59. No Way!

~Wedding Day~ On the day of the wedding, Alpha Callum and Clarice woke up early in the morning, gazing into each other's eyes. "Our day has finally come," he said softly, cupping her face lovingly as he planted a kiss on her lips. "The beginning of our lives as husband and wife for the rest of our lives starts today," she said happily. The couple embraced each other. Their hearts were overflowing with love and happiness for each other. "Everything is taken care of. The only thing we need to do is show up to the wedding venue, go through the wedding ceremony, entertain the guests and then rest afterward. Right?" she said. "Yes. The wedding starts at 3:00 in the afternoon. So, after breakfast we will start our journey to the venue and arrive there at 10:00 or 11:00. We have enough time to prepare for the afternoon wedding," he replied. "Alright, let's start our day now. I'm excited!" she grinned happily. "Okie Dokie," he replied in elation. "Hooray! It's our wedding day!" The couple said in chorus, their voices filled with excitement and anticipation for their beautiful wedding. The couple left the bed and went to the bathroom. Afterward, they went downstairs to drink their coffee, have breakfast and get ready for their trip to the wedding venue located on a hill overlooking the city. One hour later. The couple were joined by Grandpa Eliezer, Marina, Carlos, Beta Amir, Lorey and Caden in the dining room as they ate their delicious breakfast, discussing animatedly the events of the day. After breakfast, they are getting ready to leave the mansion. Two hours later, Alpha Callum and Clarice's entourage got into their vehicles and began their journey towards the wedding venue. After one hour of travel, they finally arrived at the wedding venue famously called Romantic Hill. Alpha Callum rented a villa for his entire family located a few meters away from the wedding venue. The leaders of the packs and their wives will proceed directly to the DM Luxe hotel nearby, which was rented exclusively to house all the VIP guests. The garden was decorated with colorful flowers and decorations. A podium was erected in the center of the garden. Decorated chairs were laid out for the guests to sit where they could watch the actual wedding ceremony comfortably. A few meters away from the garden was the spacious wedding reception venue with high ceilings to protect the guests from the rain and at the same time give a panoramic view of the city. Alpha Callum's entourage settled in the four-bedroom villa which is walking distance from the garden. At 11:00 a.m., the food was delivered to the villa for an early lunch. At 12:00, the makeup beautician and her assistants arrived and started beautifying the wedding entourage. Meanwhile, the majority of VIP guests and the Alpha of different packs together with their wives had already arrived and checked into their hotel rooms with a sweeping spectacular view of the cityscape and majestic mountains in the south. Having settled into their suites, the attendees toured the hotel's state-of-the-art amenities and enjoyed the wide variety of activities available. Some of the guests who came early were already swimming in the luxurious infinity-edge pool overlooking the city, sipping their wines and enjoying the stunning view of the cloud-filled blue sky above their heads. Time passes quickly. At 3:00 in the afternoon, everyone was ready for the big thing. The guests took their seats and waited patiently for the bride to arrive. Clarice was ready for her grand entrance. Alpha Callum was standing beside the officiant who would officiate the wedding. The front row seat was occupied by Beta Amir, Grandpa Eliezer, Marina, Carlos, Lorey and Caden, who all wore bright smiles on their faces. The weather was perfect for the occasion. The sun shone brightly in the sky accompanied by a gentle wind. The clouds aligned themselves above the garden to protect the guests from the rays of the sun. A few minutes later, the wedding officially started. The bride can be seen walking on the red carpet towards the podium where her husband and the officiant were waiting. Everyone's eyes were glued to the mysterious bride. Her face was concealed by a wedding veil covering her entire face. She wore an elegant conservative wedding dress featuring delicate lace and intricate beadwork. The officiant started the solemn wedding ceremony that lasted for half an hour. After the ceremony was over, everyone proceeded to the wedding reception. The party began. The newlywed couple greeted VIP guests one by one. The bride didn't bother to remove the veil covering half of her face while chatting to the guests. Nobody cares. The guests just want to enjoy the endless supply of food and wine and chat with each other. It's now time. The newlywed couple walked towards Alpha Bruce and Luna Aurelia's table. Kaspar the shaman was also there, enjoying a glass of champagne. Clarice's body tensed as anger quickly arose in her heart. She hated the moment because she needed to act nicely in front of her enemies. She wished she could serve them poison instead of wine and delicious food. They finally reached the table. "Congratulations to the newlyweds!" the trio said in chorus, beaming happily at the couple. "Guys, thank you for coming. Enjoy the wine and food," Alpha Callum said in a polite tone. "Thank you for attending the wedding!" Clarice said cheerily, using her real voice to greet them. Stunned, the three occupants of the table looked at each other. The expression on their faces was full of shock and surprise. They just heard Luna Clarice's voice just now! Still reeling from the shock, Luna Aurelia stared at the bride's face. She knew by heart her former best friend's voice, and she had just heard it right now. Peering into the thin fabric, she was trying hard to see the face behind the veil. "Luna Charice, why don't you take off your veil so we can take a photo together? Please?" she asked. During the suspenseful wait, her heart beat frantically. "Ah, sorry dear, I can't take off my veil right now because the other day I was stung in the face by a bee while I was attending to my plants in my garden. Although I had already taken medicine, my face was still swelling, so I had no choice but to wear this veil. I hope you understand," Clarice explained. Alpha Bruce glared at his wife, his face darkened. "Hon, don't force the bride to take off her veil. That is rude," he scolded her in a sharp tone, not bothering to hide his annoyance. Clarice smiled, pleased with her former husband's action. He acted immediately to correct his wife's rude manners. "I'm sorry, Luna Charice, please accept my apology," Luna Aurelia apologized. "It's fine, no big deal," Clarice said with a smile. "Enjoy the evening." The couple moved on to the next table and greeted the guests there. Back at Alpha Bruce's table, he stood up and went to greet his friend at the other table. Luna Aurelia and Kaspar can be seen whispering to each other. "Did you hear the bride's voice? Her voice sounds like Clarice!" Aurelia said, freaking out, deeply bothered by the bride's voice which reminded her so much of Clarice. "Yeah, I also noticed the similarity. But there's nothing strange about it. Many people have similar voices, similar mannerisms and facial features. That's nothing to worry about. Besides, if Clarice is still alive... there is no way she will become Alpha Callum's wife and Luna," Kaspar said casually as he continued sipping his champagne. "You are right. Maybe it was just a coincidence that their voices were similar," Luna Aurelia said, trying to convince herself that there was nothing to worry about, and she was overacting. But as the night progressed, she couldn't shake off that feeling that the bride was Clarice! She had to find a way to remove that veil so she could have a good look at the bride's face and finally stop worrying about nothing. For the life of her, she can't imagine that the best friend she betrayed ended up marrying the notoriously dashing leader of the rogue pack, Alpha Callum. No way! It's unacceptable to her!