RICHARD’S POV
Everyone turned to the source of the voice, it was none other than Amy’s mother, Emily Hart.
My eyes widened as she forced herself to her feet, her body clearly weak, her hands gripping the back of the chair for support.
The nurse rushed forward to help her, but Emily waved her off, her gaze fixed on Derek.
She walked toward him, slowly, but with a determination that silenced the room.
“Derek,” she called out, her voice sharp as a blade.
“Stop right there.”
Derek froze, turning to face her.
His expression was a mix of shock and annoyance.
“Mrs. Hart, this isn’t…”
“I heard what you had to say about my daughter.” Emily’s voice was low but cutting, carrying through the silent hall.
“You called her a whore. A gold-digger. You humiliated her in front of everyone.”
Derek’s face flushed.
“She humiliated me first!
She rejected me to marry my uncle!”
“She humiliated you?” Emily let out a bitter laugh.
“You cheated on her, Derek. You slept with another woman hours after her father’s funeral. And then you had the audacity to call her the whore?”
The crowd gasped.
Derek’s face went pale, his mouth opening and closing like a fish.
“That’s…that’s not what happened—”
“Don’t you dare lie to me,” Emily cut him off, her eyes blazing.
“My daughter told me everything and I believe her, because I raised her to be honest. Unlike you, who was raised to be a spoiled, entitled brat who thinks he can take and do whatever he wants without consequences.”
Derek’s mother, Margaret, stepped forward, her face twisted with indignation.
“How dare you speak to my son like that!
After everything our family has done for yours; the money, the support, the…”
“The support?” Emily’s laugh was sharp and cold.
“You made my daughter a servant. She ran errands for you, cleaned your house, planned your parties, and what did you give her in return? You wouldn’t even let her go to college. You wanted her to be a stay-at-home wife for your son, a pretty little ornament with no dreams of her own.”
Margaret’s mouth dropped open.
“That’s not true.
You are just making false accusations.”
“I only kept quiet because I thought the Moon Goddess paired them together and they love each other, but I finally realised that my daughter is the only one who is stupidly in love while your son doesn’t even respect her enough to keep it in his pants.
“Now that she’s finally standing up for herself, and calling you out on your bullshit, you called her a whore. You should be ashamed of yourselves and your parents should be ashamed of raising you.”
The murmuring in the crowd grew louder.
I could see fingers now pointing at Derek and his parents, whispers of judgment and disgust rippling through the guests.
“Mrs. Hart, how dare you disrespect the future Alpha of Rainwood?” Greg shouted at her.
“He doesn’t deserve to be the future Alpha of Rainwood if he is this ill-mannered.”
A smile crept on my face, seeing how well Emily was standing up for her daughter.
Greg turned to me, his face red with fury.
“This is your doing,” he snarled, pointing at me.
“You’re the one who’s caused this disgrace. Marrying your nephew’s mate; what kind of man does that? You’ve brought shame to this entire family.”
I smiled, calm and unbothered.
“Amy is not Derek’s mate anymore. She’s my wife. My Luna. And I don’t care what anyone thinks, because I love her, and I will spend the rest of my life making her happy.”
Greg’s mouth fell open.
“Love? You don’t know what love is. You’re just as shameless as your mother. She ruined relationships too; stealing men who weren’t hers, causing chaos wherever she went. And now you’re doing the same thing.”
The mention of my mother sent a flash of cold rage through me, but I kept my expression neutral.
I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of seeing me lose control like I used to in the past.
“It seems the only ones causing chaos here are you and your family,” I said, my voice icy.
“And I’ve had enough of it.”
I turned to the security guards standing at the back of the hall.
“Remove them. Now.”
Greg’s eyes widened.
“You wouldn’t dare—”
“Wouldn’t I?” I raised an eyebrow.
“This is my wedding. My hall. My pack. And you are no longer welcome here.”
The guards moved forward, surrounding Greg, Margaret, and Derek.
Greg’s face contorted with rage as he was grabbed by the arm and dragged toward the exit.
“I swear on the Wellington name, I will make you pay for humiliating us like this! You and that gold-digging whore you married!”
I smiled, watching them being dragged out of the hall.
His threats meant nothing to me.
In fact, I was counting on them.
Greg’s recklessness would be his undoing.
He would be so consumed by his rage, so desperate for revenge, that he would easily fall into my traps.
And when he did, I would be there, ready to destroy him completely.
The doors slammed shut behind them, and silence descended on the hall.
I turned back to Amy, taking her hand in mine.
She was trembling, tears streaming down her face.
“It’s over,” I murmured, squeezing her hand.
“They’re gone.”
She nodded, swallowing hard.
“Thank you.”
I lifted her hand to my lips and pressed a gentle kiss to her knuckles.
“You never have to thank me for protecting what’s mine.” I wiped her tears and kissed her forehead before whispering in her.
“Protecting you was part of the deal, so I was only fulfilling my end of the bargain.”
And of course, I was taking my personal revenge on my brother’s family.
The officiant cleared his throat, and I turned to him, my expression calm once more.
“Continue,” I said.
“We have a wedding to finish.”