The Unwanted Mate

Meeting The Elders

The faint murmur of people talking inside hung in the air as Evelyn walked in the direction of the room. To describe her emotional state as nervous would be an understatement.

Evelyn shook to the core as she took each step, knowing that the people inside the room were the ones who would decide her destiny.

"You can go in now, luna," the omega maid told her before opening the huge wooden door.

Evelyn gulped hard as the initial murmuring voices sounded clear and understandable to her ears now. But the elders were talking about something she could not quite understand.

Evelyn thanked the maid before taking a deep breath and stepping inside the room. The voices died down as soon as she entered the room.

Evelyn scanned the room to her left and found that everyone in the room was staring at her. She held her breath, not knowing what to do about the awkward silence that ensued in the room.

Nine people had gathered in the room, including her mate, Keiran. Everyone was seated on a big leather couch arranged in a rectangular shape.

Evelyn peeked at her mate, who was sitting in a separate chair. He appeared ethereal like he used to, wearing black jeans and a white shirt with a few buttons undone. He sat in his seat and stared at Evelyn, uninterested.

Evelyn did not know what to do. It was as if Keiran would not introduce her, so she mustered all the courage she had to speak up.

"H-Hello," Evelyn stuttered and waved shyly to the people staring at her.

"Oh, My Moon Goddess! Keiran, is she your mate? She's so beautiful!" A lady squealed in excitement. Evelyn was taken aback by the reaction, so she instinctively stepped back as the lady approached her.

She glanced at her mate again, who was now rubbing his forehead in annoyance.

"What's your name, dear? Keiran didn't tell us anything about you. I'm sorry we couldn't meet you when you came here. We were away for some business purposes," the woman kept talking as she came and pulled Evelyn into a tight hug.

Evelyn stood still like a statue. Everything felt overwhelming to her. The woman had a comforting smell and aura, and it calmed Evelyn's restless mind. Evelyn gaped at the smiling lady for a long time before remembering she still had not answered the woman's question.

She cleared her throat and introduced herself, "I'm E-Evelyn." The woman smiled wider.

"That's a nice name. By the way, I'm Scarlett, Keiran's mother," she revealed, side hugging Evelyn as she talked. Evelyn's eyes widened in surprise. Scarlett looked very young and beautiful. No one would assume she had a son.

Scarlett took Evelyn's hands and introduced her to the other elders, "This is William, Keiran's father, and the former alpha." She gestured towards the alpha, seated on the couch.

He stood to his feet, smiled, and greeted Evelyn, "Nice to meet you, Evelyn. I still can't believe how my hot-headed son got paired with a delicate girl like you. The Moon Goddess must be really enjoying this," he joked. Keiran rolled his eyes. Scarlett kissed her mate's cheek before moving on to introduce Evelyn to the others.

"Come here, honey," a woman with gray hair called Evelyn, signaling her to come closer and sit with them. "Sit with us and tell us about yourself."

Evelyn blushed from all the attention she was getting. She was overwhelmed with their reactions.

Scarlett instructed Evelyn to sit in their midst before asking a train of questions about her and her family. Evelyn shyly replied to each of her questions. She told the elders about her father and restrained herself from crying. But her teary eyes were enough for everyone to know it was a touchy topic.

Keiran's grandfather kept quiet, but he would occasionally smile at the jokes made by his mate and son. The family of the beta was the most talkative among the group. They all narrated how they met their mates.

Warmth filled Evelyn's heart. This was the first time she felt at home.

In comparison, Keiran gritted his teeth and kept an eye on how everyone was interacting with the omega. He was not expecting this welcoming reaction from them. It irked him to know that none of them were worried about an omega being the next luna.

"You guys need to stop pampering her and talk about the important matter at hand," he announced in an angry tone, exasperated that no one remembered talking about it.

"What?" Scarlett asked and raised an eyebrow at her son.

Keiran sighed, rubbed his face temples, and spoke in a modulated voice to conceal his annoyance, "I'm talking about-"

But he had not finished his statement because someone burst in through the door out of the blue.

Everyone turned their attention to the door, alarmed, only to see a panting girl.

The girl was beautiful and tall. She had glowing brown skin, and she was clothed in jeans and a turtleneck sweater complimenting her curves. Her long raven hair reached up to her hips as she adjusted it. The girl was an alpha. Her elegance and physique were enough to prove that status.

"Oh, sorry. Am I late?" She queried, her voice sounding breathy as she spoke.

No one spoke, and all the elders stared at the girl in surprise and confusion. Keiran broke the awkwardness by walking towards the girl and hugging her.

Evelyn watched the interaction with a heavy heart. She could not believe her mate was smiling and hugging another woman right in front of her.

Scarlett cleared her throat and narrowed her eyes. "Naomi, dear, don't take me wrong, but why are you here?" She asked Naomi, who was still clinging to Keiran's hand.

Naomi stared at Scarlett like a deer caught in the headlights. She opened her mouth to say something, but Keiran cut her off.

"I invited her," Keiran answered his mother's question as he hugged Naomi closer.

Scarlett frowned and countered, "Didn't you break up with her?"

"No," Keiran replied, his voice wavering slightly.

"And I'm not going to," he concluded.

Evelyn cast her gaze down. A burning sensation ravaged her chest after hearing her mate admit that the girl named Naomi was still his girlfriend.

"What are you saying, Keiran?" William, Keiran's father, stood from his seat. His voice was deep and dead serious as he questioned his son.

"I am saying that I want Naomi to be my luna," Keiran replied in a firm tone.

Evelyn shut her eyes tight and hugged herself. She had expected this to happen and prepared herself, but it still hurt her heart.

Scarlett's jaw dropped, and her eyebrows creased at her son's words. "Keiran! What nonsense are you saying?" Anger and confusion were reflected on her face at the same time.

"Son, you shouldn't do or say these kinds of things in front of your mate. You have to respect her," Keiran's grandfather reminded calmly, but his tone was stern.

The former beta's mate, who Evelyn knew as Rose, hugged her to comfort her.

"Keiran, your mate is chosen by the Moon Goddess to be the luna of this pack. You can't just randomly pick someone else to be your luna," Richard, the former beta, scolded the young alpha.

"You all don't understand! She's an omega, and she's weak! I can't risk the safety of my pack just because of her!" Keiran spat out angrily.

"Are you kidding? Do you know what rejecting your mate can do to the both of you?" Scarlett shouted, losing her cool.

"I know, Mom. I'm not rejecting her as a mate. But I'm rejecting her as my Luna," Keiran explained. "She can stay here as my mate, but not my luna. I don't want any other pack to know she's my mate," he added.

"Keiran, this is not a joke. Did you even think about what your mate is feeling right now? You're acting selfishly! This is not how we raised you," William scolded as he stepped forward.

"But I'm not acting selfish, Dad. I'm doing this for the pack. Our pack never had an omega as a luna before. We've always had powerful leaders-"

"And?" William interrupted his son. "We also never had an alpha who picked another person as his luna when his mate was right beside him!"

Evelyn silently listened as everyone argued around her. She felt helpless and heartbroken. Dizziness consumed her as anger lingered in the air around the room.

"Dad, this is the only-"

"Enough is enough! None of us agree with Naomi being the luna. Instead, Evelyn will become the luna on the next full moon!" William declared in his alpha voice. Keiran gritted his teeth in response.

Evelyn's legs trembled because of the scent of alpha pheromones in the room. She dug her nails into her palm as she repeatedly blinked away the tears to clear her vision.

"We are on William's side, Keiran. What you're doing is wrong. You're not only hurting your mate, but you're also defying the will of the Moon Goddess," the older beta spoke up.

Keiran closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He clenched his fist as the anger and frustration bubbled up inside him. "Okay, fine! If that's what you want! You all care more about this weak omega than the safety of this pack!" He scoffed. "But making her my luna in the next full moon is unacceptable! It's only three days away! Why are you rushing things?"

"It's not good to keep you away from each other for a long time. It will cause many mental and physical problems. So, it's best if it's done by the next full moon," Scarlett explained to her son, who was annoyed because things didn't go as he planned.

The expression on Keiran's face revealed he could explode in the next minute. "You're all going to regret this!" He spat out before storming out of the room. His girlfriend, Naomi, awkwardly stared at everyone before following him out.

Evelyn's knees wobbled, but luckily, Scarlett caught her and made her sit on the couch.

"I'm so sorry you had to go through all this, dear. I don't know what happened to Keiran, but I have faith that he'll change once you are together," Scarlett comforted the trembling Evelyn, who was on the verge of breaking down.

Evelyn did not dare to hope Keiran's mind could still change.