Chapter 3

I brought Buddy back to the estate. But before I could even enter my room, a maid blocked my path.

"Sophia had a severe asthma attack last night. The Alpha had to carry her into the master bedroom."

"The doctor said she needs absolute peace. You'll have to stay in the guest room for now."

A dull ache throbbed in my chest.

But I was too exhausted to fight. I had stayed up all night.

Besides, the guest room wasn't new to me. When I first came to Silver Creek, I had lived in this very guest room for three years.

The wedding planner Ethan hired arrived. Today was the day to try on the wedding gowns for the Mate Ceremony.

She brought over a dozen designer gowns. But the guest room was too small to fit them all. They were piled haphazardly on the floor.

Once I squeezed into one of the dresses, I couldn't even see myself properly in the tiny guest room mirror. I decided to carry the gowns out to the spacious living room.

As I was adjusting the veil, Ethan and Sophia walked through the front doors.

Sophia looked radiant, her cheeks flushed with health. There was no sign of yesterday's life-threatening asthma.

Seeing me in the wedding dress, Sophia smiled warmly. "What a beautiful dress, Miss Miller. It looks gorgeous on you."

Then, her smile faded into a look of deep longing. She whispered, "Every Omega dreams of wearing a gown like that for their Mate Ceremony. I guess I'll never get to experience that."

Ethan had been staring at me, a rare look of awe in his eyes. But the moment Sophia spoke, his expression hardened.

"Are the rooms upstairs not big enough for you? Did you have to bring all this to the living room just to show off in front of her?"

The excitement of trying on the dress vanished. I never expected these to be his first words to me.

"What are you standing there for? Go take it off."

I had imagined Ethan's reaction to seeing me in a wedding dress a thousand times. None of those fantasies ended like this.

I didn't argue. I silently walked back to my room and took off the dress.

When I came back down, Sophia had already gone upstairs. Ethan was sitting alone on the sofa, staring at the floor.

I looked around, but Buddy was nowhere to be seen. He was injured; he couldn't have gone far. A cold dread seized my chest. I started calling his name.

Ethan snapped, "Sophia just went to sleep. Stop shouting."

I stared directly into his cold eyes. "Where is Buddy?"

He looked away. "I increased the budget for our Mate Ceremony by another eight million dollars. Everything will be done exactly how you want it."

"As for the dog, I found him a good home with a nice family. He'll be much happier there."

My knees buckled. I collapsed onto the floor.

Ethan lunged forward to help me up, but I grabbed his collar, my voice trembling. "What did you say?"

"Sophia has a phobia of dogs because of her past. The Healer said we can't have a dog in the house." He pulled my hands off his jacket.

"But you know what Buddy means to me!"

"I can take him and leave! I don't want the ceremony anymore! I don't want anything!"

I begged him, promising that Buddy and I would never bother him again.

But Ethan just shook his head, a flash of pity crossing his eyes.

"You can't leave, Lily. Sophia needs you."

"We got word that Marcus is coming back." Marcus. The Alpha of the Iron Crest Pack. Sophia's primary creditor.

"He's coming back solely for Sophia. We're out of time." Ethan pulled me up by force, locking me in a suffocating embrace. "Before he gets here, I will give you the most lavish Mate Ceremony. Everyone will know you are my Luna."

I saw Buddy's favorite tennis ball sitting under the sofa. The room began to spin, and darkness swallowed me whole.

When I woke up, Ethan was holding me, his eyes wild with excitement. "You're pregnant! You're carrying my pup!"

The stoic Alpha was gone, replaced by a giddy boy.

"If it's a girl, she's going to be just as beautiful as you."

But my face remained completely blank. I felt no joy.

This pup wasn't conceived out of love.

The sound of glass shattering broke the silence. Sophia stood at the doorway, a pale, fragile smile plastered on her face. "Congratulations."

Ethan instinctively let go of me, taking a step toward her. "Sophia..."

"You don't need to worry about me anymore, Ethan. Your priority is Lily now. I'll handle my own mess."

Sophia bowed her head, tears cascading down her cheeks.

"Thank you for everything."

With that, she bolted down the hallway.

Ethan forgot about me instantly. "Get some rest!" he yelled over his shoulder as he chased after her.

I moved out of the guest room, but I didn't go back to the master bedroom.

The maids prepared a replica room for me on the opposite side of the estate.

Ethan didn't return for a whole week.