Chapter 2: The Alpha Ceremony
988 Words
Rhiannon's POV
I woke up alone.
Sunlight streamed through the cabin window, harsh and unforgiving. The space beside me on the rug was cold. Empty. I sat up slowly, my body still aching in the best way from last night, and reached for my dress.
Darius's scent lingered—pine and earth and something uniquely him. I breathed it in, letting it calm the nervous flutter in my stomach.
Today was my eighteenth birthday.
Today, my wolf should emerge.
Today, Darius would announce me as his mate.
I dressed quickly, smoothing down the worn fabric of my nicest dress—pale blue, faded from too many washes. It wasn't much, but it was all I had. The pack's daughters would be draped in silk and jewels for the ceremony. I'd be lucky if they didn't laugh me off the platform.
But Darius would be there. And that was all that mattered.
I walked back toward the packhouse, my heart pounding harder with each step. The central square was already packed with wolves—hundreds of them, all dressed in ceremonial robes. Banners hung from the trees, the Crescent Moon emblem fluttering in the breeze.
The Alpha ceremony.
I pushed through the crowd, ignoring the sneers and whispers. The wolfless orphan. The girl who didn't belong. Let them talk. In a few hours, I'd be standing beside Darius, and they'd have to respect me.
The platform loomed ahead, draped in black and silver. Darius stood at its center, his father beside him. He looked every inch the future Alpha—broad-shouldered, commanding, untouchable in his ceremonial robes.
My breath caught.
He was beautiful.
His eyes swept over the crowd, and for one heart-stopping moment, they found mine.
Then they slid past. Cold. Distant.
Like I was nothing.
No.
I shook my head, forcing down the panic rising in my chest. He was just nervous. Playing his part. He'd promised—
"Silence!" The former Alpha's voice boomed across the square. The crowd stilled instantly. "Today, my son takes his rightful place as Alpha of the Crescent Moon Pack!"
Cheers erupted. I clapped along with everyone else, my palms sweaty.
Darius stepped forward, kneeling before his father. The oath was recited—ancient words about strength and loyalty and protection. His voice was steady, confident. When he rose, the crowd roared their approval.
He was Alpha now.
My mate was Alpha.
Pride swelled in my chest, so fierce it hurt.
The former Alpha raised his hand for silence again. "And now, as is tradition, our new Alpha will announce his chosen mate—the woman who will stand beside him as Luna!"
This was it.
I straightened, smoothing my dress one last time. My hands were shaking. The crowd's eyes turned toward the platform, eager and expectant.
Darius's gaze swept over them again.
Over me.
"I choose Isolde Ravenclaw," he said.
The world stopped.
"Daughter of the Northern Alliance," he continued, his voice flat. Emotionless. "Our union will strengthen the pack and secure our future."
No.
The crowd erupted in applause. A woman stepped onto the platform—tall, blonde, impossibly beautiful in a gown that shimmered like moonlight. Isolde Ravenclaw. I knew her. Everyone knew her. She was everything I wasn't—powerful, connected, worthy.
She smiled at Darius.
He didn't smile back.
Someone laughed. Then another. The sound rippled through the crowd like poison.
"Did she actually think—"
"Poor little orphan—"
"Wolfless trash believed the Alpha wanted her—"
The words stabbed into me, each one a fresh wound. My legs moved on their own, pushing through the jeering crowd. I had to get closer. Had to see his face. Had to understand—
"Rhiannon Ashwood."
Darius's voice cut through the noise like a blade.
I froze.
He was looking at me now. Really looking. And there was nothing in his eyes. No love. No regret. Just cold, empty distance.
"I, Darius Nightshade, Alpha of Crescent Moon, reject you as my mate."
The bond snapped into place and shattered in the same breath.
I hadn't felt it before—my wolf hadn't surfaced yet. But I felt it now. The golden thread between us, barely formed, tearing apart before it even had a chance to exist.
Pain exploded through my chest.
White-hot. Consuming. Like someone had reached into my ribcage and ripped out my heart.
I gasped, my knees buckling. The world tilted. Blurred.
The crowd roared with laughter.
"Run along, little orphan!"
"Did you really think you were special?"
"Pathetic—"
I couldn't breathe. Couldn't think. There was only pain and the sound of their mockery and Darius's face—blank, emotionless, already turning away.
He turned his back on me.
Like I was nothing.
Like last night meant nothing.
I love you, Rhiannon Ashwood. More than anything in this world.
Lies.
All lies.
I ran.
Darius's POV
I watched her run.
Watched her stumble through the crowd, her shoulders shaking, her dress catching on branches as she fled toward the forest. The laughter followed her—cruel, vicious, unrelenting.
My chest felt hollow.
"Well done, son." My father clapped my shoulder, his voice full of pride. "A strong choice. Isolde will make an excellent Luna."
Isolde smiled at me. It didn't reach her eyes.
I forced myself to nod. To stand tall. To play the role of the Alpha who'd made the smart, logical choice.
But all I could see was Rhiannon's face.
The way her eyes had gone wide with shock. The way she'd crumpled when the bond broke. The way she'd looked at me like I'd killed her.
Maybe I had.
"Shall we proceed with the mating ceremony?" the elder asked.
"Yes," I heard myself say.
The crowd cheered again.
And I stood there, hollow and numb, while Rhiannon disappeared into the forest.
I'm sorry, I thought.
But sorry didn't matter anymore.
I'd made my choice.
- Writer
