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Without another word, I rushed to my car and drove straight to Shadowfang. The ache in my chest grew, and my mind was filled with thoughts of Mauve in a wedding dress, marrying someone else!
When I arrived, the guards at the gate recognized me immediately. They bowed, their fear was visible in the an
“Your Majesty,” one of them stammered, his eyes darting nervously. “We weren’t expecting-*
“Step aside,” I commanded.
“But, Your Majesty, the ceremony-”
“I said step the fuck aside!” My growl reverberated through the entrance, making them scramble to obey without another word. They parted, their heads lowered in submission.
I didn’t spare them another glance as I stormed past, my eyes focused solely on the ceremony unfolding in front.
of me.
There she was. Mauve. The woman I had claimed as mine, the one who was supposed to be mine, stood in a beautiful wedding dress, her eyes wide with shock when they landed on me. And her soon–to–be husband held her close, making my blood boil even more.
I stalked forward, my fangs elongating as I neared them. The entire pack seemed to freeze, sensing the danger in the air. The tension was thick–so fucking thick I could almost taste it. I could almost hear their fear.
“You forgot to invite your mate,” I snarled.
Mauve recoiled in a sharp voice. “I’m not your mate”
“I don’t remember rejecting you,” I shot back.
*Please, Your Majesty,” she begged. “Let me have happiness
tter “And
Happiness? She thought she could find happiness by marrying someone else? I laughed, but it was bitter. you think you can have that by escaping me and marrying someone to cover your feelings for me?”
The groom stepped forward, trying to intervene. “With all due respect, Your Majesty, we are in the middle of a sacred ceremony. Let us continue and be at least decent enough to avoid a scandal.”
I could feel my temper snap, the wolf inside me screaming to take control. “Do you want to die now?” I growled, stepping closer, my eyes locked onto him
Joshua squared his shoulders, unyielding. “I am not afraid of you, Your Majesty. But Mauve deserves happiness,
and she has chosen it with me.”
My fists clenched at my sides “Happiness? You think you can give her happiness? You’re nothing but a replacement, a poor one at that. She is mine.”
Joshua’s jaw tightened, but his voice remained steady. “She is not an object to be owned. She made her choice ”
I sneered. “A choice she made out of desperation, not love. She ran because she was scared. And you took
advantage of that!”
Mauve’s voice trembled as she spoke. “Please, Elias… let me go.”
I shook my head as my gaze fixed at the bastard groom. “I don’t care about your ceremony. If this spreads across
the western territories, let it. I will not stand by and watch my mate throw her life away.”
But the man held Mauve’s hand tighter. “If you truly cared for her, you’d respect her wishes.”
I bared my teeth. “You don’t understand what you’re dealing with. Stay out of my way before you regret it.”
His eyes flashed with warning. “Or what? You’ll take her by force? Is that how a true Alpha wins his mate?” My breathing grew heavier, and I could feel my wolf pushing to the surface. “You’re not in the right to say anything because you’re marrying my woman!”
Mauve’s words cut through the air. “I am pregnant with Joshua’s pups!”
“P–Pregnant? With his pups?”
The world seemed to stop for a moment. My mind went blank, my heart raced, but it was no longer in a way that
made me feel alive.
Mauve’s voice trembled as she spoke again. “We are going to be a family. So please… don’t wreck our home.
Now go and tend to your true mate and wife!”
