Chapter 1
1058 Words
Two days before the Lunar Ritual was set to take place, a sharp ping cut through the quiet. Alpha Elliott Dark's cousin had dropped a message in the family group chat.
Liam Hale: Ivy Silver, the invitations go to print tomorrow. You haven't noticed the name on them isn't yours, have you?
My finger froze mid-tap as I stared at the text.
Right on its heels, a message from Elliott's second-in-command popped up.
Ethan Grant: I bet the Alpha you'd never notice this. He swapped your name out for Selena Rose's.
Ethan: Come on, Ivy, you're way too slow on the uptake! Go hound the Alpha to fix this fast, or how's your ritual even gonna happen?
I set my phone down, a sharp, twisting cramp seizing my stomach.
I'd always known Selena and Elliott had a history. But Elliott had stood in front of both our families, sliced his palm open, and sworn a solemn oath before the full moon to take me as his mate.
And now, while I'd been busy planning every last detail of this ritual, they were using my dignity as the butt of their stupid little joke. New messages kept pinging in the group, like I wasn't even in the chat.
"Damn, Alpha, you really went all in on this. I bet when Ivy finds out she'll be gritting her teeth fighting back tears."
"Nah, she won't even dare yell at him, let's be real. Loser of the bet covers all the mead for the next family dinner!"
My screen pinged again, this time with a post from Selena, a photo of her decked out in a wedding dress.
"Shoutout to the stubborn softie who pulled every string he had to help me borrow this dream dress. Finally got to check this off my bucket list!"
Right under the photo was Elliott's comment, dripping with that soft, smitten affection only he ever showed her.
I swiped my thumb across the screen and hit the like button.
Right after that, I sent the Council of Elders an official application to dissolve my mate bond with Elliott and booked a ticket to Gryphonstone.
If they're so sickeningly perfect together, they can have the damn ceremony for all I care.
Once the booking confirmation popped up, I locked my phone, letting the screen go dark.
My gaze landed on the wedding dress hanging on the rack. I'd pulled countless all-nighters, tweaking and reworking the design with the designer again and again until it was perfect.
I'd even sent the final draft to Elliott, asking if he had any thoughts on how it looked. But he'd kept brushing me off, saying he was swamped with Dark Blade Pack business and telling me not to bother him with silly little trivialities like this.
It only clicked today.
His "busy" had been busy doting on Selena and keeping her happy.
My wolf, Iris, snarled deep in my chest. "Ivy, tear their throats out. Make them pay for trampling all over what's ours!"
I shoved down the roiling rage burning in my chest, grabbed the pair of scissors off the side table with shaking hands, and sliced straight down the middle of the gown.
Snip, snip, snip. The luxurious silk split into tattered, ragged strips in seconds.
The maid heard the commotion and came rushing in, hovering nervously as she tried to stop me. "Luna, you cared so deeply about this dress before… Besides, if Alpha finds out you did this, he'll be heartbroken."
I didn't answer. All the foolish hope and months of careful planning felt like a bad, humiliating joke now.
I only said one thing. "Take it out and throw it away."
She glanced at me, got the message, and shut her mouth without another word.
Once that eyesore of a dress was finally out of my sight, I took a deep, steadying breath.
I walked to the corner of the room and dug out the old, dust-covered suitcase.
It was the same one I'd brought with me when I left the Moonveil Pack to move here with Elliott. Back then, I'd thought I'd never need it again.
I pulled open the closet door, grabbed a few of my everyday personal clothes, and tossed them inside.
As for all the jewelry and fancy gifts Elliott had given me over the years, I didn't so much as glance at them. I didn't take a single one.
Those trinkets were just like this tainted, soiled relationship—not a single thing was worth holding onto anymore.
I was just bending down to yank the suitcase zipper shut when my phone buzzed to life, its ringtone cutting sharply through the quiet of the room.
It was the priest of the Ravenfang Pack calling.
"Luna," he started, his voice thick with hesitation, "the Alpha sent someone over out of the blue today, saying we need to reserve the head table for Selena's people. Is there some kind of mix-up here?"
My hand froze around the phone, and a tight lump swelled in my throat out of nowhere.
I'd thought the messed-up invitations were the lowest they could sink, but it turned out that was just the start of their disrespect.
When I didn't say a word, the priest hurried to smooth things over, "Don't get upset, Luna. Maybe the Alpha's just messing around. If it comes down to it, we can set up two head tables."
"There's no mix-up," I cut in flatly, cutting him off mid-sentence.
"What?"
"He can arrange whatever he wants. For all follow-up stuff, just deal directly with Elliott."
With that, I hung up, zipped the suitcase closed the rest of the way, and hauled it toward the door.
I'd barely stepped into the entryway when a familiar scent hit my nose.
It was Elliott.
The next second, the door swung open.
Elliott was standing right there on the threshold, an arm looped tight around Selena's waist.
When his eyes landed on the suitcase in my hand, his face went blank for a split second, and a flash of panic flickered across his amber eyes before he could hide it.
"Ivy, what kind of tantrum are you throwing this time?"
"As you can see, I'm leaving," I said, lifting my chin to meet his gaze. "Perfect, actually. Now the whole venue's free for you and Selena."
- Writer
