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I should put some distance between us. It’s what any sensible woman would do in a situation like this. But I leaned into his touch, my body relaxing beneath the feel of his hands grabbing onto me and wishing the layer of clothing was not in the way.
No…no, this is not right. We shouldn’t be doing this, not in the presence of the entire pack, especially when we had the eyes of the whole pack on us.
Sensing my panic, Griffin hooked a thumb on my jaw, pulling my eyes back to him. “Don’t look away from me, Mira. I know you’re feeling what I’m feeling, and I know you want me just as much as I want you. Just say you’ll be mine, and we can put an end to all of this and be happy together.”
“Griffin….” I drawled, feeling emotionally defeated from the effects of his words and the way my body was currently reacting to his touch.
“You don’t have to give me an answer now. Just say you’ll think about it. Don’t marry him, Mira, please.”
In my list of the most unlikely things to happen, Griffin begging was at the top of it. Hearing how sorry he was and seeing the sincerity in his eyes had me questioning my resolve.
My wolf whimpered, sensing the pain of her mate and wanting to console him.
There’s nothing I wanted more than to melt into his arms and tell him that my heart has refused to love another besides him and to let him know that after all these years, he remained the only man who could rouse certain feelings from me.
Just as I was about to tell him I’d think about his proposal and revisit my decision to marry Victor, Lilith appeared from nowhere, dumping a bucket of cold water on my emotions and waking me to reality .
“Is it appropriate for you to be clinging onto another woman’s husband publicly while your fiancé watches?” she spat, looking at me like I was a stain on her pristine white robe.
I looked at the stage to find Victor watching me with a calm expression, and I was overwhelmed with a crippling amount of guilt. I tried to get away from Griffin, but his arm tightened around me, his eyes dripping with hate as he spoke to Lilith.
“I am not your husband. I made that clear a long time ago. Don’t you ever interrupt me like that again.”
His voice was so cold and hard I shivered at the intensity.
I conducted a quick scan of the room again, thankful the audience remained lost in their world.
All of them except Victor, who, although being caught in a conversation with one of the nobles, didn’t let me out of his sight, and Lady Sheila, who was watching with curious eyes.
“I am your wife, Griffin. How many times will you let this tramp come in between us?” Lilith hissed, her voice growing louder, and I figured it was only a matter of seconds before we had the eyes of the whole community on us.
“He’s all yours, Lilith, and I have no intention of taking him from you, so you can stop with the public embarrassment.”
Griffin’s eyes snapped to me, but I couldn’t bring myself to look at him, not trusting myself to hold strong to my decision after I saw the look in his eyes.
“Mira, don’t listen to whatever she’s saying. She’s a liar, and you know I meant every word of everything I said.”
“The same way you know I’m to be married to your brother soon. I love Victor, and I will marry him. Don’t abandon your wife for me because I won’t be there for you,” I replied, turning to leave the scene and bumping right into Victor .
“And I love you, too, sweetheart,” he said, flashing me a proud grin before turning to Griffin. “Stay away from my wife.”
The evening took a turn I didn’t expect, and as Victor and I walked to the garden, I couldn’t subdue the ache in my heart.
The look on Griffin’s face when I said I loved Victor broke me in two, but I remembered what I suffered in the hands of Lilith and him, and I couldn’t bear to return to that life.
Victor was a safer bet, and with him, I didn’t need to worry about someone setting me up or Noah being kidnapped in my absence.
“Are you okay? You’re awfully quiet,” Victor said when we sat on the lover’s bench at the bottom of the oak tree.
“I’m fine. It’s just been a long week of celebration.”
His eyes softened a bit, and he pulled my fingers to his lips, placing a kiss on all of them. “We have one more celebration to go, and then it’s going to be just you and I. We can do whatever we want.”
I could only smile in return. The reminder of our approaching wedding felt like I was intentionally walking into an eternal prison.
Sometimes, I stop and wonder at the turn my life has taken.
I went from being a lowly Omega serving at Darkmoon kitchen to finding out that I was fated to the prince, getting rejected by him and thrown in the jungle, to becoming a billionaire with enough wealth and influence to seek revenge for my beloved friend.
Now, I was to marry my mate’s brothers. Ex mate.
My younger self couldn’t have pictured this in her wildest imagination, but here we were, seated with royalty and not depending on the leftovers from the pack house.
I was proud of how far I’d come and not scared to go further, but something about getting married to Victor made my future appear bleaker than it was back at Darkmoon.
His lips started to move from my fingers to my arms and finally to my neck, and I couldn’t contain the shiver of unpleasantness that coursed through me.
I cursed myself for wearing a sleeveless dress.
Victor must’ve mistaken the shiver for pleasure and intensified his assault on my neck, sucking and nibbling on the sensitive skin.
I tried to get into it. I really tried. But I kept feeling like I was cheating on someone, and by the time his lips got to mine, I panicked and turned away, my heart thudding erratically.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have attacked you like that in a place like this. I was going to save it for later, but you look so beautiful.”
He was going to save it for later? The statement sent my skin crawling.
I had insisted on separate rooms under the guise of wanting to wait until marriage, but now it seems I’ve come to the finish line, and there’s nowhere else to run.
I forced a smile on my face. “It’s fine.
I should be the one who’s sorry. I’m your fiance. ”
A moment passed before he spoke. “Do you still care about him?”
“Who?” I asked, feigning ignorance.
“Griffin. Do you still care about him?” he repeated, his eyes not leaving mine.
I opened my mouth to answer, but I couldn’t say the words. I didn’t want to lie to him, but at the same time, I feared what telling him the truth might mean. What if he cancels the wedding, and I lose every chance of avenging Mary?
Before I could come up with a reasonable answer, Victor drew closer to me, taking my hands in his. “I understand if you still do. He was your mate, after all. A bond like that doesn’t go away.”
I blinked in surprise. “You understand?”
“Yes, love. Besides, I saw the way you resisted and told him you love me. I have nothing to worry about. I trust you.”
I tried to say something, but the knot in my chest traveled to my throat, forming a thick lump and obstructing my vocal cords. He was so good and understanding. It made me feel like shit. Guilt was eating me up like a carnivorous beast, and I couldn’t fight back. I deserved it.
“It’s getting cold. Let’s head back,” he said, holding out his hand for me.
I shook my head, urging him to go on without me. It was almost midnight, and Ella should be here in no time. Besides, I needed some time to recover from today’s event, recollect my thoughts, and restrategize.
The plan had formed in my head. All I needed was evidence of the murder, and something told me that whatever Ella had discovered was going to go a long way in helping.
I sent her a quick text, letting her know I was currently in the garden and she could join me.
With the ceremony in full swing, our absence would not be noticed.
If there was one thing tonight had proven to me, it was that my marriage to Victor might not last past the first few months, and it was only a matter of time until Griffin broke through all my walls and found me defenseless against him.
The earlier I got done with this, the sooner I could cook up a reason to leave before things got ugly.
It took roughly fifteen minutes for Ella to join me in the garden. Her maid’s uniform was replaced by a black cocktail dress. She looked so beautiful, and I wished I could take a picture for Mary.
“We have to be quick before anyone sees us,” I said, leading her to a dark corner in the garden.
“Shortly before she was murdered, Mary always spoke of an impending war, a division, and she constantly asked me to be careful.” Ella started, her eyes filled with fear and her voice shaky.
“I asked her what was wrong a lot of times, but she maintained it wasn’t her secret to tell.
On the day they found her body, I found this stuck between in her fist. ”
She pulled out a royal blue button from her bra and handed it to me.
“I don’t have access to the royal chambers, so I’ve not been able to figure out the owner, but I know this will go a long way in revealing the truth.
I had wanted to give it to you the moment you got here, but I was a bit skeptical. I needed to be sure I could trust you.”
“Do you trust me now?” I replied, rolling the button between my fingers.
She let out a soft smile.
“Yes.”
I held the button to the silver moonlight filtering through the trees, my heart pounding in my chest. As I examined the intricate pattern, a chilling realization dawned on me.
Goddess, let this be a mistake.