding to another she-wolf. But in all my years, I had never had the chance to own such a stunning dress. The only time I had even seen it was when other daughters of high-ranking officials sent their dresses for laundry or repairs.
Just this chance. At least for just this one time, I wanted to be able to wear something nice for myself, even if the occasion was not exactly ideal.
True enough, it was a perfect fit. I didn’t even know how Soren managed to get my measurements, but the dress hugged me like a well-fitted glove. It flattered every inch of my body.
Soren...
The thought of him made my heart clench. I didn’t expect myself to hold onto any sort of hope for the Triplets to accept me as their mate, or even just to treat me kindly. However, Soren had been so different. He protected me when his brothers left me for the dead, and offered me kindness after I was given everything but that from Rowan and Cassian.
Against my better judgment, I felt my heart warm a little at the thought of him. Maybe the Moon Goddess wasn’t entirely wrong after all. Maybe she did indeed pair me with a fated mate who cared.
I stepped closer to the full-length mirror, admiring the dress. However, my eyes fell on the small scuff on my exposed collarbones.
Or rather, the lack thereof.
Before my very eyes, the small cuts and bruises that were littered across my skin started to seal themselves back up and even in color until it turned into my skintone. In just mere seconds, I went from tattered and bruised to completely anew, as though those wounds had never happened in the first place.
"What the..." I trailed off, running my hand over the spot where the injuries were. My skin was smooth and flat, and there wasn’t even as much as a single callus that remained.
The ringing of the church bells snapped me out of my reverie. Grabbing a random pair of shoes from the closet, I slipped them on before rushing out the door. It surprisingly fit perfectly, and it looked like it was from the same set of outfits as the dress, but I didn’t bother to ponder it through.
I needed to be at the chapel before they started the ceremony.
My heels clicked against the floors. Most of the pack grounds were already empty; no doubt every guest was already in attendance. The chapel doors quickly came into view, and I let out a sigh of relief.
Before the final bell. Surely they wouldn’t have anything to say about this, right? I just needed to find a way to sneak in without anyone realizing―
My plans were abruptly interrupted when I suddenly met eyes with Rowan from across the room. He stared at me gloomily, and I didn’t have much time to wonder what on earth he was doing out here and not inside the chapel when I realized who he was with.
Rowan, Cassian, and Soren were all huddled around someone― Violet, I realized, who was bawling her eyes out.
