IANA’S POV
The wedding preparations were in full force and it honestly felt like everything was happening all at once. I was being pulled in ten different directions with decorators, planners, tailors, florists, and cake designers all asking me questions about things I hadn’t even thought about. It was a royal wedding, and apparently that meant every single detail had to be absolutely perfect. My dress alone had five designers working on it from three different packs. The hall was being set up like it was a coronation, and I’d overheard someone say it was going to be broadcast live across all werewolf territories.
If not for my stepmom, I’d have gone crazy already. She was the one handling everything with this calm, bossy confidence like she’d been waiting her whole life to throw me the perfect royal wedding. And honestly? I was grateful. I really was.
She didn’t let me lift a finger and kept saying, “You’re the bride, you’re not supposed to be stressed. Just show up , look stunning, and say I do.”
Killian, on the other hand, was swamped. Ever since he officially became Alpha King, he’d been buried in documents and decisions and more paper than I’d ever seen in my life. Council meetings, alliance proposals, pack integrations… it was a lot. But Logan, Steve, and Richard were always by his side. They made things easier for him. I always saw one of them walking in or out of his office with thick folders in their hands and this exhausted look on their faces like they hadn’t slept in days.
One time, I overheard Killian talking on the phone in his office. He was discussing something about imprisoning Alpha Cassian, saying they’d finally caught him in Vegas, and Killian wasn’t going to let him go unpunished. Cynthia was still serving her jail term too, and the three men who murdered my mom? They were dead. Killian didn’t go into details, but from what I knew… the deaths weren’t peaceful. They begged for death after what Killian did to them. He said Dorian and Cassian were still in the prison, rotting there until further notice.
Anyway, today I was following my stepmom for my dress fitting. We were at this very high–end bridal store, and I was already halfway through trying out a third gown while my phone buzzed in my purse. I checked the screen and froze.
Betty.
My heart did this weird jump. Betty was my college best friend. Back when I ran away from home and decided to go back to school to get a diploma even with my pregnancy, Betty was the one who helped me the most. When I gave birth and was raising Ryan alone, juggling multiple jobs, and trying to pass exams, she… she made it easier. She would help babysit Ryan, sometimes even cook dinner when I was too exhausted to do anything. Betty was an orphan, so we bonded quickly, both of us carrying this heavy kind of sadness. We were friends for five years, and then she got married and moved to another country with her husband. I hadn’t seen her since, but we kept in touch once in a while.
I smiled and quickly picked the call, already excited to hear her voice.
“Hello? Betty?”
But it wasn’t her.
“Hello, is this Miss Liana Rivers?”
I sat down immediately, my heart suddenly feeling tight. “Yes. Who is this?”
1/2
108
+25 BONUS
The woman on the line spoke calmly, politely, but I could hear something serious in her voice. “My name is Mrs. Amanda. I work at the St. Gertrude’s Orphanage. I’m so sorry to call you like this but… there’s something very important I need to discuss with you.”
I swallowed. “Is this about Betty?”
There was a pause. Then the woman’s voice softened. “Yes. I’m so sorry to inform you… but Betty and her husband were involved in a car accident. They didn’t survive.”
Everything inside me just went still.
No.
No. No. No.
“What… what do you mean they didn’t survive?” My throat felt dry and I was already shaking.
“I know this is very hard to hear,” she continued gently, “but the car crash was fatal. It happened last week. Betty’s husband died on the spot and Betty passed away two days later in the hospital.”
Tears rushed to my eyes immediately. I gripped the edge of the chair like my body needed something to hold me
- up.
Betty was dead? No. It didn’t make sense.
“What about her… her baby,” I whispered.
“That’s the main reason I needed to speak with you. The baby survived. She’s safe. And… Betty left something very important behind. A message. For you. She named you as the child’s guardian in her emergency file.”
I gasped. My hand flew to my chest. “Me?”
“Yes. I’d really appreciate it if we could meet in person. There’s a lot I need to explain. And I believe… you deserve to hear what Betty wanted to say.”
I was still wearing the third wedding dress, the tailor was calling my name, my stepmom was trying to get my attention about something with the veil, but all I could focus on was the fact that my best friend was gone, and her baby… her baby was alive and waiting for me.
“I’ll come,” I said quickly. “Send me the location. I’ll come right now.”
I turned to my stepmom and told her what happened. Her face changed immediately, softening into something I
couldn’t even describe.
“Go,” she said. “I’ll finish everything here. Just go.”
I nodded, wiped my tears, grabbed my phone and purse, and ran out. I didn’t even wait for the car. I just flagged down the nearest taxi and gave the driver the address.
It was almost thirty minutes later when the cab stopped.
And the moment I stepped out and saw what I saw…
A tear slipped down my cheek.
