Chapter 131

Ella POV

“The castle,” Elizabeth said for at least the third time in the last five minutes, her voice full of awe. “I can’t believe I’m actually going to get to visit.”

“I can’t believe you haven’t already,” I admitted, glancing at her with a smirk. Elizabeth, the only daughter of the Alpha King, had access to places most people could only dream of. If anyone should have been able to walk through those gates without a second thought, it was her.

The fact that Alexander had managed to secure the venue when no one else had was… curious. I had no trouble believing that he and Christopher Slater had crossed paths—two successful businessmen and eligible bachelors were bound to end up in the same circles.

But Alexander’s hesitancy when it came to Slater was hard to miss. There was more to their history than he let on, but I didn’t push him on it. Whatever it was, he would tell me when he was ready—or not at all. I could live with that.

What mattered was that Alexander had spent the last few days coordinating closely with Slater to make everything perfect, and I could see the weight of it in the set of his shoulders and the tightness around his eyes.

People didn’t realize how much effort went into planning a wedding until they were in the thick of it, and Alexander had stepped up in ways I hadn’t expected, shouldering burdens I hadn’t even asked him to. I appreciated it more than I could say.

“You didn’t even call and tell me,” Elizabeth said, her tone edging toward mock indignation. “I had to find out from the invitation. Just like everyone else! I thought we were best friends.”

“We are best friends,” I replied, rolling my eyes but smiling fondly. “I wanted it to be a surprise.”

“Well, you certainly accomplished that,” she said, a teasing grin spreading across her face. “You could’ve given me a hundred guesses about where you were moving the wedding, and I never would’ve imagined this.”

“That was the idea,” I said with a shrug, though I couldn’t help the flicker of nervousness in my chest. The castle was a bold choice, one that would undoubtedly draw attention, but it also felt right. It was timeless, elegant, and distinctly different from anything Amanda could dream of copying.

Elizabeth and I were wandering through the bustling streets of the capital, browsing boutique after boutique in search of the perfect dress for her to wear to the wedding.

She had been busy helping her father prepare for the holiday season, so she hadn’t had a chance to shop until now. It worked out for the best, though—it was far more enjoyable to do this together than for her to go off on her own.

As we stepped into yet another store, I glanced at her with a teasing smile. “So, Damian and his parents sent in their RSVPs,” I said, carefully steering the conversation in a new direction.

Elizabeth’s face lit up with an adoring smile. “I know,” she said, a dreamy note in her voice.

“You’ve gotten pretty serious, haven’t you?” I asked softly, studying her expression.

She nodded, her cheeks tinged pink. “I have. I even told my father.”

I stopped in my tracks, staring at her with wide eyes and an open mouth. “You what?” I asked, my voice pitching higher in disbelief. “Elizabeth, that’s so exciting!”

“He approved,” she said, her radiant smile bright enough to rival the glittering display of gowns before us. “So Damian will be my date to the wedding.”

I barely managed to suppress the urge to squeal with delight, but the excitement in my voice was unmistakable. For Elizabeth to openly see someone was a huge step, and getting her father’s approval? That was monumental.

My heart leapt with joy—and a touch of relief. Elizabeth had become incredibly dear to me in such a short time, and I knew how isolating her life could be due to her status. For her to find someone who truly made her happy, someone she could be with openly, was a rare and precious thing.

The Briar Rose Pack was well-respected and prominent, and there was no reason for the Alpha King to disapprove of Damian’s interest in Elizabeth. But politics had a way of complicating even the simplest matters of the heart, and Elizabeth’s world was nothing if not political.

Love, unfortunately, wasn’t always enough. The King’s approval had been absolutely necessary, and I could only imagine how nervous she’d been to ask for it.

“We’re not here to talk about my relationship, though,” Elizabeth said, deftly changing the subject once again. “People are absolutely freaking out about your wedding venue. I even saw that you, Miss Ella Rowan, hae been talking to a reporter.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at that. I always made an effort not to comment to the press unless I’d carefully planned my response. In this case, Alexander and I had already decided on the best way to handle inquiries, and sure enough, a reporter had reached out almost immediately.

The article went live early this morning, and of course, Elizabeth had already seen it—she was always attuned to what was happening in the kingdom.

“A brief statement,” I said with a shrug. “So, I gave them one.”

“You made it sound so ordinary and dull,” Elizabeth teased. “Like having your wedding at the castle is no big deal.”

“No, I didn’t,” I argued, laughing.

“The original venue plan fell through. Luckily, a friend of Alexander’s was kind enough to offer his property as a replacement,” Elizabeth said, mimicking my voice with an exaggerated tone of politeness.

We both dissolved into laughter. While my statement was technically true, I knew she had a point. Still, it didn’t matter. What mattered was that the situation hadn’t escalated beyond Amanda’s petty text messages and that Alexander’s connection had saved the day.

Elizabeth’s excitement only added to the atmosphere of our outing, making everything feel brighter. For the first time in weeks, I felt like things were falling into place. At this moment, I couldn’t imagine what could possibly derail the happiness we’d worked so hard to create.

Third Person POV

“A friend of Alexander’s was kind enough…”

David’s hand tightened around his phone as he read the article about Ella’s wedding invitations for the third time.

Each word stoked his anger further. How did she keep managing to pull this off? No matter what obstacles he placed in her way, Ella found a way to outmaneuver him, humiliating him in the process.

It shouldn’t have been possible. The timeline was too short, the circumstances too chaotic. Yet, not only had she secured a replacement venue, but it was a venue he could never hope to outshine. The castle. The allure of it was already causing ripples.

His phone buzzed again with another message, and his scowl deepened. More guests backing out of his wedding. The excuses were polite—plans had changed, conflicts had arisen—but he knew the truth. They couldn’t resist Ella’s wedding at the castle.

David’s jaw clenched as he stared at the screen, fury simmering just beneath the surface. She shouldn’t have been able to do this. She should have just stayed in her place, followed the path he had laid out for her. Instead, she had defied him—again.

But this wasn’t over. It couldn’t be.

If he couldn’t ruin her wedding, he would ruin her marriage. Ella wasn’t going to get away with this, not after all the times she’d embarrassed him.

She thought she’d won, but she was wrong.

David’s lips curled into a sinister smile as he leaned back, his mind already turning. He just needed the right plan to make her pay.