Four

SERAPHINA:

The dress looked beautiful I'd have to admit. Damien was the one who had picked it for me, considering Marcus was well, too tired to give a fuck.

I tried to smile as I stared at myself in the mirror. The bodice of the gown were ivory silk and there were small pearl buttons running up the spine that took Nadia twelve minutes to fasten.

“Yes, this is a dress that befits a woman about to make the worst decision of her life," I muttered to myself

"Stop it,” Nadia shunned. "You look perfect. I've been waiting for this day”

I had no doubt that Nadia was more excited about this day than I was. She had always questioned if I could feel. Are you seriously not in love with anyone? She would always ask. 

I never told her about my crush with the alpha. I hadn't told her about last night. I couldn't tell her. Last night had been shelved in the category of things I needed to forget if I wanted to function like a normal wolf. 

I had to accept Marcus. He was the one who wanted me. 

I pressed the memory of last night down and turned to Nadia fully with a fake smile on my face, one I had practiced since I was nineteen. 

“You are going to kill me with your beauty, Sera" Nadia screamed dramatically and I let out a short laugh. “Marcus is a lucky man”

My throat tightened. “He really is"

She watched my face for a moment. “Why do you sound like you need more convincing?"

I rolled my eyes. 

“I mean I have a list… he is punctual" Nadia said, her index finger under her chin. “He knows how to take care of a woman”

"Nadia”

" He has excellent posture”

" Please stop”

She smiled and stopped. She placed her hands around my shoulder and I sighed. " You will be fine”

I nodded because I was too tired to form a sentence. Then Nadia left for a moment to announce that I was ready but I didn't think I was.

The older women hovered around me, complimenting my dress. 

The tenderness in their voice made my chest ache for my mother. 

She would have loved this dress too. 

I wondered what she would have thought of the man I was marrying. 

I wondered what she would have thought of the man I actually want. 

Before I drowned in my thoughts, Nadia came back into the room but her expression had changed. She didn't look as bubbly as she was before. 

“What's wrong?"

She shook her head. “Nothing's wrong"

Then she paused before saying. “Everything is fine"

“Nadia," I said, straightening my face. 

Something was wrong and she wouldn't tell me. I had known Nadia for two years and I knew when she was hiding something from me. 

“I just…” she whispered. Then she picked up a hairpin from the dressing table. She put it down. Picked it up again. " Can I ask you something weird?”

I raised my eyebrow. "When have you ever asked permission?”

"Do you love Marcus?”

My stomach flipped. "What's wrong? Tell me, Nadia, what happened?”.

“Don't get mad at me," she said. 

“Stop it, Nadia, why would I?" 

“It's just… I think… I heard something. When I left… Just come with me, okay? We have two hours. It'll take ten minutes.”

“Okay," I nodded. “Let's go"

I couldn't help myself but feel a little bit scared. Nadia was never this worried. 

She took me over to the east wing which was weird because that was where Marcus' office was. 

The scene arranged itself at my front. Marcus' suit jacket hung on his chair. 

Marcus was standing at the edge of the table while a girl with blonde hair, which is unmistakably Vivienne had her legs around him, her head thrown back 

Marcus.

My fiance.

His back was to the door, his hand gripping her hair, thrusting into her with a rhythm that made the room tilt sideways.

None of them noticed us watching immediately. 

After three seconds, I couldn't stand it. I couldn't stand to watch the man I thought wanted me fuck another woman on our wedding day 

“Vivienne… God… Vivienne,” he moaned. 

I pushed open the door and the both of them turned. 

His expression hardened. 

“Marcus, what are you doing?"

He rolled his head and turned away from me. 

“Marcus," I screamed his name. 

He finally met my eyes. His eyes roamed my body, at me standing in my wedding gown. 

The look on his face was not that of shock at all. His face didn't carry an expression of the man caught in a disaster of his own making. 

He was annoyed, like I had just interrupted something important to him. 

“Seraphina…” he said, voice low. 

My eyes met Vivienne briefly. She was putting on her dress. He had told me she was just a cousin. So it was a lie. 

He had been deceiving me 

"This isn't… "

“Don't," I took a step away from him and even in the wreckage of the moment, I felt Nadia’s hand pressing into my back, steadying me "Don't bother to explain it and stop staring at me like I'm the problem in this room”

He clenched his fists. 

“You could have told me," I said. 

He blinked, “what?"

“You could have told me that you didn't want me!"

He swallowed. He turned to Vivienne. “You should go"

I crossed my arms. 

“No, she should stay," I said. “She has more claim over you than I ever did. It's so funny how I thought this could work out"

Marcus took another step toward me, his face contorting with rage. “You can't call this marriage off, Sera. You know my father. The pack…”

I let out a short laugh. "It's always about the pack!”

Vivienne hurriedly carried her bag but something fell out of her bag. Something that took the air out of my lungs and I suddenly couldn't breathe. 

A pregnancy report. 

This had been going on for a long time. I was never in his future. 

I stared at Marcus. 

"Vivienne is carrying your child?”