Exchanging Vows: The Swapped Wife Is a Top Shaman

Chapter 28: Chapter 28

Ivy’s Point of View

The maid froze mid-step.

Her eyes darted to Luna Helena. Then to Alpha Alaric. Then back to me.

I could see the calculation happening behind her eyes. The fear slowly overtaking the obedience.

Margot was powerful. But she wasn’t the Alpha. She wasn’t the Luna. And I was still the wife of the heir. The future Luna of the Silvermoon Pack.

Striking me would be an act of war.

The maid’s legs buckled. She dropped to her knees, trembling.

"Forgive me, Young Madam." Her voice shook. "I cannot... I cannot do this."

Margot’s face went crimson with humiliation. Her own servant had defied her. In front of everyone. In front of the Alpha himself.

"You worthless—"

"Enough, Margot."

Alpha Alaric’s voice cut through the room like a blade.

Margot fell silent instantly.

"I have tolerated your interference out of respect for your position in this family." Alpha Alaric stepped forward, his presence filling every corner of the room. "But you have overstepped. Again and again. My decisions regarding my son are not subject to your approval."

"Alpha, I was only trying to—"

"You were trying to control things that are not yours to control." His eyes were cold. Hard. The eyes of a man who had reached the end of his patience. "This is my pack. My family. My son. And I will decide what happens to him. Not you."

Margot’s mouth opened and closed like a fish gasping for air.

For once, she had nothing to say.

"Leave," Alpha Alaric commanded. "Now."

Margot drew herself up, trying to salvage what remained of her dignity. Her face was still flushed with anger. Her hands still trembled with suppressed rage.

But she knew better than to push further.

"As you wish, Alpha." Her voice was stiff. Barely polite.

She turned and swept toward the door, her maids scrambling to follow. Her silk skirts swished against the floor with each furious step.

Vivienne moved to follow, but paused at the threshold.

"Luna Helena." Her voice was soft. Almost pleasant. But there was venom beneath the sweetness. "A word of advice, if I may."

Luna Helena’s expression didn’t change. "Speak."

"You should teach your daughter-in-law to mind her place." Vivienne’s eyes slid toward me. Cold. Calculating. "Lady Margot’s daughter is the King’s most favored consort. The woman who warms His Majesty’s bed every night."

The implication hung in the air.

"Offending Lady Margot is the same as offending the royal family." Vivienne smiled. It didn’t reach her eyes. "I would hate to see the Silvermoon Pack suffer because of one girl’s... imprudence."

With that, she glided out the door after Margot.

Seraphina lingered for a moment, shooting me a look of pure hatred. Then she too disappeared.

The room fell silent.

Luna Helena let out a long breath. Her hand found mine and squeezed tight.

"Don’t listen to them," she said firmly. "Vivienne loves to make threats she can’t keep. The royal consort may be Margot’s daughter, but she has no real power. She’s just another woman in the King’s harem."

I nodded slowly, processing the information.

Margot’s daughter was a royal consort. That made her technically related to Dominic and Bastian by marriage. Their aunt, in a sense.

I had heard rumors back in the Crescent Moon Pack about a woman from the Silvermoon Pack who had caught the King’s eye. I never realized it was Margot’s daughter. Never connected the dots.

No wonder Margot acted like she owned the place. She had connections to the throne itself.

"Still," I said carefully, "it might be wise not to antagonize her too much."

"Antagonize her?" Luna Helena laughed bitterly. "That woman has been antagonizing us for years. She’s been waiting for Dominic to die since the moment he was born. A legitimate heir threatens everything she’s built."

"What do you mean?"

Luna Helena hesitated. Then she sighed.

"It’s complicated. Old history. Suffice to say, Margot has never forgiven Alaric’s father for choosing my mother-in-law over her. She’s spent decades trying to undermine our branch of the family." Her grip on my hand tightened. "But that’s not your burden to carry. You have enough to worry about."

I wanted to ask more. To understand the tangled web of alliances and resentments that seemed to define this family.

But Luna Helena’s expression had shifted. Something else had occurred to her.

"Ivy." Her voice turned serious. "There’s something I need to remind you about."

"What is it?"

"The bond-breaking ceremony." She looked at me with concern. "It’s in three days."

The words hit me like a bucket of cold water.

Three days.

In three days, I would be strapped down with wolfsbane-soaked silver while priests chanted ancient words to sever my blood bond with Bastian.

I had been so focused on everything else. My father’s examination. Professor Aldwin’s illness. The shop properties. Dominic’s treatment.

I had almost forgotten about the ceremony that might kill me.

"You need to prepare yourself," Luna Helena continued. "Rest as much as possible. Eat well. Build up your strength."

"I know." My voice came out smaller than I intended.

Luna Helena must have seen the fear in my eyes. She pulled me into a gentle embrace.

"I won’t lie to you," she murmured. "The ceremony is painful. Extremely painful. I’ve seen strong warriors reduced to screaming during the process."

My stomach turned.

"But you’re stronger than you look, Ivy. You’ve survived things that would have broken most people." She pulled back and cupped my face in her hands. "You will survive this too."

"And if I don’t?"

The question slipped out before I could stop it.

Luna Helena’s expression flickered with something painful. But she quickly composed herself.

"You will." Her voice was firm. Certain. "And the moment the ceremony ends, I’m taking you to the healing springs in the Northern Forest. The waters there have restorative properties. They’ll help your body recover."

I nodded, trying to draw comfort from her confidence.

Three days.

I had three days to prepare for the most painful experience of my life.

"Thank you, Luna Helena." I managed a weak smile. "For everything."

"You’re my daughter now." She squeezed my hands one last time. "I protect what’s mine."

I left her residence and walked slowly back to my own. The afternoon sun was warm on my face, but I felt cold inside.

The bond-breaking ceremony.

I had witnessed one before, back in the Crescent Moon Pack. A warrior who had been forcibly mated to a woman from an enemy pack during a raid. When the war ended, they had to sever the bond.

I still remembered his screams. The way his body convulsed against the silver restraints. The smell of burning flesh where the wolfsbane touched his skin.

He had survived. Barely. But he was never the same afterward.

And now it was my turn.

I entered my residence and found Nell waiting with tea.

"Young Madam, you look pale. Is everything alright?"

"Fine." I sat down heavily. "Just tired."

But I wasn’t fine. And we both knew it.

Three days until the ceremony.

Three months until Dominic could be healed.

And a lifetime of enemies waiting for me to fail.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

’One challenge at a time,’ I told myself. ’Survive the ceremony first. Then worry about everything else.’

It wasn’t much of a comfort.

But it was all I had.

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