Chapter 21: wedding day

I woke up to Lilian standing over my head.

I flinched at the sight of her staring down at me.

I won't pretend I didn't see that creepy look on her face.

"What are you doing in my room?" I asked.

"Have you forgotten? I'm here to serve you. Don't tell me you don't know today is your wedding to Asher."

"You could've at least waited for me to wake up first."

"Sorry, sis. It's 7 a.m. already, and your wedding starts at 9. No time. I've prepared a warm bath for you."

"Okay. You may leave. I'll send for you later."

"What?"

"You heard me."

"Look, I know you're mad about…."

I rolled my eyes.

Was she seriously going to bring that up again, even knowing it would only piss me off? Her tactic to get under my skin.

Not happening.

"No need, Lilian. Just go."

"Okay. This is the dress mother prepared for you. Hope you like it."

I didn't answer, just stared at it.

I already knew what it was …. the same dress they'd given me in my past life.

The moment she closed the door behind her, I threw the dress into the basket where I'd been keeping the others.

It irritated me so much I could barely stand to look at it, not when I remembered how I'd died in it.

God.

The nerve.

I thought about last night, about the man in my dream, and anger boiled through my veins.

How could he send me back like that, right when I was starting to fall into his presence, starting to give in?

Boom.

Back in my room, just like that.

Who cared about that wedding anyway? It felt more peaceful in my dreamland than anything here … everything here was toxic, everyone here was poisonous.

When I got to the bathroom, I emptied every bit of the bath Lilian had prepared and ordered my personal maid to draw me something else instead.

After my bath, my mother came in with a new dress she'd carefully prepared herself … a surprise, since I'd already chosen one from the pile she'd been giving me.

This one was breathtaking.

A pearl-white wedding gown, shimmering with silver thread and countless crystals that sparkled like stars beneath moonlight.

Its fitted bodice was embroidered with crescent moons and majestic wolves, the skirt flowing into layers of luminous silk and translucent fabric.

Across the long, sweeping train, a magnificent silver wolf stood beneath a crescent moon, its eyes formed from pale blue gemstones.

A delicate moonstone rested at the waist, ringed in diamonds.

The gown was regal.

Magical.

Impossible to ignore.

A dress worthy of a werewolf queen.

"I've been preparing this gown for a long time. I wanted your special day to be breathtaking," she said.

I was so overwhelmed, tears slipped free.

To think … in my past life, I'd ignored this magnificent gown for some scrap Susan handed me instead.

That hurt, deeply.

"Thank you so much, Mom."

"Don't cry, my child. You deserve every good thing from me. I want this day to be the most talked-about in the kingdom." She held both my hands in hers.

"Are you sure you want to go through with this marriage?"

I could see how worried she was.

But my mind was already made up.

"Mom, I will. Please, don't worry about me. Trust me … I'll be fine."

"If you say so."

I pulled her into a tight hug.

She helped me into the gown, and when I looked down, I barely recognized myself.

To think I'd let this gown slip away in my past life, only to watch Lilian wear it in my final moments.

This time, let's see how it goes.

The gown hugged my body perfectly, fitted to my waist and curves as though it had been made for me alone.

The pearl-white fabric shimmered against my skin, silver crystals catching light with every movement.

The skirt fell gracefully around my legs, spreading into a long, breathtaking train behind me.

I ran my fingers over the delicate wolf and crescent-moon embroidery, my heart swelling at the thought that my mother had chosen every detail herself.

I looked in the mirror and barely recognized the woman staring back.

Lilian didn't look anything close to how I fit in this gown.

"Young mistress, everyone is waiting for you," my maid announced.

I nodded.

But then Susan walked in immediately after … to walk me down the aisle, I assumed.

"I didn't call for you. My mother will walk me down," I said the moment my eyes landed on her.

I'd known she would come, which was exactly why I'd kept the dress hidden inside the curtain … a surprise for everyone, not just her.

"But, dear…."

"Leave." I gave the order flat. This was my day, not theirs. There was no room left for their plans to work.

The look in her eyes when I said it … she shot my mother a scornful glare before turning and walking out.