Chapter 3: The Truth Behind the Ceremony

The image steadied.

Noah and Scarlett were sitting in the car.

Scarlett frowned. "What's wrong with Ruby? Why is she suddenly refusing to come?"

"She can't know about us—"

"She doesn't."

Noah leaned over and kissed her.

"She won't figure it out."

"And even if she does, she won't dare to do anything." His voice was firm. "Scarlett, I won't let anyone hurt you."

Scarlett still looked uneasy.

"If she doesn't show up to register, what's our next move?"

"Then we don't register with her. Tomorrow's public claiming proceeds as planned." Noah leaned back in his seat. "Chosen-mate registration, public pack claiming, and marking are three separate things. As long as no one checks the registry, everyone will believe she's my mate."

He turned to Scarlett, his expression suddenly serious.

"Let's register."

Scarlett froze.

"What did you say?"

Noah pulled her into his arms.

"The day of the ceremony, Ruby will be the one standing in front of everyone. But you'll be the one signing your name at the Registry Hall."

"I won't mark her. Once the dust settles, I'll claim you properly."

"You'll be my wife. My real wife."

I stared at the screen, my breath catching in my throat.

I already knew they had betrayed me.

But watching the man I had loved for ten years say those words to my sister still sent a spike of pain through my chest.

On the screen, Scarlett's eyes turned red.

She nodded, then quickly shook her head.

"No. We've already wronged Ruby. This would be too cruel to her."

"And rejecting me isn't cruel to me?" Noah leaned closer. "Scarlett, are you going to give me up for her?"

Scarlett looked at him, her face a mask of pain.

Finally, she gave a slight nod.

"All right. We'll register."

"I'd still do it. Even if the contract is revoked later, even if you leave me."

With tears in her eyes, she whispered, "Noah, at least in this life, we can say we were truly husband and wife."

They held each other and kissed.

I muted the video, but my tears kept falling.

These were the two people I trusted most in the world: my sister and the man I loved.

So family and love could both be faked.

And for ten years, I'd been the only one who didn't know it was all a lie.

The healer pushed the door open, confirming my identity and consent one last time.

I closed my eyes and let them wheel me into the treatment room.

Three days later, on the day of the public claiming ceremony, I sat before the mirror while my mother arranged my hair.

Her expression was warm and loving, without a hint of anything amiss.

Suddenly, I asked, "Mom, do you think I'll be happy?"

Her hand paused.

In the mirror, our eyes met. Her gaze held a flicker of reproach, and something like helplessness.

"Ruby, you're about to have a ceremony with the man you love most. What is there to be unhappy about?"

"Think about Scarlett…"

She let the sentence hang.

I pulled at the corner of my mouth.

If I hadn't known the truth, I would have thought she was just feeling sorry for Scarlett's failed first mate-bond.

Now I understood. She believed I had stolen Scarlett's happiness.

My parents had always loved Scarlett more.

She was the Mercer family's prized eldest daughter—beautiful, popular, with a first shift that had been stronger than mine. Even after her mate contract was dissolved and she came home alone with a pup, my parents still believed she deserved the best of everything.

And I was just her younger sister.

My grades, my job, the strength of my wolf—everything about me was always measured against Scarlett.

My parents never admitted to having a favorite, but they had always looked at us differently.

I just never imagined they would let Scarlett carry on a five-year affair with my fiancé—and help cover for them.

In their eyes, I was the one in the wrong.

"Right," I said. "I'm about to have a ceremony with the man I love most."

"But does he love me?"

I met her gaze in the mirror.

"Mom, do you love me? Not out of duty. Do you love me as your daughter?"

She froze.

For a split second, I saw panic in her eyes.

But she recovered quickly, her smile seamless.

"Of course. In this world, the person who loves you most will always be your mother."

"You have a stable wolf, a good job, and Noah. Scarlett is the one who keeps losing things. Your mother just can't help but take a little more care of her."

My heart turned to stone.

Scarlett and Noah had already signed their names in Grayhaven's mate registry, becoming legal chosen mates. To protect their reputations, they still wanted me to stand in for them at the public ceremony.

And in my mother's eyes, Scarlett was still the one who needed to be compensated.

"Ruby," she said again, "life doesn't give any one person everything. A mate-bond can't be perfect, either."

"Sometimes, if you just accept reality and stop asking for so much, life gets easier."

I looked at her reflection.

That wasn't a blessing.

It was a warning.

She wanted me to keep playing the part of Noah's public partner, even after discovering the truth.

I lowered my head, hiding my expression.

"I understand."

Satisfied, my mother nodded and left to greet the guests.

The moment the door clicked shut, I pulled open the drawer and wrapped my hand around the encrypted flash drive containing all my evidence.