Chapter 500

The heart monitor beside my wheelchair shrieked a frantic, high-pitched alarm. Duncan Whitaker’s hands slammed onto my shoulders, pinning me down. “Alpha, no! Your heart can’t take it!”

I couldn’t breathe. The silver in my veins burned like hellfire, but it was nothing compared to the agony of seeing another man touch what was mine. I forced my eyes shut and shoved my consciousness into the Pack mind-link, targeting the groom.

“Vance! Code Red. Get that filth away from my Mate. NOW. Or I’m coming down there myself, and I will tear his throat out on your wedding floor.”

Adella POV

Hunter sneered, stepping closer to intimidate me. But before he could utter another word, Vance Decker materialized out of nowhere. The groom looked pale, as if he had just been struck by lightning, but his Gamma presence flared with absolute, unquestionable authority.

“Back off, Lloyd,” Vance barked, shoving himself between us. “This table is reserved for the bride’s family. You need to leave. Now.”

Hunter bristled, baring his teeth at the Gamma, but Vance didn’t flinch. Realizing he was causing a scene at a high-ranking wedding, Hunter scoffed. “Keep your damaged goods, then,” he spat, turning on his heel and disappearing into the crowd.

Vance let out a shaky breath, gave me a tight nod, and rushed back to his duties.

I sat frozen, my heart hammering against my ribs. Vance hadn’t just happened to walk by. He had been ordered.

Slowly, I lifted my gaze to the second floor. The Alpha’s Balcony was shrouded in darkness behind the tinted glass, completely impenetrable from the outside. But I didn’t need to see him to know he was there. The air felt different—charged, heavy, like the moment before a storm breaks. The kind of presence you feel even when you can’t see it.

He was watching me. He was protecting me.

I stared at the dark glass, the anger from the alleyway warring with the undeniable pull of what we had lost. I raised my chin, looked straight into the shadows where I knew his eyes would be, and silently mouthed the words.

Thank you.

I needed to find a way up there. I needed to see the ghost for myself.

I slipped out of the suffocating Hallowed Moon Ballroom and stepped onto the stone-paved terrace. The crisp winter air, carrying the scent of fir trees from the manicured gardens, cooled my flushed skin. I needed to find a staircase. I needed to get to the Alpha’s Balcony.

I turned to see Serena hurrying toward me. Her stunning white gown rustled against the stone, but it was her expression that made me pause. Beneath the bridal joy, there was something sharp and anxious in her eyes—a nervousness that seemed out of place for a bride moments before her Marking ceremony.

“Serena? What’s wrong?” I asked, stepping forward.

She glanced around nervously, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. “It’s Vance. He’s… he’s panicking. He’s hiding up in the second-floor observation corridor and refuses to come down for the Marking ceremony.”