Chapter 64 Sixty Four

Chapter 64 Sixty Four
‎Celeste
‎
‎The bridal salon was all white marble and crystal chandeliers, this place screamed money. I stood on the raised platform in front of the three-way mirror, wearing the fifth dress of the afternoon a sleek, strapless ivory gown that hugged every curve like it had been poured onto me. The fabric was so expensive it felt like liquid silk against my skin.
‎Sienna and Bianca lounged on the velvet chaise nearby, champagne glasses in hand, eyes sparkling with complete delight.
‎“Oh my God, Celeste,” Sienna drawled, tilting her head. “That one is lethal. Zander won’t know whether to drop to his knees or run for his life when he sees you in it.”
‎Bianca laughed, taking a slow sip. “He’ll probably do both. Especially after the way that little omega slut tried to mark her territory in his penthouse. Can you imagine the look on her face when she sees the wedding photos? ‘Power Couple United’ trending everywhere while she’s still licking her wounds.”
‎I smoothed the front of the dress, turning slightly to catch the light. Outwardly, I smiled..the perfect, polished Celeste Vorne smile that had been drilled into me since I was old enough to walk.
‎“Honestly,” I said, my voice light and sweet, “I almost feel sorry for her. Almost. Walking into Zander’s home like she owned it, thinking she could just spread her legs and steal what’s mine. How pathetic. She probably thought a few good fucks would make him forget who he’s supposed to marry.”
‎Sienna snorted, refilling her glass. “Good fucks? Please. She’s an omega. They’re all the same desperate, clingy, and convinced their pussy is magic. Newsflash, honey it’s not. Zander has had better, he’s had you.”
‎Bianca leaned forward, her eyes gleaming with gossip. “Did you see the way she looked at him during the gala? Like she was starving and he was the last meal on earth and then she had the audacity to fight you in his living room? I still can’t believe she actually drew blood. What a low-class animal.”
‎I turned again in the mirror, admiring the way the dress made my waist look tiny and my breasts look full. The scars from Iris’s claws were still healing under the bandage, but the makeup artist had covered them perfectly. No one would ever know.
‎“Animal is right,” I said, my tone dripping with mock sympathy. “She came from nowhere, wearing a borrowed name, and thought she could play in our world. She probably grew up in some cheap little apartment, dreaming of the day she could sink her claws into an alpha. And what does she do when she finally gets close? She attacks the future Mrs. Ashveil in her fiancé’s own home. Classy.”
‎Sienna cackled. “Can you imagine the wedding photos? You in this dress, Zander looking like the perfect alpha husband, and somewhere in the background that omega bitch scrolling through her phone, crying into her cheap takeout. Hashtag ‘PowerCoupleUnited’ is already trending. The packs are eating it up. They’re calling it the wedding of the decade.”
‎Bianca raised her glass. “To the wedding of the decade… and to the omega who thought she could compete. May she choke on the hashtags.”
‎I clinked my glass with theirs, smiling wide for the cameras that weren’t even there.
‎But inside, my mind was screaming.
‎I kept seeing it... hat night in Zander’s penthouse. The way he had bent me over the couch, fucked me hard and angry, like he was trying to erase her from his system. The way he had come inside me with a rough groan, hips jerking and then, as he fell asleep, the name he had whispered.
‎“Iris…”
‎The name burned in my chest like acid.
‎I took another sip of champagne to wash down the rage.
‎Sienna noticed my expression and tilted her head. “You okay, babe? You look like you’re plotting murder.”
‎I laughed lightly, the sound perfect and practiced. “Just thinking about how perfect this dress is. Zander won’t be able to take his eyes off me on the wedding day and that little omega? She’ll be watching from whatever hole she crawled back into, knowing she lost.”
‎Bianca grinned. “She already lost the second she thought she could touch what’s yours. I mean, really attacking you? In his house? She has no idea who she’s messing with. You’re Celeste Vorne. Future alpha mate. She’s just… temporary entertainment.”
‎Sienna nodded eagerly. “Temporary and cheap. I heard she was at some charity dinner looking like she didn’t belong and now she thinks she can compete with you? With us? Please. The packs are laughing at her. The hashtags are savage. Someone already posted a meme of her walking out of Zander’s place naked with the caption ‘Omega Walk of Shame.’”
‎They both burst out laughing.
‎I joined them, the sound bright and vicious.
‎But in my head, Zander’s voice kept repeating.
‎“Iris…”
‎The name echoed while I stood there in the most expensive bridal gown money could buy, surrounded by my friends mocking the woman who had somehow managed to get under my skin deeper than anyone ever had.
‎I smiled wider for them, twirling in the dress.
‎“Make sure the photographer gets every angle,” I said sweetly. “I want the whole world to see exactly who Zander chose.”
‎Inside, the rage burned hotter.
‎I would make sure she paid for that.
‎I would make sure she regretted every second she had spent on her knees for him.
‎The wedding was in three weeks and when I walked down that aisle, I would be smiling for the cameras.
‎But the omega who thought she could beat the princess?
‎She would be nothing but a footnote in our perfect story.
‎A sad, broken memory and I would make damn sure of it.
‎