Free Web NovelChapter 16: Chapter SIXTEEN — I AM LADY CANDACE PENDRAGON!
Candace ƒreewebηoveℓ.com
No, no, no. Not again.
Cold dread crashed violently through my stomach as the entire hall erupted into chaos around me.
My fingers curled tightly into the sides of my dress while disbelief roared louder and louder inside my head. How on earth had I fallen into another one of Deidre’s traps?
The whole point of throwing that stupid box away had been to avoid exactly this. I had tried so hard to stay out of whatever twisted scheme she was planning, and somehow she still managed to drag me straight into the middle of it anyway.
My pulse pounded harder. Just how far was Deidre willing to go? Would she truly poison herself just to frame me?
Apparently yes.
The reception hall buzzed loudly with panic and accusations. Pack members pointed openly now, their whispers crawling up my spine like insects while they stared at me with familiar disgust.
"Can’t you hear us?" Ryker’s furious voice boomed through the room like a sharp whip.
His eyes blazed violently, every muscle in his body visibly trembling with rage while he stared at me like he wanted to tear me apart with his bare hands.
"What did you do to her?" he snarled. "Answer me!"
The accusation slammed hard into my chest.
For one horrible second, laughter almost bubbled up my throat because this was insane.
It was either laughter or I would completely lose my mind from how easily they all fell into Deidre’s lies every single time.
"She already got what she wanted," somebody muttered bitterly from the crowd.
"Why go so far as to poison her own cousin?"
"Once a murderer, always a murderer."
"Only a devil would try to poison her own cousin, is she trying to bring bad luck on her marriage?"
"After everything Lady Deidre did for her."
What exactly had Deidre ever done for me except destroy my life piece by piece? What had possessed her? I turned sharply toward the crowd, anger burning hotter beneath my skin with every passing second.
"Right," I snapped. "What exactly would I gain from poisoning her in front of the entire pack during my own wedding reception?"
The hall went quiet immediately.
"Think about what you’re all saying for once."
"Why are you all standing there?" Uncle Nathan barked furiously, pointing straight at me. "Guards, seize her immediately!"
The guards stationed by the doors moved at once. My stomach lurched violently.
No, never again. freeweɓnovel.cѳm
I would not allow them to drag me across another floor while everyone watched. I would not kneel and cry and beg while they beat me bloody for something I never did.
This would not become like River’s memorial.
The guards marched toward me, boots thudding heavily against marble, and suddenly something inside me snapped completely.
"None of you," I shouted loudly, my voice echoing across the reception hall, "will lay a single finger on me."
The guards froze mid-step, shock flashing across several faces even I could feel the difference in my own voice.
For the first time in three years, I did not sound afraid. My hands still trembled violently beside me, but I lifted my chin anyway and I rose to my feet.
"I am Lady Candace Pendragon."
The title felt strange rolling off my tongue but the entire room seemed to still around those words.
"And I will not be dragged from my own wedding reception like some common criminal." I forced myself to continue. "The only men permitted to touch me are my husbands."
I turned slowly toward the triplets. "My mates."
The silence that followed was deafening.
Ragnor stood perfectly still near the center of the room, but I caught the sharp flex of his jaw. His steel-grey eyes locked onto mine with such cold fury it almost stole the breath from my lungs.
His fingers flexed once at his sides before cracking loudly in the silence. He knew they couldn’t afford to lay a finger on me, especially on our wedding day.
"She cannot be fucking serious," Ryker exploded.
The muscle in his jaw ticked while his gaze darted between me, the guards, and his brothers like he could not believe what was happening.
Reign, however, only tilted his head slightly.
His hazel eyes drifted slowly over my face, studying me carefully before the corner of his mouth curled upward into a mocking smile.
"Oh, I think she’s very serious," he drawled lazily.
"She’s barely been mated for an hour and she’s already abusing her authority," somebody hissed.
"But the Prikaya law-"
"If the guards touch her and the goddess punishes the pack-"
Fear spread rapidly through the room after that. I watched it happen in real time. The guards slowly stepped backward. My pulse slammed violently against my ribs.
Oh my goddess, they actually listened to me.
No one touched or struck me. It was such a small win, yet my throat tightened painfully around it.
For the first time in years, standing up for myself had not ended with blood running down my face. I swallowed hard, remembering the anonymous note
Be a lioness among wolves if you want to survive.
"My Alphas."
The physician’s tense voice burst through my thoughts. He still crouched beside Deidre’s limp body while two fingers rested against her wrist.
"Lady Deidre needs immediate treatment," he announced grimly. "I cannot properly care for her here."
Ryker cursed viciously beneath his breath before striding across the room. He scooped Deidre into his arms effortlessly, holding her against his chest while her head lolled weakly against his shoulder.
Aunt Elena hurried after him immediately, tears streaming dramatically down her face while Dylan, Alpha Milan, Luna Ashley, Ragnor and Uncle Nathan followed close behind.
Then suddenly Reign crossed the room toward me. Before I could move away, his hand closed firmly around mine. The brief contact had me sucking in a low breath.
Heat shot violently up my arm the second his skin touched mine, the fresh mate bond reacting instantly to him.
He had felt it too. His fingers tightened around mine for half a second too long before his expression shuttered closed again.
"Well," he announced brightly to the crowd, "I’d say everybody got both a wedding and a show tonight."
A few nervous laughs rippled awkwardly through the hall.
"Reign," Ragnor called from the doorway.
I tried pulling my hand away but his grip immediately tightened harder around my wrist.
"Thank you all for celebrating with us tonight," he continued smoothly, smiling like none of this bothered him at all. "Apologies for the drama. You know how weddings are. Somebody always drinks too much champagne."
More nervous laughter followed.
"Lady Deidre will be fine," he assured them easily. "Our physician is the best healer across all territories."
The tension in the room slowly began loosening after that. Pack members started moving toward the exits while gathering coats and whispering quietly amongst themselves.
Then Reign leaned down close enough for his hot breath to ghost across my ear.
"Do not mistake this for affection, sweet girl," he murmured softly.
His free hand pressed against the small of my back, steering me toward the exit. The touch burned far hotter than it should have.
Three years ago, I would have melted for something this small from them. Ragnor waited outside the reception hall beside the black jeep, an icy expression etched on his handsome face. He did not look at me once before turning and walking ahead.
Reign released my hand the second we stepped outside. The cold night air wrapped around my skin instantly, the loss of his warmth felt stupidly noticeable.
I hated that. Reign jogged ahead, quickly catching up to Ragnor while Ryker disappeared further ahead carrying Deidre.
"How is she?" Reign asked.
The car waiting to take me back to the packhouse sat several feet away with its engine running softly. I stared at it blankly.
This had been my wedding day and somehow Deidre still managed to make herself the center of it all as usual.
I honestly did not know whether I wanted to laugh, scream, or cry anymore but beneath the exhaustion and humiliation, another feeling slowly curled inside my chest.
Because tonight, for the very first time in three years, I had stood my ground and nobody had managed to beat me for it. I swallowed the lump rising thickly in my throat as hot tears burned behind my eyes.
If only I knew how quickly that tiny victory was about to turn into something far worse.
