Exchanging Vows: The Swapped Wife Is a Top Shaman novel Chapter 16

Chapter 16: Chapter 16

Ivy’s Point of View

Before Luna Helena could compose herself, a knock came at the door.

A servant entered and bowed. "Luna Helena, Young Madam. Alpha Alaric requests your presence in the main hall. Physician Aldric as well."

Luna Helena wiped her eyes quickly. "Did he say why?"

"No, my Luna. Only that it’s urgent."

I helped Luna Helena to her feet. She looked fragile in that moment. Broken. Like a woman watching her son die inch by inch with no power to stop it.

If only she knew the truth.

But I couldn’t tell her. Not yet. Not until I had proof.

We followed the servant through the estate, Aldric walking ahead of us with his bag of instruments. His posture was relaxed. Confident. The posture of a man who knew exactly what was about to happen.

My stomach churned with dread.

The main hall was already crowded when we arrived.

Alpha Alaric sat in his high-backed chair at the head of the room. His face was unreadable as always. A stone wall that gave nothing away.

But it was the others that made my heart sink.

Margot stood near the Alpha’s right side, her eyes bright with barely concealed excitement. Vivienne was there too, positioned slightly behind her, wearing that same calculating expression. Bastian stood with his arms crossed, looking smug. And Seraphina clung to his arm, her face arranged in false concern.

The elders of the Silvermoon Pack lined the walls. Gray-haired men and women who had served the pack for decades. They watched the proceedings with solemn expressions.

This was a trap.

I could feel it in my bones.

Luna Helena sensed it too. Her hand found mine and squeezed tight.

"Ah, there you are." Margot’s voice rang out across the hall. "We’ve been waiting."

Alpha Alaric gestured for us to come forward. "Physician Aldric. I’ve called you here to give a full report on my son’s condition."

Aldric bowed. "Of course, Alpha."

"Speak plainly. Leave nothing out."

Aldric straightened and cleared his throat. His voice carried easily through the silent hall.

"I have just completed my weekly examination of the heir. I regret to inform you that his condition has not improved. In fact, it appears to have worsened since my last visit."

Murmurs rippled through the elders.

"The damage to his brain is extensive," Aldric continued. "Far beyond what we initially assessed. Despite six months of treatment, there has been no sign of recovery. No response to stimuli. No improvement in brain function."

"And your prognosis?" Alpha Alaric’s voice was flat.

Aldric paused. Let the silence stretch.

"The heir has days remaining. Perhaps a few weeks at most." He bowed his head. "I recommend that the Alpha and Luna begin making arrangements."

Luna Helena made a small sound of anguish beside me.

I wanted to scream. To expose Aldric for the fraud he was. To tell everyone that he had been deliberately sabotaging Dominic’s recovery.

But I couldn’t. Not without proof. Not without revealing myself.

So I stood there, silent, as my husband was pronounced dead before he’d even stopped breathing.

Margot stepped forward, her face arranged in an expression of false sympathy. "How tragic. Truly tragic." She turned to Alpha Alaric. "But we must think of the pack now. The Silvermoon Pack cannot remain without a proper heir."

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