They Stole My Wedding to Save Her, Not Knowing They Were Sacrificing Me to the Mountain God Chapter 03

They Stole My Wedding to Save Her, Not Knowing They Were Sacrificing Me to the Mountain God Chapter 03

My cheek throbbed with pain, swollen and hot, and a faint ringing buzzed in my ear.

My shirt had been ripped open, exposing the pale pink strap underneath.

“Man, Callum has no idea what he walked away from.”

“A woman this pretty? Guess we get to enjoy her first.”

I closed my eyes, cold wave of despair swallowing me whole.

Just when I thought the worst was about to happen, the door opened again.

Three elders I had once seen at the Founder’s Day covenant rite walked in.

They were dressed in formal ceremonial clothing.

A sweeping gesture from the lead elder, and several imposing young men lunged forward, ripping the groomsmen off me like wet paper.

Aunt Maeve helped me sit up.

“What the hell? Do you even know who I am?”

“I’m Nolan Pierce. My family owns half this county. You think you can touch me?”

Patriarch Graham walked up to the shouting boy and delivered a slap so hard blood appeared at the corner of his mouth.

Then he looked back at the others and ordered coldly.

“Find out which families these boys belong to. Anyone who dares lay hands on the Guardian’s Bride will be sent home and taught a lesson properly.”

With that, the men were dragged away.

Patriarch Graham turned to me, and his expression softened noticeably.

“Since you have agreed to come with us, we must follow the old rites and sever your ties to the life you are leaving behind.”

He handed me a pill sealed in amber wax.

I had seen it before on the altar during a family covenant rite.

It was called the Severance Draught.

Once swallowed, it erased old attachments, old love, old pain, and every bond of the heart.

Back then, I had found the pill terrifying. I had clung tightly to Richard’s hand and whined like a spoiled little girl.

“I never want to take that. I don’t want to forget you and Mom.”

Richard had smiled and tapped the tip of my nose.

“Then you’ll never have to. Just grow up, find a good man, and live a beautiful life.”

“As long as he treats you right, your mother and I won’t stand in your way.”

“Who made you the apple of our eye?”

Back then, their love had felt absolute and unconditional.

Until Richard’s Army buddy passed away, and they brought Sienna home as their adopted daughter.

On Sienna’s first day in our house, my parents lectured me again and again.

“Sienna has no one now. You have to let her have her way.”

“Otherwise, she’ll be hurt.”

From then on, she got first pick of everything, clothes, food, toys. I was left with her scraps.

I worked hard and ranked first in my entire school.

My parents promised to buy me a laptop, but when the results came out, the MacBook appeared on Sienna’s desk.

They said, “You already have so much. Are you really going to fight Sienna over one laptop?”

After that, I never asked them for anything again.

Because anything I had would eventually be taken from me and shared with Sienna.

All in the name of the “fairness” my parents loved to talk about.

Callum was the one thing I thought I would never have to share with Sienna.

But after he stepped into this family, even he changed.

I called in every favor I had to hire a designer for my bridal gown, but Sienna did not like the design.

Callum immediately dismissed the designer and hired another one.

Without asking me, he let that person design the gown to suit Sienna instead.

He said, “You and Sienna are about the same size anyway. Making it look good on her means it’ll look fine on you.”

“Don’t you love Sienna the most? You’re not going to be stingy over something like this, are you?”

I broke the amber wax seal and swallowed the pill.

Its bitterness lingered briefly on my tongue before melting into a warm current.

The years of heavy resentment, the longing, the love that had never been returned, seemed to dissolve in that instant.

My heart became calm.

Peaceful.

When I thought back on everything that had happened to me, it no longer hurt as much.

Patriarch Graham stroked his beard with satisfaction, his smile gentle.

“Elara, it’s almost time,” he said. “You should change into your ceremonial gown.”