Exchanging Vows: The Swapped Wife Is a Top Shaman

Chapter 23: Chapter 23

Ivy’s Point of View

I watched my father take a deep breath.

His hands pressed against the table. His muscles tensed. He was going to stand up. Going to walk over there and pour wine like a servant while his brother watched with that smug, satisfied smile.

Forty years of humiliation. Forty years of being treated like dirt beneath his own brother’s feet. And he was about to add one more moment to the pile.

No.

Not today.

Just as he started to rise, I pressed my hand firmly on his shoulder and pushed him back down.

”Ivy, what are you—”

I didn’t answer. I was already on my feet.

The hall fell silent as I stepped away from my seat. Every eye turned to follow me as I walked toward the head of the table. My footsteps echoed against the stone floor. Steady. Unhurried. The sound seemed impossibly loud in the sudden quiet.

I could feel my mother’s panicked gaze on my back. Could sense Finn half-rising from his chair before someone pulled him back down. But I didn’t turn around. Didn’t hesitate.

I had originally planned to use Alpha Alaric’s influence to help my father escape this pack. To arrange for his examination registration through Silvermoon territory. To give him time to prepare. To let him make the decision on his own terms.

But watching Alpha Roland throw that cup, watching him scream at my father like he was less than dirt, I realized something.

There was no time for careful planning. No time for subtle maneuvering. No time for patience.

My father needed to leave this place. Now. Today. Before his brother destroyed what little dignity he had left. Before another forty years passed in misery and servitude.

It was time for me to make the decision for him.

”Ivy!” My father’s voice called out behind me. Worried. Confused. I heard his chair scrape against the floor as he tried to stand.

I glanced back and gave him a small shake of my head. Trust me. Please.

Then I kept walking.

The distance between my seat and the Alpha’s seemed to stretch forever. I passed elder after elder, their wrinkled faces twisted with shock and confusion. I walked by Luna Camilla, whose painted smile had frozen into something ugly. I moved past Bastian, who watched me with narrowed, calculating eyes.

I could feel the weight of everyone’s stares pressing down on me like physical force. Dozens of eyes. Dozens of judgments. The entire pack watching the Beta’s worthless daughter march toward their Alpha like she had any right to be there.

And Seraphina. Her face had gone from smug to confused to angry in the span of seconds. Her perfect composure cracking like thin ice.

Alpha Roland watched me approach, his face still flushed with rage from his outburst. The shattered wine cup lay at his feet, ceramic shards scattered across the floor like broken teeth. Wine pooled between them, dark as old blood.

I stopped before him. Looked at the mess on the ground. Then reached out and picked up the wine jug from the table.

And poured.

The wine flowed into his cup, dark red and fragrant. I filled it to the brim, my hand perfectly steady. Not a single drop spilled. Then I set the jug back down with a soft clink.

Gasps rippled through the hall. Whispers broke out like wildfire.

”What do you think you’re doing?” Seraphina shot to her feet, her chair clattering behind her. Her voice was shrill with indignation. ”How dare you! You’re not a servant! This is completely improper!”

I ignored her. Kept my eyes fixed on Alpha Roland.

”Cousin, have you lost your mind?” She moved toward me, her silk skirts swishing angrily. Her face was twisted with fury. ”You can’t just walk up here and pour wine like some common maid! Do you have no shame? No sense of propriety? Do you not understand your place?”

I still didn’t look at her. She wasn’t worth my attention. She had never been worth my attention.

Alpha Roland stared back at me with undisguised fury. His jaw was clenched so tight I could see the muscles jumping beneath his skin. His eyes had taken on that dangerous red tint that signaled his wolf was close to the surface. The air around him seemed to vibrate with barely contained violence.

”You insolent little whore,” he snarled, his voice dripping with venom. ”You think you can take your father’s place? You’re not even worthy of breathing the same air as me, let alone pouring my wine. You’re nothing. Less than nothing.”

He reached for the cup I had just filled. His intention was clear. He was going to smash it on the ground just like the last one. Another display of dominance. Another humiliation. Another reminder that he held all the power and we held none.

My hand shot out and grabbed his wrist.

The hall went dead silent. Even the servants stopped breathing.

No one touched the Alpha without permission. No one. It was an unspoken rule that every pack member learned from birth. To lay hands on an Alpha uninvited was an act of defiance. Of challenge. Of war.

And I had just done exactly that.

Alpha Roland’s eyes widened. Shock flickered across his face before rage consumed it completely. His muscles bunched beneath my grip. I could feel the heat of his skin, the tremor of his wolf fighting to break free.

”You dare—”

”If you still care about your reputation,” I said quietly, leaning in so only he could hear, ”I suggest you send everyone else away. I have something important to discuss with you.”

For a moment, he just stared at me. Like he couldn’t quite believe what was happening. Like a mouse had suddenly turned around and bitten the cat. Like the world had stopped making sense.

”You’re threatening me?” His voice was low. Dangerous. A growl building deep in his chest. ”You, a worthless Beta’s daughter, are threatening the Alpha of the Crescent Moon Pack? In my own hall? At my own table?”

I could feel his wolf pressing against his skin, fighting for control. The air around us grew heavy with his power. His dominance. The weight of his Alpha authority crashed down on me like a tidal wave, trying to force me to submit. To kneel. To beg.

He was seconds away from exploding. From shifting. From tearing me apart in front of everyone.

A year ago, I would have crumbled. Would have released his wrist and fallen to my knees, begging for forgiveness. Would have accepted whatever punishment he deemed fit.

But I wasn’t that girl anymore.

I had been drugged, beaten, humiliated, and discarded. I had woken up under a bed while my husband rutted with my cousin. I had been thrown at a dying man like garbage. I had survived things this Alpha couldn’t even imagine.

He didn’t scare me. Not anymore.

I met his crimson gaze without flinching.

”Your daughter knocked me unconscious on my wedding night and climbed into Bastian’s bed.” My voice was barely above a whisper, but each word landed like a blade. ”Did you really think I had no evidence? If you don’t believe me, you’re welcome to let everyone here stay and listen.”