2

Chapter Two

Halle Wilder

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For a moment, I forgot how to breathe.

Why was he doing this?

Why did he agree to the ceremony if he knew he would end up humiliating me publicly?

“I, Alpha of Duskmoon pack, reject Halle Wilder as my mate and Luna.” He continued, his voice firm.

“No, no, this couldn’t be happening,” I whispered to myself. I turned to my sister, looking for some sort of support or explanation. Maybe even comfort.

But she didn’t say anything. Instead, she stepped forward.

Kai reached out for her hands and pulled her closer.

Loud gaps erupted from the crowd again.

I stood there, stunned, trying to process what was happening. I pinched my hand several times, wanting to wake up from the nightmare.

This couldn’t be my reality. It had to be a joke.

I looked around, searching for the cameras. It had to be a prank. But there were no cameras and I wasn’t dreaming. Everything was real and actually happening.

My boyfriend just rejected me and took my sister’s hand.

She was still wearing the bridesmaid dress I had picked out for her. She assured me that nothing would go wrong a few moments ago. She reminded me of how much Kai loved me.

But now, she was in his arms.

What was happening?

Before I could even say anything else, my father stepped forward. As Alpha of the Moonbeam Pack, I announce a change in our plans.”

Everyone became silent as they anticipated what my father was about to say.

“Chloe Wilder will be his new Luna and my rightful successor.”

At that moment, I saw my whole life crumbling in front of me.

They planned this. All of them. They blindsided me.

I stood at the altar in my custom Vera Wang dress, staring at the three people I trusted the most, realizing that I had no one.

Not a wolf. Not a mate. Not even a family.

Kai and I were meant to get married and form an alliance. Both of our packs were meant to merge as one. I was meant to be my father’s successor and the new ruler of the pack.

But everything had been taken away from me.

If they had already made up their mind, why did they let me go through the wedding process? Why did they pretend like everything was okay?

As I turned over to look at Chloe and Kai, I felt an excruciating pain in my chest. I thought my relationship with Chloe had gotten better, but I was wrong.

She jumped at the first opportunity to betray me.

I started to believe that I was really cursed. What did I do to deserve such punishment from the moon goddess? I scoffed bitterly, shaking my head as I watched them continue the ceremony in my presence.

They didn’t even care about how I felt.

I didn’t know what to do. I opened my mouth to speak but couldn’t form any words. Everything still felt so surreal. Nobody even gave me an explanation.

Did Kai find out about my secret? Was that the reason why he rejected me?

Why wasn’t anybody saying anything?

I looked at my father but he avoided making eye contact with me. I felt so helpless and humiliated. I turned to look at the crowd, some of them had puzzled expressions on their faces, some had sympathetic expressions, while the others smirked, like it was some sort of twisted entertainment for them.

My legs trembled but I struggled to stay calm.

I couldn’t afford to fall. Not here. Not in front of them.

I knew there was no point standing there, it wasn’t the time to confront them either. I just took one last glance at them before storming through the crowd.

My legs were tired but I ran as fast as I could into the house. As I entered my room, I closed the door and fell to the ground.

The tears I had been struggling to hold back finally flowed freely down my face. I knew something bad was going to happen. I should’ve listened to my gut.

But I didn’t. I chose to listen to my sister and father.

If only I knew about the plans they had for me.

Was I just a pawn in their game all this while? Did my family already tell Kai about my condition without my knowledge?

Did he even love me?

My mind raced with different unanswered questions.

I sobbed profusely as the weight of everything suffocated me. This wasn’t just heartbreak. It was a cruel and deliberate betrayal by the people I loved the most.

Who would do something like that to their twin sister?

Who would do something like that to their own blood daughter?

As for Kai, even if I was in love with him, I didn’t expect much loyalty from him because he wasn’t my blood. He was just my boyfriend.

I knew I was trying to console myself, but all the betrayals still hurt me. The ache in my chest turned into something deeper.

I clenched my fists, my eyes blazing with anger.

They owed me answers. They didn’t have the right to just cast me aside and carry on with the ceremony like they didn’t just drop a bombshell on me.

Not just me. They dropped it on everybody.

Most of the guests arrived at our house, hoping to see Halle and Kai get married. But instead, Chloe and Kai were getting married.

It wasn’t meant to go down like that.

Letting out a deep sigh, I stood up from the ground.

I didn’t need to be hiding in my room.

Why was I the one who ran when they were the ones who lied to me and humiliated me? I needed to ruin their wedding too.

I needed to ask my father when I stopped being his daughter. I needed to grab Chloe by the arm and ask her how she could look me in the eye this morning, hug me, and still go through with something like this.

But first, I needed water.

I grabbed a bottle of water from the table.

My hands trembled as I brought the bottle to my mouth, drinking desperately as if the water could somehow wash away the betrayal.

But as soon as the liquid hit my stomach, a wave of dizziness hit me. I staggered backward but my vision became blurry and I couldn’t see anything to hold on to keep myself steady.

The bottle fell from my hand and I landed on the ground right after.