28

Livia POV

“Hold her closer, Alpha King! Tilt her jaw up, look into her eyes like she’s your entire world!”

Celia had one or more events planned for us every single day, and today we were being dragged through a mandatory ninety-minute couples’ photoshoot across the resort’s manicured gardens and lakefront.

Tarian complied stiffly, leaving me wondering why he came in the first place, his massive arm wrapped around my waist with the warmth of a marble statue. He pulled me against his broad chest, his fingers digging into my hip just hard enough to leave a subtle bruise.

I took a small step forward to shift my weight, but my foot caught on the damp grass. I stumbled, clutching his lapels to keep from falling.

“Watch your feet,” Tarian growled near my ear, his voice laced with disdain. “Must you be so incredibly clumsy, Livyana? You can barely walk three steps without tripping over your own feet like a newborn calf.”

I bit my tongue so hard I tasted copper, forcing down the violent urge to scream into his face.

I was severely struggling to walk in these tight shoes that Livyana had packed! The narrow heels kept sinking into the soft turf, and the pinched toe box was actively cutting off the blood circulation to my toes.

“I need a moment,” I gritted out through a fake, radiant smile aimed at the photographer.

Without waiting for Tarian’s permission, I pulled away from his grip, gathered the hem of my gown, and hurried toward the resort’s main pavilion to find the restroom.

The moment I locked the door of the restroom stall behind me, I kicked off those torture devices and pulled out my phone. My fingers trembled as I dialed Livyana’s number directly.

The subscriber you are trying to reach is currently unavailable...

I slammed my back against the wall, staring down at the long, terrifying track of unanswered HiWolf messages. The silence was becoming suffocating. Panicking, I dialed my mother’s number instead.

She picked up on the third ring. “Livyana, my darling daughter! How is Switzerland?”

Hearing my mother’s voice almost made my resolve crumble, but I forced a soft, pitch-perfect tone. “Mum... hi. I’m fine. But... have you heard from Livia? I’ve been trying to call her for days, and her phone isn’t connecting. Is she okay?”

My mother let out a disappointed sigh through the receiver. “Oh, don’t waste your energy worrying about your sister, Livyana. You know how she is. Shortly after your wedding, she packed her bags and stormed out of the house without telling anyone where she was going. She’s been completely incommunicado ever since.”

My breath hitched. “She... she left?”

“Yes! And your father is absolutely furious,” Mum continued bitterly. “He has completely refused to send out a search party or waste pack resources looking for her. He believes she has just gone out to be wayward and bring shame upon this family, as usual. Just focus on your new husband, darling. Forget about Livia for now..I hope the moon goddess protects her wherever she is...”

Would I be wrong to feel heartbroken and disappointed.

I don’t know but that’s just how I felt in the few seconds that slipped as my mum spoke.

Was I that bad?

Wayward for wanting to forge my own path?

The words sliced straight through my chest like a rusty blade. Wayward? Bringing shame? My own father didn’t even care that I was missing. He just assumed the absolute worst of me, as he always did.

“Livyana? Are you still there?” Mum asked. “How are you doing over there, my sweet girl?”

Tears welled in my eyes, threatening to spill over my lashes. “I... I’m trying, Mum,” I whimpered out, my voice cracking slightly.

I was at my absolute breaking point. I didn’t understand why Alpha Tarian’s relentless hostility was getting to me so deeply despite our complete lack of a mate bond. I utterly hated the degrading way he spoke to me in front of other people, calling me clumsy and treating me like an uncultured burden. As much as I was tempted to drop the mask and fire back with everything I had, I wondered how much longer I could possibly put up with this torture.

I desperately needed to speak to Livyana. I needed her to come back and take her place, because I was completely done swallowing her husband’s excesses. One of these days, I was going to snap so bad that the entire wolf kingdom would hear about it.

“I have to go, Mum,” I whispered, wiping my wet cheeks before she could ask more questions. I hung up, slipped back into those wretched shoes, and walked back out to finish the photoshoot feeling hollow.

I was hollow…And.

Later that evening, the resort set up a private, intimate candlelight dinner on a secluded deck overlooking the lake. Fairy lights hung from the wooden trellis, a private violinist played a gentle melody in the background, and white rose petals littered the floor.

It was supposed to be romantic, but sitting across from Tarian felt like sitting across from an executioner.

“You’ve been unusually quiet tonight,” Tarian remarked, slicing into his steak with precise movements. He didn’t even look up at me. “I suppose the silence is an improvement from your loud, embarrassing outbursts at the welcome dinner.”

I picked at my salad, keeping my eyes glued to my plate. “I’m just tired, Tarian.”

He scoffed, setting his fork down with a loud clink against the porcelain. “Tired of what? Living in luxury you can not afford even if you dreamt of it? Having maids cater to your every whim?” He leaned back in his leather chair, crossing his broad arms as his eyes focused on me with so much condescension. “Let’s be honest with each other, Livyana. You and your family played your cards very well. Your mother practically threw you at my family the moment my betrothal fell through.”

Did he just come for my family?

Did he just mention my mother in such disrespectful tone?

I slowly lifted my head, my jaw tight. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“It means you are a desperate social climber,” he sneered coldly. “You sat back, played the meek, submissive little virgin, and waited for my mother to hand you a crown your low-tier family could never earn on their own. You don’t care about duty, and you certainly don’t care about me. You just wanted the Kai-Edwards name and the unlimited credit cards that come with it.”

Every single drop of blood in my body went scorching hot.

Something inside me violently snapped. The sheer exhaustion, the pain of my family abandoning me, the stifling twin pretense, and the relentless, cruel verbal abuse from this arrogant brute smashed through my last thread of self-control.

I didn’t think. I didn’t care about the consequences, the mission, or the twin swap.

My hand shot out, grabbing my glass filled to the brim with vintage red wine. In one swift, blinding motion, I stood up and hurled the dark liquid straight into Alpha Tarian’s face.

The red wine dripped steadily from Tarian’s chin onto the pristine white tablecloth, soaking into the lapels of his black tuxedo jacket.

I stood above him, my hands shaking, the empty glass still clutched in my fingers. The private violinist stopped playing mid-note, and the waiters stood in absolute, stunned silence.

For a second, horror gripped my chest—Livyana would never throw a drink at the Alpha King. I had just committed treason.

But as Tarian wiped the wine from his face, his eyes burning, the sheer hurt in my chest overruled my fear. I refused to act weak and small for another single second.

I dropped the glass on the table, where it shattered into pieces, turned on my heel, and sprinted blindly across the dark lawn toward the villa, leaving him completely alone in the flickering candlelight.