I Saw My Alpha Mate’s Betrayal, So I Changed Fate Chapter 04
Even though I’m already prepared for it, even though I’ve already imagined this scene, I still throw up the moment I see it with my own eyes.
“Harper!”
Nolan panics and rushes after me, his shout quickly alerting everyone else.
“Listen to me. Abigail was drunk…”
Marcus is the first to rush out of the room.
The moment he sees the lipstick stain on Nolan’s lips, he immediately understands what happened.
“Enough.”
He steps in front of me and speaks slowly.
“The Bonding Ceremony is tomorrow. Now that you’ve seen it, there’s no point hiding it anymore.”
“Tomorrow, Abigail will take your place.”
“She’s been struggling emotionally lately. Her birthday wish is to wear a wedding dress and have a Bonding Ceremony of her own.”
“So you’ll be her bridesmaid. Make her wish come true.”
As soon as he finishes speaking, Mom and Dad step in front of Abigail.
Even Nolan instinctively moves closer to her.
“Harper, it’s just a Bonding Ceremony. We can have another one for you later.”
He looks at me as if what he’s saying is perfectly reasonable.
“You’ve never cared much about ceremonies or appearances. But Abigail can’t handle the stress.”
“You understand, right?”
“Harper, having a ceremony with Nolan has always been my dream.”
Abigail looks at me, her eyes turning red.
“I’m his mate. I know I can’t be his Luna, but I just want one ceremony that belongs to me. Can’t you give this one to me?”
Some are guarding against me. Others are forcing me into a corner.
Everyone watches me closely, as if they’re waiting for me to lose control at any moment.
But nothing happens.
My expression is so calm that even I barely recognize myself.
Everyone freezes for a moment.
I walk past them, return to my bedroom, and shut the door behind me.
“Harper, stop acting like a child!”
Marcus’s voice comes from outside.
“If you refuse to be Abigail’s bridesmaid, don’t even think about showing your face at another Bonding Ceremony next year!”
I don’t respond.
The next morning, I open my bedroom door and find a wedding styling team waiting outside.
“The wedding gown is here. Abigail, should we take it to your room or…?”
Mom calls out from the doorway.
“Excuse me.”
The lead bridal designer gives a slight bow.
“You must have mistaken her. This gown was commissioned for Harper Delaney.”
Mom and Dad’s expressions change instantly as they stare at me in disbelief.
Even Sophie, who comes early to help with the ceremony, finally realizes that this isn’t the wedding gown Nolan originally ordered for me.
It’s far more extravagant.
The hand-set diamonds on the train alone are three times as many as those on the original gown.
“Harper, don’t do this to yourself…”
Sophie walks over to me, looking troubled.
“No matter how beautiful the dress is, there’s only one bride today. Why embarrass yourself?”
Everyone looks at me with contempt and disdain.
As if I’m nothing more than a crazy woman who refuses to accept reality.
“What a disgrace.”
Marcus mutters under his breath.
I say nothing. I simply accept the wedding gown.
There’s a note tucked inside.
[This is a gift from the Alpha King as an apology for his previous discourtesy. I hope you’ll accept it.]
I stare at the gown as bitter tears well up in my eyes.
But in the end, I still put it on.
I may not be the bride anyone expected to see.
But at least, I’m my own bride. And I should act like one.
Two hours later, everyone surrounds Abigail and escorts her to the ceremony as if they’re accompanying a princess.
The lake shimmers beneath the sunlight, while the pack’s flags snap proudly in the wind.
As fireworks rain across the sky, Nolan, standing at the altar, looks at me first.
His eyes widen in shock when he sees me in the wedding gown, a flicker of admiration crossing his face.
But the next moment, he gives me a bitter smile and walks toward me.
“Harper, it doesn’t matter.”
“No matter what you’re wearing, Abigail is my bride today.”
I suppress the resentment rising in my chest and refuse to leave.
Nolan turns and reaches out his hand to Abigail, who looks at him shyly.
Marcus’s expression darkens completely.
“Enough. Stop humiliating yourself.”
“Get her out of here. Don’t let her…”
Before he can finish, the deep roar of engines suddenly comes from the distance.
More than a dozen black luxury cars drive in from the other side and stop beside the lake without warning.
The doors open.
A tall, powerfully built man steps out of the lead car, an overwhelming presence radiating from him.
With a single glance, everyone nearby instinctively falls silent.
“Al… Alpha King.”
Nolan’s eyes widen in shock, “You’re here already.”
The pack members present, along with the other Alphas and Lunas attending the ceremony, all lower their heads.
“Welcome, Your Majesty.”
But the Alpha King doesn’t even look at them.
He walks straight toward me.
My wolf, silent for so long, suddenly erupts into an excited roar inside my chest.
I stare at the man approaching me, my entire body frozen in place.
And the moment he sees me, he stops too.
His deep, intense gaze settles on me.
“Lower your head.”
Beta Nick quietly orders me.
But in the next second, Landon raises a hand and stops him.
“No.”
His eyes never leave mine, his voice low and commanding.
“No one gets to order my…”
He pauses for a moment.
“Mate.”
