At first, I told myself he would be here any second. A few minutes passed. Then more. Soon, those minutes stretched into an hour, and the silence in the hall grew heavier. The murmurs among the pack members became impossible to ignore, their voices hushed but restless. Even the priestess standing before the altar shifted uneasily, trying to maintain calm despite the growing tension.
I stood frozen in place, dressed in white silk, my hands tightening around the bouquet of moon lilies I had carefully chosen that morning. My fingers trembled, and I forced myself to breathe steadily, even as unease curled inside my chest.
“Maybe something urgent came up,” Beta Carter murmured quietly beside me. His voice carried uncertainty, and he kept glancing toward the large wooden doors at the end of the hall. “He left the packhouse early today. I assumed he was already on his way here.”
My mouth felt parched. “You’re his Beta, Carter… you don’t know where he is?”
He shook his head slowly, his expression tense. “No, Luna—” he hesitated, correcting himself softly, “Brielle. He didn’t mention anything to me.”