Chapter 3

The entire hall fell silent instantly.

All eyes focused on Kael.

Rhea gripped my hand, her palm slick with nervous sweat.

I looked at Kael, holding onto one last shred of hope.

As long as he said yes, I could pretend all of today's humiliation never happened.

But Kael smiled and waved his hand, his tone casual as a joke:

"No thanks. Too crowded with four people. Too much trouble."

The love that had been churning in my heart completely drained away in that moment.

Rhea gripped my hand so hard her knuckles went white. If I hadn't been holding her down, she would've charged up and punched Kael already.

Rain awkwardly touched his nose, forcing himself to smooth things over.

Not far away, Lila turned her head, a faint smile playing on her lips.

Her gaze moved past Kael and settled quietly on me. In those eyes was triumph, and a trace of unclear pity.

I nodded at her calmly, my lips curving into a polite but distant arc.

That entire day, Rhea didn't speak another word to Kael. When their eyes accidentally met, the hatred in hers nearly overflowed.

When the banquet ended, Rain had planned to take the four of us to the restaurant he'd reserved long ago to finalize the last wedding details.

But Kael stopped walking.

Lila appeared from nowhere and naturally hooked her arm through Kael's.

"Alpha Kael, you promised me you'd take me to process the hunting permits after the banquet. If we're late, the Elders will be off work."

She deliberately glanced up at me, her tone sounding impossibly innocent:

"Oh, I forgot you all had plans. Maybe I should just go myself. It's just that I don't really understand these procedures. I'm afraid I'll fill out the information wrong and waste the slot..."

Kael patted her hand. "It's fine. I'll go with you."

He turned to look at me. "You three go to the restaurant. I need to take Lila to process the paperwork first."

Rhea finally couldn't hold back anymore. She shook off my hand and charged forward, pointing at Kael's nose and cursing:

"Kael, are you sick? This is the wedding planning meeting the four of us scheduled half a year ago! On such an important day, you're ditching Elara to go with her? Did a rogue eat your brain?"

"Rhea, don't be so uptight." Kael frowned, his tone impatient.

"Lila's an Omega going to the Far North for the first time. She doesn't know anything. If I don't go with her, who will?"

"Elara knows all about Far North equipment. She can help Lila pick out a proper cold-weather outfit when she gets back. She's small, so it's hard to find the right size."

He even smiled at me after saying this, as if he were assigning me a perfectly normal task:

"Thanks, Elara. Pick the best one. I'll transfer you the money."

Lila also smiled sweetly, bowing to me with bright eyes: "Then I'll trouble you, Elara!"

I looked at the two of them standing side by side and suddenly laughed.

Our twenty years of history meant less to him than an Omega he'd just recently met.

"Sure, I'll pick something out for her when I get back."

Rhea looked at me in disbelief. "Elara, have you lost your mind?!"

I patted her hand and shook my head.

There was no point anymore. Really no point.

Kael seemed satisfied with my compliance. He nodded and turned to leave with Lila.

Lila walked away with her arm hooked through his, turning back to lift her chin at me triumphantly.

I stood there watching their backs disappear into the crowd.

Rain stood beside me and sighed, wanting to say something comforting but feeling that all words were powerless.

After the dinner ended, I went home alone.

I sat on the living room carpet for a long time.

It wasn't until the sky outside was completely dark that I finally started packing things up.

The moment I stood, the wolf tail necklace around my neck suddenly slipped off.

The instant my fingertips touched the cold pendant, those old memories sealed away in the snow came flooding back.