Too Fat for the Alpha, Perfect for His Brother

Chapter 3

Aurora's POV

Two years ago, I had stopped waiting for my mate.

I still remembered the night I turned eighteen. I had stood in front of the old mirror in my tiny room, wearing the pale blue dress one of the older maids had given me, my heart was beating so hard that I had been certain everyone in the servants' quarters could hear it.

Eighteen was supposed to be the beginning of something.

The age when the Moon Goddess could finally reveal the wolf you were destined to spend your life with.

Girls in Moonvale talked about that night for years before it came. They dreamed about the moment they would feel the pull, hear their mate's voice for the first time, or wake up knowing that somewhere in the pack was the person meant for them.

I had dreamed too.

I had imagined a man looking at me and not immediately seeing my size.

Someone who would look beyond the body everyone else had decided was my greatest flaw and find the woman underneath it.

But eighteen came.

And went.

Nothing happened.

Nineteen came.

Nothing.

Then twenty.

By then, I had stopped asking the Moon Goddess why.

I had simply accepted that perhaps I wasn't meant to have that part of life.

Maybe some people were born to be loved, and others were born to watch from the edges.

I knew which group I belonged to.

At least, I thought I did.

Until Alpha Roman summoned me to his room the night before the mating ceremony.

For one ridiculous night, I had allowed myself to imagine that perhaps life had finally decided to surprise me.

I should have known better.

Now, as I hurried through the pack house preparing for the ceremony, I forced the thoughts away.

Or at least, I tried to.

But every time my mind went quiet, I saw him again in my thoughts.

Alaric.

Sitting on that balcony.

Watching me.

I still couldn't explain why I had run that night. I had barely known the man beyond the stories everyone whispered about him, yet the moment our eyes met, something inside me had told me to leave. I had walked away so quickly that I hadn't even looked back until I was safely inside the servants' quarters.

And even now, I couldn't shake the feeling that his eyes were still somewhere behind me.

It made no sense.

I had seen Alaric before, of course. Everyone in Moonvale knew who he was. But that night had been the first time I had truly looked at him, really looked at him, and allowed my eyes to meet his.

I still remembered the way his hand had tightened around the armrest of his wheelchair.

Why?

What had he seen?

And why had he looked at me as though he knew something I didn't?

"Aurora?"

I was startled and turned.

One of the other maids was standing beside me, watching my face with a frown.

"Are you all right? You look tense."

I forced a smile and reached for another bundle of flowers.

"I'm fine."

She studied me for another second before shrugging and returning to her work.

I lowered my eyes to the flowers in my hands, pretending to be busy.

But my thoughts had already wandered back to that balcony.

Back to Alaric.

And to the question I couldn't seem to silence.

Why had he been looking at me like that?

There were silver ribbons to hang along the main hall, flowers to arrange around the ceremonial platform, trays of wine to carry into the great hall, and a dozen other things that suddenly seemed far more important than my bruised heart.

That was the trouble with being a servant.

The world could break you in half, and someone would still expect you to polish the silver.

I was arranging the last row of white flowers when a familiar voice floated across the room.

"Aurora, is that ribbon supposed to look like that?"

I turned.

Valentina stood at the entrance.

For a moment, I forgot what I was doing.

She looked exactly like what everyone in Moonvale expected their future Luna to look like.

Her golden hair fell in soft waves down her back, catching every bit of sunlight that came through the tall windows. Her dress hugged her slender figure before falling around her legs.

Even the smallest details about her seemed carefully chosen, the pretty necklace around her throat, the polished nails, the little diamond earrings that moved whenever she turned her head.

She didn't need to announce herself.

People noticed Valentina.

They always had.

She walked into the room with the easy confidence of someone who had never once wondered whether she belonged.

Then her eyes flew to the ribbon in my hand.

"You're pulling it too tightly."

I glanced at it.

"I'm sorry."

She came closer, examining my work with the faintest crease between her brows.

"Tomorrow is important. Everything has to be perfect."

Of course it did.

Tomorrow was the day Moonvale would officially receive its Luna.

Although everyone already knew who she would be.

Valentina had been prepared for that position since she was a child. She had been taught how to walk beside an Alpha, how to speak to other pack leaders, how to host ceremonies, how to carry herself in public. She knew which fork to use at formal dinners and how to smile without showing annoyance when someone bored her.

She was the Golden Girl.

I was the girl who cleaned up after her.

"Yes, Valentina," I murmured.

She gave me a satisfied little smile.

Then her eyes travelled over me.

For half a second, she looked rather amused.

"Actually, forget the ribbon."

I looked up.

"Go and check the flowers near the eastern entrance. They looked uneven earlier."

"Yes."

I gathered the flowers carefully, but Valentina's voice stopped me before I could leave.

"And don't squeeze them with those thick fingers of yours. They're flowers, Aurora, not something you're supposed to crush.”

A few maids nearby laughed.

I lowered my hands.

Valentina tilted her head, looking at me over again.

"And when you carry them, try not to move so heavily. You're already taking up enough space without making everyone watch you shake the floor every time you walk."

The laughter around us grew louder.

"Yes, Valentina."

She smiled, feeling satisfied.

"Good. And tomorrow, be careful with your dress. If you squeeze yourself into something too small, don't come crying when the seams give up before the ceremony begins."

She turned away, then glanced back at me.

"Actually, forget that. Just wear something loose. It would be kinder to the dress.”

"I don't have a dress for tomorrow." I said, keeping my eyes to the ground. Not like mating ceremonies were for me anyways.

She smiled.

"I know."

Then she walked away.

I stared after her for a moment before returning to the flowers.

That was Valentina.

She could insult you without ever raising her voice.

By sunset, the great hall had been transformed.

White and yellow flowers covered the ceremonial platform, silver candles lined the walls.

Wolves from every corner of Moonvale had gathered for the ceremony, dressed in their finest clothes with everyone already celebrating what had already been decided by them.

I remained at the edges of it all.

That was where I belonged.

The servants stood behind the guests, ready to refill glasses, collect plates, and clean anything that needed cleaning.

I kept my hands folded in front of me while I watched the ceremony begin.

The ancient Elder who presided over mating ceremonies stepped onto the raised platform.

Her silver hair was braided down her back, and the ceremonial crescent of Moonvale rested against her forehead.

"Tonight," she announced, "those who have reached the age of eighteen and have not yet been united with their destined mate will stand before the Moon Goddess."

The hall was quiet.

My heart gave one uncomfortable beat, but I looked down. I had no business feeling anything.

I had already given up.

Then the doors burst open.