The Alpha Who Threw Me Away for a Ghost Chapter 02

The Alpha Who Threw Me Away for a Ghost Chapter 02

Perhaps the air conditioning in the dressing room was blasting too cold, because the more I thought about it, the more chilled to the bone I felt.

Alaric reached out to take my hand, but I slapped it away.

“Get the dress back, Alaric,” I said, standing up to look him dead in the eye. “I don’t want her wearing it.”

“Stop throwing a tantrum, Joanna,” Alaric said, his brow furrowing. The impatient look on his face pierced right through me. “It’s just a ceremony. You’re an Alpha’s daughter. Can’t you show a little grace and compassion?”

The downward curve of his mouth and the annoyance in his eyes stung.

I demanded, “Fine, forget the dress. She wants a Mating Ceremony, but does the groom have to be you?”

Alaric’s expression darkened instantly. He turned toward the door. “Being with you is exhausting. You never consider my position. Do you really have to force everyone into an embarrassing situation?”

With a sharp click, the door locked from the outside.

A fire roared in my chest, and I slammed my hands against the heavy wood. “I don’t agree! I meticulously planned and anticipated this ceremony for so long. It isn’t just some meaningless ritual to me…”

Through the door, his irritated voice cut me off.

“Can you stop being so cold-hearted? She’s dying. What’s wrong with letting her have this one thing?”

The fire in my chest froze to ice instantly. My hands dropped to my sides, my voice turning dead calm.

“Think carefully about this, Alaric. Don’t regret it.”

The silence outside stretched for a beat before his firm, decisive footsteps began to fade away into the distance.

I collapsed onto the floor, my voluminous skirts bunching up around me as a profound emptiness hollowed out my chest.

My inner wolf howled in absolute fury: She ruined our Mating Ceremony!

Suddenly, several desperate calls flooded my mind. It was a mind link from my father. But before he could say another word, the connection was forcefully severed by the pack wards.

Separated by only a single wall, I could clearly hear the sudden uproar in the main hall—gasps of shock and confusion rippling through the crowd.

Then, guided by the Elder officiating the ceremony, applause broke out.

Elara’s account sent another video to my phone.

The camera was aimed at the giant projector screens. The pre-wedding photos that Alaric and I had spent weeks shooting had all been systematically altered. AI face-swapping technology had replaced my face with Elara’s.

The hours spent posing under the blistering sun, the sore waist, the aching feet from a grueling day of shooting—everything had been handed to Elara on a silver platter.

This filled me with a rage far worse than Alaric’s words.

Though my hands shook, I tapped on the next video.

In the clip, she walked gracefully down the aisle under the cascading spotlights, gliding toward Alaric.

In the shadows of the guest seating behind her, my parents looked sick with worry, desperately searching for me. Yet, they were repeatedly blocked and placated by several Elders from the Blood Moon pack.

Seeing this, my tears finally spilled over, hot drops splashing onto the screen right over my parents’ faces.

I was the one who had chosen the wrong Alpha. Why did my parents and my pack have to suffer this humiliation alongside me?

I didn’t watch the rest of the videos.

Enveloped by the roaring celebration just a wall away, a cold clarity washed over my mind.

I stared at myself in the mirror for a long moment. Then, I stripped off the ill-fitting gown, washed the heavy makeup from my face, and changed back into my Silver Moon pack combat uniform.