Chapter 3
856 Words
Alpha Richard Brown’s Stance
“You’re the cause of all this mess, Ray. You’re the one who forced me to be here!” I seethe, venting my frustration at my Beta and best friend, Raymond. Seated back at our table, away from the chaos, I try to cool off.
“How is this my fault? All I did was accept the invitation. I didn’t set her up as your mate,” he counters.
“The Moon Goddess must have made a mistake. Did you even get a good look at that girl?”
“I did.”
“And does it make any sense that a weak, useless girl like her could be my mate? My Luna?”
“I don’t know, man. I won’t say the Moon Goddess made a mistake—that would be blasphemy,” Raymond says with a wince. “But she does have the looks and presence to be a Luna.”
“Blasphemy or not, I don’t care. The Moon Goddess played a cruel joke on me tonight. Pairing me with her is insanity,” I say. “I rule an empire. How can she lead by my side when she can’t even meet my gaze? She trembles like an Omega. I still can’t believe her father is the Beta of this pack.”
“You’ve said enough. Give the girl a break,” Ray sighs. “If you weren’t so set in your ways, you’d see she could be a fine Luna.”
“What did you just say?”
“For real, man. So what if she doesn’t have a wolf yet? Maybe she has other strengths, but you won’t know unless you give her a chance. The Moon Goddess never gets it wrong. We have to trust in fate.”
“A leap of faith? That’s nonsense. If I took that leap, I’d crash and burn. There’s no way I could tolerate her for a day without rejecting her.”
“Without even trying to know her?” Ray shakes his head. “You could’ve at least spared her the public humiliation. Rejecting her in private would have been less cruel. Now, she’s the talk of the night.”
“I don’t give a damn if the whole world mocks her,” I say coldly.
“That just makes you obnoxious, rude, and ruthless,” Ray snorts.
“All that?” I scoff. “What’s gotten into you? Why are you siding with her?”
“I’m not taking sides, Richard,” he states, raising his hands in surrender.
“Sure seems like you are.”
“I’m just being honest. What you did was unnecessary, and deep down, you know it.” With that, Ray stands and walks away.
“Ray!” I call, but he doesn’t stop. He vanishes into the crowd, chatting with other Betas.
The party ends within the hour, and we prepare to leave. The ride home is tense, the silence thick with unspoken words. Ray wants me to admit I was wrong, but I refuse. Because I wasn’t. He needs to understand that.
Raymond has been my best friend since childhood. After my father, the former Alpha of the Black Claw Pack, and his Beta—Ray’s father—were killed, I took over as Alpha, and Ray became my Beta. We’ve always had disagreements, but I know he has my back. Just like I have his.
Breaking the silence, I demand, “Are you seriously not going to talk to me?” Ray ignores me, feigning sleep. “I’m talking to you.”
“What do you want?” he sighs.
“I want you to talk to me. Why are you acting cold?”
“Why do you think?” he snaps. “You never listen.”
“Is this about that she-wolf?”
“That she-wolf is your mate, Richard. Your Luna!” he shouts, eyes blazing with frustration.
The way he says it makes my blood boil. I should’ve ended her existence then and there. The Moon Goddess dared to humiliate me by mating me with a lowly girl like her.
Ray glares at me like I’m his enemy. “What the hell, Richard?”
“Enough,” he mutters. “Let’s stop talking about this.”
“You’re my Beta and best friend. You should prioritize the pack. How can I accept a girl who offers nothing to our people? She would only be a burden.”
“This is insane, Rich. Absolutely insane,” he growls. “The Moon Goddess is never wrong.”
“Not this time, Ray. She made a mistake. I am the Alpha, the king. You forced me to attend that ridiculous gathering.”
Ray hisses, “You should’ve stayed behind then.”
“You knew I didn’t want to go,” I snap. The only reason I agreed was for him—he hoped to find his mate. I had no idea I would be the one facing humiliation.
I will never forgive her.
If I ever see her again, I’ll make sure she regrets the day she was born.
- Writer
