Chapter 14: Sneaky wedding planner
1135 Words
~VIPER~
“I’m back,” the supposed marriage planner, Zara, says as she returns to the guest area, her eyes on me. “Let’s get this wedding planning started!”
She seems excited.
Isn’t it odd to be more excited than the bride?
“What are your favorite colors?” she asks as she comes to sit next to me. “We’re going to be buying flowers, some dresses, and oh… we need to check out the cake shop too and book something.”
I rub my forehead, a little dizzy from everything she’s saying. “Are we doing all that today?”
She nods, grinning. “And it’s going to be so much fun.”
Zara rises to her feet, then pauses to glance at me. “If you need to change into something more presentable, I’ll wai—”
“No, I don’t need to change,” I mutter slowly, standing up too.
She eyes my joggers and tank top and just shrugs.
As we make our way out of the pack house, I ask, “Did Alpha Tyler tell you when the wedding will hold?”
“In a few days.”
I swallow hard. In a few days, I’ll be married to my mate—this man I’m supposed to spy on until I discover the killer of my parents. I need to be really smart to avoid being caught by him.
Zara and I spend the last few hours shopping for wedding items. I even try on a wedding gown, and despite how pissed I am about the wedding, seeing myself in something so pure makes my heart clench.
It makes me remember who I used to be before Viper.
The girl who couldn’t hurt a fly unless she was forced to.
Finally done with shopping, we head back to the pack house, with Zara giggling about someone she bumped into at one of the stores we visited.
“I have a thing for really handsome men,” she says, glancing over at me from the driver’s seat. “What about you? You didn’t even stare at him.”
I stare down at my palm. “Things like that don’t fascinate me.”
And it’s true.
I don’t give a damn about men in general, so being handsome is none of my business. But when it comes to Tyler, I feel something entirely different.
“So you’ve never had a crush?”
I hear her voice again, and it makes me remember Hades. I don’t see a reason I’m lying to her, so I say the truth as it is.
“I did.”
I finally listened to Emily and decided to bury the feeling. I have a different mission to focus on now.
“Uuuuh, with the look in your eyes, I’m sure there’s a story right there,” she says with a smile, trying to pry again, and this time I shut her out. She should be thankful I even told her I had a crush.
Sensing the shift in my mood, she doesn’t bother to ask any more questions.
We arrive at the pack house soon enough, and the moment I get down from the car, Zara grabs my wrist.
“I know you feel like I’m trying to get something out of you, but I’m not. I was just trying to—”
“Get me to talk,” I finish for her, staring at the green in her eyes. “You don’t trust me, and you’re worried for your Alpha. You could have shopped for these random items yourself, but you chose to drag me along to know the kind of person I am.”
I let it all out in one breath, and she just stares at me.
“Your Alpha is in safe hands,” I lie through my teeth and pull my hand free to walk away.
I find my mate walking out of the pack house into the driveway, his eyes fixed on me.
“You’re back.” His baritone voice fills my ears, and it strangely calms the storm I felt earlier. “Did you enjoy shopping with Zara?”
“I did.”
“So where is she?” he asks, looking over my shoulder, and I just point behind me as I walk off.
I feel my mate’s scent wrap around me even as I march toward my room.
He’s following me.
“Did something happen out there?” he asks, and I shake my head.
“Did you and Zara get into a fight?”
Again, I shake my head.
“Then what on earth is going on with you?”
I gasp when he grabs my wrist and suddenly pins me against the wall. I frown, staring into his deep blue eyes.
“Are you that worried about me?” I ask, running my tongue over my teeth. “Just because the wedding is close doesn’t mean you need to hover around me, mate.”
“This is my responsibility,” his breath fans my face. “Knowing whatever is wrong with my mate is part of my duties. As much as I want to f*****g ignore you, Kael is making it hard.”
I scoff.
He growls against my face. “Do you want to remain here, pressed against the wall, for the rest of today?”
“I’m sure you have other duties to attend to, Alpha Tyler.”
“Wrong.” He flashes me a smile that makes my heart beat faster. “I have all day.”
Unable to take it anymore, I finally blurt out what’s weighing on my mind.
“Your pack members don’t trust me.” I look into his eyes first before I continue. “Including my supposed wedding planner.”
He frowns. “Trust is earned, Aurelia. Especially in packs like mine. You got here mysteriously with no family, no friends, no relatives. No one here will blindly trust you.”
“Wow, you have a really great way to make me feel better.”
A ghost of a smile touches his lips.
“I know some other ways I can help you feel better.” His eyes travel over my body, landing on my bosom, and I have to push him away when my cheeks heat up.
“Pervert,” I curse under my breath, heading for my room as his loud, throaty laugh echoes in the hallway.
The moment I slam the door closed, my phone vibrates against my pants. I yank it out, staring at the text on the screen.
‘Happy wedding life in advance, Viper. To celebrate this achievement, I’ll be sending a gift soon.’
Curiously, I type back quickly. “What gift?”
‘Your first lead on your parents’ killers.’
- Writer
