Chapter 12
The photo lit up her screen.
Arabella stood in a white mermaid gown, smiling sweetly at the camera. Behind her, Rhett looked down at her with the kind of
tenderness that used to belong to Isla.
A perfect picture of newlywed bliss.
The next few shots followed: a close–up of the engagement ring, and a family portrait–with both sets of parents smiling proudly in the
center.
Isla’s grip on the phone tightened.
She didn’t need a caption to know what Arabella was trying to prove. The message was crystal clear–Rhett had chosen her. Arabella
had won.
Then came the texts.
if was
[This is the dress I went with in the end. Pretty, right? I actually liked another one better, but Rhett said this one showed off my waist, so… he bought both. Same with the rings–I told him a smaller one was fine, but he insisted.]
www
[I was going to invite you to the mating ceremony, but Rhett didn’t want to see you. Said he didn’t want you there on his happiest day. Mom and Dad agreed. Said you’d bring bad energy.]
[It’s official now. We’re marked. Whatever you and Rhett had—if it ever meant anything–let it go. I’m his mate. I’m your sister. from now on, he’s your brother–in–law. Don’t forget that.]
And
Isla stared at the screen, Arabella’s smug tone practically echoing off the words. She could almost see the smirk on her sister’s face. She didn’t reply. Just shut the app and tossed her phone onto the bed.
A memory rose up, uninvited–Rhett brushing her hair back, tracing the shape of her brow.
“You must have beautiful eyes,” he’d whispered once, back when he was blind. “Doesn’t matter what you look like. You’re the most beautiful thing in my world.”
Back then, she’d blushed so hard her ears burned. She’d believed him.
She’d actually pictured a future with him. Marriage. A home. Maybe even pups one day.
And sure, she’d let go of that hope long ago.
But seeing it paraded in front of her like this still stung.
Meanwhile, in the sacred altar of Echelon Pack-
I’ll
know it’s
you.
Just before the mating ceremony began, a little boy came barreling out of nowhere, holding a cup of grape juice, He crashed straight into Arabella, soaking the front of her pristine gown in dark purple.
Arabella gasped, recoiling like she’d been slapped. “My dress!”
“Whose kid is this?! Who let him in here? Get him out–now!”
The outburst caught Rhett’s attention. He hurried over, only to freeze in place when he saw her expression–irritated, sharp–edged. Not the sweet, composed Arabella he knew.
In his memory, she had always been calm, gentle. Even–tempered.
But now, there was something… off.
“Rhett?” she chirped, noticing him. Her voice softened instantly. “Didn’t see you there.”
He blinked.
Chapter 12
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www
Her tone was light again, her face all sugar and silk, as if that flash of temper had never existed.
“I just wanted to make sure you’re okay,” he said slowly. “Arabella?”
“I’m fine. A little grape juice, no big deal. I’ll go change–wait here, I’ll be right back.”
He nodded.
But as she walked away, something tugged at him. That feeling again. That whisper of wrongness.
It wasn’t new. It had been creeping up on him for weeks Math Mot
Something about Arabella wasn’t the same. Or maybe–just
something about her never was.
Sometimes, without warning, Isla’s face flashed in his mind instead.
He clenched his jaw.
She was gone. She was just Arabella’s little sister. That’s all.
Just… Isla.
But then he remembered the small box she’d handed him that morning.
She’d looked so pale. So calm. Said her goodbyes like they were final.
He hadn’t opened the gift. Hadn’t even glanced at it.
Now, suddenly, he needed to.
Rhett headed down to the parking lot and tore through the car, searching every inch. Nothing.
He turned to his Beta.
“The box I gave you this morning–where is it?”
Lucia Morh is a passionate storyteller who brings emotions to life through her words. When she’s not writing, she finds peace nurturing her garden.