Exchanging Vows: The Swapped Wife Is a Top Shaman novel Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Chapter 4

Ivy’s Point of View

I almost laughed out loud.

Almost.

The audacity of these people was actually impressive. Here they were, calmly discussing how to dissolve a blood bond like they were planning a dinner party. And not a single one of them seemed to remember one very important detail.

Dominic had been in a coma on our wedding day.

He couldn’t exactly stand at the altar and perform a blood bond ceremony, could he? Which meant Seraphina and Dominic never completed their bond in the first place. The only blood bond that existed was between me and Bastian.

The bond they now wanted to rip apart.

I knew what the bond-breaking ceremony entailed. Everyone did. It wasn’t some simple ritual you could shrug off. It required a full moon. A priest. Silver instruments soaked in wolfsbane. The cursed metal would be bound around the wrists of those involved while ancient words tore the bond apart thread by thread.

It was agony. Pure, unfiltered agony.

Some wolves didn’t survive it. Their hearts simply gave out from the pain. Others went mad, their minds shattered by the severing of something so deeply connected to their souls.

And they wanted me to go through that. For a marriage I never asked for. For a betrayal that wasn’t my fault.

"The bond-breaking ceremony should be performed quickly," Margot repeated, her voice sweet as poisoned honey. "For everyone’s sake. The longer we allow this scandal to fester, the more damage it does to our pack’s reputation."

Another woman stepped forward from the shadows. I hadn’t noticed her before, tucked away in the corner like she’d been waiting for her cue.

She was beautiful in a cold, calculating way. Dark hair piled high on her head, expensive jewelry dripping from her neck and wrists. Her eyes found Bastian immediately, softening with maternal pride.

Vivienne Ashford. Alpha Alaric’s concubine. And Bastian’s mother.

"My lady speaks wisely," Vivienne said, inclining her head toward Margot. Her voice was smooth, practiced. "What’s done is done. We cannot undo the mark on Miss Seraphina’s neck. The bond between her and my son is sealed by the Moon Goddess herself." She turned to Alpha Alaric, her expression carefully submissive. "We should focus on resolving this matter swiftly, my Alpha. Dwelling on blame will only prolong the embarrassment for everyone involved."

"And how do you suggest we resolve it?" Luna Helena’s voice was sharp, cutting. Her eyes never left Vivienne’s face.

Vivienne smiled. Gentle. Understanding. Completely fake.

"The full moon is in a month, my Luna. That gives us just enough time to prepare the bond-breaking ceremony. Once it’s complete, Miss Ivy will be free. She can return to the Crescent Moon Pack with her honor intact, or..." She paused, glancing toward the door. "Or she may choose to remain here as the wife of your son, Dominic. Either way, the scandal will be contained."

In a month.

In a month, they wanted to strap me down with wolfsbane-soaked silver and tear my soul apart.

Alpha Alaric remained silent. His face betrayed nothing. He simply sat there, watching, judging, letting others speak while he observed from his throne like a king above the petty squabbles of his subjects.

Luna Helena’s hands were clenched so tightly in her lap that her knuckles had gone white. I could see the fury burning behind her eyes, the humiliation of having her only son’s wedding turned into a farce. Dominic was her pride. Her heir. And now he was lying in a coma while his intended bride spread her legs for his half-brother.

But she was the Luna. She managed the pack’s affairs. And right now, the pack’s affairs demanded that this scandal be buried as quickly and quietly as possible.

"The ceremony preparations will be extensive," Luna Helena said slowly, each word dragged from her throat like it cost her something. "We will need to summon the high priest from the temple. The silver instruments must be properly sanctified. The wolfsbane must be harvested under moonlight."

"I can oversee the preparations personally," Vivienne offered, her voice dripping with helpfulness. "It would be my honor to assist you during this difficult time, my Luna."

Luna Helena’s eye twitched. "That won’t be necessary."

"But surely—"

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