Chapter 3: A Grander Engagement Ceremony
1561 Words
Chapter 3: A Grander Engagement Ceremony
(Alexander’s POV)
The sun was beginning to dip below the horizon when I returned to the pack house. Golden rays streamed through the windows, stretching shadows across the expansive dining hall.
My muscles ached from hours spent patrolling the border, but it wasn’t the physical exhaustion that weighed on me. It was Eden’s absence. Again.
I strode straight to my office, loosening the collar of my shirt. The polished floor reflected the tension etched on my face.
Everything was prepared—every detail meticulously planned to make things right. The diamond necklace, resting in its velvet case on my desk, caught the last glint of sunlight.
A moon-shaped pendant, set with dazzling stones, chosen because it reminded me of her.
The message I’d left with Marcus, my Beta, to set dinner at her favorite restaurant. The attempts to call her.
All met with silence.
I sat down heavily, pulling my phone from my pocket with a knot of frustration tightening in my chest. My fingers hovered over her name in my contacts list. Just as I had countless times today.
This time, I pressed it.
The dial tone rang once. Twice. My heartbeat quickened despite my attempt at remaining composed. But instead of her voice, all I was met with was a mechanical monotone.
“The number you have dialed has blocked this caller.”
A humorless chuckle escaped me. Blocked? Eden had actually blocked me? My jaw tightened, and I leaned back in my chair, gripping the phone until my knuckles turned white.
I couldn’t believe it.
I called again anyway, this time from my office’s secure line, bypassing the block. My confidence in our bond hadn’t faltered. Eden was angry, yes, but she would answer. She had to.
The call connected.
“Who is this?” Her voice was cold. Detached.
Hearing her made something sharp twist inside me, but her tone… was as if she was speaking to a stranger.
“It’s me, Eden,” I said, keeping my voice steady, though her clipped words stung.
There was silence on the other end.
“Eden,” I began carefully, “I want to talk. Let’s—”
But before I could finish, she interrupted.
“Don’t call again.”
The line went dead.
I stared at the receiver in disbelief. Her words rang in my head, each syllable sharper than the last. My hand tightened around the phone until the housekeeper Sarah’s faint knock at the door broke through my growing irritation.
“Come in,” I snapped, the rough edge of my voice making even myself bristle.
Sarah entered cautiously, wiping her hands on her neat apron as always. She paused, sensing the tension hanging in the air, and spoke softly.
“Alpha, if I may...”
I leaned forward, gesturing impatiently for her to continue.
“Miss Moonspell has not returned to the pack house since… since the night of the engagement.” She hesitated. “Her belongings remain untouched—aside from her books and notes. It’s as if she didn’t plan to come back.”
I shot to my feet. Something about Sarah’s tone made my stomach churn. “Books and notes? What does that mean?”
“I checked her quarters,” Sarah replied, her voice professional but uncertain. “The clothing and accessories you arranged for her—all still here. Only her personal items related to her studies are gone.”
Her studies. Of course. She’d immersed herself in those healing arts at the academy as if it were her escape.
“And you’re just telling me now?” I growled, my voice a mix of disbelief and irritation.
“I didn’t wish to overstep when she wasn’t answering…” Sarah trailed off but maintained her composure beneath my glare.
I turned my back to her, inhaling deeply to control the simmering frustration. “She should’ve answered,” I muttered more to myself than her. Eden was stubborn, but this level of defiance felt alien.
It didn’t matter. Blocking my calls, shutting me out—it wasn’t the end. She’d promised herself to me once, and I’d find a way to make her honor that.
I grabbed my phone, motioning to Sarah as I left the office. “Use your number to message her. Tell her I’m arranging a grander engagement ceremony. Bigger than the last.”
Sarah shifted, hesitant. “Alpha... would that not—?”
“It’ll show her she’s still my only choice,” I interrupted sharply. “She’ll understand once it’s done.”
Moments later, Sarah sent the message. But her expression faltered as she read Eden’s immediate reply aloud.
“I’ve already refused to be his partner. I will not regret nor go back on my words.”
I stopped in my tracks. The rejection hit like a roar of thunder in my ears. She wasn’t just angry. Eden meant it.
Still, resignation wasn’t in my blood.
Turning to Marcus, who lingered outside, I barked, “Go to Moonspell. Find her.”
---
(Eden’s POV)
The morning sun filtered softly through the fragile lace curtains of the small cottage I called home. My hands dusted over the wooden table, old yet familiar, and I breathed deeply.
This place... this was my refuge. My mother’s legacy, left untouched and untainted by anyone who would try to strip my identity away.
I stepped outside, clutching a small box of flower seeds. The garden, overrun with weeds, had been neglected for years. A faint smile twisted my lips as I knelt in the dirt. Planting herbs here wasn’t just therapeutic—it would aid the healing research I’d spent years dedicating myself to.
I was midway through loosening the soil when an all-too-familiar growl of engines pulled my attention back toward the cottage.
Who…?
Dust rose as a sleek, black SUV came to a halt just beyond the garden’s fence.
The sharp scent of leather and musk hit before Marcus even stepped out of the vehicle. He is Alexander's Beta.
His every movement carried an air of arrogance, and his gaze immediately zeroed in on me like a predator.
“So this is where the future Luna has been hiding,” Marcus said mockingly, his tone dripping with condescension.
I stood, brushing the soil off my hands deliberately. “What are you doing here, Marcus?” I bit out, meeting his scornful gaze evenly.
Without invitation, he strode through the garden gate, his expression sour. “Alpha Alexander sent me to bring you back. You’ve made enough of a scene, Eden.”
I bristled at the thinly veiled insult but kept my voice steady. “I’m not going back.”
His eyes narrowed. “Listen, you’re being ridiculous. The Alpha compromised enough by sending me. He’s giving you another chance.”
“Another chance?” I repeated, incredulous. “As if this is some sort of favor?”
Marcus sneered. “Don’t act so self-righteous. Do you know how many wolves would kill for the opportunity you’re throwing away? You want to play the victim, but you’re the one being ungrateful!”
His words struck a chord—not because they rang true, but because they reminded me of every moment I’d swallowed humiliation over the years.
Memories bubbled to the surface: Marcus’s dismissive tone when I was in desperate need, his sneers when I dared to stand in the way of pack politics.
“How dare you,” I snapped, my voice rising. “Do you think I’ve forgotten? I called you—begged you—for help when I was sick and couldn’t reach Alexander. All I needed was a car to the hospital."
His sneer faltered just slightly.
“You told me he was in a meeting, that I wasn’t Luna yet and didn’t deserve the privileges of the pack.”
My voice grew sharper with every word. “And now you stand here, shoving opportunities down my throat as though I should grovel for your approval?”
Marcus’s face darkened. “You—”
I wasn’t finished.
“Or is it not loyalty to Alexander driving your hostility?” I challenged.
That gave him pause, his posture stiffening unnaturally.
“Perhaps it’s Victoria you’re loyal to,” I accused sharply.
His eyes darted, a flash of unease betraying him. “What are you talking about?” he snapped too quickly, voice unnaturally defensive.
I tilted my head, my tone dropping into a quiet steel. “You’re quick to insult me, Marcus, but your loyalty isn’t as pure as you let on, is it?”
For a moment, all the bluster drained from him.
But it was only a flicker, and he squared his shoulders again with forced confidence. “Don’t change the subject,” he barked.
I crossed my arms, stepping closer. “I’m not changing anything. I said what I meant. I’m not going back with you. Tell Alexander the same.”
The words hit with a finality even Marcus couldn’t counter.
His face tightened in frustration, but he turned back to the vehicle in silence. A clearer admission of defeat than I’d expected.
As the SUV roared back onto the dusty road, I bent down again, resuming the delicate task of tending the soil.
Here, in the heart of everything my mother built, I felt free.
- Writer
