Home / The Ceremony That Was Never Mine / Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

All Chapters of The Ceremony That Was Never Mine: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1

As we walked out of the banquet hall, my mother, Isla Patterson, silently draped her cloak over my shoulders. Her hands were trembling. She had spent two months practicing how to walk gracefully for this mating ceremony. Even when the old injury in her leg flared up, she had to take two breaks just to cross the corridor, terrified of embarrassing herself at my mating ceremony. Now, all she could do was brace herself against the wall and shuffle forward one step at a time. Tucked away in her pocket were a pair of heirloom cufflinks meant for my fiancé, Kane Williams.Just as we reached the main entrance, my phone rang. It was Kane. When I saw his caller ID, I felt my heart clench for a fleeting moment. I thought that seeing me leave had finally made him regret what he had done.But the moment the call connected, I heard an elder reciting the ceremonial blessing in the background. "Where are you?" Kane asked, sounding helpless. "I don't have time to coddle you right now. Beth's m

Chapter 2

An attendant pushed open the banquet hall doors, and Kane came rushing out after me. For a brief moment, I thought he had ended that ridiculous ceremony just to look for me."The ceremony is over." However, the doors swung open again, and the entrance music Kane and I had rehearsed countless times began to play. For the past six months, whenever that melody reached this part, I would always place my hand in his.Kane held out his hand. My fingers twitched, and I instinctively placed my hand in his. Just like that, the fear in his eyes immediately vanished. "I knew you were just upset earlier."His words brought me back to my senses, and I quickly pulled my hand away. He wasn't afraid of losing me. He was certain that I would always find my way back to him, no matter how long he left me standing outside those doors.Kane handed me his phone. On the screen was our honeymoon itinerary, which he had upgraded for me. Our seats had been upgraded to first class, and our accommodation to a

Chapter 3

That night, we returned to Kane's and my shared home to get my passport and Mom's. As soon as I opened the door, I saw Kane and Beth sitting on the couch I had picked out myself. They were on a video call with the healing center. The framed photo of Kane and me from our registration lay on the floor, its frame shattered. Even the couple's nameplate by the entrance had been replaced. Beth's name was on it.On the screen, Beth's mother lay propped up against her pillows, weakly calling Kane her son. Kane held Beth's hand and answered gently, "Don't worry. I'll take good care of Beth."He sounded so gentle, but he had never spoken to me this way.After the video call ended, Beth looked at me guiltily. "Mia, it's my fault. I said I shouldn't have come here, but Kane was afraid my mother would find out, so I had no choice but to—""I told her to come here. Don't take it out on her!" Kane said coldly, stepping in front of Beth.Mom bent down to pick up the photo, but her knees gave wa

Chapter 4

After returning to my own place, I packed Mom's belongings first. Then, I took all the clothes and keepsakes that reminded me of Kane to the waste disposal center.Mom sat on the edge of the bed, watching me sort through my belongings. She paused for a few moments before pulling me into a hug. "Mia, it's okay. I'll always be here for you."The sheer pressure Kane had unleashed while marking Beth last night had hurt my wrist. Mom took me to the healing center to get some medicine. When the staff asked how I had hurt myself, she fell silent for a long moment before saying I had accidentally fallen.While I was in line to pick up my medicine, I got a message from Kane. "Her mother's condition is stable now. I've booked the venue for our mating ceremony tomorrow. I'll pick you up tomorrow morning."He didn't even ask where I had gone last night. He still thought that arranging another ceremony was a grand act of generosity he had deigned to offer me. He was so sure that I would still b

Chapter 5

The next morning, the phone on my bedside table suddenly started vibrating. When I heard who it was, I realized that after I had blocked Kane, he must have switched to a different number. "Mia, I'll let the venue cancellation slide," he said. "The pack is waiting for you to return. The mating ceremony has already turned into such a mess. The least you could do is give me some leeway."I stared out the window at the sky, which was still dark—the exhaustion of being dragged out of sleep washed over me. Just yesterday, he had marked Beth. And now, he was acting as if nothing had happened. He even expected me to return and clean up his mess."Kane, we've already broken up," I said calmly. "Whoever you want to take care of from now on is none of my concern."He fell silent for a moment, then lowered his voice. "Are you blaming me for marking Beth? Her mother, Ms. Slayer, was in critical condition. I was only trying to calm her down. Once her condition stabilizes, I'll explain everythin

Chapter 6

The Shadowflame Pack's healing center was built beside a geothermal spring. After examining Mom, the healer explained that her leg injury had gone untreated for too long. She would need two weeks of consecutive hydrotherapy, combined with bone regeneration treatment.When Mom heard how much it would cost, she immediately waved her hands in protest. I immediately paid the two-week costs upfront. "Mom, you spent two months practicing how to walk for my ceremony. Now it's my turn to be here for you while you get treated."Mom's eyes glistened with tears, and she turned her face away.Raine Montgomery, the Alpha of the Shadowflame Pack, personally arranged our accommodations. He was tall and imposing, with dark, flame-like markings around his eyes. Despite his imposing appearance, he was surprisingly courteous. He said, "Ms. Fallon, let me cover your mother's treatment expenses for now. I've heard a little about what happened between you and Kane. Don't worry. Our pack will keep you s

Chapter 7

The next morning, Mom finished her first hydrotherapy session. Wisps of steam still clung to the ends of her hair. After reviewing her scans, the healer told her that her leg injury was more severe than expected and that she would have to avoid long walks for the time being.Upon hearing this, Mom's first concern was that she would no longer be able to keep accompanying me. I placed my hand over hers on her knee. "Mom, focus on your treatment first. I'll take care of my issues."She studied me for a moment, then turned her hand over and patted my hand before nodding in agreement.Back in my room, I pulled out my old tablet, planning to sign out of the cloud account Beth had left behind. Three years ago, when Madeleine first received treatment, Beth had been overwhelmed by the medical paperwork, so I had registered the account for her. She had changed devices since then, but she had never logged out.As soon as I opened the account dashboard, a gown order filled the screen.The o

Chapter 8

Kane arrived at the Shadowflame Pack again late the following night. Mom had just gone to sleep when one of Raine's guards knocked on the door and said Kane wanted to see me.The guard also handed me a voice recorder. I pressed play, and Beth's voice came from the device."Mom, just keep pretending to be sick. Kane will feel guilty and stay by my side. Now that Mia is gone, as long as I keep up the act, I'll be the Luna of the pack!"Then came Madeleine's voice. "I really am sick, but you can't use my life to deceive people. Beth, you can't keep going down this path."The recording fell silent for a few seconds. Then, Beth spoke again. "You've always said I had a hard life growing up, and you promised you'd make it up to me. I'm just one step away from getting what I want, and now you're trying to stop me?"I clutched the digital recorder tightly. Beth wasn't just deceiving Kane anymore. She was even coercing her own mother.I threw on my coat and followed the guard to the recept

Chapter 9

The next morning, Kane held a public hearing for the entire Bloodmoon Pack. Raine made special arrangements so I could watch it on a video feed.On the screen, Kane stood in the center of the pack's main square. Beth was under the watch of two guards. Madeleine sat in a wheelchair from the healing center, while Lina and the bridal boutique manager were also present.Kane wasted no time and had the guards read out the investigation findings. In the end, Lina admitted to taking the money. The manager also confirmed that Beth had come in for measurements two months earlier and had requested that her name be embroidered along the waist.The chat logs Beth had sent Kane were also proven to have come from a different phone, not from me.Everyone in the square was in an uproar. Beth burst into tears. "Kane, do you really have to push me this far? My mother is still sick. I only did all this because I was scared. You promised you'd take care of me. You can't just abandon me now!"Kane gla

Chapter 10

When Kane sent the keys to our new home and the Luna ring to the Shadowflame Pack, I was accompanying Mom during her second hydrotherapy session. The package also included a property transfer deed. In the note he had included, he wrote, "You oversaw the renovations of our new home yourself, and you even designed the ring. What you do with these is entirely up to you."After reading it, I immediately contacted the real estate agent from my old pack and asked him to sell the place for me. I had poured too many hopes into that place. Now, all that remained were the traces Kane and Beth had left behind. Keeping it would only remind Mom of that humiliating day every time she walked through the door.By evening, Kane had arrived at the borders of the Shadowflame Pack. He stood beside the long table, no longer wearing his formal Alpha attire. Instead, he wore a dark uniform of a patrol guard.When he saw me, he slid a document across the table. "Our new home has been transferred into your

SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP