~Daphney
Would he call me crazy if I said the groom used to be mine?
I swallowed the confession and blurted a lie instead.
"I spilled some hand soap on my dress," I said, forcing a laugh as my fingers fiddled with the buttons of the coat.
"Really?" His bright green eyes lingered on my dress, like he could see past my lie.
I nodded desperately and forced a fake smile to seal the deal.
"Do you want me to take you home to change?" He asked, his voice laced with concern.
"This is my home, the bride is my cousin," I replied, "I will change after the party."
A hint of shock flashed across his extremely handsome face but he quickly masked it with a small smile.
"I'm the groom's distant cousin. If I knew Iris had such a beautiful cousin, there would have been two weddings today."
Heat spread to my cheeks and I turned away to hide my smile.
"I'm not kidding, you're the most beautiful woman I have ever seen," he said, lowering his voice.
Before I could think of a response, my eyes caught a glimpse of someone pushing through the crowd behind us.
My heart dropped as I realized it was Adrian charging toward us, his fists balled by his side and his face red with anger.
I swallowed hard, my heart racing wildly.
Without thinking, I threw my arms around the handsome stranger and pulled him into a kiss.
He tensed, shocked by my actions but he quickly regained composure.
He parted his lips, deepening the kiss as his hand wrapped tightly around my waist, while his other hand wrapped around my throat, gently choking me.
When he finally let go of me I was completely out of breath, my legs barely able to hold my weight.
Adrian stood frozen a few feet away, his eyes focused on us like he was about to lose it and devour us.
The kiss wasn't enough to stop him. He crossed the room in three long strides and grabbed my arm, completely ignoring the man I was with.
"Adrian, stop!" I snapped, pulling my arm away from him.
The stranger I was with pulled me closer to him possessively and if looks could kill, Adrian's eyes would have murdered him on the spot.
"Daphney, I need to speak to you," Adrian said, his desperation betraying his usually cold voice.
"She's not going anywhere with you," the stranger said firmly, wrapping his arm around me.
"I wasn't asking you," Adrian growled, his eyes darkening.
"Let me handle this, please," I whispered to the stranger and even though his hesitation was obvious, he slowly let go of me.
Adrian extended his hand to me but I smacked it away and walked in front while he followed behind till we arrived at the back gardens, away from the guests and loud music.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Adrian asked angrily, his eyes dropping to my swollen lips.
"You've changed so much," he sighed, shaking his head in disappointment.
I let out a bitter laugh.
"I've changed?" My laughter grew louder as I tried to mask the pain his words caused me.
"Adrian, I'm not the one who just promised eternity to your blood relative."
He wiped his forehead in frustration, "You kissed a stranger in front of me," he said, his voice risìng in anger. "The Daphney I know would never do that."
"Maybe you never knew me well enough," I said coldly, pushing past him.
He grabbed my arm tightly, so hard that his nails dug into my flesh.
"Who the fuck is he?" Adrian growled, his eyes turning bright red. "I'll kill him for touching what's mine."
"Go back to your wife, Adrian. You made your choice, live with it proudly."
"My choice? You ran away, I didn't have another option," he said, his voice suddenly calmer.
My blood ran cold. What the hell was he saying?
I ran away?
I sent him letters every day and he responded to every single one. Not once did he ever mention wanting to choose a mate.
"The damage is done, Adrian. Go back to Iris," I said dismissively, pulling my arm away from him with all the strength I could muster.
His nails dug into my flesh and blood slowly seeped through the sleeves of my dress.
The fury in his eyes melted away. My heart ached. I wanted him to tell me everything was a joke. I wanted him to tell me he was still mine. But he didn't.
He walked away, leaving me broken and in tears.
My chest tightened as if his absence had carved a hole in my heart.
My disheveled reflection in the puddle of water beneath my feet mocked me. The layers of makeup and accessories made no effort to hide who I truly was, a wolfless bastard with no titles or connection.
Did I really believe Adrian would ever choose me as his mate?
The sound of slow clapping behind me snapped me out of my thoughts.
I froze, slowly spinning around to find Aunt Renee leaning against one of the large pine tree at the edge of the garden.
I hurriedly wiped my eyes and tucked my arms behind my back.
"Aunt Renee, I didn't see you there," I said, trying to make things less awkward.
"I warned you to not ruin my daughter's wedding," Aunt Renee hissed as she strode towards me.
"Me?....I only...came out to...breathe," I lied, forcing a smile.
She frowned, shaking her head in disappointment.
"Why do you always tell lies, child?," she breathed, yanking my hand to the front, her eyes instantly landing on the blood.
"It's just a scratch," I lied again, wrapping the wound with my napkin.
Her eyes narrowed, "You realise I saw you in there. I saw him touch you, even after I warned you to stay away from him."
"He didn't, I swear-"
Sharp pain spread across my cheek as Aunt Renee's palm silenced me mid-sentence. The metallic taste of blood filled my mouth.
I held my throbbing cheek, tears blurring my vision.
"Whore!" She spat, pulling my hair violently.
"I should have just let you die like your whore mother," she sneered.
I froze, anger seeping through the pain I was feeling.
"My mother is not a whore" I yelled, pushing her away with all the strength I could muster.
Aunt Renee fell to the ground with a loud thud, the several layers of her fancy dress, breaking her fall.
"I'm so sorry," I whispered, rushing to help her up.
She went still, her eyes fixed on the ground for several long minutes.
"Aunt Renee?" I gulped, shaking her shoulder gently.
Suddenly, her hand grabbed mine.
My breath caught in my throat, fear surging through my veins.
Slowly, her claws stretched out from her flesh and dug into my hand.
"Aunt Renee!" I panicked, struggling to break free from her grasp but she held on tightly.
I watched in fear as she slowly transformed into a seven foot beast, her bones cracking as thick black fur covered her body.
She towered above me, her hot breath fanning my face.
My body froze, I tried to run but I was crippled by fear.
Her large claw smacked my head, sending me flying into a nearby tree, knocking the wind out of my lungs.
I screamed as pain exploded through my body, a loud ringing echoing in my ears.
I struggled to get up but I couldn't. My leg had broken my fall, completely shattering my bone.
I winced in pain as I tried to push it back into place. It was no use and worse, Aunt Renee was charging at me with a very murderous look in her eyes.
I began crawling away. My body was weak but I kept pushing until a sharp pain exploded through my skull, knocking me unconscious.