Chapter 382: Coincidence?

Rebecca’s POV

"Oh, sweetheart. You look absolutely beautiful."

I smiled at my reflection in the enormous mirror as my mother adjusted the lace around my shoulders. I was wearing my wedding gown for the final fitting, and I couldn’t have been happier with my choice. The beautiful ivory dress hugged my waist before flowing into a long, elegant skirt. Delicate lace decorated the bodice, while tiny crystals sewn into the fabric made it sparkle whenever I moved.

"Mother, you’re crying again," I teased, noticing the tears gathering in her eyes.

"I’m sorry, sweetheart." She wiped her cheeks and smiled. "I just can’t believe my little girl is getting married."

"Well, believe it!" Stephanie exclaimed from where she stood beside us. "Because in exactly seven days, our Rebecca is going to become a married woman!"

I laughed, shaking my head. Stephanie had been emotional ever since I’d stepped out wearing the gown, and although she kept pretending otherwise, I’d caught her wiping her eyes several times.

Mother took my hands in hers. "I’m so proud of you, Rebecca. You’ve been through so much, and there were times when I worried you would never allow yourself to be happy again. But seeing you like this, preparing to marry a man who truly loves you, makes me happier than you can imagine."

My smile softened as I squeezed her hands. "I’m happy, Mother. I really am."

"I know, sweetheart." She kissed my forehead. "And that’s all I’ve ever wanted for you."

Before I could respond, someone knocked on the dressing room door.

"Rebecca?" Melvin’s familiar voice called from outside. "Are you almost finished?"

My face immediately brightened. "Melvin?"

"I’ve been waiting for you for almost an hour, sweetheart. Can I come in?"

"Absolutely not!" Stephanie answered before I could say anything.

There was a brief silence before Melvin spoke again. "Stephanie, why exactly are you stopping me from seeing my own fiancée?"

"Because she’s wearing her wedding dress, Your Majesty! You’re not supposed to see it before the wedding."

"According to whom?" he demanded.

"According to tradition!"

I burst into laughter when I heard Melvin sigh dramatically.

"Stephanie, I’m the Dragon King. I don’t believe seeing a dress is going to bring me bad luck."

"Well, you’re not seeing it!" she insisted.

"Rebecca!" Melvin called. "Are you seriously going to let her treat me like this?"

"Sorry, sweetheart," I replied, still laughing. "I’m afraid Stephanie is in charge today."

"This is unbelievable," he muttered. "Fine. But the moment you’re finished, I’m stealing you away."

I smiled. "I’ll be out soon."

Thirty minutes later, I had changed into a comfortable cream-colored dress and was walking through the palace gardens with Melvin. He held my hand as we followed the stone pathway, occasionally bringing my fingers to his lips.

"So, how was the dress?" he asked, glancing at me.

"Beautiful."

"Can I at least see a picture?"

"No."

"Rebecca," he groaned.

I laughed and leaned against his arm. "You’ll see it in seven days. Be patient."

He shook his head with a smile. "Seven days. I still can’t believe I’m finally going to marry you."

My cheeks warmed. "Having second thoughts?"

"Never." He stopped walking and turned toward me. "If anything, I wish the wedding were tomorrow."

I smiled as he leaned down and kissed my forehead. However, when he pulled away, I noticed a slight change in his expression.

"What’s wrong?" I asked.

"Nothing serious, sweetheart. There’s just been a small complication with our wedding venue."

My smile faded. "What kind of complication?"

"Apparently, the management accidentally booked another wedding for the same day as ours."

I stared at him. "What?"

Melvin nodded. "Both reservations were processed on the same day, and someone failed to notice the mistake."

"But we’ve already sent out invitations!" I exclaimed. "And what about the decorations and all the arrangements we’ve made?"

"I know, sweetheart. That’s why I told our planning team that changing the venue wasn’t an option." He squeezed my hand reassuringly. "Fortunately, they’ve found a solution."

"What solution?"

"Since the estate is enormous, they’ve suggested dividing the grounds into two separate wedding areas. We’ll have our own entrance, decorations, security, and reception area, while the other couple will have theirs."

I frowned, considering his explanation. It certainly wasn’t what we’d planned, but the estate was large enough to accommodate thousands of guests, so perhaps the arrangement could work.

"And the other couple?" I asked. "Are they comfortable with it?"

"According to our planner, they’ve agreed."

I nodded slowly. "Well, as long as everything is properly organized, I suppose it shouldn’t be a problem. Do you know who they are?"

Melvin shook his head. "Not yet. The planners have been handling the discussions, so I haven’t bothered asking."

I chuckled. "Imagine getting married on the same day as complete strangers."

"At least we’ll have something interesting to tell our children someday," he replied casually.

I immediately blushed. "Melvin!"

"What?" He grinned. "You don’t want children with me?"

"That’s not what I said!"

"Then how many?"

I stared at him in disbelief. "Are we seriously discussing this right now?"

"Why not? We’re getting married next week."

I laughed, shaking my head. "You’re annoying."

"And yet you agreed to marry me."

"Unfortunately," I teased.

Melvin gasped dramatically before pulling me into his arms. "Unfortunately? Take that back, Rebecca."

"Never!"

He kissed me before I could say anything else, and I immediately forgot what we’d been arguing about. When he finally pulled away, he rested his forehead against mine.

"I love you, Rebecca," he whispered.

My smile softened. "I love you too."

And I meant every word.

My wolf stirred happily inside me, clearly enjoying the affection. She had grown fond of Melvin over the past few months, and although he wasn’t our fated mate, she had accepted him wholeheartedly.

Later that evening, I returned to my chambers after spending several hours discussing the final wedding arrangements with my mother and Stephanie. I had barely stepped inside when I noticed a beautiful bouquet of white flowers sitting on the table beside my bed.

"Stephanie?" I called, turning toward her. "Where did those come from?"

"Oh, they were delivered while you were downstairs," she explained. "One of the servants brought them up."

"From whom?"

"I’m not sure."

Curious, I approached the table and examined the bouquet. The flowers were beautiful, arranged with delicate white ribbons, but there was no sender’s name attached. Instead, I noticed a small card tucked between the flowers.

I picked it up and opened it.

SOME BONDS CANNOT BE BROKEN, EVEN WHEN FATE APPEARS TO HAVE MOVED ON.

My smile slowly disappeared.

Rebecca, my wolf suddenly whispered.

What?

I don’t like this.

I frowned, staring at the message.

It’s just a card.

Then why does it feel like a warning? she asked uneasily.

I didn’t have an answer to that. Something about those words bothered me too, although I couldn’t explain why.

"What is it?" Stephanie asked, noticing my expression.

I handed her the card, and she frowned as she read it.

"That’s a strange thing to write on a wedding gift," she remarked.

"Exactly," I murmured.

"Maybe Melvin sent it?"

I shook my head. "Why would Melvin send something like that?"

Stephanie shrugged. "Perhaps he’s trying to be romantic?"

I looked at the message again. Something about the wording bothered me, although I couldn’t explain why.

"Let me ask him," I muttered before picking up my phone.

Melvin answered almost immediately.

"Missing me already, sweetheart?"

I smiled faintly. "Did you send flowers to my room?"

"Flowers?" he repeated. "No. Why?"

"Someone sent me a bouquet, but there’s no name attached."

"Really? From whom?"

"That’s what I’m trying to find out."

He chuckled. "Well, whoever it is, tell them your future husband is very jealous."

I laughed softly. "I’ll investigate and let you know."

After ending the call, I turned toward Stephanie.

"He didn’t send them."

Her eyebrows rose. "Interesting. Maybe it’s an early wedding gift from someone who forgot to include their name."

"Maybe," I replied, placing the card back on the table.

Still, I couldn’t stop thinking about those words.

Some bonds cannot be broken...

What exactly was that supposed to mean?

I eventually shook my head, deciding not to dwell on it. Whoever had sent the flowers probably thought the message sounded romantic, and I wasn’t going to let a strange card ruin my evening.

It was almost ten o’clock when Stephanie suddenly burst into my bedroom.

"Rebecca!"

I jumped, nearly dropping the book I’d been reading.

"Goodness, Stephanie! What’s wrong?"

She hurried toward my bed, holding her phone. "You need to see this!"

I frowned. "See what?"

"Just look!"

She handed me her phone, and I glanced at the screen. It was a social media post from the management of our wedding venue. They’d uploaded several photographs of the beautiful estate, accompanied by an announcement about two royal weddings taking place there on the same day.

"Oh, they’ve already announced it?" I asked with a smile.

"Rebecca, look at the comments!" Stephanie urged.

Confused, I scrolled down. There were hundreds of comments from people expressing excitement about the unusual arrangement. Some were joking about attending both weddings, while others were wondering which royal couples had booked the estate.

Then one particular comment caught my attention.

Wait a minute. Isn’t Alpha King Kaden getting married at this same venue next week?

My smile slowly disappeared.

I read the comment again, wondering whether I’d misunderstood something.

No.

Surely, that couldn’t be right.

"Rebecca?" Stephanie called quietly.

I barely heard her.

Because suddenly, Melvin’s words from earlier that morning came rushing back to me.

So, the other couple was Kaden and Rola?

My wolf suddenly became restless.

Rebecca...

Don’t, I warned immediately, already knowing what she was thinking.

But what if it’s true?

I swallowed hard, staring at the comment.

Then it’s just a coincidence, I replied firmly. Kaden is marrying Rola, and I’m marrying Melvin. Whatever happened between us is over.

My wolf fell silent, but I could still feel her uneasiness.

And as much as I wanted to dismiss the thought, I couldn’t ignore the strange feeling settling in my chest.