Chapter 371 Nothing short of killing

Sebastian had expected the question. But the full answer was something long that would have to wait until after the ceremony, because it couldn’t be told properly without going all the way back to his twin brother and everything that had led to that night Natalie died.

He pulled back from the embrace and cupped her face in his hands, looking into her blue eyes as they watched him with quiet curiosity and patience.

“I will tell you everything tonight when we are back in our bed and alone. It’s a long story and it will only make sense told from the beginning. Will it make you love me less if you wait until tonight for the full story?” He asked quietly, loving her more in that moment for her complete absence of panic or fear after reading that message and hearing his confession.

Viola shook her head without any hesitation. “Nothing short of you killing me will make me love you less. But I am still finding it hard to digest.” She muttered. “Your relationship with Natalie… it always seemed so perfect.”

It was perfect, but it wasn’t with me. Sebastian kept that thought where it was, knowing it would only add to her confusion before she had heard the full story.

“Can we act normal for now? Like I haven’t just confessed to killing Natalie in front of you?” He stroked the side of her face gently, knowing it was a shock and not judging her for the color that had drained from her cheeks. “You look a little pale.”

“Hell, it’s shocking.” She said, because it was. The perfect love story she had constructed in her imagination around him and Natalie was dissolving piece by piece, and she didn’t quite know how to feel about that even when she didn’t want to feel anything about it.

“I know.” He kissed her neck softly. “I’m sorry for dropping it on you like this.”

Viola took a slow breath, then reached up and pulled his collar aside and gave him the bite mark he had asked for, while quietly closing the door on her wandering thoughts until tonight, when she would have the full picture of what happened. The ceremony ahead of them no longer felt as appealing as it had an hour ago, but she would get through it without letting her mind go into an overdrive of curious thoughts.

A little while later they left their room together, her arm tucked through his elbow, his bite mark sitting on her neck and hers on his, both of them on full display.

“Are you nervous?” Sebastian asked as they walked in silence.

No matter how much she tried to act normal, he knew his words had put a dent in her mood and that she was still thinking about them. A part of him suddenly wished they didn’t have to attend the damned ceremony at all, that they could stay behind and talk everything through until there was nothing left hanging between them.

But now that he was here, his presence was important. The last thing he wanted was for Alpha Daniel to use his absence to rally the guest Alphas behind his back, especially with the Betas from the North pack and several representatives from Moonwillow in attendance. Too many of his enemies were gathered under one roof for him to risk not showing up.

“A little.” She admitted, then to fill the silence, she added. “I hope we’re not late. I hate being late, all eyes turn to whoever walks in last.” She said, as they began to approach the hall where the marriage ceremony would take place before the marking.

“I don’t care about people’s eyes, let them watch, my wife is beautiful and she’s standing beside me.” He patted her hand and she smiled a little.

Despite her smile, her heart was thudding steadily in her chest, because she knew she had a great deal to face in that room today, and Natalie’s secret was now sitting quietly in the back of her mind, waiting for tonight.

___

The hall was filled with all the guests and decorated to the very limit of elegance, with a touch of the Grim pack’s own traditions woven through it, a raised platform at the front where musicians played instruments, their sound a soft, pleasant backdrop to the chatter filling every corner of the room.

Unlike Sebastian and Viola’s wedding, which had been tense and heavy with unspoken things, this one was alive with laughter, the guests spread across the hall in the way of their kind; the important and high-ranking werewolves gravitating naturally toward each other, being admired from a respectful distance by those of lower rank who quietly dreamed of climbing the hierarchy and one day standing among them.

The Grim pack had no ring exchange tradition the way Silver did. They threw a party, everyone together, just for the joy of it, and when the sun went down, the marking happened, and the pair became bound forever under the blessing of the moon goddess with every guest as witness.

Among the cluster of important she-wolves, Hailey stood in a killing black dress with her back cut open all the way to the upper part of her butt cheeks, the fabric from her thighs to her ankles gauzy and completely transparent.

She was surrounded by her friends, who had all heard by now that there were strong chances of her and the Supreme Alpha getting back together, and she was basking in the glow of being treated like the most important person in the room, everyone wanting to know her, talk to her, be near her.

“I love your dress, it looks so good on you. I bet your man won’t be able to look away the moment he gets here.” Said one of the women in her circle, because by now the consensus among the guests was that the Supreme Luna was nothing but a whore and no one thought of her as deserving of the position she held.

Hailey’s plan was to make absolutely sure everyone saw the wolfless for what she was, and to position herself as the natural next candidate for that place at his side. The plan was working beautifully so far, the only thing left was for Sebastian to find out for himself what his wife did behind his back and throw the bitch out of his life.

“You bet. He won’t be able to resist, just like no man has been able to look away from me since I got here.” She said arrogantly, sipping her wine with an air of importance, enjoying all the attention she was receiving, even from the elder men who were Alphas and had no reason looking at a young shewolf like herself. It gave her the confidence that Sebastian wouldn’t be able to turn her down and might even claim her right here today.

She’d spent a couple of millions on this dress just to impress him and she knew without a doubt he would be more than impressed with her by the end of this ceremony.

However, for some reason he was taking so long to arrive and she was getting impatient as hell waiting.