---- 10 The moment the banquet hall doors opened, a flash of joy crossed Damon's eyes. His entire body straightened with anticipation. Finally. She was here. But quickly, that joy was replaced by cold frost as reality crashed down on him. Because the person walking in wasn't me-it was Lydia Ashford. She wore an elaborate midnight blue gown that probably cost more than most people's homes. Her makeup was flawless, applied by the best artists money could buy. But none of it could hide the grievance and barely contained rage burning in her eyes. The entire banquet hall fell silent. Conversations stopped mid-sentence. Glasses paused halfway to lips. Every eye turned to watch this unexpected drama unfold. ---- Lydia's gaze fell directly on Damon as she walked toward him with determined, almost predatory steps. Her heels clicked against the marble floor like a countdown to disaster. Damon's expression instantly darkened, his jaw clenching with visible tension. When he spoke, his tone was cold as winter ice. "Why are you here? Who told you to come? I didn't invite you." The guests began murmuring among themselves, sensing the explosive tension. "Isn't that the Ashford Alpha's daughter?" "T thought she was engaged to Damon Blackwood?" "What's she doing here if he's mating someone else?" Lydia bit her lip, but her chin lifted defiantly. Her voice trembled slightly, but with anger rather than fear. "I'm your destined mate, yet you're holding a mating ceremony with another woman. Don't I have the right ---- to come and see what's so special about her?" Damon's eyes narrowed dangerously, his Alpha energy beginning to radiate outward in warning waves. "Lydia Ashford, don't cause a scene here. Not today." But Lydia acted as if she hadn't heard him. Instead, she began walking slowly around the banquet hall, her gaze sweeping over every corner with growing incredulity. Her voice started low but grew progressively louder, ensuring everyone could hear. "Look at this banquet hall! Just look at it!" She gestured wildly at the elaborate decorations. "Look at these 'Moonshade Orchids'!" She pointed at the ethereal blue flowers that seemed to glow with their own inner light. "They only bloom in thousand-year glacier crevices! Every single harvest requires teams of expert climbers risking their lives, dangling over bottomless