Chapter 2

She opened my chat with Nolan and typed out two messages.

[Let's call off the ceremony.]

[If you can't let go of Vera, then let her be your Luna.]

I reached out to snatch the phone away.

"Vera, put it down!"

My fingers passed straight through the screen, and the messages had already been sent.

Nolan called almost immediately, but Vera declined the call.

She then slipped the phone back beside my dress, placing it face down on the cushioned seat.

A few seconds later, Nolan replied.

[I'll come back for you. Don't leave.]

The door was pushed open moments later.

One of the buttons on his formal jacket was still undone, making it clear he'd hurried back as soon as he saw my messages.

"Eileen?"

He came over and crouched in front of me, trying to get a good look at my face.

My eyes were closed, and my head was turned toward the back of the chair.

When I didn't answer, his Adam's apple bobbed slightly.

"I should have checked on you earlier."

"But don't scare me with messages like that."

Vera's eyes immediately filled with tears.

"Nolan, this is my fault. I only wanted to make a funny video."

"If Eileen dislikes me this much, maybe I should just leave instead of ruining your wedding."

Evan frowned.

"Is that really necessary? You've already apologized."

Kyle looked at me too.

"Eileen, we grew up together. It was just a joke."

Looking at them, I suddenly remembered the winter hunt when I was seventeen.

Vera had hidden my coat because she wanted to see whether the cold would make me shift into my wolf form earlier than expected.

I hadn't undergone my first shift yet, so I had no choice but to walk back to camp alone.

When Evan and Kyle finally found me, they had been frantic with worry. But as soon as they learned Vera was responsible, they started laughing too.

"How was she supposed to know you'd be so stubborn? Couldn't you have just called for help when you got cold?"

That night, Nolan wrapped me in his blanket and stayed by my side until morning. When I asked him why Vera was always making me the target of her jokes, he rubbed my numb hands between his own.

"I'll talk to her tomorrow. It won't happen again."

But it hadn't stopped. And now it was too late.

Martha, the makeup artist, pushed open the door and reminded us that it was time to fix my veil.

Vera stepped aside.

"Be careful. The bride is in a bad mood."

Martha gently lifted my chin and had just picked up her powder puff when she suddenly stopped.

"Miss Eileen?"

She called my name again, but I didn't respond.

"She doesn't look well. What happened just now?"

Nolan looked up, but Vera answered before he could say anything.

"She had a little fall, but afterward she was still texting Nolan and arguing with him."

She pointed to the phone in Nolan's hand, where the two messages were still displayed on the screen.

Martha hesitated before suggesting, "Perhaps we should get the healer to examine her."

Nolan lowered his gaze toward me.

"Are you still feeling dizzy? How about letting the healer take a look?"

I didn't move.

Vera let out a cold laugh.

"It's not a healer she wants."

"Why don't you ask everyone else to leave and spend some time comforting her alone?"

Nolan held my hand and remained silent for a moment before speaking.

"Martha, could you please get us a glass of warm water and give us a little time alone?"

Once the door closed again, Nolan reached into the inner pocket of his formal jacket and took out the mate vows he'd written and rewritten countless times.

"I stayed up memorizing these until late last night, but your two messages just scared every word right out of my head."

"Eileen, I've never imagined standing up there with anyone but you."

"When we get home, you can make me sleep in the study or stand outside your door. Whatever you want."

"Just don't tell me you don't want me."

I used to find it impossible to resist him when he was like this.

He was the Alpha, a man who never bowed to anyone, yet he was willing to crouch before me and beg.

I would always end up thinking that I should give him one more chance.

But this time, I could no longer say yes.