Three
1297 คำ
Ella
“Then let’s not keep our guests waiting,” I said softly, every word laced with cutting grace.
The golden hall still hummed with restless whispers after Kane’s declaration and my response.
I could feel the eyes of every noble, every opportunist, every sycophant burning into me.
They weren’t staring at Lauren anymore.
No, the Ross family’s jewel was dull now, her shine was broken. Instead, they looked at me.
Me, Ella.
The girl they had called weak.
The truth was now iron-clad: Kane Darius had claimed me. And that was a storm they would not be able to silence.
“Ella.” A sharp voice cut into the silence. Mrs. Grace, one of the Alpha’s family members. She looked like she was swallowing venom. “Go. Get changed into the proper attire.”
I raised a brow. “The proper attire?”
Her nostrils flared. “The bridal dress,” she hissed through clenched teeth. “The one meant for Lauren.”
The words were meant to sting.
Instead, I let my smile sharpen. They didn’t know the satisfaction that surged through me at her order.
For years, Lauren had flaunted her position, bragged about the dress she would wear when she finally became the bride of an Alpha heir.
She had chosen every stone, every stitch, every pearl with her delusions of grandeur. Now fate had twisted, and I would be the one walking down the aisle in it.
And oh, how she would choke on it.
Two servants escorted me to the dressing chamber.
Their hands trembled as they unzipped the garment bag. Inside gleamed a masterpiece.
The gown shimmered under the soft lamplight, breathtaking in its decadence. White silk, pure as moonlight, cascaded into a sweeping train, its edges kissed with delicate lace that looked spun from frost.
Embedded across the bodice and down the flaring skirt were hundreds of diamond stones, each catching the light and scattering it into a thousand fractured rainbows.
They glittered with every movement, a storm of brilliance captured in fabric.
The neckline was daring but refined, a sculpted sweetheart cut edged with hand-stitched pearls.
Sleeves of sheer gossamer clung delicately to my arms, dusted with diamond patterns that made it look as though constellations were etched upon my skin.
The waist cinched perfectly, highlighting curves I had long buried beneath shapeless clothes.
This was not a dress.
It was a weapon.
And I would wield it.
Without hesitation, attendants moved. The gown meant for Lauren slipped over my shoulders.
The satin hugged my frame, whispering against my skin, unveiling the beauty I had hidden beneath drab clothes and lowered eyes.
I stepped out of the dressing chamber, my heels clicking softly against the marble.
The diamonds on the dress caught the hallway’s chandeliers, scattering brilliance across the walls.
And that was when I saw him.
Jack.
He was leaning casually against the wall outside, as though he had been waiting.
His eyes widened the moment they landed on me, drinking me in with a hunger that twisted my stomach in disgust.
“Ella,” he breathed, almost reverently.
“You… you look…”
“Don’t.” My voice was ice.
But he didn’t listen. He pushed off the wall, his eyes dark with greed. “I never realized…” He reached for me, his hand stretching toward my face.
I stepped back, my body rigid. “Don’t touch me.”
That should have been enough. But Jack was never one to take ‘no’ as an answer.
His wolf flared faintly in his eyes, and in a sudden movement, he pressed me against the wall, caging me in with his arms.
His face dipped close, his breath hot and unwanted against my cheek.
“You should have been mine all along,” he whispered harshly. “Forget Kane. I can give you more. I can give you…”
I turned my face away, revulsion coiling in my gut.
His lips brushed dangerously near, and I shoved against his chest, but he was stronger, pinning me harder against the cold marble.
“Let me go!” I hissed.
And then…
“Jack!”
Lauren’s voice pierced the hallway, high-pitched and shrill.
Jack froze.
He jerked back instantly, his eyes flicking between me and his fiancée as panic surged through him.
Lauren stormed toward us, her heels snapping against the floor, her face twisted in rage.
“What is this?” she screamed. Her hands shook as she pointed at me. “What is SHE doing in my dress, pinned against the wall with you?”
Jack’s survival instinct kicked in. He didn’t hesitate.
“She…she pulled me!” he stammered quickly, pointing at me. “She came onto me. I tried to push her away!”
The fury in Lauren’s face shifted into vindication. “You slut!”
Before I could speak, Mrs. Ross’s venomous presence filled the corridor. Her eyes landed on me like knives, her voice dripping with mockery.
“What did I tell you? I warned you not to disgrace this family, and here you are, trying to seduce your sister’s fiancé after stealing the spotlight on her wedding day!”
The accusation struck like a lash. My wolf snarled within me.
“That’s not what happened,” I said, my voice steady, though my hands trembled with anger.
“Liar!” Lauren spat, clutching Jack’s arm for support. “You’ve been jealous of me all your life! And now you’re trying to ruin everything!”
I drew a slow breath, my eyes narrowing.
Enough.
I pulled out my phone. My fingers moved swiftly, tapping commands. Within seconds, the screen flickered, then displayed the CCTV feed from the hallway’s security cameras.
The video rolled. Clear as day.
Jack was seen waiting. Then he approached me, and tried to touch me.
Then he pinned me to the wall, leaned in, his mouth inches from mine as I resisted.
Gasps filled the corridor.
Servants craned their necks. Even a few nobles had wandered near, their curiosity turning into shock as they saw the footage.
Jack’s face was drained of all color.
“This…this isn’t what it looks like!” he stammered.
Lauren’s lips parted, but no words came out.
Mrs. Ross’s face turned an ugly shade of red. Then, instead of conceding, she sneered.
“How convenient. To have the footage appear on your phone and not on the main monitors. How do we know you didn’t manipulate it? Hm? You’ve always been deceitful. Perhaps you’ve learned a few tricks to make yourself look innocent!”
Her hand lashed out before I could react. The c***k of the slap echoed down the hallway, searing across my cheek with a sting that burned my skin.
“You dare humiliate Lauren and Jack?” Mrs. Ross spat, her chest heaving with rage. “You will never belong here. Never!”
The world tilted in that instant, not from the slap, but from what followed.
A roar erupted.
I turned and noticed that Kane had arrived there.
The sound of his growl tore through the hallway like thunder breaking mountains.
His aura slammed into the corridor, heavy and suffocating, silencing every whisper, every breath.
He strode forward, his eyes glowing with the steel-blue light of his wolf, his jaw clenched with lethal fury.
His voice thundered, each word coated in pure Alpha dominance.
“How dare you.”
The air itself quivered. Servants dropped to their knees under the weight of his power.
Even Jack stumbled back, paling.
Kane stopped before me, his towering presence shielding me from their venom. His eyes burned into Mrs. Ross, then swept across every witness.
“How dare you raise a hand against my wife,” he growled. “Against your Luna.”
- ผู้เขียน
