THE ALPHA MARRIED THE WRONG MATE

CHAPTER 3: THE BRIDE CHOSEN BY FEAR

# THE ALPHA MARRIED THE WRONG MATE

### Chapter 3: The Bride Chosen by Fear

The cheers followed me long after I left the Moon Altar.

*"Long live Alpha Lucien!"*

*"Long live our future Luna!"*

Every joyful shout felt like another knife twisting inside my chest.

I ran blindly through the forest, unable to see the path beneath my tears.

Branches tore at my dress.

Sharp rocks cut my feet.

Still...

I kept running.

If I stopped, I would remember the look in Lucien's eyes.

The moment he stepped away from me.

The moment he chose my twin sister.

My wolf whimpered inside me.

*"Why didn't he choose us?"*

My throat tightened.

"I don't know."

*"Didn't he feel the bond?"*

"He did."

*"Then why?"*

I had no answer.

The mate bond still pulsed inside my chest like a heartbeat that refused to die.

Every beat reminded me that somewhere behind me...

The man destined to love me was preparing to marry another woman.

I finally reached Moonfall Lake.

The water shimmered beneath the full moon, calm and beautiful.

This had always been my hiding place.

Whenever the pack mocked me...

Whenever Selene reminded me I wasn't enough...

Whenever I felt alone...

I came here.

Usually, the lake comforted me.

Tonight...

Even it felt empty.

My legs gave out.

I collapsed onto the damp grass, hugging my knees as sob after sob escaped my lips.

"I wasn't asking to become Luna..."

My voice broke.

"I wasn't asking for power."

Fresh tears rolled down my face.

"I only wanted him..."

"I only wanted my mate to choose me."

The wind carried my words across the silent lake.

No answer came back.

Only the reflection of the full moon stared at me.

Cold.

Distant.

Unreachable.

For a long time, I simply cried.

Not like a Luna.

Not like a future queen.

Just a broken girl whose heart had been crushed in front of the entire pack.

Then my wolf spoke again.

*"The bond is still there."*

I placed my trembling hand over my chest.

She was right.

I could still feel Lucien.

His emotions reached me through the bond.

Pain.

Regret.

Confusion.

He was hurting too.

That should have made me feel better.

Instead...

It hurt even more.

Because he had made his choice.

He had chosen duty.

He had chosen my sister.

He had not chosen me.

A sudden c***k echoed through the trees.

I stiffened.

Someone was here.

Slowly, I stood and wiped the tears from my face.

"Who's there?"

A familiar figure stepped out from the darkness.

"Ethan?"

Lucien's Beta stopped a few steps away.

His usually cheerful expression had disappeared.

His clothes were dusty, as though he had run all the way from the ceremony.

"I've been looking everywhere for you."

I forced myself to stand straighter.

"Did my Alpha send you?"

The words escaped before I could stop them.

A tiny spark of hope ignited inside me.

Maybe...

Maybe Lucien had realized his mistake.

Maybe he had come to take me back.

Ethan hesitated.

"He asked me to make sure you're safe."

The fragile hope shattered instantly.

A bitter laugh escaped my lips.

"Safe?"

I looked toward the mountain where music still drifted through the night.

"They're celebrating his engagement to my sister..."

"And he wants to know if I'm safe?"

Ethan lowered his gaze.

"He knows he hurt you."

"Hurt me?"

I laughed again, though it sounded more like crying.

"No, Ethan."

"Hurt people recover."

I pressed a trembling hand against my chest.

"He broke something that can never be repaired."

Silence settled between us.

Even Ethan couldn't argue with that.

Finally, he spoke quietly.

"I've known Alpha Lucien since we were children."

"So?"

"I've never seen him look the way he looked tonight."

I folded my arms.

"What do you mean?"

"He looked like a man forcing himself to walk away from his own heart."

My eyes burned with fresh tears.

"Then he should have listened to it."

"He couldn't."

"He chose not to."

Ethan opened his mouth...

Then closed it again.

Because deep down...

He knew I was right.

A cold breeze swept across the lake.

For several moments, neither of us spoke.

Then Ethan's expression suddenly changed.

The sadness disappeared.

Only concern remained.

"Aria..."

His voice dropped to a whisper.

"We don't have much time."

A chill ran through me.

"What happened?"

He looked back toward the dark forest.

"The prophecy has already begun poisoning the pack."

My heart skipped.

"What are you talking about?"

Ethan met my eyes.

"Not everyone was satisfied with the Alpha rejecting you."

His hand slowly moved to the sword hanging at his waist.

"Some believe..."

"...the prophecy will only disappear if you die."

My blood turned cold.

"...Die?"

Ethan nodded grimly.

"The prophecy has terrified the pack."

He slowly drew the silver sword from his waist.

"The Alpha ordered everyone to leave you alone."

"But fear makes people disobey."

My wolf growled.

*"They are hunting us."*

Before I could speak, a long howl echoed through the forest.

A second answered.

Then a third.

Ethan's expression hardened.

"They're here."

The peaceful lake suddenly felt like a trap.

Leaves rustled all around us.

Dark figures stepped out from behind the trees.

One...

Three...

Five...

Ten.

Every one of them wore the crest of the Blood Moon Pack.

My own people.

The leader, a broad-shouldered warrior named Garrick, pointed his silver sword toward me.

"There she is."

His voice was filled with hatred.

"The cursed wolf."

I stared at him in disbelief.

"Garrick..."

"You trained me when I was little."

His face didn't change.

"That was before I learned you would destroy us."

Another warrior spat onto the ground.

"We should've killed her the moment the prophecy was revealed."

My chest tightened.

"So none of you believe I'm innocent?"

A woman stepped forward.

Her eyes were filled with fear.

"It isn't personal, Aria."

"We have children."

"We have families."

"If your death saves them..."

She lowered her head.

"...then we're willing to bear that sin."

Those words hurt more than any weapon.

Not one person asked whether the prophecy was true.

Not one person asked whether I wanted anyone to suffer.

They had already judged me.

Already sentenced me.

Ethan stepped in front of me.

His sword caught the moonlight.

"No one touches her."

Garrick laughed.

"Move aside, Beta."

"I can't."

"This is Alpha Lucien's direct order."

Another warrior sneered.

"The Alpha rejected her."

"He chose Lady Selene."

"He has no reason to protect this monster."

Ethan's golden eyes flashed with anger.

"Watch your tongue."

"The Alpha may have rejected the bond..."

"But she is still under his protection."

Garrick raised his sword.

"Then we'll kill her..."

"...and tell the Alpha we did what he was too weak to do."

Rage exploded across Ethan's face.

"You dare insult your Alpha?"

"No."

Garrick answered calmly.

"We're protecting him."

Without warning, he shouted,

"Attack!"

The warriors charged.

Steel clashed violently.

Ethan blocked Garrick's first strike before spinning to knock another attacker backward.

A third warrior lunged from behind.

Ethan ducked just in time.

"Run!" he shouted.

I couldn't move.

He was fighting because of me.

If I left...

He would face ten warriors alone.

"Aria!"

His voice thundered across the clearing.

"GO!"

Reluctantly, I turned and ran into the forest.

Branches whipped across my face.

My breathing became ragged.

Behind me, the sounds of battle echoed through the trees.

Clang!

Crash!

Painful cries filled the night.

Then—

"Ethan!"

His shout tore through the forest.

I stopped running.

No.

I couldn't leave him.

He had done nothing except protect me.

Turning around, I raced back toward the clearing.

The sight stole the air from my lungs.

Ethan was on one knee.

Blood soaked his shoulder.

Three warriors surrounded him while the others searched the trees.

"There!"

One of them spotted me.

"She's back!"

Before I could run again, someone grabbed my arm.

Another warrior seized my other wrist.

I struggled desperately.

"Let me go!"

Garrick slowly approached.

His silver dagger reflected the moonlight.

"This is for the Blood Moon Pack."

He lifted the blade.

Fear wrapped around my heart.

Was this really how everything ended?

Rejected by my mate...

Hunted by my own people...

Killed without ever being given a chance to prove who I was.

My wolf whimpered.

*"I don't want to die..."*

Neither did I.

Garrick raised the dagger high.

Then—

"ENOUGH!"

The single word exploded across the forest.

A terrifying Alpha aura crashed into the clearing like a tidal wave.

Boom!

The ground shook violently.

Trees bent beneath the overwhelming pressure.

Every attacking wolf was forced to their knees.

The dagger slipped from Garrick's trembling hand.

Silence consumed the forest.

Slow, deliberate footsteps echoed through the darkness.

I looked up.

Alpha Lucien Blackwood emerged from between the trees.

Moonlight illuminated his face.

His golden eyes burned with fury unlike anything I had ever seen.

Not once did he look at the warriors.

His gaze remained fixed on me.

On the bruises forming around my wrists.

On the tears still staining my cheeks.

His jaw clenched so tightly I thought it might break.

For the first time that night...

The Alpha who had rejected me looked utterly terrifying.

And every wolf in the clearing suddenly realized...

They had made a terrible mistake.