CHAPTER 225: CRAZY SWITCH UP

*~Leon’s POV~*

Earlier that day....

Wedding day — it’s supposed to be the happiest day of your life, right?

The day you marry the one you love most. The day you hold their hands and swear to spend forever together.

Right?

But I wasn’t feeling that.

Or maybe I would... eventually. The wedding had just started, after all.

I stood at the altar wearing the most expensive wedding robe they could find in all of New Orleans. Standing right before the altar, Cayden walked up to me and helped adjust my tie.

"Such a sexy tie," he muttered. "Too bad it’s on the neck of someone I want to kill."

I chuckled softly. "You don’t mean that, do you?"

"Oh, I really do." He smirked, dusting imaginary lint off my shoulders. "Mess up today, Leon, and I’ll make sure you pay for it. Aurora’s gone because of you. And now you’re about to marry the woman who made her life hell. Be a good man, Leon."

He patted my cheek and walked off, leaving the air thick with warning.

Then the High House doors opened.

She entered—holding her bouquet, breasts perfectly perched, gown clinging like sin. Was this a wedding gown or something out of a strip show? Either way, she looked proud of the attention she was getting.

And my heart... stopped.

There it was—that feeling. That sharp, dangerous flutter you get when your mate walks down the aisle.

Or maybe it wasn’t love. Maybe it was fear. Fear that I was about to bind myself to someone I didn’t even want.

She reached me, smiling, radiant. The priest began the ceremony, his voice a distant hum in my head. I said my vows. She said hers.

Then came the mark.

I brushed her hair aside and leaned in, pressing my teeth into her neck. She gasped, pretending to love it. I tasted blood, salt, and bitterness all at once. When I pulled back, my bite mark gleamed against her skin.

And my heart twisted in pain.

Because I’d always imagined doing this to Aurora.

Even if she was a witch and the mark might not take, I still wanted to claim her — not as property, but as something mine, something real.

But instead, here I was — biting the "wrong" woman.

And trying to convince myself that maybe... maybe the Moon Goddess knew better than I did.

"And I pronounce the two of you as mates — blessed by the Moon Goddess — and husband and wife," the priest said.

My throat tightened. I swallowed hard and forced out a smile.

"We’re married, Leon," Sophia beamed, her voice bright and breathy. "I can’t wait to start bearing babies for the good of the pack. So, I’m now the second Luna—or practically the Luna, right? Since Hazel’s the Alpha now?"

She tugged at my hand eagerly, eyes gleaming like she’d just won a prize.

"Don’t get ahead of yourself, Sophia," I muttered.

She ignored me, lost in her own little fantasy.

Was this really a good idea?

Well... the Moon Goddess chose her. There had to be a reason. Right?

Guests began to approach, showering us with well-wishes and blessings for a long, happy life. I smiled and thanked them all, but every prayer felt like a plea I didn’t deserve. I needed every ounce of luck I could get.

Then, I felt Aurora’s presence in the Air.

That subtle shift in the air, the faint spark that prickled down my spine — it was her presence.

I stood up without realizing it.

"Leon?" Sophia blinked up at me. "Honey, are you going somewhere?"

"No," I lied, scanning the crowd. My heart was already pounding.

She frowned, her expression darkening. "You’re thinking about her, aren’t you?"

I forced a smile, brushing my hand across her cheek. "No, I’m not. I just marked you, remember? Soon, you’ll be the only one in my head."

She melted instantly, smiling like I’d given her the world.

"I can’t wait for you to impregnate me," she whispered, leaning close. "We’re going to have sex tonight, aren’t we?"

I quickly covered her mouth, heat rising to my face. "Hey—quiet. We can’t say things like that in public."

She giggled, tossing her hair, eyes gleaming. "I can’t wait to have a taste of my sweet, gorgeous husband," she whispered again, then waved at her sister, Lillian, in the crowd.

I forced another smile, But inside, something burned.

Because no matter how hard I tried to push it down, I could feel her.

Aurora... she was here.

And then... The High House doors burst open.

was Hazel who rushed in first. And then..behind her was Aurora herself.

That red hair swinging...Those green eyes holding an heavy emotion.

She was running toward me.

I stood up instantly, my body moving on its own. But before I could take another step, Sophia’s hand clamped around my arm, yanking me back. Aurora ran right past me, her hair brushing my shoulder, her scent wrapping around me—sunflowers and herbs.

Moons! I missed that scent.

For a split second, my heart stopped. Then it swelled. She came back.

She came back for me.

I knew she couldn’t just leave. Not after everything. Even if I had been the one who forced her away.

"Leon!" Sophia’s voice snapped me back to reality. Her tone was sharp, laced with panic. "What is she doing here? You told her to come back, didn’t you?"

"What? No!" I stammered, shaking my head. "Why would I tell her to come back? I—I didn’t even know she—"

"Silence!" Natasha’s voice cut through the chaos as she stormed in, her eyes narrowing. "Oh my goddess, where is my mother?"

Then she turned on me. "Trust me, I don’t know what she’s doing here either. You promised me, Leon. You swore you saw her leave!"

"I did!" I said quickly. "I saw her leave this morning."

"Then what the hell is she doing here?" Natasha’s voice rose, sharp and cold. "You know what? I’ll find out myself."

"No—"

She shoved a hand toward me. "You stay as far away from her as possible."

"What?" I blinked at her.

"You heard me. You’re my brother, aren’t you? Then you should care about your wife. Your wife doesn’t like her, so make that your priority—staying away from her and satisfying your Luna. Goddess, Leon, go learn how to be a good husband! You haven’t even spent a full day being one, and you’re already drooling after your ex. I doubt your wife will ever be happy."

Her words sliced through me. I watched her turn and leave, her heels clicking like a gavel pounding a verdict.

I turned back to Sophia. Her expression was shattered—hurt, fragile, and pleading.

"No," I whispered. "No, Sophia, I just got married to you. I can’t— I won’t hurt you."

I took her trembling hands. "I’ll stay away from her. I’ll... I’ll talk to the council. Find out what she’s doing here. Maybe even make her leave. Are you satisfied?"

She nodded, tears shimmering in her eyes. "Promise me. Promise me you won’t even look at her."

I swallowed hard. "I promise you... with all my life."

Later that day..

After calming Sophia down, I thought everything was fine. We didn’t even consummate our wedding—she was too busy worrying about Aurora being back.

I went to Cayden’s room first to ask why Aurora had returned, but he wasn’t there. So I crossed over to Caspian’s chambers instead. He was standing by the window, smoking, the moonlight cutting across his face.

"What is Aurora doing here?" I asked. "I told you—we don’t want to see her again."

Caspian didn’t even turn to look at me. "Aurora’s a member of this pack. She can come and go whenever she wants." His voice was cold. "Leave. You’re disturbing my peace."

I scoffed. "Aurora shouldn’t be here. My wife is insecure."

"Then maybe she shouldn’t be your wife." He finally looked at me, exhaling smoke through his nose. "You married her. You mated her today. You swore vows not to leave her—so why is she so worried already?"

"Don’t act like you don’t know why she’s worried," I snapped. "What is Aurora doing here?"

"Apparently," he said lazily, "your wife better grow resistance to jealousy, because Aurora’s here to stay."

"And why is that?" I shouted. "Can you please give me an explanation?"

He raised an eyebrow. "I won’t, not while you’re yelling like that."

I gritted my teeth, sat down, and took a drag from his cigarette before speaking again. "Fine. What’s going on?"

He turned back to the window. "Aurora saw something. And... Heather’s in trouble."

"Heather?" I chuckled, shaking my head. "Trouble is far from this pack. We’ve already defeated the root of every problem—Dahlia. Evil itself bowed to us. So, forgive me if I don’t believe this nonsense. She’s the only troublemaker here—Aurora. She’s the problem. Not just to my marriage, but to this entire pack."

The words tasted wrong in my mouth, but I forced them out anyway.

Caspian gave me a long, quiet look. "Hazel testified to what she saw too. Heather’s been saying strange things for days now, and Aurora only confirmed it. She said she saw... people. White-haired demons."

"Demons?" I laughed out loud. "What the hell are those? Some kind of fancy werewolves?"

"I don’t know," Caspian said flatly. "But she described them as white-haired and unnaturally beautiful. Tomorrow, we’re calling a meeting—pack leaders, council, everyone. We’ll need to plan our next steps. Because Cayden’s losing it. His daughter’s at the center of this, and Aurora’s the only one who saw the threat."

I ran my hand through my hair. "Then find another way. Handle it without Aurora. I don’t want her here."

Caspian turned his head slowly, eyes narrowing. "What happened to you, Leon? You used to be obsessed with that woman. I never supported your relationship, but this switch-up? It’s insane."