The wedding day dawned under a thick, gray layer of fog, as if the sky itself refused to bless the farce about to take place. The great ceremonial hall of the Ivanov pack was decorated with almost obscene opulence: white silk drapes, rows of scented candles trying to mask the smell of tension in the air, and winter flowers arranged around the imposing altar of sacred stone.
For Sofia, every minute of that morning was a silent torture. Dressed in a gray servant's uniform, rough and worn compared to the fine fabrics of the guests, she had to carry heavy silver trays, fill crystal wineglasses, and endure the snickering of pack members who watched her pass. "There goes the wolfless one,"* they whispered behind her back. "Serving at the wedding of the sister who stole her man."*
Sofia swallowed poison, keeping her gaze fixed on the carpeted floor to hold back tears.
At twelve o'clock sharp, the wedding march began to play. The heavy double doors opened and Tania entered, dazzling, on the arm of her father, Boris. The pride on the Alpha's face was unmistakable — he was giving away his perfect daughter to the most promising warrior. At the altar, Gavin waited in a dark formal suit, wearing a smug smile that shattered what little remained of Sofia's heart.
The ceremony progressed through hypocritical speeches about honor, bloodline, and the strength of the pack. Sofia stood at the back of the hall, near the kitchens, holding a silver pitcher of ritual wine. The bond in her chest burned, pulling at her with a dull agony as the pack priest began to invoke the Moon's blessing to seal the union of Gavin and Tania.
"If anyone here opposes this union under the laws of the Moon and blood..." the priest pronounced, fulfilling the ancient protocol.
Ceremonial silence flooded the hall. No one expected anything to happen. But suddenly, a gust of freezing wind swept through the upper windows, snuffing out half the candles in a blink. The atmosphere, warm with the crowd just moments before, turned frigid.
Gavin, who had been smiling, frowned. He pressed a hand to his chest and let out a choked gasp. His face, full of life a second before, went completely pale.
"Gavin?" Tania asked, stepping back, confusion etched across her perfect face.
The warrior didn't answer. His gray eyes flew wide open, bloodshot, fixed on nothing. He staggered forward, falling to his knees on the steps of the stone altar. A thread of dark, thick blood began to trickle from his lips, staining the white silk on the floor.
"Gavin!" Tania screamed, this time with real panic.
The hall erupted into chaos. The wolves of Boris's royal guard tensed, unsheathing their weapons, searching for an invisible enemy. But before anyone could get close, Gavin collapsed face-first, convulsing violently. A deep, bloody wound — as if invisible claws had torn his throat open from the inside — split across his neck, soaking the altar.
Amid the screams of terror and the massive confusion, the lights in the hall flickered and went out completely, plunging the room into a terrifying gloom for an agonizing ten seconds. Wolves growled in the darkness, women screamed, and the smell of fresh blood activated the most savage instincts of everyone present.
When the guards managed to light the emergency torches, the horror froze in the air.
Gavin lay completely lifeless on the floor, in a pool of blood that spread rapidly. And right beside his body, on her knees, trembling with terror and her hands completely soaked in scarlet, was Sofia.
Her trembling fingers held a ceremonial silver dagger that had been decorating the altar — the weapon now dripped with the warm blood of her former mate. Sofia stared at her own hands, her mind blank, stunned by the darkness and the shock. She didn't remember how she had gotten there; the confusion of the blackout had pushed her forward, and someone... someone had shoved her against Gavin's lifeless body.
"She did it!" Tania's piercing scream shattered the hall's stupor, pointing at her sister with a trembling finger. "The damned wolfless bitch killed him out of jealousy! Look at her! She has his blood on her!"
Boris charged forward like a raging bull, his Alpha aura crushing the air, his eyes blazing a murderous yellow.
"Defective monster!" the father roared, drawing his sword. "Guards, seize her! I want her head on the altar before the day is over!"
Sofia, seeing death in her own father's eyes and the ultimate betrayal on her mother's face, reacted on pure survival instinct. Fear injected an unknown adrenaline into her legs. She dropped the dagger, shot to her feet, and before the guards could block her path, leaped through the great glass window of the hall, shattering it into a thousand pieces and falling toward the outer courtyard in a rain of glass and hunting cries.
***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***
Updated 66 Episodes
Download
Like this story? Download the app to keep your reading history.
Comments