Exchanging Vows: The Swapped Wife Is a Top Shaman

Chapter 10: Chapter 10

Ivy’s Point of View

When I thought everyone would completely exit the residence, a voice rang out.

"Put everything down. Now."

Everyone froze.

Luna Helena stood in the doorway, her presence filling the room like a cold wind. Her face was calm, composed, but her eyes were blazing with barely contained fury.

Margot’s servants hesitated, looking between their mistress and the Luna.

"Did you not hear me?" Luna Helena stepped inside, her silk skirts swishing against the marble floor. "I said put it down."

One by one, the servants lowered the trunks back to the ground. They knew better than to defy the Luna of the Silvermoon Pack directly.

Margot’s face twisted with indignation. "Helena, what is the meaning of this? We’re simply returning Miss Seraphina’s rightful property to her."

"Her rightful property?" Luna Helena’s voice was deceptively soft. "That’s interesting. Because if I recall correctly, a significant portion of those gifts came from me."

Seraphina stiffened. "Luna Helena, those were given to me as—"

"As the future wife of my son." Luna Helena cut her off without even looking at her. "I prepared those gifts believing you would be Dominic’s bride. His Luna. The woman who would stand beside him and help him lead this pack."

The words hung in the air like a death sentence.

"But that’s not what happened, is it?" Luna Helena continued, her gaze sweeping across Seraphina, then Margot, then Vivienne. "You’re not my son’s wife. You’re married to Bastian. Which means the gifts I prepared for Dominic’s bride no longer belong to you."

Margot stepped forward, her chin lifted defiantly. "Now see here, Helena. Let’s be reasonable about this. Everyone knows that Dominic’s condition is... precarious. It’s only a matter of time before Bastian becomes the heir. And when that happens, Seraphina will be the future Luna anyway. So what difference does it make if she keeps the gifts now?"

The temperature in the room seemed to drop several degrees.

Luna Helena turned slowly to face Margot. Her expression didn’t change, but something dangerous flickered in her eyes.

"What did you just say?"

Margot faltered slightly but pressed on. "I’m simply being practical. Dominic has been unconscious for six months. The healers say he may never wake up. Bastian is young, healthy, and perfectly capable of leading this pack. Isn’t it only natural that we prepare for the inevitable?"

"The inevitable?" Luna Helena’s voice was quiet. Too quiet.

"Yes." Margot regained some of her confidence. "Bastian will be the heir. Seraphina will be the Luna. Giving her a larger dowry is only appropriate for her future status. Surely you can see that."

For a long moment, Luna Helena said nothing. The silence stretched until it became almost unbearable.

Then she smiled. It was not a warm smile.

"My son is not dead, Lady Margot."

Margot blinked. "I never said—"

"He is not dead," Luna Helena repeated, each word precise and cutting. "His heart still beats. His lungs still breathe. He is the firstborn son of Alpha Alaric, and until that changes, he remains the heir to the Silvermoon Pack."

"But surely—"

"There is no surely." Luna Helena’s composure cracked just slightly, revealing the steel beneath. "You stand in my son’s residence, speaking of his death like it’s a foregone conclusion. You talk about giving away his birthright like it’s yesterday’s garbage. And you expect me to simply agree?"

Margot’s face went pale. She opened her mouth, then closed it again.

Nothing came out.

Vivienne tried to salvage the situation. "Luna Helena, we meant no disrespect. Lady Margot was simply trying to—"

"I know exactly what Lady Margot was trying to do." Luna Helena didn’t even spare her a glance. "And I suggest you all remember your places before you overstep any further."

The room fell silent. Even the servants seemed to be holding their breath.

Luna Helena turned to her personal maid, who had been waiting quietly by the door. "Fetch the household steward. I want a full inventory of these items. Anything that came from me personally is to be separated and returned to the heir’s residence immediately."

"Yes, my Luna." The maid hurried away.

Seraphina’s face had gone from pale to ashen. "Luna Helena, please. Those gifts were given to me. You can’t just take them back."

"I can and I will." Luna Helena finally looked at her, and there was no warmth in her gaze. None of the maternal affection she might have once shown to her son’s intended bride. "You made your choice, Miss Seraphina. You chose Bastian over Dominic. Now live with the consequences."

Within minutes, the steward arrived with several servants carrying ledgers and lists. They began sorting through the trunks methodically, separating items into two piles.

I watched in silence as the pile meant for Seraphina grew smaller and smaller.

The jade hairpins Luna Helena had commissioned from the Eastern kingdoms. Gone. The bolt of moonsilk fabric worth more than most houses. Gone. The set of ruby earrings that had belonged to Luna Helena’s own mother. Gone.

By the time they finished, Seraphina’s dowry had been reduced by nearly half.

Seraphina looked like she might cry. Or scream. Or both. Her hands were clenched so tightly at her sides that her knuckles had gone white. Her jaw was set so hard I could see the muscles twitching beneath her skin.

But she couldn’t say anything. Couldn’t do anything. Not with Luna Helena standing right there, watching her with those cold, assessing eyes.

Margot was equally furious but equally powerless. She kept shooting venomous glances at Luna Helena, but she didn’t dare speak again. Not after being so thoroughly put in her place.

Vivienne had retreated into silence, her face a careful mask of neutrality. She was smart enough to know when to cut her losses.

"There." Luna Helena surveyed the two piles with satisfaction. "That should be everything. Miss Seraphina, you may take what remains. The rest will stay here, where it belongs."

Seraphina’s voice came out strangled. "Thank you, Luna Helena."

It didn’t sound like gratitude. It sounded like she was choking on glass.

Margot snapped her fingers at her servants. "Take what’s left and let’s go. We’ve wasted enough time here."

The servants scrambled to obey, loading the diminished dowry onto their shoulders. Seraphina turned to follow them, her spine rigid with humiliation.

At the door, she paused and looked back at me.

The hatred in her eyes was almost palpable. A promise of retribution. A vow that this wasn’t over.

I met her gaze steadily and said nothing.

Then she was gone, sweeping out with Margot and Vivienne close behind. The door slammed shut, and the residence fell quiet once more.

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