The Alpha's Fated Outcast: Rise Of The Moonsinger. - Chapter 206

Chapter 206: The wedding that never was…
Cassidy

Present time…

White Moon Pack.

I sat in the elegantly decorated waiting room of the wedding, my fingers trembling as I smoothened down the layers of the white tulle and lace of my wedding dress. I clutched the lace edges of my veil, trying to distract myself from the thousand emotions that coursed through me.

My shoulders were rigid, my back straight against the ivory chair, I was trying not to cry, not to show emotion. Today must be perfect to the end. But how long would I hide the tears that simmered in my hazel eyes? My lips painted a delicate rose, shook with trying to hold the cry bumbling at the depths of my soul.

Still, I couldn’t allow the tears to ruin my perfect makeup I’d spent hours getting done. The diamond-encrusted tiara felt heavy on my perfectly styled dark curls, each strand was meticulously placed to frame my heart-shaped face.

Three hours. I’ve been waiting for three hours. Three agonizing hours for Ramsey to arrive, so that the wedding could start but he was nowhere to be found.

At first, I’d made excuses for him. I wasn’t even alarmed in the slightest because I had spoken to him yesterday before the Bachelor’s Eve and he had asked me if there was a way he could get out of it and we had laughed about it.

After the first forty-five minutes with no sign of him coming, I tried to convince myself that he was merely late because of the bachelor party the night before. Maybe he overslept and was nursing a hangover or perhaps he had forgotten some small detail that needed last-minute attention. But as the second hour tickled by with no word from him, dark thoughts began creeping in and my optimism wavered, replaced by a gnawing sense of dread.

I pushed them away, refusing to acknowledge the growing dread in my stomach.

Where was he?

A while later, Lenny arrived, looking like death warmed over and reeking of alcohol. He was dressed immaculately in the clothes that had been picked out for him and Ramsey alright but his bloodshot eyes and messy hair that had scanned the room in confusion before settling on me, who immediately rose from my chair.

“Lenny,” I exclaimed, hope igniting in my chest. “Where’s Ramsey? Have you seen him?”

“Alpha Ramsey?” Lenny rubbed his temple, searching the room with confusion in his eyes, “Isn’t he here yet? He told me before he left the club yesterday that I don’t need to come for him in the morning so that he can take care of himself.”

“I don’t understand,” My heart resumed its pounding. “He left the club before you guys?”

“Yes!” Lenny nodded. “He’s not here yet?”

I shook my head, feeling panic rising in my chest. “How much did he drink?”

“A few shots of whiskey but Ramsey can hold his drink. I’m sure something else must have happened.”

“Something else must have happened?” I yelled. “This is three hours after the supposed time for the ceremony to start. Everyone has been waiting for him, Lenny. We’ve all been waiting for him to show up but for some reason, he’s not.”

And that was how the search for Ramsey had begun. All the nooks and crannies of the pack were combed. The club, the forest, and all of Ramsey’s favourite places. I even made Lenny make calls to all the packs in the region, asking them stylishly if Ramsey was at theirs.

Each time a warrior came pack to report on the progress of the search, my heart would surge with hope but in the end, it would be the same report. ‘We didn’t see him’, ‘He’s not there.’

He wasn’t in the forest, he wasn’t in the region, the entire territory. Nothing. Ramsey had vanished without a trace. My knees threatened to buckle, but I steadied myself against the chair. My heart was pounding painfully in my chest.

Now seated again, I stared at the clock, the hands moving too quickly yet dragging on in my mind. My hand twisted together in my lap; the delicate lace gloves now slightly wrinkled. The room felt suffocating, despite its airy décor of pastel roses and flowing white drapes and ventilation.

I bit my lip to keep the tears at bay, staring at my phone and the thousands of unanswered calls I’ve made to Ramsey without any response.

The door slammed open and my mother stormed in, her heels clicking against the polished floor. The moment our eyes met; I knew what was coming.

Smack!

The sharp crack of her palm landed against my cheek as it echoed through the room. But the pain in my chest hurt far more.

“You stupid, stupid girl!” she screeched, spittle flying from her perfectly painted lips. “You ungrateful girl. How could you let this happen? How dare you embarrass me like this? You’ve humiliated me, the entire family. I invited everyone – EVERYONE! My friends, people I’ve known for years! And you promised me Ramsey was yours!”

The tears I’d been trying to hold back finally spilt over, mascara creating black rivers down my face. “Mama, please… I didn’t know…”

“Don’t you dare speak!” my mother’s voice was shrill, filled with venom. “You’ve ruined everything!”

As if on cue, my father entered the room next. His usual warm brown eyes had turned to cold stone as he regarded me.

“Get up,” he said sharply. “We’re leaving.”

“Father, please,” I began, more tears spilling down my cheeks now.

“Don’t. Say. A word,” he snapped. His voice was low but laced with enough anger to make me flinch.

“Daddy, please, just let me explain…”

“ENOUGH!” his roar made me jump. “Get. Up. Now.”

And to make matters worse, Lenny chose that perfect moment to re-enter the room and speak without reading the room.

“We’ve searched everywhere,” Lenny announced, running a hand through his dishevelled hair. “He’s not here.”

I cradled my head in my hands as sobs wracked my body. I couldn’t hold it in anymore. Everything – the humiliation, the confusion, the heartbreak – was too much to bear.

The door opened again and Elder Eldric, Ramsey’s grandfather, stepped inside. He had a worried expression on his face too. His usually confident stride was slower and burdened.

“Please, everyone,” Elder Eldric said, raising a hand to calm the room. “Let’s all calm down. I’ve spoken to the guest, told them there’s been a slight delay with the ceremony. No one knows he’s missing. I promise you, I’ll fix this.”

My father turned toward him, his face was dark with fury. “Fix this?” My father laughed, but there was no humour in it. The sound was bitter. “How? How will you fix the fact that your grandson has disgraced my daughter and my family in front of the entire pack and our allies?” He came to where I was and yanked me up by my arm.

“Let’s go!”

“Richard, Please,” he stepped forward, raising his hands placatingly. “Let’s discuss this rationally…”

“Rationally?” my father’s grip on my arm tightened painfully. “I’ve been rational. I’ve been understanding. I’ve listened to every excuse you’ve made for that grandson of yours. I’ve given you time, patience, you name it and now Ramsey dares to humiliate my daughter after making her a glorified mistress for four years.”

“Richard, I swear, I had no idea he would…”

“Save it!” my father’s voice boomed through the room. “For a half-breed like him, he should be grateful that we looked beyond that. We made him the heir to the White Moon Throne. I’ve supported you all this while, funded your pack, helped you cover up all your dirty deeds…

“Richard, I know you’re hurt, but you don’t have to just open your mouth and say what comes to your mind.”

“What comes to my mind?” my father laughed. “If I say what is in my mind, Eldric, I assure you that both you and your grandson will be in the dungeon before the day ends. Do you think I don’t know what this is all about? You’ve connived with your grandson to humiliate us. This ends now and here.”

“Can you just hold on for a minute? I am still your leader, you cannot walk out of me like that,” Eldric shouted.

“What will you do?” My father sauntered to him, dragging me along. “You’ll kill me like you killed your son? I know you have a penchant for going rogue when things are not done the way you want.”

“How dare you?” Eldric’s eyes burned with fury.

“Am I lying? Didn’t you kill your son and your daughter-in-law because they kept acting sideways? We all know your son loved men… and despite all the warnings from the Moon Priestess and the Moon Priests… what did you do?”

“That’s not what happened!” Eldric shouted, his chest was heaving. “Don’t say what you don’t know. I loved my son more than anything in this world. I loved him dearly, I still mourn for him till today. Whatever lies and theories you lot have concocted…”

“I don’t want to hear…” My father cut him short then,

He tugged me to his side again, not caring if I stumbled as she dragged me from the room,. My mother followed close behind. The beautiful wedding dress I’d spent months selecting and looking for the best people to get it done, caught on the door frames and snagged on corners as we made our way to the car.