Chapter 29

I was completely silent as my hair and makeup were worked on.

I was replaying my murder in my head over and over again. The thought of walking down the aisle with David again made me feel sick to my stomach.

I didn’t try to hide the miserable expression on my face; I was sure it would be attributed to my argument with Amanda or just the stress of being a bride.

The truth was, it was much more than that. Despite the plan I had in place, I was terrified that everything was still going to fail and I would be trapped, repeating the cycle with David.

I didn’t want to lose my family again. I didn’t want to lose everything to him and Amanda.

I wish I had been able to speak to Alexander properly. He had such an easy way of reassuring me—just being able to talk to him made me feel better. His allyship was the only thing I had to rely on in this life.

I couldn’t tell anyone the truth about the situation, and so the fact that Alexander was on my side was the only reassurance I had that I could avoid all the heartache and pain that had befallen me and my pack.

He was my only hope.

While I was sitting there pitying myself, I had almost forgotten about the problem with my dress—until my hair and makeup were finished. I looked into the mirror and hardly recognized myself. I looked like an old movie star, glamorous and natural.

“If everything looks good, we can help you get into your dress,” the hairdresser said.

I stood up and glanced at the garment bag hanging on the back of the door. The dress I had bought on my shopping trip with my mother and Amanda was in that bag. I liked it a lot, but it was so similar to the dress Amanda had just left wearing.

I felt ridiculous even thinking about standing beside her in it—people might not even be able to tell which of us was the bride at first glance.

At that moment, the door opened, and my mother walked in with a wide, bright smile on her face and a large garment bag in her hands.

“Just in time,” she said happily.

“You actually got another dress?” I asked in surprise. I hadn’t believed it would be possible on such short notice.

“I already had the dress,” she explained. “I only had to have it driven from the house. Now, as long as it fits you properly, we shouldn’t have any issues.”

“What do you mean you already had the dress?” I asked, confused.

“I’ll explain after you try it on,” she said.

A few moments later, I was fully dressed, with my heels, jewelry, and the gown. I looked into the full-length mirror and stared at myself in disbelief.

My mother straightened the long, delicately embroidered train of the dress and stood behind me with a proud smile on her face.

“What do you think?” she asked.

The dress had a full skirt with layers upon layers of fabric, creating a dramatic silhouette. It was covered in a layer of beautiful lace embroidery. I felt like I could look at it for hours, mesmerized by how detailed it was.

“It’s amazing,” I said, as my mother pinned the veil on my head. “But where did you get it?”

“It was your grandmother’s,” she said happily. “You remind me so much of her. I just had a feeling it would fit you like a glove.”

“It really does,” the hairdresser said. “It’s like it was made for her.”

I turned and hugged my mother tightly. Once again, she had saved the day. I had been so worried for nothing, when I should have just trusted her when she promised to take care of it for me.

I didn’t have much time to celebrate with my mother. Before I knew it, it was time to walk down the aisle. I could hear the music playing as I approached the door where I was to make my grand entrance.

I kept my head held high and proud as I stepped out onto the walkway. I could hear people’s exclamations of surprise and gasps as they saw me, but I kept my gaze forward, looking at David as I walked steadily down the aisle.

Amanda was standing to the side of the altar in a place of honor, wearing a dress that, now that I could see it fully, looked far too much like my original wedding gown to be a coincidence. She must have chosen it on purpose.

In front of the altar stood David, staring at me with wide eyes and his mouth slightly open in surprise. It was almost amusing to see him react that way to me.

I was tempted to look around the room to see how many others were having similar reactions, but I knew it would look strange if I did.

I could feel Amanda’s eyes fixed on me, so I turned toward her and smiled. I could tell she was upset, but she forced a smile in return.

When I reached the end of the aisle and stood in front of David, I turned to face him. From over his shoulder, I could see his father, Alpha Derrick. His eyes weren’t on me or his son—they were fixed on the crowd.

I followed his gaze to where the Alpha King was sitting, his daughter beside him.

I smiled at them and bowed my head slightly in greeting.

To my surprise, the Alpha King and his daughter both returned the gesture.

The officiant began to speak, but I was still scanning the crowd, taking in how many people had attended. It was a much larger crowd than in the original timeline, which surprised me.

I wondered if they had come because of all the recent drama and news about us. It was possible that people had come out of curiosity, hoping to see if any other strange events would unfold.

I hoped they would be pleasantly surprised.

Then my eyes landed on Alexander, and I felt my face begin to warm. He had that same intense look in his bright eyes as he shamelessly looked me up and down. I was sure no one else would notice him, as all eyes were focused on David and me, but he must have seen me looking at him because he smirked.

I was so relieved to see him. He hadn’t been at our original wedding either, and his presence now reminded me of what I was going through all of this for. All of the stress of the past weeks, all of the conflict and fear I had experienced today while preparing for this moment—it would all be worth it.

This time, I had the power to know what was waiting for me and to stop it from happening. I knew what David and Amanda were really like and the lengths they were willing to go to in order to get what they wanted.

With Alexander’s support, I would be able to stop them. I could protect myself and those I loved.

My eyes locked with Alexander’s, and I smiled. My heart rate increased as we stared at one another. It felt strange to be standing here in my grandmother’s wedding dress, looking into his eyes. Something about it seemed right.

But just as I started to relax, a sudden chill ran down my spine.

David shifted beside me, drawing my attention back to him. His eyes had narrowed, and the warmth from earlier was gone. There was something different about the way he was looking at me now.

I felt a knot form in my stomach.

David leaned forward slightly and whispered so that only I could hear him.

“Keep your eyes on me,” he ordered. “After all, you’re mine from now on.”