The Choice
1599 Words
The entire cathedral seemed to hold its breath.
Elowen stood at the entrance of the aisle, sunlight streaming through the towering stained-glass windows behind her. The wedding march continued, elegant and beautiful, yet to her ears it sounded mocking. Every note felt like an echo from another life—a life where she had walked forward without hesitation, smiled at Julian without doubt, and believed love alone was enough to overcome any obstacle.
That version of Elowen was dead.
Frozen beneath the stones of Frostfang Prison.
The woman standing here now remembered everything.
The betrayal.
The accusations.
The trial.
The prison.
The cold.
Death itself.
Julian remained waiting at the altar.
His handsome face softened as their gazes met, and for a fleeting moment she saw the man she had once loved. The expression would have made her heart race in her first life.
Now it made her stomach turn.
Because she knew what hid beneath the perfect mask.
She knew exactly how quickly that love could disappear. How easily loyalty could be abandoned. How readily he could watch her suffer while convincing himself he was doing the right thing.
Yet he looked at her as though she were his entire world.
The performance was flawless.
It always had been.
The future Alpha King extended his hand, the gesture practiced, confident, and possessive. As though he already knew the outcome. As though her future belonged to him. As though she would always choose him.
The sight nearly made her laugh.
How arrogant.
How utterly arrogant.
Julian had no idea.
None.
A gentle nudge touched her arm.
Camille.
Standing beside her.
Smiling.
Warm.
Supportive.
The same smile that had followed Elowen into nightmares.
"Go on," Camille whispered affectionately. "He's waiting."
The words struck like poison.
Elowen slowly turned her head and met her former friend's gaze.
For one brief second, something flickered inside Camille's eyes.
Confusion.
Only confusion.
Nothing more.
Because she had absolutely no reason to suspect anything.
No reason to believe Elowen remembered.
Good.
Let her remain comfortable.
Let them all remain comfortable.
For now.
Elowen smiled softly.
Then stepped forward.
Gasps of admiration rippled through the crowd.
The kingdom's beloved Pack Princess looked breathtaking. Pearls glittered against white silk while moonstones shimmered beneath the cathedral lights. Every noble present watched with envy.
The perfect bride.
The perfect wedding.
The perfect future.
If only they knew.
One step.
Then another.
The wedding march continued.
Julian's smile widened.
His golden eyes never left her.
He looked genuinely happy.
The realization should have hurt.
Instead, it only made her angrier.
Because he had looked happy at Camille's engagement banquet too.
Three days after her death.
Three days.
That was all she had been worth.
Three days.
The memory nearly stopped her feet.
Nearly.
But Elowen forced herself forward.
Closer.
Closer.
Closer.
Until she stood before the altar.
Julian's hand remained extended.
Waiting.
The entire cathedral watched.
A sea of noble faces.
Council Elders.
Pack leaders.
Wealthy merchants.
Foreign dignitaries.
All expecting the same thing.
Take his hand.
Smile.
Become Luna.
Follow destiny.
Instead—
Elowen looked directly into Julian's eyes.
And walked past him.
Silence.
Complete silence.
The wedding march stumbled.
Several musicians missed their notes.
Julian froze.
His outstretched hand remained suspended in the air.
The confusion on his face was almost comical.
A collective gasp swept through the cathedral.
No one understood what they were seeing.
Neither did Julian.
"Elowen?" he called, uncertainty creeping into his voice.
The uncertainty pleased her.
She continued walking.
One step.
Then another.
Leaving the altar behind.
Leaving Julian behind.
Shock exploded throughout the cathedral.
Whispers erupted immediately.
"What is she doing?"
"Where is she going?"
"Has she gone mad?"
"What's happening?"
Council members exchanged alarmed glances while several nobles rose from their seats.
The ceremony had completely unraveled.
Yet Elowen ignored all of them.
Because she already knew exactly where she was going.
Toward the only person who had come for her.
Toward the only person who had offered her salvation.
Toward the only person who had looked at her and still seen someone worth saving.
Sebastian Draven Corvathier.
The Alpha stood among the honored guests rather than near the altar. Dressed entirely in black, his powerful frame towered over nearly everyone around him. A predator surrounded by prey.
Even seated nobles unconsciously leaned away from him.
The fear was instinctive.
Natural.
Sebastian carried violence the way other men carried perfume.
Effortlessly.
His crimson eyes followed her approach.
At first, his expression remained unreadable.
Detached.
Cold.
Then confusion appeared.
A rare sight.
The great Sebastian Corvathier looked genuinely confused.
Elowen almost smiled.
Almost.
The distance between them vanished.
Ten steps.
Five.
Three.
One.
Then she stopped.
Directly before him.
Close enough to smell cedar and smoke.
Close enough to remember another scent.
Blood.
The scent he had carried outside Frostfang.
The scent of a man who had come to save her.
The scent of a man she had rejected.
Pain twisted through her chest.
Because she remembered.
She remembered his eyes.
The devastation.
The heartbreak.
The disappointment.
"You'll regret that."
The memory echoed through her mind.
She swallowed hard.
Slowly.
Very slowly.
Sebastian rose to his feet.
The movement drew immediate attention.
The cathedral somehow grew even quieter.
The Alpha stared down at her.
His crimson eyes searched her face.
Confused.
Wary.
Interested.
The Sebastian standing here knew nothing about Frostfang.
Nothing about her death.
Nothing about the second chance she had somehow received.
Yet somehow...
His gaze felt familiar.
Safe.
The realization startled her.
She barely knew this version of him.
Yet standing before him felt easier than standing before Julian.
Perhaps because Sebastian had never betrayed her.
The thought hurt more than she wanted to admit.
Behind her, Julian finally found his voice.
"Elowen."
His tone carried warning now.
Not confusion.
Warning.
She ignored him.
For several moments, neither she nor Sebastian spoke.
The silence stretched.
Tension filled the air.
Then Sebastian finally broke it.
"Princess," he greeted, his deep voice rumbling through the cathedral. "What are you doing?"
A thousand answers existed.
Seeking revenge.
Changing fate.
Correcting a mistake.
Choosing the one person who came for me.
Instead, she asked the only question that mattered.
The question she had carried through death itself.
Her voice trembled slightly.
Not from fear.
From emotion.
"If I choose you this time..."
The words instantly captured everyone's attention.
Shock rippled through the audience.
Julian's face went pale.
Camille's smile disappeared completely.
Even Sebastian froze.
Elowen lifted her gaze and met his crimson eyes.
Memories flashed through her mind.
A prison cell.
Frozen fingers.
Bloodstained clothes.
A promise.
I'll destroy them all.
Emotion clogged her throat.
She forced the words out anyway.
"...will you still destroy the world for me?"
Silence.
Utter silence.
The question struck the cathedral like lightning.
Nobody understood it.
How could they?
Only Elowen remembered the prison.
Only Elowen remembered death.
Only Elowen remembered the choice she had once rejected.
Sebastian stared at her.
His expression completely blank.
For perhaps the first time in anyone's memory, the feared Alpha seemed incapable of speech.
Shock.
Actual shock.
The realization almost made her laugh.
Behind her, chaos began spreading.
"What did she say?"
"Destroy the world?"
"Has she lost her mind?"
Julian took a step forward.
"Elowen—"
She ignored him.
Her entire focus remained fixed on Sebastian.
Waiting.
Praying.
Please.
Please say yes.
Please still be the man who came for me.
Please still choose me.
Seconds stretched.
Then something changed.
A flicker of emotion appeared in Sebastian's eyes.
Disbelief.
Then hope.
Then something infinitely more dangerous.
Joy.
Raw.
Unfiltered.
Terrifying.
The corner of his mouth lifted.
A smile.
The sight stole her breath.
Because Sebastian rarely smiled.
And because this smile looked like the beginning of a war.
Power exploded outward.
The cathedral shook.
Literally shook.
Crystal chandeliers rattled violently overhead.
Nobles gasped.
Several weaker wolves collapsed back into their seats.
Alpha aura flooded the room.
Ancient.
Violent.
Overwhelming.
Every wolf present felt it.
The power of Sebastian Corvathier unleashed without restraint.
His crimson eyes never left Elowen.
Not once.
Not for a second.
Then he answered.
Five words.
Words that shattered the future.
"I never stopped," he replied.
The cathedral erupted.
Screams.
Gasps.
Shouting.
Panic.
Outrage.
The scandal would spread across the kingdom before sunset.
A Pack Princess abandoning her wedding?
Unprecedented.
Abandoning the future Alpha King?
Unthinkable.
Choosing Sebastian Corvathier?
Madness.
Julian looked as though someone had driven a blade through his chest.
His face had gone completely white.
"No."
The word escaped him.
Quiet.
Broken.
Disbelieving.
Elowen finally turned.
Their eyes met.
For the first time since returning, she truly looked at him.
Not the prince.
Not the future king.
Just Julian.
The man who abandoned her.
Pain flickered across his face.
Real pain.
It should have satisfied her.
Instead, it felt hollow.
Because no amount of suffering could undo Frostfang.
No amount of regret could undo death.
Julian took another step toward her.
Desperation replaced confusion.
"Elowen," he called again, her name sounding like a plea, a prayer, and a warning all at once.
But she was done listening.
Done believing.
Done trusting.
This time she would choose differently.
This time she would choose the man who came for her.
Even if the world burned because of it.
Especially if it did.
Julian's entire body suddenly locked in place.
A strangled gasp escaped his throat.
His golden eyes flashed unnaturally bright.
Then, before the horrified audience, the future Alpha King doubled over in agony as his wolf unleashed a heart-wrenching howl that shook the cathedral.
- Writer
