The morning of Aarav's wedding dawned clear and golden. The soft breeze carried the scent of marigold and roses as garlands were strung across the courtyard of Sinha Haveily.
Asis stood silently in front of her full-length mirror, hands resting on the pale blue dupatta draped over her head. Her lehenga shimmered like moonlight, delicate silver embroidery curling across the silk like frost. She looked beautiful. Ethereal. But her eyes were clouded with a storm.
Last night's dream wouldn't leave her.
She touched the pendant on her neck—Ayaan's gift, the last thing she had of him—and for a moment, she swore she still felt his presence. His warning. His desperation.
He's hiding something. He's dangerous. A chill crept over her skin. She didn't want to believe it. Karl never made her feel unsafe. He had been calm, protective, almost reverent toward her. But still… Ayaan wouldn't lie. Not even in death.
"Asis?" Her brother's voice pulled her from her thoughts. She turned to see Aarav standing in the doorway, already dressed in his cream sherwani and golden turban. He looked princely, his smile wide—until he saw her face.
"You okay, Bittu?" he asked, walking in and placing a hand on her shoulder. She tried to smile. "Just… tired. And maybe a little emotional."
He didn't believe her, not completely. He sat on the edge of her bed and looked at her reflection in the mirror. "You know, you were always the one who never cried in movies, never cared for weddings or fairytales. But now you're the one looking like a runaway princess," she chuckled weakly. "Maybe I finally grew up."
"Or maybe…" He paused, searching her face. "You're thinking about someone."Her fingers stiffened slightly on the edge of her dupatta."I miss him too, you know," Aarav said softly. Asis turned toward him, surprised. "You… think about Ayaan?"
Aarav nodded. "He wasn't just your fiancé. He was family. He was a good friend, Bittu. And I hate that you had to lose him."
Tears stung her eyes. She leaned her head against Aarav's shoulder. "Thank you, Bhai."He wrapped his arm around her. "You don't have to move on today. Or ever, if you don't want to. Just know… I'm always here. No matter what." She squeezed his hand. "I know." For a few minutes, the siblings sat in silence, wrapped in shared grief and unspoken healing.
Then Aarav grinned and said, "Now if you're done being sad, I need my stunning sister beside me before Itzel arrives and thinks I've been abandoned."She laughed, and for a moment, the weight on her chest lifted.
But her eyes searched for someone who wasn't there. "Karl." She hadn't heard from him all morning. No message. No call. And though a part of her was relieved, uncertain how she would've reacted if he had shown up, another part was unsettled by his absence.
Harald Dyre hadn't meant to miss the wedding. He had planned to see her again today—maybe even tell her part of the truth.
But when Ingolf woke him before dawn with the voice echoing through their shared mind, She belongs to no wolf, Harald. Not even an Alpha king—he knew something had changed. Sorin was back.
At the wedding, Asis helped adjust Itzel's veil and tucked jasmine into her hair. The bride glowed, eyes filled with joy and nervous excitement. "You look beautiful," Asis whispered, helping her to the mandap where Aarav waited."So do you," Itzel whispered back, then added softly, "Are you okay? You seem… distant."
Asis shook her head. "It's nothing. I'm just… tired, I guess."But even as she smiled through the rituals, she couldn't stop thinking about the dream, or the strange pull in her chest that told her something unseen was watching her. Waiting.
By noon, the ceremony was in full swing. The mandap was surrounded by flower-covered pillars, and guests gathered under twinkling canopies to watch the sacred rituals unfold. Asis walked beside her brother, her blue lehenga glinting under the sun, drawing admiring glances from the crowd.
Among the guests, Berit appeared like a burst of sunlight in a daffodil yellow dress, her auburn curls pinned delicately with jasmine. She waved excitedly when she saw Asis."You look divine!" Berit gushed, pulling Asis into a warm hug. "Like a moonlight." Asis smiled, her voice soft. "Thanks, Berit. You look like a sunshine angel yourself."
Just then, the priest called for the final vows. Aarav and Itzel stood under the mandap, exchanging garlands and sacred mantras. The crowd cheered, and flower petals showered from above like blessings.
Later in the afternoon, as the rituals moved into the reception phase and guests mingled over trays of food and mocktails, Asis stepped away from the crowd for a breath of air.
She sat near the edge of the garden under a shaded pavilion, adjusting the edges of her lehenga when someone plopped down beside her with a dramatic sigh. "Tell me we're allowed to leave now," Mateo groaned.
She glanced sideways at him, amused. "Weren't you enjoying the mango mousse?" "I had five. I can't feel my tongue." She smiled despite herself. "Then you deserve it." He leaned back, resting his head against the cushion. "You've been avoiding me lately."
She looked down at her hands. "I've been avoiding everyone."Mateo turned his face toward her, more serious now. "I know we fought. I said things I shouldn't have. But I also want you to know—I'm not mad."
She blinked at him. "You're not?""No," he said softly. "Because I get it. You lost someone. And maybe… maybe you're not ready for someone else. Maybe you never will be. But that doesn't mean I'll stop caring." She reached over, touched his hand. "Thank you for saying that."
They sat together in silence for a while, watching as Aarav and Itzel posed for photographs surrounded by garlands and rose petals. "I'm glad you're still in my life, Mateo," she said. He looked over and smiled. "Me too. Even if I'm just the guy who brings you overpriced books and mango mousse." She laughed, and the sound felt like a balm to both of them.
As night fell, the stars appeared in a clear sky, and fairy lights sparkled across the trees like fireflies. The reception hall was alive with music and dancing, but Asis remained at the edge, the soft blue of her lehenga blending into the moonlight.
Across the city, deep in the forested outskirts, Harald Dyre stood at the boundary of a ruined chapel—one of the old vampire sanctuaries destroyed in the war decades ago. The stones were charred black, the altar defaced. Yet the scent was unmistakable. "Blood."Old, dark, and ancient.
"Sorin was here," Anders said, stepping up beside him. "Maybe still is." Harald nodded grimly. "He wants her. Not for love, not for vengeance. For power. Her blood—her soul—there's something he knows that I don't." Ingolf growled within him. We should've told her everything if she doubted us.
"We will," Harald said aloud. "But not yet."And with that, the Alpha king turned toward the shadows once more—his war only just beginning.
Back at the mansion, Asis returned to her room after bidding farewell to the last of the guests. The lights were dim, the corridors quiet. She removed her earrings and placed them gently into the velvet box on her dresser.
As she stared into the mirror, she caught her own eyes—and for the first time, she saw something behind them she didn't recognize. A flicker of silver. She leaned forward, squinting—but it was gone. She shook her head. "Lack of sleep. That's all."
But as she lay in bed that night, wrapped in silence, she felt it again—that invisible presence. A cold whisper brushed the back of her neck. "You can't escape what's coming, Asis…" Her eyes flew open. But there was no one there. Only the wind tapping against the glass—and the ghost of a dream that had never truly ended.
*****