Theo had hoped this mont would never co. She had run away from it and had gone through a haunting cycle that led her back right where she had started.
As she stared at her reflection in the mirror, only hollow remained. No death or pain has ever hit her this badly before, and now the world felt like sothing unnerving without aning.
The make-up didn’t do anything to brighten up her face, and the maids working around her did everything silently, like they could feel what she was going through and decided it was best to just finish and leave.
Theo watched quietly as her dull, pale looks were transford into beautiful, vibrant skin. But no matter what they did to her eyes, they remained as hollow as they were five hours ago.
Now she understood why Cain had worn a ceremonial robe to Gravemont. He had co to take her away for their wedding, and in that ti between them and now, they had flown to the wedding location.
The Crescent Cradle.
A neutral ground between the four directions where important werewolf weddings were held.
Once her makeup was finished, the won helped her with the wedding gown. They secured every pin in place and attached the veil to her hair.
She held the small bouquet of flowers between her hands as the won excused themselves. The makeup might have hidden the wounds on her face, but she could still see the cuts on her arm and nails through the glove.
Beneath them, the bracelet sat firm around her wrist. She had almost slapped one of the maids when she attempted to remove it while wearing the gloves. The bracelet was the only thing left of Sylas right now, and of course, the dent in her heart.
The wedding dress was extravagantly beautiful. It was a heap of fabric and voluminous dragging all the way behind her, with beautiful white roses fixed at every edge of it.
But Theo didn’t care about how beautifully crafted it was. She dreaded everything about this day. She dreaded the mont soone would knock on her door and tell her it’s ti to step out.
She dreaded every mont of it.
Seraphina was still weak. There was no one to talk to. There was no one to tell her to keep being strong and that everything would turn out fine in the end. She was all alone right now.
Her hands trembled as she held the bouquet between them, and she forced the gathering back with everything she had.
Everything that had happened till this mont was her fault.
If she hadn’t gone to Gravemont in the first place, Zeke and Sylas would still be alive right now. It was because of her that all those innocent people were dead. A decision she had made on the spur of the mont had triggered a massive backlash, affecting even those who had nothing to do with it.
She could never forgive herself for that.
If only...
If only...she had just succumbed to her fate two months ago and married Cain.
A lot of people would have been spared such a tragic death.
Theo lowered her head slightly, staring at the flowers as though they might change if she looked long enough. They didn’t.
Her grip loosened around them, then tightened again. The silence stretched, but she was already used to it. Used to this unbearable silence all her life.
Her gaze slid back to the mirror without her aning to. The veil frad her face softly, hiding the tremor at the corner of her mouth. She lifted one gloved hand and pressed it briefly against her chest, right over where she had felt the bonds for the first ti before they had shattered.
Nothing answered.
No warmth. No pull. No presence.
Just a scar so deep it felt like silence had weight.
Her breath stuttered as the tears gathered again, and she forced it steady. Crying wouldn’t save anyone now. Screaming wouldn’t bring them back. Cain had already proven that grief was a language he enjoyed listening to.
She wouldn’t give him that again.
Theo straightened slowly, adjusting the fall of the gown with movents. Sowhere in her mind, she catalogued the details like armour: shoulders back, chin level, and steps asured. If this were a cage, she would walk into it standing.
The door remained closed.
Seconds passed. The silence dragged and dragged. Maybe it was just a few seconds that passed, but it felt like hours had passed.
Her heart began to hamr despite herself. Each beat felt like a countdown to her doom. A doom that would shackle her to a man for the rest of her life. One she couldn’t easily walk out of.
She exhaled through her nose a few tis, steadying the tremor in her hands. Her fingers brushed the bracelet again, just barely, as if confirming it was real. Still there. Still hers.
Her mind betrayed her then, replaying monts she hadn’t asked for.
Zeke’s crooked smirk, and how he usually lay on his bed watching her move around the room, or the nickna he had given her that had stuck. That she now treasured far better than her own na.
And also, Sylas’s steady presence at her back. Always watching her wherever she goes. The way his eyes would stare, telling her he knew everything before she would say a word, or how he looked with those glasses.
The way she had felt truly safe with them for the first ti in her life.
Her chest tightened again, "I’m sorry," she whispered to the empty room, the words barely audible, "I didn’t an for this to happen,"
Her breath hitched, but she didn’t cry.
She had no tears left to give this place.
She adjusted her grip on the bouquet, smoothing the fabric of her dress with hands that trembled less than they had minutes ago. Her reflection stared back at her again, and this ti, she didn’t look away.
"I’ll walk," she murmured to herself. "I’ll stand. I’ll survive,"
Because survival was all she had left, and because vengeance required breath, ti, and patience.
And Cain had just given her all three.
Outside, she heard footsteps approaching her door and her heart stuttered once.
Then, a knock echoed against the door.
Theo’s heart stuttered again, then resud its slow, painful rhythm. Another knock followed, more restrained this ti.
"My Lady," A voice called softly from the other side, "It’s ti,"
Theo didn’t answer right away. She took one last breath alone. One last mont where the world hadn’t yet demanded her obedience.
Then she lifted her chin.
"I’m ready," she said.
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