Alpha Prince and His Replacement Bride

#7 Whirlwinds

It was bizarre that I let that stupid ring get into my head for longer than I should have been affected. Well, it should not affect me at all! Why should I bother myself with anything that concerns Ivan? But yet, I spend the entire evening consumed by his presence.

And if it was not Ivan, then the constant political battle between the rival packs made me yawn. These people had no sense of how weddings should be! Everything was a joke to get more power and reach the top. And those who were not that directly involved supported their family by flaunting their riches and beauty.

I was the most relieved when the night finally ended. It was one of the best feelings I had tonight when people started leaving. Ivan, Gerard, and my father thought that it was a perfect time to discuss with Tristan about everything he could do to improve things in the actual wedding rather than accompanying the bride back home. And interestingly, they assumed it was not relevant to include Emma in that discussion. God forbid if they had done that to me! I swear the wedding would have gotten canceled. But, here I was accompanying Emma while she slept like a baby.

I wondered if she trusted Ivan that much to leave everything on him and sleep like that. She had no interest or opinion about the marriage. She agreed to everything they chose. The only thing she selected was the wedding dress. She even let me and Gerard pick the ring and asked Ivan to choose between them. She seemed involved. But deep down, I could feel Emma was trying to pass each day like a bystander. But why would she say she loves Ivan? The way Emma was looking towards the lawn screamed about her love. So, why wasn't she more involved and voicing her ideas? Between them, Emma was the one who had more colorful concepts and plans for a wedding.

When we reached home, I woke up Emma. She seemed exhausted. But she had barely gotten out of the car when she screamed.

"What happened?" I queried, worried about her.

"The ring! I think I left them in that room." Emma frowned.

I sighed with relief. At least, Emma was okay. But when Emma glared at me, I felt like I had overstepped. "Fine, I will call someone and check."

"Will you take care of it? Please! I feel tired." Emma requested.

"I just said I would!" I scowled. It's not like I was sleepy. After Emma left, I called Gerard since calling my father and Ivan were out of the option. I wished I was more diligent and saved the number of Tristan.

"Where are you?" I asked Gerard. But he sounded drunk. But I think I heard him telling me that they were on their way back home.

I called the venue. After some time, the staff called back to inform me that they had found it. However, they asked me to pick it up since it was precious. It was rather an unusual request. But I understood their apprehension. They did not want to risk keeping the wedding ring. If anything happened because of any reason, the Hemmings, if not Ivan, would ensure they destroy the wedding venue.

I asked the driver to go back to the venue. But when I reached the reception, they informed me that Ivan had already received them. It angered me how the staff did not think they needed to update me on this. I wanted to create a commotion. But after realizing how the receptionist panicked seeing my angry face, I sighed.

I could tell just by looking at her that she was an omega wolf. My family background was enough to make her shiver in fear. I could kick her butts for a mere miss and still be the righteous one since I am at a higher rank. In the end, she would have to lose this job while everyone will end up siding with me. Had this happened in a human city, they would put several charges on me for offensive behavior.

"When did Ivan Black pick the ring?" I asked in a calmer voice. But her eyes bulged out when she heard me addressing Ivan Black with his full name rather than alpha prince, or Sir Ivan, or Mr. Black, or I don't know what! Something but Ivan black was too much for the poor soul to hear. I smirked at her naiveness while she looked at me with awe.

"A little ago. The alpha prince is still here in the backyard. He said he would like to look at something." The receptionist replied sheepishly.

I looked over at her badge. She had a beautiful name, Zenia. I smiled at her to put her at ease. She had done nothing out of the blue for me to treat her rudely. "Zenia, have a good night!"

Zenia smiled awkwardly. I bet a high-ranking wolf had never wished her before. But I returned her smile with a warm one before leaving. At first, I thought of going back. Ivan had already collected them. But then Emma's angry face danced before my eyes. After all, I was here. I weighed the situation and sighed. I cannot avoid Ivan for my entire life when Emma is going to marry him. Plus, I am her bride's maid. I should act like one.

I exhaled a deep breath, heading towards the backyard to meet Ivan Black. If only I knew how much I am going to regret this!

I looked for Ivan everywhere. I thought he had left the venue when I saw the door to the backyard was open. I wasn't sure what I felt then. My heart started beating erratically. But then I tried to get hold of myself. What harm will come if I just peep a little? I wondered if he was planning something on the outside as well.

Unlike what Zenia had told me, Ivan was drinking on the stairs. No one could tell he was the alpha prince if they looked at him now. His jacket was lying on the ground, quite far from him. The two boxes of rings laid beside him while he was gazing at the stars. He had tucked out his shirt and rolled up his sleeves. He looked devastated for an alpha prince. I wondered if he was unhappy with this marriage. Or if there was something that was bothering him. I could not decide whether to leave or to ask him if he was alright. I stood there puzzled when he scoffed. Of course, he was aware of my presence!

"Here, take the boxes," Ivan outstretched his hands towards me, even without turning to give me a box.

I sighed. I was going to do something stupid. But I ended up doing it, anyway. I should have taken the boxes and ran away, but I joined Ivan. Why!

"Are you alright?" I whispered, much to my disbelief.

"Is it Mia Hemming talking nicely with me? Or am I dreaming? I sure drank a lot!" Ivan burst into a peal of a funny laugh as if I said some joke. But then he was grunting and scoffing like a madman. I wondered what had happened for him to get this drunk and behave in such an unroyal manner! It wasn't princely at all.

"You are drunk," I mumbled. It was a tight spot. I should be anywhere but comforting a drunk Ivan.

"Do you care? Tell me, Mia. Do you care?" Ivan talked absurdly, making me baffled.

"I care about Emma." I felt relieved with my answer. A yes or a no would have put me in a difficult position.

"Yes, you do. You surely do. Otherwise, why would a runaway princess be back?" Ivan taunted.

Or at least, I felt like he is mocking me for leaving. Why does he care where I went and if I didn't? I am the third child of my family. I have nothing to prove. Even my family believed I am good riddance. So why is he complaining after all these years?

"I think we should leave." I ignored him. I cannot leave him here and for others to find me in this state. Taking moral responsibility for this situation was a mistake. But I could not leave him here now.

"No. Not until you tell me if you care or not?" Ivan glared into my eyes suddenly, startling me. Why was he looking at me like that? It made me feel fluster, reminding things I should forget. I gulped down my saliva as he came closer to my face.

"I don't understand your question." I stuttered. He scoffed, leaning back on the stairs. I sighed because of the distance between our faces now.

"Of course, you do, Mia. But you are too stubborn. It is a good thing you are not royal. With your attitude and escaping hobby, I don't know what would have happened!" Ivan was back being Ivan.

"Then, it is a good thing I am not a royal. Because if I were one, I would not have been so shallow and oblivious. When you have the power to change, all you do is fit in. And I am glad I escaped this situation. Otherwise, I would have given you a hard time." I grunted, shaking my head.

"What makes you think you aren't giving me one now?" Ivan retorted. He was smiling while gazing at the stars. But his voice was filled with pain and other things I do not want to think.

"Why are we even talking about this, Ivan? You will marry Emma in a day." I tried to put some sense into him. But mostly, I was telling that to myself to keep a hold of myself. His words and state were making me think otherwise, see things that can never exist, and feel things that should be impossible.

"The ring. You chose it." Ivan replied. He wasn't smiling or staring at me. He was blank, waiting for my response.

"No, it was Emma's choice." I lied. I wasn't going to agree, even though it stunned me how he found about it. It must be Samantha or Keira's doing.

"You are lying, Mia. You always lie when it is about you. Isn't it weird? How you can lie about things concerning yourself and be straightforward when it is a matter of others! We call them hypocrites." Ivan whispered. His tone wasn't fell with anger but resentment. He hated me. It was obvious. So, why was he so keen to find if I cared or not and if I chose it or not!

"What if I chose it? What if I care? You are still marrying Emma. It changes nothing." I seethed. I lost control when he called me a hypocrite.

Should I tell him how he is affecting me and be the troublemaker? Should I tell him how he had hurt me over the years by not siding with me ever? Perhaps, I should mention to him how much it affected me after that kiss that night when he ignored me the coming morning as if nothing had ever happened between us. Or should I tell him how much damage he caused to me when a seven-year-old me trusted him to tell him how I was sneaking out of the house to meet my friends, and he reported back to my family. It was the last I saw my friends. It was the last I had friends.

Or should I tell him that despite all the hate I feel for him, I hate myself more for caring about him!

I was expecting him to bite back or tell something crueler. It would have been better. But Ivan turned towards me, closing the gap between us. He pulled me to him with one hand while he caressed my cheek with the other. Oh, the flutter I felt as our skin touched is beyond words. I felt like my body was on fire. Everything narrowed as I closed my eyes, gulping down a chunk of saliva while anticipating a kiss at any moment now. I was wrong. It was a sin. But I was too engulfed at that moment to realize anything.

I could feel his eyes boring into my soul. His breath filled with alcohol smell was fanning my cheeks, making me equally intoxicated at that moment. My mind decided to abandon me instead of suggesting that I should run. My heart pounded in my chest, contemplating what was going to happen next. The whirlwinds of emotions drowned me in a pool of hormones and desires. The world narrowed down to this spot where only Ivan and I mattered.

Am I about to kiss the handsome, mighty alpha prince, Ivan Black?