Exchanging Vows: The Swapped Wife Is a Top Shaman novel Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Chapter 3

Ivy’s Point of View

"Miss Seraphina, may I come in?"

The voice jolted me awake. My eyes snapped open, heart already pounding before my brain could catch up.

Sunlight streamed through the curtains. Morning. It was morning already.

And that voice. I recognized it instantly.

Delia. Seraphina’s personal maid. The one she’d brought from the Crescent Moon Pack. The one who’d probably helped drug me last night.

This is an act.

The realization hit me like cold water. Of course it was. This was the next part of Seraphina’s little performance. The dramatic discovery. The shocked gasps. The perfectly orchestrated scandal.

I had no choice but to play along.

"Come in," I called out, keeping my voice steady.

The door swung open. Delia stepped inside, her face arranged in polite neutrality. Then her eyes landed on me, and she let out a shriek that could’ve woken the dead.

"Mi... Miss Ivy?" She stumbled backward, hand flying to her chest. "H-How could it be you? What are you doing in Alpha Dominic’s room?"

Her performance was flawless. Wide eyes, trembling voice, the perfect picture of horrified confusion. If I didn’t know better, I might’ve believed her myself.

The commotion drew others. Two more maids rushed in, followed by a third. Each one gasped and stared at me like I’d sprouted a second head.

"What’s going on?"

"Why is Miss Ivy here?"

"Where is Miss Seraphina?"

The whispers spread like wildfire. Within minutes, the entire Silvermoon Pack estate was in chaos. Servants ran through the halls, voices rose and fell, doors slammed in the distance.

I sat on the edge of the bed, watching it all unfold. Beside me, Dominic remained motionless. Oblivious. Lucky bastard.

A stern-faced servant appeared in the doorway. "Miss Ivy, you are summoned to the council chamber immediately. Alpha Alaric and Luna Helena demand your presence."

Here we go.

I stood on shaky legs. My ribs still ached from Bastian’s kicks. My neck throbbed where someone had struck me unconscious. But I lifted my chin and walked out of that room like I had nothing to hide.

Because I didn’t. I wasn’t the one who should be ashamed.

The council chamber was massive. High ceilings, dark wood paneling, portraits of past Alphas glaring down from the walls. A long table dominated the center of the room, and seated around it were some of the most powerful wolves in the Silvermoon Pack.

Alpha Alaric sat at the head. His face was carved from granite, silver streaking through his dark hair. Beside him, Luna Helena looked pale, her lips pressed into a thin line. Her eyes were red-rimmed, like she’d been crying. Or screaming.

The elders flanked them on either side. Gray-haired men and women with sharp eyes and sharper tongues. I recognized a few from the wedding ceremony last night.

And then there were the others. Alpha Alaric’s brothers and their wives, seated along the edges of the room like vultures waiting for carrion.

One woman in particular caught my attention. Margot Ashford. Alpha Alaric’s stepmother. She sat near the corner, her hands folded primly in her lap, but her eyes were bright with barely contained excitement.

She looked like someone had just handed her a gift.

The doors behind me opened again. I turned and watched as Seraphina and Bastian entered together, hand in hand.

Seraphina looked radiant. Her hair was perfectly styled, her dress immaculate, her expression a careful mixture of shame and defiance. Bastian stood tall beside her, his jaw set, his grip on her hand possessive.

They looked like lovers. Like mates then they never were.

Whispers erupted around the room.

"They came in together?"

"Where’s Miss Ivy’s escort?"

"What in the goddess’s name happened last night?"

I stood alone on my side of the chamber. No one to hold my hand. No one to stand beside me.

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