Exchanging Vows: The Swapped Wife Is a Top Shaman novel Chapter 47

Chapter 47: Chapter 47

Ivy Point of View

Just as Alpha Alaric had suggested, Luna Helena brought both Seraphina and me to Pearlside Pack, where we received a warm and respectful welcome. By “warm welcome,” I mean something far more personal than polite greetings.

Luna Anna of the Pearlside Pack, alongside her daughter Bella, came out to receive us themselves.

Bella is the one set to marry Fred, who is Alpha Alaric nephew. She is the daughter of Alpha Jayden of Pearlside Pack. Her beauty is compared to none.

With bright smiles on their faces, Bella and her mother guided us around, making sure we saw every corner, every detail, and entertaining us.

After the light pleasantries, we made our way to the banquet hall. Seraphina and I sat side by side as the celebration began, but her smile was forced... too perfect, too controlled. I knew, without a doubt, it wasn’t real.

Soon, Seraphina rose from where we had been asked to sit. I watched as she approached Bella, her expression changed into a flawless façade. With that practiced smile, she greeted Bella warmly, offering a stream of polished compliments and pleasantries.

Of course, I was the only one who knew she was pretending. Everything about her was pretence, every smile and word placed with intention.

She was doing all of this because Bella and Fred were soon to be joined in marriage, and that union would make Bella the future heir.

And Seraphina understood what that meant... power, influence, and alliances that could shape the future. So, in her usual way, she was already laying the groundwork, trying to establish a strong relationship with the heir  ahead of time, trying to secure her place.

She’s nothing but a pretender, trying to insert herself into a world she clearly cannot afford. But let her continue, she doesn’t bother me.

I remain seated where we were instructed, quietly sipping my water, refusing to interrupt her crafted performance. Let her bask in the attention... she can have it all.

For a moment, I thought I hadn’t heard correctly, until a loud, piercing cry sound out from outside. It was the kind of cry that demanded immediate attention.

The intensity of it caused everyone in the room to rise at once. In an instant, people abandoned their seats, spilling toward the exits, rushing out with a speed and desperation that left the room eerily empty in seconds, leaving only a trail of startled murmurs behind.

I watched as the guards jumped into the water, frantically pulling out those who had drowned. My chest tightened with pain and dread as I realized the victims were not adults, but children... innocent, terrified little souls.

“Oh my goddess... please save these children,” I muttered under my breath.

A piercing scream erupted from somewhere nearby, the sight was unbearable. The children, no older than five, lay in the cold water, tiny limbs flailing as the guards worked desperately to reach them. Bringing them out of the water one by one.

Every parent and relative ran toward the scene, their cries tearing through the air, echoing my own horror.

“Oh my... my boy,” Luna Anna sobbed, collapsing near her son.

It soon became clear that Alpha Jayden’s youngest son, along with the children of the pack elders who were children all of the same age, were the ones who had fallen into the water.

“Luke and the others were only playing...” a guard began. “And they drowned,” he added, and the sound of fresh, heart-wrenching cries erupted, louder than before.

“Help Luke, please!” Bella cried, tears streaming down her face, while Seraphina tried to calm her, though her efforts are pretentious.

I couldn’t be fooled... Seraphina’s feigned concern did nothing to move me. Life was at stake, yet she pretended.

“Call the doctor,” Alpha Jayden commanded.

How could a day meant for joy descend into such tragedy?

“Take the children inside the room,” someone shouted. And the guards did, and we all waited anxiously for the doctor to arrive.

Thank the goddess the pack hospital was close to the palace. The doctor appeared swiftly and immediately began examining the six children.

Everyone held their breath, waiting for the doctor to speak, each second stretching unbearably.

He removed his glasses and rubbed his forehead, as if gathering the courage to deliver the news.

“They are all dead,” he finally said.

Instantly, the hall erupted into cries and wails. Parents and relatives clutched their children’s lifeless bodies, refusing to accept the reality that their little ones had been taken in the blink of an eye

“This is not supposed to happen!” Luna Anna sobbed, holding Luke close.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify