Chapter 383: Set in Motion

Author’s Note

I’m using third-person POV in this Chapter to help everyone understand what’s happening.

I won’t lie, this was one of the hardest Chapters I’ve ever written. I really suffered while writing it because I had to be extremely careful with the characters, their identities, and what each person was seeing and hearing.

I hope the third-person POV makes everything easier to understand and that you enjoy the Chapter.

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Third-Person POV

?The day everyone had been waiting for had finally arrived.

?After months of preparations, countless meetings, and endless discussions about decorations and invitations, two royal weddings were about to take place at the same magnificent estate.

?The enormous grounds had been divided into two sections, just as the wedding planners had promised. On the eastern side, hundreds of white roses decorated the aisle leading toward a magnificent floral arch overlooking the mountains. Crystal chandeliers hung above the beautifully arranged seats, while royal guests from different kingdoms gathered to witness Alpha King Kaden marry Princess Rola.

?On the western side, another equally magnificent ceremony had been prepared for Dragon King Melvin and Princess Rebecca. Beautiful flowers lined the pathways, and golden decorations complemented the white draperies surrounding the ceremonial platform. Both wedding sections had separate entrances, security arrangements, and reception areas to ensure that the celebrations wouldn’t interfere with each other.

?Everything appeared perfect, and with only a few hours remaining before the ceremonies, neither couple had any idea that their lives were about to change forever.

?"Stephanie, if you pull my hair any harder, I won’t have any left by the time I walk down the aisle!" Rebecca complained, wincing as her friend secured another hairpin.

?"Stop exaggerating, Rebecca! I’m almost finished," Stephanie replied without looking away from her work.

?"You said that twenty minutes ago!"

?"Well, perfection takes time!"

?Lady Maria laughed from her seat near the window as she watched them argue. Rebecca sat in front of the dressing mirror, wearing a beautiful silk robe while Stephanie worked on her hair. Several attendants moved around the spacious bridal suite, arranging her wedding accessories and preparing everything she would need before the ceremony.

?Despite her complaints, Rebecca couldn’t stop smiling. She was getting married, and in just a few hours, she would become Melvin’s wife. The thought filled her with so much happiness that she could barely sit still. Even her wolf seemed to share her excitement, occasionally stirring whenever she imagined walking down the aisle toward the man she loved.

?We’re finally getting married, her wolf whispered happily.

?Yes, we are, Rebecca replied silently, smiling at her reflection.

?"Are you nervous, sweetheart?" Lady Maria asked, noticing the smile on her face.

?Rebecca considered the question before shaking her head. "Not really. I’m excited, though. I still can’t believe the day is finally here."

?"Not even a little nervous?" Stephanie asked as she reached for another hairpin.

?"Should I be?"

?"Of course! You’re getting married to a king!"

?Rebecca rolled her eyes. "Stephanie, I’ve been engaged to him for months. I think I’m already aware that he’s a king."

?Lady Maria chuckled. "Leave her alone, Stephanie. I’m glad she’s happy. That’s all that matters."

?Before Stephanie could respond, someone knocked on the door. One of the attendants hurried over and opened it, revealing a young female servant carrying a decorative glass fragrance diffuser.

?"Good morning, my lady," the servant greeted with a respectful bow. "The venue management sent this for your room. It’s part of the complimentary bridal arrangements."

?Stephanie glanced toward the diffuser and smiled. "Oh, that’s lovely. Where should we put it?"

?"Over there, near the window," Rebecca suggested.

?The servant nodded and placed it on a small table before quietly leaving. Within minutes, a delicate floral fragrance began spreading through the room, filling the air with a pleasant sweetness.

?Rebecca inhaled deeply. "That smells nice."

?"Doesn’t it?" Stephanie agreed. "I wonder what flowers they used."

?Rebecca smiled and returned her attention to the mirror, but a moment later, something stirred uneasily inside her.

?Rebecca...

?What is it? she asked her wolf.

?Something feels strange.

?Rebecca frowned slightly. What do you mean?

?I don’t know. There’s something about that fragrance.

?Rebecca inhaled again, trying to understand what had troubled her wolf. All she could smell was a pleasant mixture of flowers, nothing particularly unusual.

?Perhaps you’re just nervous, she suggested.

?Her wolf remained silent for several seconds before the strange uneasiness gradually faded. Rebecca dismissed the feeling and returned her attention to Stephanie, unaware that a faint black shimmer had briefly appeared inside the glass diffuser before disappearing.

?Across the estate, Princess Rola stood before an enormous mirror while Queen Eleanor carefully adjusted the royal necklace resting against her collarbone. Her wedding gown was breathtaking, with a fitted bodice decorated in delicate silver embroidery and a long flowing skirt that shimmered whenever she moved. A beautiful veil rested over her silver-blonde hair, completing an appearance worthy of the future queen of the werewolf kingdom.

?Queen Eleanor stepped back to admire her daughter, and a warm smile spread across her face.

?"You look absolutely beautiful, sweetheart."

?"Thank you, Mother." Rola smiled at her reflection before turning toward her. "I still remember watching you prepare for royal ceremonies when I was younger. I used to wonder what it would feel like to stand beside a king and have an entire kingdom looking up to me."

?"And now you’re about to find out," Eleanor replied proudly.

?Rola nodded, her expression thoughtful. "I know marrying Kaden also means becoming queen. There will be responsibilities, expectations, and people who will judge every decision I make."

?Queen Eleanor gently took her hands. "Of course it won’t be easy. Being queen is never easy, Rola. There will be difficult decisions, sacrifices, and moments when you’ll question whether you’re doing enough. But you were raised to understand those responsibilities, and I have every confidence that you’ll make a wonderful queen."

?Rola smiled appreciatively. "Thank you, Mother."

?Eleanor studied her daughter’s face for a moment before asking, "And Kaden? Are you happy with him, sweetheart?"

?Rola’s expression immediately softened.

?"Very happy," she answered without hesitation. "He makes me happy, Mother. I know we’ve had our difficulties, especially during those months when things were uncertain between us, but we’ve worked through them. He’s changed so much, and I can see how hard he’s trying to make our relationship work."

?Queen Eleanor nodded thoughtfully. "And you’re certain he loves you?"

?"Yes, Mother." Rola smiled. "I don’t have any doubts about that. Kaden loves me, and I love him. He doesn’t always express himself perfectly, but I know his heart. He’s been wonderful to me, and I genuinely believe we’re going to have a happy marriage."

?"Then that’s all I needed to hear," Eleanor replied, pulling her daughter into a gentle embrace. "Your father and I only want you to be happy. You know that."

?"I know, Mother."

?When they separated, Eleanor carefully straightened the necklace again. "Your father has been emotional all morning, although he’s pretending otherwise. He keeps asking whether you’re ready because he wants another excuse to come and see you."

?Rola laughed. "That sounds exactly like Father. Tell him I’m perfectly fine and that he’ll have plenty of opportunities to see me after the wedding."

?"Oh, I already told him that. He simply refuses to listen."

?They both laughed, and for a moment, Rola allowed herself to enjoy the happiness of the occasion. In just a few hours, she would marry the man she loved and begin a new Chapter of her life as his queen.

?She knew that another royal wedding was taking place somewhere on the enormous estate that afternoon. Kaden had mentioned the unfortunate double booking, but he hadn’t told her the identity of the other couple, and she hadn’t thought to ask. As far as she was concerned, it was simply an unusual coincidence that had already been resolved by their wedding planners.

?A soft knock interrupted their conversation.

?"Come in," Queen Eleanor called.

?A maid entered carrying a beautiful crystal fragrance diffuser. "Your Majesty, the venue management has sent this for the bridal suite," she explained. "It’s a complimentary gift for the bride."

?Queen Eleanor smiled. "How thoughtful. Place it on the dressing table."

?The maid obeyed before leaving, and a pleasant floral fragrance soon filled the room. Rola inhaled and smiled, appreciating the delicate scent, but a moment later, a brief wave of dizziness made her place one hand against the dressing table.

?"Sweetheart?" Eleanor asked, noticing her movement. "Are you alright?"

?"Yes, Mother." Rola straightened and offered her a reassuring smile. "I think I stood up too quickly earlier. I’m perfectly fine."

?"Are you sure? You haven’t eaten much this morning."

?"I’ll eat something before the ceremony. Don’t worry."

?Eleanor nodded, satisfied with her answer, and returned to helping her with the final preparations. Neither woman suspected that the fragrance filling the room carried an ancient enchantment.

?Meanwhile, Kaden stood in front of a large mirror in his private preparation suite, adjusting the cuffs of his black ceremonial suit. Logan stood behind him, watching with growing amusement as the Alpha King inspected his appearance for what seemed like the hundredth time.

?"Stop moving," Logan complained.

?Kaden gave him an annoyed look through the mirror. "Don’t you have something more important to do?"

?Logan chuckled. "Apparently not. My most important duty today is making sure the groom doesn’t lose his mind before the ceremony."

?"I’m not losing my mind."

?"Of course not," Logan replied, clearly unconvinced.

?Kaden shook his head and returned his attention to the mirror. He wasn’t nervous, at least that was what he kept telling himself. He’d faced armies, survived assassination attempts, and dealt with some of the most dangerous enemies in the kingdom. Surely, getting married shouldn’t be enough to make his heart beat this fast. Yet every time he imagined Rola walking toward him in her wedding gown, he found himself smiling.

?"How much longer?" he asked.

?Logan checked his watch. "A little over two hours."

?Kaden sighed. "Wonderful."

?"You survived months of wedding preparations," Logan reminded him with a laugh. "I’m sure you can survive another two hours."

?Before Kaden could respond, a servant entered carrying a decorative fragrance diffuser.

?"Your Majesty," the servant greeted, bowing respectfully. "The venue management has provided complimentary fragrances for the royal preparation suites."

?Kaden barely glanced at it. "Put it somewhere."

?The servant placed the diffuser on a table near the window before leaving. A pleasant scent gradually spread through the room, and Logan inhaled appreciatively.

?"At least they have good taste."

?Kaden ignored him and returned his attention to the mirror. However, a moment later, a faint wave of dizziness passed through him, forcing him to grip the edge of the dressing table.

?"Alpha?" Logan asked, immediately noticing.

?Kaden straightened. "I’m fine."

?"Are you sure?"

?"Logan, if you ask me that one more time, I’m assigning you to guard the northern border for the next six months."

?Logan immediately raised both hands. "Understood, Alpha."

?Kaden shook his head, but before he could dismiss the matter completely, his wolf suddenly growled inside him.

?Something isn’t right.

?Kaden frowned. What are you talking about?

?That scent...

?Kaden inhaled again, trying to understand what his wolf had noticed. All he could smell was the pleasant fragrance spreading through the room.

?What about it?

?His wolf remained silent for several seconds, as though trying to understand what was wrong. But before it could figure anything out, the strange magic began affecting its senses, and the uneasy feeling slowly disappeared.

?Nothing, his wolf finally replied.

?Kaden dismissed the strange exchange and reached for his jacket. He had a wedding to attend, and he wasn’t about to let an unusual fragrance ruin the happiest day of his life.

?On the western side of the estate, Melvin stood before a mirror, adjusting his ceremonial jacket while his best man watched him with amusement.

?"Your Majesty, you’ve checked your watch four times in the past five minutes."

?Melvin smiled. "And?"

?"And the wedding won’t begin any faster because you keep checking."

?"Then perhaps you should go and tell them to hurry."

?His best man laughed. "I don’t think that’s how weddings work."

?Melvin chuckled and glanced toward the window. The gardens outside were already filling with guests, and he could hear the distant sounds of music drifting through the estate. In just a few hours, Rebecca would be his wife, and the thought filled him with a happiness he couldn’t quite put into words.

?A knock sounded at the door, and when Melvin called for the visitor to enter, a servant appeared carrying a crystal diffuser.

?"Your Majesty, this was sent by the venue management as part of the royal wedding arrangements."

?Melvin glanced at it briefly. "Thank you. You can leave it over there."

?The servant placed it near the dressing table and bowed before leaving. Soon, the same sweet floral fragrance filled the room, although Melvin barely noticed it. His attention was fixed on the small velvet box resting on the table.

?He picked it up and opened it, smiling as he imagined slipping Rebecca’s wedding ring onto her finger.

?"Today," he murmured happily.

?His best man glanced at him. "Did you say something, Your Majesty?"

?Melvin shook his head with a smile. "Nothing."

?For a brief moment, his vision blurred, and he rubbed his forehead before blinking several times.

?"Are you alright?" his best man asked.

?"Yes," Melvin replied. "Just a little lightheaded."

?"Perhaps you should eat something before the ceremony."

?Melvin chuckled. "I’ll be fine."

?He closed the ring box and slipped it into his pocket, completely unaware that the fragrance he’d inhaled was already beginning to work its way through his body.

?Deep within the estate, hidden beneath the flowers in the central garden, an ancient black crystal began to glow. Dark magic spread from the crystal, moving through the ground toward the four rooms where the brides and grooms were getting ready.

?The four of them had already breathed in the enchanted fragrance, and now the crystal activated the second part of the spell. Powerful magic spread across the entire estate, affecting everyone within its grounds.

?The spell did not change anyone’s real appearance or spirit. Instead, it controlled what people saw and believed. Whenever someone looked at another person, the magic made them see the person they expected to see. It also changed the voices and scents they recognized, making the illusion feel completely real.

It was so powerful that even an Alpha King’s wolf and a Dragon King’s senses could not detect the truth. The magic also affected the royal guards, priests, attendants, and wedding guests, ensuring that nobody would notice anything unusual.

?For a brief moment, the air above the gardens shimmered before returning to normal. Nobody noticed anything unusual, and the wedding preparations continued as though nothing had happened.

Unknown to the two brides and their grooms, a terrible plan had just been set in motion, and by the time they discovered the truth, it would already be too late.