Wrong Bride, Real Goodbye Chapter 01

Wrong Bride, Real Goodbye Chapter 01

Ivy’s POV

On the day of the Mate Ceremony, I slept through six straight hours.

By the time I rushed to the Moon Temple, my fiancé, Adrian Cole, Alpha heir of the Silvercrest Pack, had already walked through the entire ceremony with his first love.

He took one look at my sweat-drenched face and pale complexion, then smiled like he had nothing to hide.

“I slipped a little sleep draught into your water.”

“Bella just wanted to wear the Luna gown once. To stand in the Moon Temple and receive the Pack’s blessing.”

“It wasn’t an official mate bond registration. It won’t seal the bond.”

“She wanted it, so I gave it to her.”

Like he was worried I’d cause a scene right there, he added lazily:

“Be good.”

“The real bond registration. I’ll take you to Pack Hall next week.”

“Besides, making a fuss now won’t change anything.”

He glanced down at the bride standing beside him and let out a quiet laugh.

“Look. Even if she took the Luna gown off right now, it’s already been altered to her size.”

My gaze drifted calmly to Bella.

The gown she was wearing was one I had personally picked out over nearly six months.

From the ivory tulle to the silver wolf-crest embroidery, down to the moonstone clasp at the waist, the one that symbolized the future Luna, every single detail had been confirmed by my own hands.

But now the waist had been taken in, the hem cut short, and even the moonstone clasp had been moved to where Bella preferred it.

Every guest in the room held their breath.

They probably expected me to fall apart on the spot. To scream and cry and turn the whole ridiculous ceremony into a disaster.

Instead, I just exhaled slowly.

And let go of every last bit of tension in my body.

Should’ve said something sooner, honestly.

Because I’d already had regrets of my own.

My ex had just gotten down on one knee with a ten-carat diamond ring.

His Alpha formal proposal was already in my hands.

That man was Liam Reed.

The Alpha heir of the Reed family.

The one person I’d truly loved. And truly hated.

Well.

Looked like I didn’t need to send anything back.

…

I didn’t stay to watch them receive the Pack’s toasts.

I went straight home.

My neighbor did a double take when she saw me.

“Ivy, what are you doing back? Wasn’t today your Mate Ceremony?”

I’d spent so long planning this. From booking the Moon Temple to the florals, from the Luna gown to the invitations. Practically the entire Silvercrest territory knew about it.

Getting publicly played at the last second left me nowhere to hide.

I kept moving toward my door without breaking stride. My expression didn’t change.

“Called it off.”

“He was busy.”

Busy giving his first love a Mate Ceremony.

My neighbor’s face flickered with pity.

To her credit, she didn’t push.

The second I shut the door behind me, I sprinted to the bathroom.

And I threw up until there was nothing left.

When my body finally gave out, I slid down to the cold tile floor and just sat there.

My wolf reacts badly to sedatives.

Adrian knew that.

The Pack healer had warned him more than once. I couldn’t handle that kind of medication.

And he’d done it anyway.

The fact that I woke up at all was a miracle.

I hauled myself up by the sink and rinsed my mouth.

My phone started blowing up.

It was a Pack group chat, one I shared with Adrian.

“Cole’s wild, right? You see that? Ivy showed up and didn’t say a single word.”

“Adrian must’ve trained her well. She’s unbelievably obedient.”

“She doesn’t have family. No strong Pack backing. Adrian’s the future Alpha. You think she’d ever reject him?”

They laughed like it was the funniest thing in the world.

Then someone typed:

“You think Adrian’s coming home tonight?”

The responses came fast.

“Are you serious? Use your brain. Obviously not.”

“After a Mate Ceremony? What do you think the groom’s doing?”

“Spending the night with his actual bride, duh.”

Then came a string of filthy, disgusting jokes.

Suddenly, one of Adrian’s childhood friends panicked.

“Are you guys insane? Wrong group chat!”

“Ivy’s in this chat!”

“Delete it! Delete it!”

Everyone scrambled.

But most of the messages were already past the recall window.

One person found it hilarious and typed slowly:

“So what if she sees it?”

“You think she’s gonna say anything?”

I didn’t react.

I got up and made myself dinner.

I’d barely swallowed the last bite when the front door swung open.

Adrian stumbled in reeking of alcohol.

Bella’s rose perfume clung to him.

The second that sickly sweet smell hit me, my wolf let out a low growl of disgust.

When he noticed I didn’t come to meet him like I used to, he let out a soft laugh.

Then he walked over and looped an arm loosely around my waist.

“It was just a ceremony.”

“Not a big deal.”

Just a humiliation broadcast to the entire Pack. Sure.

“Right.”

I stood up, grabbed my plate, stepped out of his hold, and walked to the kitchen.

Adrian followed me in.

Something cold touched my neck.

I looked down. A sapphire necklace.

Still not my style.

Bella’s favorite kind.

“Thank you.”

I said it while rinsing the dishes.

Adrian seemed to exhale.

He leaned in close, slowly.

I raised one hand to stop him, set the plate in the cabinet, and smiled.

“You forgot.”

“I can’t stand the smell of alcohol.”

“And I especially can’t stand her perfume on you.”

Adrian’s brow furrowed.

He stared at me like he’d finally picked up on something being off.

But then his phone rang.

Bella.

His expression went from stormy to bright in an instant.

He answered and turned toward the study.

Click.

The lock turned.