CHAPTER 2 : THE MATING RINGS
1095 Words
All eyes turned toward the door as a tall wolf shifted back into human form—wearing a custom dark blue suit.
The man smirked as he walked confidently into the hall.
“Brother!” he called out.
Edward’s jaw clenched. His hand, still mid-shake with another guest, dropped to his side.
“Edwin,” Edward said coldly.
The man grinned. “Congratulations on your engagement. I know, I know... you still think my mother stole your father from yours. But hey—we’re still brothers, right?”
The crowd murmured in confusion. Few people even knew Edward had a brother.
Edwin chuckled and leaned in. “Anyway, just came to say congrats.”
Edward didn’t respond. He simply picked up a glass of wine from a passing waiter, took a slow sip, and said, “Don’t ever show your face in front of me again.”
Then he walked away, leaving Edwin smiling bitterly behind him.
Edward made his way to Grace and stood beside her. The Beta stepped forward to make a toast.
“On behalf of Alpha Edward and Miss Grace, I welcome you all to this joyous engagement. May this union bring strength, prosperity, and unity to both families.”
Applause echoed in the hall.
Grace smiled sweetly and leaned closer to Edward.
After the grand welcome speech, Beta Alex stepped forward with a velvet box in hand. “And now, to seal this special day, Alpha Edward and Miss Grace will exchange the legendary mating rings.”
The crowd clapped and turned their full attention to the couple standing under the glittering chandelier.
Edward took the ring from the box and gently slid it onto Grace’s finger. His expression was unreadable.
Grace smiled proudly, then took the second ring and placed it on Edward’s finger. She placed her hand on his chest and spoke in a loud, charming voice, “This ring will prove to everyone that true love matters more than destiny.”
There were quiet nods and sighs of admiration in the room.
But then…
The ring on Grace’s finger started to glow faintly… and fell off.
It clattered to the ground and vanished right before everyone’s eyes.
A shocked silence swept across the room.
Grace screamed, her voice shrill, “What?! Where is it?! Where did it go?!”
She spun around, furious. “Everyone! All the maids, all the Betas—remove your clothes now! I need to conduct an inspection. Now!”
Gasps echoed from the crowd.
“Grace,” Edward stepped in quickly, grabbing her shoulders. “Hey, hey. It’s okay.”
Grace panted, her eyes wild. “But it’s the mating ring, Edward! The Moon Goddess’ ring! It’s gone!”
Edward pulled her gently against his chest. “We’ll get another one. The only thing that matters to me is the woman standing in front of me.”
Grace slowly nodded, breathing hard. She leaned into his embrace. “Thank you, Edward.”
But his wolf whispered in his mind:
“You’re lying to both of them.”
Meanwhile…
Bella was mopping the floor on the tenth floor of the hotel when she stopped to take a break. She wiped her forehead and sighed, sitting on a bench in the hallway.
Suddenly, her fingers burned.
She looked down… and her eyes widened in shock.
A glowing silver ring had appeared on her finger.
“What?!” Bella gasped. “How did this get on my hand?”
She tried pulling it off—once, twice—but it wouldn’t budge.
“What is going on?!” she cried, now panicking. She grabbed a cloth and soap water, even tried to slide it off with oil—but nothing worked. The ring was fused to her.
In Edward’s mansion, he stood in his bedroom trying to remove his ring.
His hand trembled. The room lights began to flicker. The walls shook slightly with a strange energy.
“Why won’t this damn thing come off?!” he growled, yanking it with all his strength.
But nothing worked.
He stormed into the bathroom, ran cold water over his hand, and kept tugging.
“Just give up,” Kelvin, his wolf, spoke calmly. “Even with your Alpha strength, you can’t break a bond blessed by the Moon Goddess.”
Edward growled low. “No. I’m not doing this today. It’s my engagement day.”
Kelvin said softly, “You’re wearing the ring meant for your fated mate. That ring chose her… not Grace.”
Edward froze, gripping the sink.
His reflection looked pale, haunted.
In the Shadows…
Under the large pine tree outside the ballroom, Edwin sat with a wine glass in hand.
A young woman in a black cloak approached. “Master,” she whispered, “I just completed the task you gave me.”
She handed him a small vial containing dark purple liquid.
Edwin grinned. “Good girl.”
He lifted her chin with two fingers and kissed her cheek. “You’ll get your reward tonight.”
Lucy blushed and walked away.
Edwin swirled the wine in his glass, pulling out the vial. He poured the poison into it slowly.
“I wonder if wolf poison mixed with red wine tastes good,” he muttered.
His wolf chuckled darkly. “You’re wicked.”
Edwin smirked. “That’s what Edward gets for competing with me for the Alpha title. I was always the better one.”
“His dumb wolf will drag him straight to hell,” his wolf said.
Edwin chuckled. “And I’ll be here to watch.”
At the same time...
Bella was driving her small car through the busy streets of downtown, her phone balanced between her shoulder and ear.
“Bella!” her supervisor barked on the other end. “If you don’t get here in the next ten minutes, you’re fired!”
“I’m almost there!” she said breathlessly, weaving through traffic.
She ended the call and tossed her phone to the seat.
She glanced down at the ring again, still shocked by its glow. “Why won’t you come off?”
Just as she looked up…
A truck swerved into her lane.
Bella screamed.
CRASH!
Her car flipped and rolled off the road, hitting a lamp post.
Bella's tires screeched as she swerved to the side of the road. Smoke covered the front of the car.
Her heart was racing. She had hit something.
When she got out of the car and walked toward the shape lying on the ground, her breath caught in her throat.
- Writer
