” You’ve got it wrong, I wasn’t—”,
But he cut me off with a dismissive wave, his voice clipped with impatience. ” I’ve got things to do. Just a word of advice—stop playing these little games that wear down my feelings for you.”
The door slammed shut with a finality that echoed through the room, leaving me in a silence thick enough to choke on.
I stood there for a long while before a bitter laugh slipped past my lips.
Leopold, how much of your so-called feelings are even left to be worn down?
Once, every misunderstanding from him would have haunted me for nights, keeping my wolf restless, pacing in circles inside me, her whines piercing my chest like blades. But now? Now, I brushed it off quickly, turned back to the glow of my phone, and reviewed the wedding details my mother had sent.
Before logging off Instagram, I noticed the red notification dot. Curious, I tapped it—only to freeze.
Alpha Leopold, who almost never posted, had shared a new update.
” You’re so wonderful. Of course I’ll marry you and keep you by my side, so I can finally be at peace.”
Beneath the caption was a radiant solo shot of Sophie, paired with their wedding invitation.
Less than a minute later, one of our mutual friends commented:
” Wow, Leopold, you swapped brides just like that.”
The post vanished almost immediately, erased by his own hand—only to reappear seconds later on Sophie’s personal page.
My phone rang. His name lit up the screen.
Once, I would have taken screenshots, called him first, demanded answers, claws bared until one of us broke.
This time, I let it ring and fade into silence.
Strangely, there was no storm of grief in me—only a dull numbness, like frost spreading over a wound too deep to heal.
My first coherent thought was simply that their wedding date happened to fall on the exact same day as mine. What a cruel coincidence… or perhaps fate’s cruelest joke.
When Alpha Leopold came home that night, I was already in bed.
He opened the door softly, stepping to my side. His voice was careful, almost guilty. ” Rowena, are you asleep? Why didn’t you answer my calls?”
Facing away, I let my tone drip with indifference. ” I fell asleep by accident. Didn’t hear it.”
He exhaled a breath of relief, then leaned closer, his hand reaching to check my forehead. ” Still feverish?”