Chapter 2
-[Nyxra’s pov]-
I didn’t know how many hours had passed. I had only sat there, staring at the door, waiting for him to come back.
When it finally opened, my heart jumped.
Alpha Dravos walked in with a smile on his face.
His tie was loose, his clothes were dishevelled. His hair was messy, I didn’t need to know what had happened, especially after Elowen’s text.
“What took you so long, Dravos? It’s 3 am now.” My voice trembled despite my attempt to sound firm.
Dravos barely looked at me.
“I told you, Nyxra. I went to meet Elowen. She wanted to play cards, and I couldn’t refuse her.”
Dravos pulled his tie and began to undress to change. I couldn’t understand how he could lie to my face.
How could he look into my eyes after spending the entire night with her and pretend they had only played cards?
“But you could easily refuse your fiance?” I snapped.
A low growl left his throat.
“Soon to be my wife.”
My heart stopped.
“You’re still not married to me, Nyxra.” I saw how easily he was triggered whenever I brought up Elowen. “I can always refuse and leave you at the altar.”
My body went cold.
I staggered backward.
For a moment, I couldn't even breathe.
Is that what he wanted?
Was he threatening to abandon me because I dared to question him?
A cunning smile appeared on his lips as Dravos reached for my shoulders and lifted my chin. I flinched. He lifted my chin, forcing me to look at him. “Is that what you want, Nyxra?”
“N-no!” That was all I could utter with my trembling lips. Because the thought of losing him terrified me more than I wanted to admit.
“Then know your place and stop trying to control me.” He pushed me without taking into account the force he used.
I stumbled backward, desperately trying to catch my balance. But I was too late, my back slammed into the glass table.
A scream ripped from my throat.
I collapsed against the table, clutching my bleeding hand. For several seconds, I couldn't move. I could only stare at the shard of glass buried in my palm.
Blood trickled between my fingers.
The unbearable realization that the man I loved had hurt me without even stopping to think about it.
Alpha Dravos didn’t bother, instead he went towards the bathroom. The next thing I heard was the sound of the shower while my eyes cried.
My wolf whimpered.
Our mate had rejected us.
“Are you still going to sulk like an old hag now?” Dravos asked me after he was done with the shower and crept in the bed.
My bandaged hand throbbed, but the pain felt distant compared to the crushing ache inside my chest. Tears slipped down my cheeks one after another, silently soaking my face.
I stared at him in disbelief.
This was the same man who had once turned the entire manor upside down when I had merely grazed my knee in the garden. He had summoned the best doctors and had stayed beside me.
But now?
He hadn't even asked if I was okay.
He hadn't apologized.
He hadn't even looked at my hand.
“Come to bed. I’m not going to bear your tantrums, Nyxra. You better get used to these changes. You’re going to become my Luna tomorrow. Stop these childish things and grow up.”
Dravos patted on the mattress but I didn’t move.
He didn’t ask me again, he turned around and drifted to sleep. While I sat there deeply disturbed, I slid down against the wall and tucked my head against my knees.
The morning brought a grim silence between us. Dravos didn't even look at me on the floor as he got dressed. He pulled on his shirt, adjusted his cuffs, and prepared to put on his tuxedo as if the previous night had never happened.
I sniffled.
My eyes burned from crying.
Slowly, I forced myself to stand. The moment I got to my feet, Dravos suddenly rushed toward me with his supernatural speed.
His arm wrapped around my waist.
“Careful, love. You shouldn’t have angrily slept there, it’s bad for your back.”
His sweet tone made my stomach churn.
Nausea crawled up my throat.
This was the same man who hurt me yesterday, abused me and humiliated our sacred bond. All for his mistress, his first love.
I didn’t say anything and simply smiled.
Just then, his phone rang and Dravos released me instantly. So quickly that the warmth of his arm disappeared before I could even process it.
He rushed toward his phone.
The moment he read the message, a wide smile spread across his face. My heart sank, I didn't need to ask who it was.
He dropped the phone and headed to the wardrobe to the other side of the room. An instinct forced me to peak into his phone.
“Room 401, Diamond plus hotel. In two hours, I’ll be waiting.”
Horror crept through my veins.
Elowen still hadn’t left my fiance alone even on his wedding day.
“I’m on my way, Elowen. These hours will be perfect, just like how you wanted.”
My breath caught.
I stared at the words until they blurred behind my tears. So this was why he had been smiling. It wasn't because of our wedding but because Elowen had called him.
All of it was for his first love.
My fingers went numb.
I threw the phone back onto the bed just as I heard the door close. Dravos picked it up, shoved it into his pocket, and hurried toward me. “I will be going out for a few hours and meet you at the altar.” He came up to me and kissed my forehead.
“No, I—”
The words barely escaped my lips.
He was already gone.
Reluctantly I slumped in the bed and smashed my fists on the mattress. I cried until my chest hurt, until my throat burned. Until there was nothing left inside me except an unbearable emptiness.
Finally, I forced myself to change into my strapless wedding gown. I sat before the mirror and the woman staring back at me didn't look like a bride.
My mascara was smudged beneath my eyes.
Tears had left dark streaks across my cheeks.
Today was supposed to be my wedding day. Yet I looked like someone attending a funeral. I touched up my makeup with shaking hands and forced myself downstairs to meet Dravos's parents.
I was so lost inside my thoughts that I nearly missed the last step. “Watch out, little one.” I was about to trip off the last steps when Alpha Laurent grabbed me.
His eyes were filled with genuine concern. His Luna came from behind him and looked at me with disgust.
“Come. Have breakfast with us. Today is the big day for all of us.” The Alpha chuckled as we walked toward the dining hall.
Only his presence nearly made me forget what his son had done to me. But the internal peace didn’t last long, as another message arrived on my phone.
My heart stopped.
My hands began trembling as intimate pictures flooded my screen.
I couldn't breathe.
A message from Elowen appeared beneath them.
“Thanks for letting Dravos fulfil my last wish. He's really a sweetheart and didn't hesitate when I told him I wanted to sleep with him.”
I clutched the phone tighter in rage. Rage burned through my tears. My nails dug into my palm when another picture appeared.
Elowen was winking at the camera.
And beneath it were her final words.
“Congratulations on your wedding today. I hope my relationship with Alpha Dravos will never be affected.”