Your ‘Bro’ in Our Ritual? I Reject You. Chapter 06

Your ‘Bro’ in Our Ritual? I Reject You. Chapter 06

Caroline trotted over with a bounce, throwing her arms around his neck with a cheerful laugh.

“Did you clear things up with Olivia? I accidentally messed up the shrine-she isn’t mad, is she?”

Archie steadied her, reaching up to pat her head with casual ease.

“Handled. The ceremony moved to the banquet hall. You guys keep celebrating here.”

Caroline’s face went rigid for a split second. “She agreed?”

“Yeah.”

Archie flagged down a warrior, telling him to go out and buy tulips to decorate the new venue.

Those were Olivia’s favorite flowers.

Caroline’s eyes darted around, and she cut in immediately, “I want to come too! Let me walk the rings up to

you on stage!”

Archie hesitated. “That…”

“Come on, let me. The friends who came to be bridesmaids already left, so imagine how sad Olivia will feel

with no one to bring the rings.”

She tugged at his arm, wheedling. “Besides, she has misunderstandings about me. Handing you two the

rings myself is the perfect way to prove we’re clear.”

She patted her chest with exaggerated cool. “I’ve had a total epiphany since returning. Mating? Not for me.

What we had back then is all in the past.”

Light caught the tiny crystals on Caroline’s dress, flashing across Archie’s eyes.

He suddenly realized Caroline’s gown was far more lavish than Olivia’s.

When the tailored Luna gown was damaged after Caroline secretly tried it on, the replacement was just a

plain ivory silk gown.

If they stood side by side, Olivia would look completely overshadowed.

Archie hesitated.

Yet looking into Caroline’s pleading eyes, he eventually nodded.

It was fine. Olivia was always generous-she wouldn’t hold a grudge over something small.

As nine o’clock approached, guests from various packs filtered into the small hall. Chaos rippled through the

room.

“They already had a ceremony, so why are we swearing vows again in this tiny room?”

Another lowered his voice. “I heard the woman earlier wasn’t the real Luna, just Alpha’s Beta friend trying out the mating ceremony. This one right now is the real mating ceremony.”

A guest gasped out loud. “Isn’t that just absurd?”

Seated at the head table, old Alpha Julian slammed his hand on the wood. “Wasn’t the sacred shrine fine? Swapping halls twice in one day-aren’t you ashamed?”

Old Luna Anna’s expression was equally dark. “Here I thought you’d wised up and made Caroline your Luna. Turns out you were just fooling around. You’ve made us a laughingstock.”

Anna took Caroline’s hand, looking toward Archie. “I say you just roll with it. You haven’t officially marked Olivia anyway, and Caroline seems to like you plenty.”

Hearing that, Caroline merely smiled with a blush, no longer making any grand statements about non-bond.

Archie kept checking the time on his phone, consumed by anxiety.

Hearing their words, he fired back without hesitation.

“No way. I only see Caroline as a friend and my trusted Beta. The only one I love is Olivia-she is my destined mate. I’m going to seal the mate bond with her.”

Caroline’s face turned pale for an instant.

The clock struck nine, and the hall doors swung open.

Spotlights flashed toward the entrance.

Yet where the Luna should have been standing, there was nobody.

The cramped banquet hall fell silent for a beat.

After a long pause, someone finally spoke up.

“What’s going on? Didn’t they say there was a real Luna?”

“What are we even doing? What kind of game is the Crimson Pack playing?”

Julian and Anna traded glances, turning their eyes toward Archie, who stood frozen.

“Archie, what is this? Where is Olivia?”

Something was wrong.

Olivia was always punctual-how could she be late for something as crucial as her mating ceremony?

A wave of panic Archie had never felt before surged in his heart.

His phone chimed with a message alert. Reaching for it like a lifeline, he opened it up.

It wasn’t from Olivia, but from the makeup artist.

The makeup artist: [Alpha, you told me to wait in the lounge for Luna Olivia, but it’s nine now and no one showed.] Our agreed cutoff time is ten tonight. Any later and we won’t make it. Could you reach out to her?]

Archie’s hand trembled against the phone.

Archie: [No one came the whole day?]

The makeup artist: [Yes, I’ve been waiting here ever since I finished Beta Caroline’s makeup.]

Right then, an unfamiliar phone number dialed in.

“Hello, sir, this is South Bay Hotel.”

“Our housekeeper found a ring in Room 1306, which you canceled this afternoon. We wanted to check if you accidentally left it behind?”

Room 1306 was where Olivia stayed after leaving her parents’ place.

For convenience, he used his VIP account when booking it.

Archie quickly had the hotel send him a photo of the ring.

When it came through, his arm went slack.

Only in that instant did he realize Olivia was gone.

From the moment he let Caroline step onto that parade float, she had no intention of becoming his mate.