“To Croatia,” Paolo said.
I nodded and boarded the ship. I had never been to Croatia, but I was already excited about what I would find there. After sending a voice call to Easton, I took out my SIM card, the last thing he could use to communicate with me. I threw it into the water, and I made sure to block everyone from communicating via mind-link. My wolf whimpered, and I soothed her by telling her Easton chose Elena; it's time to move on.
Meanwhile, at the Ward estate, Easton was awakened by the incessant ringing of his phone. He picked it up and groaned when he saw it was his mother. He wanted to get more sleep so he would not feel tired during the mating ritual ceremony, but he couldn't ignore her.
"Yes, Mom," he answered sleepily.
"Easton, you better be awake now. You have only two hours to prepare. And where is Ardyn? Why can't I reach her?"
"Mom, she would be there. Now, let me go and prepare."
Elena was beside him, awakened from the call, too. Once the call ended, Elena hugged him and asked, "Easton, would you still love me even after you mated with my sister?"
She looked at him with watery eyes. Easton hugged her tightly.
"Of course, baby. I just need to honor this mating ritual, but it would not matter. Nothing would change between us."
He then kissed her passionately.
"Alright, baby. We need to prepare and head to the venue."
Once ready, Easton called Ardyn. After three rings, it went to voicemail. A weird, sinking feeling settled deep in his chest. But he ignored it thinking she was just busy. He grabbed his things and immediately went to the door. Suddenly, his phone rang from an unknown caller. But when he answered, it was Ardyn's voice.
"Hey, it’s me. My phone was acting up. Don’t freak out; I’ll be at the venue waiting for you. I’ve got a surprise for you."
Easton smiled and felt relieved hearing her voice. With a grin, he turned to the others, still searching for her.
“Hey, Ardyn just called! She’s just getting ready to surprise me. No need to worry, alright?”
He couldn’t help but beam as he spoke, feeling warm and fuzzy inside. Even now, she was planning something special for him. His friends couldn’t resist but tease him.
"Look at you, all lovey-dovey! So cute!"
"Seriously, that’s just the sweetest thing!"
As the mating ritual ceremony was about to start, Ardyn was still nowhere to be seen. Easton's mom leaned to him and whispered, "You don’t think she’s trying to bail on the mating ritual, do you? It’s been ages! If she pulls a stunt like that, she’ll have to answer me."
Easton shook his head, tugging at his mom's sleeves.
“Nah, she wouldn’t do that! She loves me so much. Plus, she said she was planning a surprise for me."
He was still confident Ardyn would show up. But when the elder urged for the mates to step up, nerves kicked in for Easton. He stood there, a little shaky, trying to think of a good reason for Ardyn's delay.
"Uh, everyone, just hang tight for a sec. We’ll be starting soon..."
Before he could say another word, whispers erupted from the crowd. People pulled out their phones. Their glance darted from their phone to Easton.
At the same time, Ardyn’s gift for Elena arrived. Elena took the box from the delivery guy and opened it. It contained all the pictures of him and Easton. She almost fainted but didn’t make a sound.
Out of nowhere, Astrid dashed up, yanking Easton down and shoving her phone in his face.
“What’s going on? Ardyn just posted something on her social media and sent messages for the entire pack to read!”
Ardyn was a well-known designer and influencer before she met Easton. Her fans loved her and adored them as mates. But no one thought she’d end up in a situation like this.
Easton stared at the screen, unable to process what he was seeing. He also received the last message Ardyn sent to him. The Ardyn he knew was always thoughtful, kind, and understanding. But now, it hit him—she had known everything about his affair with Elena. How did she find out?
At that moment, Easton felt like a total fool. Everything that had transpired today was part of Ardyn’s grand plan. The surprise he had been so excited about was this. His mind went completely blank and stood there frozen.
