Page 103 of My Alpha Stepbrother's Dirty Secret 2

He walked to the podium, adjusted the mic, and waited for the cheers to settle.

Then he spoke.

"I don't even know where to start," he said, chuckling lightly."But thank you.To every single person who believed in me, supported me, voted for me...thank you.I'm here because you all decided to give me a chance.and I promise I won't let you down."

More applause.

"To my mate, my Luna Queen, my strength...thank you for standing by me, even when I didn't deserve it.To my mother, to my father-in-law, to my beta, my gamma, my secretary, Richard," he smiled, "thank you.Thank you all for helping me carry this dream and making it real."

I wiped my eyes quietly as he spoke.

Then he ended with, "and now, I'd love to officially invite you all to the wedding ceremony of your alpha King and Luna Queen, taking place in exactly two weeks from today."

I turned my head to him slowly.

"Two weeks?"I whispered.

He winked at me."Surprise."

I smiled, even though I was still in shock.

The crowd cheered again, and I didn't even know when Killian wrapped his arm tightly around my waist and pulled me closer.Everyone was looking, and when he kissed my temple, the entire hall went, "awwwwnnnn."

Ryan came running forward, smiling so hard his dimples were showing."Mommy!Daddy!You look like king and queen in a cartoon!"

Killian picked him up effortlessly, and my heart melted at the way Ryan looked at both of us.

Then my dad and Killian's mom joined us on stage, and the camera flashes didn't stop.

We stood there together, our little royal family, smiling for the cameras, smiling for ourselves, and I swear, it was the happiest day of my life.

CHAPTER 108

Liana's POV

The wedding preparations were in full force and it honestly felt like everything was happening all at once.I was being pulled in ten different directions with decorators, planners, tailors, florists, and cake designers all asking me questions about things I hadn't even thought about.It was a royal wedding, and apparently that meant every single detail had to be absolutely perfect.My dress alone had five designers working on it from three different packs.The hall was being set up like it was a coronation, and I'd overheard someone say it was going to be broadcast live across all werewolf territories.

If not for my stepmom, I'd have gone crazy already.She was the one handling everything with this calm, bossy confidence like she'd been waiting her whole life to throw me the perfect royal wedding.and honestly?I was grateful.I really was.

She didn't let me lift a finger and kept saying, "You're the bride, you're not supposed to be stressed.Just show up, look stunning, and say I do."

Killian, on the other hand, was swamped.Ever since he officially became alpha King, he'd been buried in documents and decisions and more paper than I'd ever seen in my life.Council meetings, alliance proposals, pack integrations...it was a lot.But Logan, Steve, and Richard were always by his side.They made things easier for him.I always saw one of them walking in or out of his office with thick folders in their hands and this exhausted look on their faces like they hadn't slept in days.

One time, I overheard Killian talking on the phone in his office.He was discussing something about imprisoning alpha Cassian, saying they'd finally caught him in Vegas, and Killian wasn't going to let him go unpunished.Cynthia was still serving her jail term too, and the three men who murdered my mom?They were dead.Killian didn't go into details, but from what I knew...the deaths weren't peaceful.They begged for death after what Killian did to them.He said Dorian and Cassian were still in the prison, rotting there until further notice.

anyway, today I was following my stepmom for my dress fitting.We were at this very high-end bridal store, and I was already halfway through trying out a third gown while my phone buzzed in my purse.I checked the screen and froze.

Betty.

My heart did this weird jump.Betty was my college best friend.Back when I ran away from home and decided to go back to school to get a diploma even with my pregnancy, Betty was the one who helped me the most.When I gave birth and was raising Ryan alone, juggling multiple jobs, and trying to pass exams, she...she made it easier.She would help babysit Ryan, sometimes even cook dinner when I was too exhausted to do anything.Betty was an orphan, so we bonded quickly, both of us carrying this heavy kind of sadness.We were friends for five years, and then she got married and moved to another country with her husband.I hadn't seen her since, but we kept in touch once in a while.

I smiled and quickly picked the call, already excited to hear her voice.

"Hello?Betty?"

But it wasn't her.

"Hello, is this Miss Liana Rivers?"