Chapter 3
I stood frozen, staring at the doors that had slammed shut behind Kael.
Before I could process what had happened, my mother and Nora grabbed my arms. Their nails dug into my skin as they dragged me away.
“Let me go!”
My wedding dress caught on a step and tore as they pulled me toward the back of the church.
“Where are you taking me?” I screamed. “Let me go!”
Several guests pulled out their phones and started recording.
Others laughed.
“Look at her.”
“She really caused all this trouble for nothing.”
“What a disgrace.”
My mother tightened her grip.
“Stop making a scene, Iris!”
“You're the one making a scene!” I shouted.
They took me through a side door and into a small storage room before shoving me inside.
I stumbled against the wall.
The door slammed shut.
A second later, I heard the lock click.
I rushed toward it and grabbed the handle. “Open the door!”
I pounded on the door. “Let me out! What gives you the right to lock me up?!”
Then I heard their footsteps fading away.
The room was dark and cold. A thin line of light slipped beneath the door.
Then Rowan's voice suddenly came through the church's sound system.
“Ladies and gentlemen, please excuse the little interruption earlier.”
“Right now, my abandoned ex-fiancée is reflecting in a little storage room backstage.”
Laughter erupted.
Rowan continued, “How long do you think she'll take to come to her senses?”
“Alpha Rowan is hilarious!”
“This is better than a show!”
“She deserves it!”
My fingers slowly slipped from the door.
I had become the entertainment—the failed bride.
The wolfless woman rejected by her own family.
I slid down the wall and sat on the floor.
My cheek still burned from my father's slap. My lip was split, and my foot throbbed where Nora had stepped on it.
But those wounds hurt less.
I pulled my phone from the pocket sewn into my wedding dress.
A message from my mother appeared.
“Iris, stop making a scene. Nora's happiness is what matters most. Kneel down and apologize to Rowan. Then everything will be over.”
Nora's happiness is what matters most.
What about mine?
Didn't my happiness matter?
Didn't my dignity matter?
As children, I gave her my clothes, toys, even the puppy I had taken in.
Whenever she wanted something, I was told to give it to her.
Because she was more important, and keeping her happy was easier than dealing with me.
And now they wanted me to give her my fiancé too.
For years, I had believed my family would stand beside me when it mattered most. I had defended them, obeyed them, and swallowed every unfair word because I thought that was what family meant. Yet when I needed them, they had chosen Nora without hesitation. Even Rowan, the man I had loved for three years, had looked at my pain and called it an inconvenience.
I pressed a hand against my chest. Something inside me had gone quiet. I didn't know what would happen after today. I only knew I could never go back to the life I had before.
A slow, romantic song began playing outside.
It was the song I had chosen for my first dance with Rowan.
My chest tightened.
Rowan and Nora were dancing.
On the same floor where I had stood minutes ago.
My phone vibrated again.
This time, it was Nora. “Iris, I know you're angry right now. But think about it. Rowan deserves better. Please don't be stubborn. You'll find someone else eventually. But Rowan is mine now. Just accept it.”
A bitter laugh escaped me.
Of course. Even now, she wanted me to accept it.
I lowered my phone and curled up on the cold floor.
My family had betrayed me.
Rowan had humiliated me.
And Kael…
I closed my eyes.
He had tried to protect me but they had dragged him away.
I didn't even know where he was now.
Let them laugh.
Let them mock me.
Let them celebrate.
I had already lost everything.
There was nothing left for them to take.
Then Rowan's voice came through the sound system again.
“Everyone, now for the most exciting part.”
My eyes opened.
“Let's go see if our ex-fiancée has finally come to her senses.”
Footsteps approached.
Dozens of them.
I heard laughter, whispers, and phones.
They were coming here to watch me.
The key turned in the lock. The door swung open.
Bright light flooded the room. I raised my hand to shield my eyes.
Then I looked up.
Rowan stood in the doorway. Behind him were dozens of guests, their phones already recording.
Nora stood beside him, one hand resting over her pregnant stomach.
My parents stood behind them. My mother's arms were crossed.
My father's face was still twisted with anger.
Rowan leaned against the doorframe.
“What's your decision, Iris?”
I slowly pushed myself up. My injured foot throbbed with every movement.
“Are you ready to apologize?”
I said nothing.
“Get on your knees,” he ordered. “Beg for forgiveness, and maybe I'll let you come home.”
My fingers curled into fists.
“Otherwise,” he added coldly, “you're disowned.”
The guests murmured excitedly, waiting for me to break, waiting for me to kneel.
I slowly straightened my back.
I was about to tell Rowan exactly what he could do with his forgiveness.
But then—
BANG!
The main doors of the church were violently thrown open.
The sound echoed through the hall.
Every voice died. The guests turned.
The phones swung toward the entrance.
Even Rowan's expression changed.
I stared past them.
A wheelchair rolled slowly through the open doors.
Kael.
He was surrounded by men dressed entirely in black, the Blackthorn pack enforcers.
Their expressions were cold.
Behind them came several pack officers.
The laughter and whispers disappeared.
Kael's dark eyes found mine.
He looked tired and pale, his injured body still supported by the wheelchair.
But he was here. He had come back.
A faint smile touched his lips.
For the first time since my wedding began, I didn't feel alone.
Kael hadn't abandoned me.
He had come back for me.