The bridal salon was filled with white silk dresses, soft music, and the quiet murmur of excited guests.
Chloe: Look at you, wearing white like you actually belong in Kane's family!
Freya: Chloe, please. We're in public. Can we just have one peaceful day?
Chloe: Peaceful? You're a nobody from the outer territory!
Chloe smoothed the front of her expensive burgundy dress and took a stepped closer to Freya.
Freya: Kane chose me. That's all that matters today.
Chloe: He chose a charity case, and everyone in this room knows it.
Freya: I'm not going to argue with you, Chloe.
Before Freya could step away, Chloe raised her hand and struck Freya across the face with a sharp, loud smack.
Chloe: You bitch, how dare you!
Freya stumbled backward from the force, her foot catching on the rug as she fell hard onto the grey tufted sofa.
The entire salon fell completely silent as guests gasped in shock.
Chloe: Look at her! Throwing herself on the furniture like a dramatic child!
Freya raised her fingers to her cheek, feeling the stinging burn of a fresh red scratch near her cheekbone.
Freya: You shouldn't have done that, Chloe.
Chloe: How dare you slap me! Everyone saw it! She attacked me first!
The glass entrance doors swung open, and three men in tailored suits walked into the boutique.
In the center stood Kane, wearing a sharp navy tuxedo with black lapels, his eyes scanning the chaotic room.
Chloe: Kane! Thank God you're here! She attacked me!
Kane walked toward the couch, his brows furrowed as he looked down at Freya sitting on the cushions.
Kane: What is going on here? Freya, why are you on the floor?
Chloe: She tried to ruin my dress! She's jealous because she knows she'll never be a real Alpha's wife!
Freya: I didn't touch her, Kane. She struck me because I wouldn't leave.
Kane hesitated, looking between his cousin Chloe and his quiet fiancee.
Kane: Freya... is this true? Did you raise your hand against my family?
Chloe: Of course she did! Look at her, she doesn't even have a family mark! She's a fake!
Freya slowly stood up from the sofa, her red hair falling over her white coat as she raised her right hand into the light.
Freya: No one has ever dared to doubt my mark.
A blinding blue light suddenly burst from the ring on her finger, forming a glowing wolf hologram that hovered in the air.
Blue energy veins began to spread across Freya's skin, illuminating the entire room in a brilliant mystical glow.
Kane's eyes went wide as his jaw dropped in complete, helpless terror.
Kane: The Alpha Mark... it's real.
Freya stood in the center of the grand bridal shop, enveloped in the shimmering light, as the entire room realized the woman they had mocked was the true ruler they had all been searching for.