The Alpha Wants His Curvy Luna Back

Chapter2

EVELYN

The moment my feet touched the ground, pain vibrated through my side. I winced, pressing a hand against the fresh bandage beneath my dress.

"Easy," Damien said, reaching out to steady me.

"I'm fine."

"You just had surgery."

"I know."

His hand lingered around my waist, supporting me as we walked toward the Pack Hall. Every step hurt, but I didn't care. My heart was beating too fast for me to notice much else.

The doors to the hall opened before us. Warm light spilled outside, followed by the sound of music and cheerful conversations.

The room was breathtaking, with white roses covering every table. Silver candles lined along the walls, and a crystal chandelier hung above the crowd. For a second, I forgot how to breathe. It was beautiful.

Then, people started looking at me. All I could do was smile. Some smiled back at me, but most didn't. Instead, they whispered to the person beside them.

A woman covered her mouth, leaning to the ear of the man beside her to whisper something to him. I watched as he shook his head, muttering in a way I could clearly hear what he was saying.

"And she actually came."

"I thought someone would've stopped her." Another voice said from somewhere.

"I almost feel sorry for her."

The smile on my face disappeared. Sorry? For what? I looked at Damien, expecting him to explain, but he had already taken a few steps ahead.

"Damien?"

He glanced back. "Come." He said in a calmer voice, almost too calm I had to hurry after him as much as my body allowed.

It didn't stop the crowd from whispering. If anything, it grew worse.

The excitement inside me slowly gave way to something I couldn't explain. An uncomfortable feeling started to grow in my stomach, this didn't feel like the surprise I'd imagined.

As we reached the center of the hall, Damien let go of my arm. "I'll be right back."

Before I could ask where he was going, he walked away, straight toward the stage.

I smiled to myself. Of course, he was getting everything ready.

My fingers nervously smoothed the fabric of my dress. I suddenly wished I'd worn something prettier, maybe curled my hair, or even add lipstick.

Would he notice? Would he still think I looked beautiful even with the dark circles under my eyes? I laughed softly at myself.

"Evelyn..."

An elderly woman from the pack approached me. She had known me for years. Instead of smiling, she gently squeezed my hand.

"I'm... praying for you."

My brows knitted together. "Praying for me?"

She looked as though she wanted to say more. Instead, she simply sighed and walked away. I felt something cold move in my chest, and all of a sudden, the music stopped.

Everyone turned toward the stage. An elder stepped onto the platform, raising both hands to silence the crowd.

"Members of the Blackwood Pack..." His voice echoed through the room. "Today is a day of celebration."

Everyone started clapping. I found myself smiling while rubbing my already wet palms nervously.

The elder continued. "Today, we witness the future Alpha step into a new chapter of his life."

I wasn't paying much attention this time, my eyes were busy wandering to see Damien, and when I saw him, I couldn't help but smile more. He stood tall in his black suit, looking every bit the Alpha everyone admired.

Then... someone walked onto the stage beside him.

A woman.

She wore a breathtaking white dress that clung perfectly to her skin, her long dark hair resting over her shoulders. She was graceful, elegant, and beautiful. She looked like she'd stepped out of one of those fairy tales little girls dream about.

For a moment, I assumed she was helping with the ceremony. Maybe she was the host. Maybe—

She slipped her hand into Damien's. Upon seeing it, the smile on my face faded in a split second. No. This can't be happening, right?

Elder Gwen continued. "It is my honor to announce the union of our future Alpha..." I held my breath. "...Damien Blackwood and his fated mate..."

My heart hammered against my ribs. Despite seeing the woman beside him, I couldn't help but pray that the next thing Elder Gwen was going to mention was my name.

"...Seraphina Ashford."

For a moment, the world seemed to stop. Everyone stood up, clapping their hands so hard and screaming with everything in them, seeing the man I had spent eight years of my life loving, standing with another woman. As if that wasn't enough, someone threw flower petals into the air.

I couldn't hear any of it. The only sound I could hear was the violent pounding of my own heart.

No. No, this wasn't right. There had been a mistake, there had to be.

I laughed under my breath. "They... they said the wrong name."

I looked around, wondering why no one cared to correct the elder. Not like they didn't know anything about my relationship with Damien, they do. But then, everyone seems to act like they never knew a thing.

I looked at Damien, but he wasn't looking at me. He was looking at Seraphina, staring at her the same way he used to look at me. My chest squeezed so painfully that I forgot about the stitches in my side.

"Damien..." The word barely left my lips.

As though he'd finally heard me, he turned.

Our eyes met. I searched his face for panic, for guilt, for regret, for anything that could explain what had just happened.

Instead, he looked at me like I had suddenly become the one person he had bowed never to meet, like I'd interrupted something so dare to him.

He walked down from the stage until he stood a few feet away from me.

"What's happening, Damien?" I asked before I could stop myself. "What is all these? Why did Elder Gwen call another woman's name and not mine?"

"Isn't it obvious already?" He snapped. "Take a look at yourself, Evelyn, do you really like the way you are? Can you even spend a second with someone like you?" I stared at him, shocked. Why was he telling me this?

This was a man that had spent eight good years convincing me that he didn't see about my body, and that I was beautiful just the way I am. Now, this same man was judging me, right in front of everyone, that I was fat?

I was so shocked I couldn't even say a single word. He mistook my silence and continued.

"You can't. That's why you go around forcing yourself into other people." He said it in a way that anyone would have thought I was this desperate for his love and attention. "You know what? I can't even imagine myself spending the rest of my life with you, watching myself have kids who would take up the entire space in a room. And I can't, not even in my wildest dreams, imagine you sit on my throne. It wasn't made for someone..." he dragged his gaze at me from he's to toe. "...like you. You'd definitely ruin it even before the month runs out, so no!"

I couldn't breathe. I couldn't think. I couldn't even cry. All I could do was stare at the two people standing before me. One, the man I'd loved for eight years. The other, the woman who had somehow taken my place without me ever knowing.

I looked at Damien one last time, trying so hard not to cry even though the tears were just sitting there in my eyes.

"...Was any of it real?"