Chapter 21

Day of the Ceremony

Belene’s POV

My fingers anxiously trace the flowers embroidered into the bodice of my wedding gown it’s a delicate white contera weightless and ethereal I look more like a wood nymph than a bride

I remember the day we chose it, Bastien and ill was the first dress we found that did not completely overpower my w frame three years ago. We tried countless others first, but the moment i stepped into the gossamer fabric i wen tace said it all

ith u

‘s

This is the way of rejection ceremonies Marriages end as they begin

We will wear the same clothes, meet at the same moonlit altar with friends and family looking on, we’ll even play the samnem Vet instead of vows to love and keep each other we will vow to part. Instead of exchanging rings we’rarmore then, and instead of shifting to run together beneath the stars, we’ll divide, forging new paths in directions of our own choosing

Of course, Bastien and I never ran together in the first place. We walked through the forest hand in hand, a sweet concession for the loss of my wolf

Tonight I expect he will shift, and I have a fairly good idea where he’ll run rather to whom he’ll run.

I’ve replayed my conversation with Arabella over and over in my head. At first I thought I must have misheard her, after all Bacon himself told me Arabella was his mate. Yet the more I ponder our conversation the clearer it becomes Bastien is my mate, or the would have been if I still had Luna, It explains why I always felt connected to him, why he always made me feel safe

Those horrible women at Gabriel’s birthday were right, I am too broken to be anything but a burden. My one chance to be whole might have been finding the man the goddess chose for me, but fate had other plans.

My mate doesn’t want me without my wolf,

Who could?

might find a wolf who

enough for someone else The only person I want is Bastien,

Bastien’s POV

are becoming a reality. In less than an hour, we are going to formally end our marriage

through with the ceremony. I’m not any happier about it than he is, but I have to do this for Selene. This is what being an Alpha is all about, I rernind my stubborn wolf, taking care of others, putting

an Alpha is also about being in control. He replies grumpily. Do you feel in

been able to think about anything other than the fact that I will never get to hold my mate in my arms again. Not only that, I’m going

than focusing on things that are truly important like Blaise’s hunt for Volana wolves or my Alpha training. I’ve been wallowing in grief

dresser, wrapped up in a velvet box and decorative paper. When 1 bought it I told myself it was merely a parting gift for Selene, a token of appreciation for our

#Chapter 21 Rejection Day

that he’s finally speaking to me again. You think a pretty trinket is going to tell her something three

growl rumbles in my chest. He’s right of course, there’s nothing I can do or say that will change things now. It’s too late. It was probably too late when we met. Selene’s heart belonged to another years and years before I came

it. I have to

I toss

Gabriel’s POV

but drafting laws and signing treaties is difficult without thumbs. My fingers tug at the windsor knot choking off my air supply, fumbling with the annoying garment as read over the rejection agreement in my

regret churn deep in my belly. This is not the path I hoped my son would walk. His marriage to Selene started on difficult footing, but the struggle was never between them. For all the horror

was afraid of her own shadow, but she was never afraid of her mate, and caring for Selene had softened Bastien in so many ways. Watching her heal and witnessing them grow

the end I suppose Garrick’s torture was too much to overcome. If anyone is

curtains rustle, diverting my wolf’s attention. I drag my eyes from the document on my desk, eyeing the fluttering fabric curiously. The doors were closed when

mind racing to understand how anyone could have gotten past my heightened senses. My gaze

periphery, illuminated by the dim terrace lanterns. He’s tall and thin, dressed in all black and exuding undisguised hostility.

has, “only cowards hide in the shadows. Be a man and

sounds familiar, yet I can’t place it. “You mean you don’t recognize

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