The War God Alpha’s Arranged Bride Novel

---- Chapter 43 [Evelyn's POV] For a brief moment, | seriously thought | may have been hallucinating...Or, at least, | was hoping | was. Alexander had power-that much was obvious. But, unfortunately, that power did not extend past the royal family. This was after all a Luna gathering that was being held by the princess herself. It generally meant that all families were allowed and accepted to attend, regardless of any misdemeanors they may have acquired prior to. Isabella and Samantha were present merely by luck.

If anyone else had been hosting the event, they would have had a less easy time being able to attend. This alone made my stomach churn. No doubt they were going to take every opportunity to make my time here a living hell. From where | was standing, | had a clear view of Samantha and lsabella, who both gaped at me with equal looks of astonishment and pure shock. Was it my own presence at the event? Or was it due to the dress | was currently wearing?

As much as the very idea made my insides coil and twist in displeasure, | knew I needed to approach them-if not to say hello then to simply ask them why they were there. ---- | kindly excused myself from the small crowd of women that surrounded me, wishing to know more about my dress and calmly made my way over to my Stepmother and Stepsister. Wendy's words of encouragement echoed through my head on replay. "Don't worry. Remember to just relax." If anyone should be worried or concerned about the current situation, it should have been them.

By, truly, by the pale looks on their faces, | knew | was right. |sabella, always one to save face, forced a tight smile and gave me a curt nod of acknowledgment. My eyes easily drifted to the slight bump of her stomach, reminding me of the 'new heir' she and my father were planning to raise in place of my brother. | pushed down the bitter anger that coursed through my blood and cracked a smile in return. Isabella's tone was condescending and on the line of venomous. "My, my...| must say, Evelyn, we're surprised to see you in such a pretty dress.

We all know you're not a fan of these types of gatherings," she remarked. | fought the urge to narrow my eyes at her as my gaze proceeded to flicker between her and Samantha. "The credit goes solely to my stylist," | said coolly. "I suppose it's nice to see you here, considering the circumstances from ---- when we last saw each other." Again, | watched Samantha and her mother go stiff. The two shifted back almost a foot as though | had threatened to throw my drink at them. Something shimmery caught my attention and my eyes dropped toward Samantha's hand.

A ting...More specifically, a wedding ring. So, she and Liam had actually tied the knot. Nothing about this realization should have bothered me. However, it did bring on a series of questions. When the hell had the ceremony taken place? Where had it taken place? Why weren't Alexander and | informed? I'll admit that Samantha and | never had a close relationship as Stepsisters. But surely, she would have thought to invite at least me...Well, maybe not. | was, after all, married to the man who basically placed them under house arrest. My mind proceeded to shift to Liam.

How was he handling all this? He must have come to the startling realization that Samantha was not Luna material, especially when it came to being hands- on and working with his pack. My stomach churned at the thought of all the work | had done with him to get his pack on the right track. All that work was going to end up falling to ---- nothing sooner or later unless Samantha was willing to step up. Unfortunately, | can't see something like that happening. Based on the sour look on Samantha's face, it was no mystery that she wasn't in the best of spirits when it came to her own marriage.