Iris's POV

The heavy double doors at the back of the venue banged open, echoing off the stone walls of the chapel.

"I object!" Kael shouted, his chest heaving as he marched down the center aisle. His eyes were wide and red, staring straight at me as if I had betrayed him.

The crowd of pack elders and guests gasped, whispering furiously among themselves and eside me, Cassian did not even turn around. His large, warm hand simply tightened around mine, his icy blue eyes fixed on my face with a terrifying calmness.

"Iris, what are you doing?" Kael demanded, stopping right at the foot of the altar. He looked past the priest, pointing a shaking finger at Cassian. "You cannot marry him...you’re supposed to marry me. We are meant to be together and you , you know that. I do not accept this!"

A cold and bitter sting hit my chest, but I kept my posture straight. My wolf, Anya paced inside my mind, her fur bristling with dark hatred.

" Keep your head up Iris," Anya growled smoothly. " Look at this pathetic actor trying to sell his lies in front of everyone."

" Please , listen to me," he pleaded like the fool he was.

"Kael, stop this right now," my cousin Nina pleaded, rushing out from her seat near the front row. She tried to grab his arm, her eyes full of panic. "Kael, please you are making a scene."

Kael shoved Nina’s hand off his elbow without even looking at her, keeping his gaze locked entirely on me. Nina winced, stepping back with a hurt, pathetic look on her pale face as everyone continued to look and whispered.

"Iris, please just listen to me," he said, his voice dropping into that soft, sweet tone he used to use whenever he wanted to manipulate me. "I know why you are doing this. You think you have to marry him for the alliance, right? You think you need to sacrifice yourself to save the pack. But you do not have to. I will handle everything.... I will take care of you. I will love you forever, Iris. You do not need this Lycan."

A sharp, cruel laugh nearly escaped my throat. Love me?

Images of my past life flashed before my eyes like a brutal slap. I remembered the cold floor of Avery’s bedroom. I remembered his fingers squeezing my throat until I could not breathe. I remembered him laughing while our three-year-old daughter lay dying in a hospital bed, calling out for a father who was sleeping with another woman.

The agonizing pain of those memories burned through my chest, but I forced my jaw to stay set. I did not let a single tear fall.

"It is not for the alliance Kael," I said, my voice ringing out clear and steady across the silent hall. "I am marrying Cassian because I want to."

Kael’s face twitched. "No! That is a lie! Think about us Iris! Think about every moment we have shared since we were sixteen and think about the promises we made to each other under the stars. How can you just throw five years of our lives away?"

"Every moment we shared was a lie," I replied, my voice completely dead. "And I am done living in a lie."

"Iris what do you mean?" Kael stepped onto the first stair of the altar, his hands reaching out to grab me. "It was never a lie and I refuse to let you do this."

Before his foot could even touch the second step, Cassian slightly shifted his stance, stepping half an inch in front of me. The air in the room suddenly grew ten degrees colder. A low, suffocating pressure washed over the hall as Cassian stared down at Kael like he was nothing more than an insect beneath his boot.

Kael froze, his breath catching in his throat under the weight of the Lycan King's aura.

I stepped up beside Cassian, looking down at Kael with pure indifference.

"If you do not step back and let this wedding continue," I said calmly, "I will have my father's royal guards drag you out of this hall and throw you into the dungeons for disturbing a royal union."

Kael looked at me in utter shock, his mouth hanging open. "Iris... you would not."

"Try me," I said. Then, I glanced over at Nina who was standing a few feet away, clutching her dress with trembling hands. "Besides, Kael, you should not waste your time on me. Nina is standing right there. I am sure she would be more than happy to be your Luna."

Nina’s head snapped up, her face turning completely white. Kael glared at Nina for a split second with pure disgust before turning back to me, his eyes dark with rage.

"You cannot do this to me!" he barked. He turned around, facing my parents who were sitting in the front row. "Mother! Father! please talk to your daughter....you know we how much I love her, are you really going to let her ruin her life with a stranger?"

My father stood up, adjusting his jacket. His face was stern and his eyes dark as he looked at Kael.

"Iris is a grown woman, Kael," my father said, his voice deep and firm. "She makes her own choices. And if she chooses the Lycan King, then our entire pack stands behind her."

Kael looked around the room, realizing no one was taking his side. The pack elders were silent, the guests were whispering, and my guards were already moving their hands toward their swords.

"Let the wedding continue," I told the priest, not giving Kael another second of my attention.

Kael took a slow step backward, his hands shaking with pure fury. He sneered at me, then looked up at Cassian.

"This is not over," he spat, his voice laced with venom. "I will not let this slide. If it means war between our packs, then let there be war."

He spun on his heel and stormed out of the chapel, the doors slamming shut behind him once again.

I let out a quiet, slow breath trying to settle the heavy ache in my chest.

"He is scared," Anya said with a satisfied tone. " He knows he has lost his grip for good."

I turned back toward the altar, looking up at the broad, intimidating man standing beside me. Cassian was still watching me, his icy blue eyes searching my face with an intense, quiet depth. For a second, I felt a strange, heavy pressure coming from him...almost like a silent wave of pain but his expression remained completely blank.

Cassian squeezed my hand gently, his thumb brushing over my knuckles. "Are you ready, my love?"

I gave a nod with a smile , but it wasn't genuine. I was brought back just in time to save my future, but what if Cassian was the same as Kael or even worse. I wonder how I even got into the situation of marrying him. Back then I couldn't even get him to have a face to face meeting with him and now I was marrying him.

" Miss Iris , are you okay? " the priest asked softly, his voice trembling slightly he obviously thought i was disturbed by the drama.

I looked straight into Cassian's blue eyes, burying the ghosts of my past deep inside my heart and was ready to face what was next. And if nybfate was the same.... I was going to make sure I wouldn't let what happened before happen again.

"Yes," I said. "Please continue."