Vincent.
The heavy ceremonial bell rang thrice, its deep, reverberating tone echoing off the high stone arches of the grand hall, followed immediately by three slow, deliberate thumps of the sacred drum.
Each sound carried immense weight, signaling total completion—a formal declaration that every ancient ritual, preparation, and requirement had been met to absolute perfection.
Everything was finally in place. There were no more delays, no more obstacles; we could officially proceed with the climax of the wedding.
Without losing another second, I stepped toward the ceremonial bowl resting at the very center of the altar. I reached down, retrieved the ornate silver knife resting beside it, and pressed the sharp blade firmly into the flesh of my palm.
I dragged the steel across my skin without flinching, letting my crimson blood pool before spilling over into the bowl below.
Stepping back, I resumed my place beside Maria. I reached out and took her hand into mine, my bloody palm smearing red against her skin, sealing our initial contact in blood.
Sensing the moment, the officiating priest stepped forward with the sacred red light rope in his hands. With practiced, deliberate movements, he began winding the cord around our joined hands, binding us tightly together.
"By the power vested in me by the Moon Goddess, I hereby proceed to bind the Lycan Prince and the Lycan Princess together, now and forever," the priest declared, his deep voice carrying over the silent, reverent crowd.
The sacred drum was immediately hit nine times in rapid, rhythmic succession—a ritualistic blessing meant to invoke unending fruitfulness and prosperity upon our union.
Yet, despite the triumph of the moment, the sheer length of these traditional steps was beginning to wear thin on my patience.
Every drawn-out second felt like an eternity. Still, as I tightened my grip on Maria’s hand, feeling her presence right beside me, I found the strength to endure the tedious ceremony and see it through to the end.
"The next process to complete this sacred ritual," the priest announced slowly, his voice echoing through the silence, "is to bow before each other, before your parents, and before heaven and earth."
The drum was hit once, the loud strike lingering in the heavy air.
"Now, bow to each other!" he commanded.
The smile beneath my mask deepened into a wide, triumphant grin. We were finally reaching the end. It was almost over, and in just a matter of moments, Maria would officially, undeniably be my wife.
I turned my body to face Maria fully, and she adjusted her posture to match mine, standing directly across from me under the glow of the moonlight. But just as I began to tilt my head forward to execute the solemn bow, a sharp, commanding voice shattered the silence of the hall.
"Wait!"
I froze dead in my tracks and snapped my head up, whirling around to see who had dared to disrupt the sacred proceedings.
My face darkened instantly, the triumphant smile beneath my mask completely vanishing as I clenched my free hand into a white-knuckled fist.
It was Aidan.
What in the hell did he think he was doing?
What could he possibly want now?
He had already lost everything—shouldn’t he just accept his defeat and stay down?
Aidan cleared his throat loudly, a smooth, mocking smile plastering itself across his face as he looked out over the assembly.
"The Lycan Prince is my very good friend," he began, his voice dripping with false warmth as he addressed the hall. "And because of that, I would love for everyone here to give him a piece of advice before he takes the plunge. Because after marriage, he won’t be the same free man ever again!"
He immediately burst into a hearty, booming laugh, signaling the rest of the room to join in.
"Yes!" Davian added, enthusiastically standing up from his seat to chime in on the distraction. "Any married man here, speak up and tell us what it’s really like!"
At his prompting, the crowd burst into collective laughter, the tense silence of the sacred altar entirely dissolving into lighthearted chatter.
"I do have a piece of advice!" an elderly Alpha declared, standing up while still chuckling to himself. "And that is: never, under any circumstances, piss off your wife! The consequences are absolutely brutal!"
That was all it took. One after another, guests began shouting out unsolicited advice as though I actually needed or cared for their counsel. My blood began to boil instantly.
The precious, auspicious time window for the ritual was rapidly slipping away with every passing second of their foolish banter. We needed to finalize the wedding right now before the blessing of the moon faded.
Just as I was about to raise my voice and put an abrupt end to the entire ridiculous charade, a panicked cry echoed from the entrance of the hall, cutting through the noise like a razor.
"Fire!"
A guard stumbled into the room, his eyes wide with fear. "There is a massive fire outside! It’s huge, and it’s threatening to spill directly over into the main hall!"
In a heartbeat, the lighthearted laughter turned into utter bedlam. Panic rippled through the guests, and the hall broke into instant, chaotic uproar as people began pushing and scrambling for the exits.
Ignoring the surrounding panic, I clamped my bloody palm tightly around Maria’s hand, refusing to let her go. The ceremony had not been concluded.
The final bows hadn’t been exchanged, which meant we were still, practically speaking, completely unmarried. I wasn’t about to lose control of this moment now.
But just then, Alaric rushed through the fleeing crowd, breathless and desperate, and leaned in close to whisper frantically into my ear.
"Alpha!" he choked out, pausing to heave for air as sweat dripped down his brow. "It... it has just been reported that the hidden chamber is on fire!"
My eyes widened in pure, unadulterated shock.
’Oh no!’ I muttered inwardly, a sudden cold dread piercing straight through the heat of my anger.
Without a second thought, I ripped my bloody hand away from Maria’s grip, completely abandoning her on the altar. I sprinted down the steps and bolted straight toward the direction of the hidden chamber, not even bothering to look back or wait for anyone else to follow me.
The wedding could be paused—it could wait—but that chamber could not be burned under any circumstances.
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