Chapter 12. The Wedding Day

Caliana’s POV

Days blurred together in a haze of obligations, whispered conversations, fittings, rehearsals, and forced smiles. The closer the wedding came, the heavier my chest felt, as though an invisible weight pressed down on my ribs and refused to lift. Everyone around me seemed animated by joy and anticipation—maids bustling through hallways, guards exchanging congratulatory remarks, pack members bowing with reverence whenever I passed—but inside, I felt hollow. Detached. Alone.

I hadn’t seen the groom in over six days.

Not truly seen him.

Alpha Edward came home late, long after the halls had gone quiet, and left before dawn, before I could gather the courage to step into his path. Sometimes I heard his footsteps outside the bedroom door. Sometimes I smelled his familiar scent lingering in the air, a cruel