Third-Person POV
Rebecca quickly grabbed the white silk robe lying on the chair and slipped it on, tying the sash securely around her waist. Kaden had already pulled on his trousers, and the moment she was properly covered, he hurried toward the door.
He unlocked it and pulled it open, revealing Logan standing in the corridor with a worried expression.
"Alpha, we have a serious problem," Logan announced.
Kaden frowned. "What happened?"
"King Melvin and Princess Rola are on their way here. Something happened last night, and I think you need to hear it from them."
Before Kaden could ask another question, hurried footsteps sounded behind Logan. Rebecca looked toward the corridor, and her heart skipped a beat when she saw Melvin approaching with Rola beside him.
For several seconds, nobody moved. Melvin stopped at the doorway, his sea-blue eyes immediately finding Rebecca. Rola stood beside him, wrapped in a long velvet cloak, her silver-blonde hair falling loosely over her shoulders. Her eyes were slightly red, and although she looked exhausted, there was more confusion than sadness on her face.
"Rebecca?" Melvin called, staring at her in disbelief.
"Melvin..."
His gaze moved from her face to the robe she was wearing before shifting toward Kaden. He glanced around the bedroom, noticing the wedding decorations and the unmade bed, and his expression immediately changed.
"What the hell is going on here?" he demanded.
Kaden stepped aside, allowing them to enter. Melvin walked into the bedroom with Rola following behind him, while Logan remained near the door.
"That’s exactly what I’ve been trying to figure out," Kaden answered. "I woke up this morning, and Rebecca was lying beside me."
Melvin stared at him. "What?"
"I thought I married Rola yesterday, but when I woke up, Rebecca was in my bed. And now, whenever I think about the wedding, I remember marrying her instead."
Melvin ran a hand through his hair. "This is unbelievable! I remember marrying Rebecca yesterday. I remember exchanging vows with her and taking her to our wedding suite. But when I woke up this morning, Rola was beside me!"
"Because I thought you were Kaden," Rola said, looking at Melvin before turning toward Kaden. "I don’t understand what happened. I remember marrying you yesterday, Kaden. I remember my father walking me down the aisle, and I remember you placing a ring on my finger. But now, whenever I think about it, I remember Melvin standing beside me instead."
Rebecca folded her arms, listening to them. Everything Rola was describing was exactly what she’d experienced earlier. She had gone to bed believing she was Melvin’s wife, yet somehow, she’d spent the entire night with Kaden instead.
Kaden looked at Rola, his expression troubled. But as she moved closer, her cloak slipped slightly from her shoulder, revealing a fresh claiming mark on the side of her neck.
He immediately went still, staring at the mark as though he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
"No fucking way..."
Rebecca followed his gaze and noticed the mark, too. Before she could react, Kaden stepped toward Rola and gently pulled her closer, tilting her chin slightly to examine her neck.
"Rola..." His voice sounded unusually strained. "What happened here?"
Rola looked at him, confused. "What do you mean?"
"This mark." His eyes remained fixed on her neck. "Did Melvin mark you?"
Rola raised her hand toward her neck, and her expression changed as the memory returned.
"Kaden, I thought he was you," she answered. "I swear, I didn’t know it was Melvin."
Kaden’s jaw tightened. He looked toward Melvin, and the jealousy in his eyes was so intense that it could have killed. He had spent months preparing to marry Rola, only to discover that another man had marked her on their wedding night.
"And you marked her?" he demanded.
Melvin looked equally frustrated. "I thought she was Rebecca, Kaden! Do you think I would have done it if I’d known she was Rola?"
Kaden didn’t answer. He looked back at Rola, his hand still resting lightly against her shoulder.
"I’m sorry," she told him. "I don’t understand how this happened."
For several seconds, Kaden simply stared at her before slowly releasing her. His expression remained tense, and it was obvious that he was struggling to accept what he’d just discovered.
Kaden dragged a hand down his face, looking completely furious. "This is fucking unbelievable."
Melvin turned toward Rebecca, who was standing near the bed.
"Rebecca, are you alright?"
She nodded. "I’m fine, Melvin. I’m just as confused as everyone else."
He took a step toward her, his expression softening slightly. "I swear to you, I didn’t know what was happening yesterday."
"I know," she answered. "Neither did I."
Melvin looked relieved by her response, but before he could say anything else, Kaden spoke.
"Something is wrong with our memories. I clearly remember marrying Rola yesterday. I remember seeing her face, hearing her voice, and even recognizing her scent. But now, when I think about the ceremony, I can remember Rebecca standing beside me instead. How is that possible?"
"That’s exactly what’s happening to me," Melvin replied. "I remember marrying Rebecca, but now I can remember Rola standing at the altar. It’s as though someone made us see the people we wanted to marry."
Logan, who had been listening quietly, finally stepped forward.
"Alpha, I think someone used magic during the weddings."
Everyone turned toward him.
Kaden frowned. "What makes you say that?"
"Because you’re not the only ones experiencing this," Logan explained. "Some of the guards and guests are already arguing about what happened yesterday. I remember watching you marry Princess Rola, but this morning, I started remembering Lady Maria escorting Rebecca down the aisle instead."
Melvin stared at him. "Are you saying everyone was affected?"
"I can’t say for certain, Your Majesty, but several people are reporting the same thing. Nobody seems to understand what happened."
Rebecca shook her head in disbelief. Goodness, whoever had done this must have been extremely powerful. How could someone deceive two kings, their supernatural senses, and an entire wedding estate without anyone noticing?
"Then someone deliberately interfered with our weddings," Kaden said, his expression darkening.
"But who?" Rola asked. "And why would anyone want to do something like this?"
Nobody had an answer.
Melvin turned toward Logan. "Is there anyone who can explain what kind of magic was used?"
Logan nodded. "The royal seer might be able to help us. If someone cast a spell during the ceremonies, he should be able to detect it."
Kaden immediately straightened. "Then go and get him."
"Alpha, I..."
"Now, Logan! I want him here immediately!"
"Yes, Alpha."
Logan hurried out of the bedroom, leaving the four of them alone.
For a moment, nobody spoke. Melvin eventually walked toward one of the armchairs and sat down, while Rebecca took the seat opposite him. Rola settled onto the couch, and Kaden sat beside her, although his attention kept returning to the claiming mark on her neck.
Rebecca noticed the way he looked at it, and she couldn’t blame him for being upset. Yesterday, he’d believed he was finally marrying the woman he loved. Instead, he’d woken up beside his former mate, only to discover that Rola had spent the night with Melvin.
What a complete disaster.
"I still don’t understand how this happened," Rola said after a while. "How could we spend an entire day with the wrong people without recognizing them?"
"That’s what worries me," Melvin replied. "My dragon should have recognized Rebecca. Whatever magic was used must have been powerful enough to deceive our senses."
Kaden nodded slowly. "My wolf didn’t notice anything either. I was convinced Rola was the woman standing beside me yesterday."
Rebecca looked down at the wedding ring on her finger. She’d been so happy yesterday, believing she was finally becoming Melvin’s wife. Now she was sitting in Kaden’s bedroom, wearing a ring he’d bought for Rola.
And the worst part was that she had no idea whether any of this could be undone.
"What happens if the seer tells us these marriages are real?" Rola suddenly asked.
Everyone looked toward her.
She glanced at the ring on her finger before continuing. "We exchanged vows, we have wedding rings, and Melvin and I even marked each other. What if none of this can be reversed?"
Kaden’s expression tightened, and Melvin looked away.
Rebecca swallowed hard. She hadn’t wanted to think about that possibility, but Rola had just voiced the question none of them wanted to ask. What if the marriages were already binding? What if there was no way to undo what had happened?
"We’ll find a solution," Melvin finally said, looking toward Rebecca.
"We have to," she replied.
Another silence settled over the room. Kaden remained beside Rola, occasionally glancing at her neck, while Melvin sat with his elbows resting on his knees. Rebecca kept looking toward the door, growing increasingly impatient for Logan to return.
Nearly ten minutes later, footsteps sounded outside the bedroom, and everyone immediately looked toward the entrance.
A moment later, Logan returned, followed by an elderly man dressed in long ceremonial robes. He carried a wooden staff, and his expression was unusually serious as his gaze moved from Kaden to Rola, then toward Melvin and Rebecca.
"Alpha," Logan announced, stepping aside. "The royal seer is here."
The elderly man walked into the bedroom and bowed respectfully.
"Your Majesties."
Kaden immediately rose from his seat and stepped toward him.
"Seer, we need answers."