REBORN INTACT

CHAPTER NINE

JELENA

“Do you, Daniel Jonah, take Mary as your lawfully wedded wife?” the preacher asks.

Standing at the altar is a proud-looking Daniel beside the most beautiful bride I have ever seen, Mary.

The church is decorated with elegance, every detail carefully planned to perfection and every seat is occupied by family and friends. I recognize some familiar faces from university and a few clients we worked with during the early days of the clinic.

My eyes sting with tears because standing there and staring at each other, you can tell these two are deeply in love and their eyes practically beam with it.

“Yes, I do,” Daniel answers without hesitation.

“I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride.”

The room erupts into loud cheers and applause immediately. Everyone looks stunning, and the peach theme color suits the wedding décor perfectly, from the soft flowers lining the aisle, the warm lighting, and the gentle music all blend together beautifully.

I know I’m getting married in a few weeks, but I still don’t know how to handle that reality.

After all the drama that happened between us, Aaron took me on a date, and that night he proposed, since then, Alice has been nowhere to be found, I don’t even know whether that is a good thing or not.

The crowd screams and claps even louder as the bride and groom walk down the aisle hand in hand, smiling so brightly at each other.

“Would I look this happy on mine?” I whisper to myself.

They pause occasionally to nod at guests and exchange greetings before disappearing toward the entrance while everyone else slowly begins to move around. The rest becomes the usual wedding routine, pictures, greetings, gifts, laughter, and endless congratulations.

We step outside to join the queue for pictures and the feel of Aaron’s hand resting on my waist feels heavy somehow, making me numb and painfully self-aware at the same time.

“I’m sorry, can you give me a minute? I need to answer this call,” Aaron says, already walking away before I can respond.

There goes having a picture together.

“Hey, love, why do you look so sad?” Daniel asks with a wide grin as he walks toward me.

I force a smile immediately, I can’t ruin his moment just because I’m feeling down, so I shove my emotions aside and focus on enjoying the celebration instead.

“You should be with your wife right now,” I tease lightly.

“She abandoned me for pictures with her bridesmaids,” he says dramatically, making me laugh.

“Well, you deserve it.”

“Wow, betrayal from my favorite person.”

I roll my eyes playfully while he chuckles and for a few moments, things feel normal again, all light and easy and it isn’t until it’s time to leave for the reception that I see Aaron again.

The moment he appears beside me, I notice something strange, he looks tense, all hyperaware and on guard, more like he’s expecting danger.

His eyes scan every corner repeatedly, sharp and calculating, before we even enter the car, he checks around it carefully, even bending slightly as though searching for something underneath.

“What exactly are you doing?” I ask, confused.

“Nothing,” he replies quickly.

That answer doesn’t convince me and unless everyone here suddenly discovered we are werewolves and decided to hunt us down, I don’t understand why he’s acting this way.

“Are you okay?” I ask once we start driving toward the reception venue.

“Yes, I’m good,” he answers instantly.

Not wanting to push further, I decide to let it go. If it’s truly something serious, I believe he would tell me eventually.

At least, I hope he would

The reception hall is magnificent, it carries the usual Las Vegas luxury touch but in a softer, more elegant way with crystal chandeliers hang from the ceiling like glowing stars, reflecting warm light across the polished floors. The tables are covered in silky peach and gold decorations, and fresh flowers fill the room with a subtle sweet scent and everything feels expensive, beautiful.

Perfect.

Maybe I should hold my wedding reception here, Dad probably wouldn’t like the idea because he hates spending unnecessary time around humans, especially at crowded events like this. He usually leaves these kinds of arrangements to his assistants.

Still

If Aaron suggests it, Dad might agree there’s a very high chance, actually.

“Don’t you think this would be a good location for our wedding reception?” I whisper to Aaron.

I’m not very tall, but the heels I’m wearing add enough height to bring my head close to his shoulder.

“I didn’t catch that,” he says, leaning slightly closer. “Can you say it again?”

“Oh, I was talking about having our wedding reception here.”

He shrugs lightly before answering.

“Whatever you want, babe, I just want to bring your dream wedding to life.”

My heart immediately catches fire at his words, I blush because of the way he’s staring at me and that look in his eyes is intense enough to make heat crawl up my neck.

He looks hungry, desperate almost, I guess waiting until marriage is finally taking its toll on him.

Back when we first started dating, I was the one who suggested we wait and he agreed immediately without complaining once.

Part of me still feels guilty about what happened with Alice because of that, if only I hadn’t made such a stupid rule maybe things would have been different and he wouldn’t have cheated.

I hate that a small part of me still blames myself for it and the thought settles heavily in my chest as we move through the hall.

I find myself staring at him again, strong jaw, dark hair and perfectly fitted suit.

The man I’m supposed to spend forever with, maybe when we go back home I should finally give him my virginity, I might be asking Mary about tips on seducing and getting it to happen though

The thought alone makes my stomach tighten nervously, I don’t even know how I would make it happen without embarrassing myself.

Would I just tell him directly?

Would he laugh?

No.

Aaron wouldn’t laugh at me, still, the nervousness remains, the program continues smoothly, and eventually it’s time for the couples’ toast but unfortunately, at the same moment, I start feeling pressed.

“Sorry, I want to use the restroom for a minute,” I say while tapping Aaron gently to get his attention.

“Oh, okay. Do you want me to come with you?” he asks immediately.

A smile slips onto my face.

“Aww, that’s sweet, but female privacy,” I tease with a giggle.

“Alright then,” he says, turning his attention back toward the stage.

The walk to the restroom isn’t long, the hallway leading there is quieter than the main reception area, though the distant sound of music and laughter still echoes faintly through the walls.

Once inside, I quickly handle my business before stepping toward the sink to wash my hands and I glance at my reflection in the mirror, the woman staring back at me looks confident, elegant and all put together but that is not how I actually feel inside.

My makeup is flawless, my hair sits perfectly over my shoulders, and the peach dress hugs my figure beautifully and yet beneath all that, I feel restless, uncertain to being scared.

Jelena, enough with the pity party already.

I inhale deeply before forcing myself to straighten my shoulders, everything is going to be fine, it has to be so I dry my hands and turn toward the exit.

The moment I step closer to the door, something slams into my senses so violently that my entire body freezes, I feel him before I see him.

The force of the energy hits me so hard that my wolf instantly claws at me from the inside, screaming for me to run, fear floods my veins immediately of pure instinct sensing anger, the energy grows closer and closer.

Closer.

My pulse spikes violently as I reach for the restroom door again, suddenly desperate to lock myself inside but the handle refuses to turn.

My breathing becomes uneven.

Whoever this is, this isn’t normal.

Either this person possesses the strongest aura I have ever encountered in my life, or they belong to an entirely different species of shifter altogether and the bloodthirst radiating from that presence tells me everything I need to know.

I hope this wasn't what made Aaron on the edge earlier, shifters can sense each other and the energy I just felt is stronger the what I would expect from shifter even as strong as Aaron, who is an Alpha, I haven't felt this aura from him before, even during the full moon where we become more active

Predator, violently deadly that the air itself suddenly feels heavier, suffocating me with pressure and every instinct inside me screams to flee.

I should have just allowed Aaron to follow me.