CHAPTER 2
1023 Words
Just another day, yet the day held tension in every corner. The pack was gathered here to hear an announcement of the Alpha's mate. Whispers of excitement and guesses hummed in the air as I tried not to let the anxious fluttering in my chest concern me.
But powerful ambitious Alpha Lucien of the Silverfang Pack was a force to be looked at: a man others feared and admired. His strength was the stuff of legends, and his rule was absolute. Today was a turning point in my life. The pack's tradition had it that the Alpha took his mate from among the strongest wolves. And when Lucien had proclaimed me his preordained mate, I couldn't help but feel a surge of hope intermingled with fear.
I was standing among pack members, and my heart fluttered while Lucien stepped up onto the platform. His intimidating presence hushed them all, and every eye was on him, mine included. My stomach coiled in a whirlpool of excitement and fear.
To be picked by him was an honor and a curse. But while the Alpha's gaze swept over the gathered pack, I tried to gather my courage to take whatever was to come.
"Pack members," Lucien's voice roared above the murmurs of the crowd. "I have chosen my mate."
The air thickened with electric anticipation, and I held my breath- my moment in life was near. Throwing a glance through the sea of faces, my eyes locked with Cameron's smirk; my fists automatically fisted. I wasn't going to let that spiteful glint in his eye get to me.
Lucien turned to me then, his dark eyes glinting through the sea of faces. "Amara, step forward."
My knees were weak, but I started up onto the platform with deliberation; the silent air caught every move I made.
By the time I reached the bottom step up onto it, I raised my chin preparatory to a confident meeting of our gazes. Lucien's gaze impaled mine, and in that one flight-of-madness instant, I let myself believe this somehow could be a kind of beginning.
The crowd held its collective breath as Lucien's face was unreadable. He took a deep breath to speak, and the cold, disapproving edge of his voice was clear as day. "I have chosen to make Amara my mate, but not because she was strong. No, it was because the traditions called for it. An omega like her- well, there's no match to be my Luna.".
A gasp rose en bloc in the crowd. My heart sank, and it was as if the world crumbled beneath my feet. The laughter which sent forth its echoes thereafter sounded like cruel mirthless jeers to me, intended, it seemed, to drown the other voices.
I turned to Lucien, my voice shaking. "What do you mean? I thought,
"I said precisely what I meant," he interrupted, cold and final. "An omega does not go beside an Alpha of my caliber. You are weak and an undignified wolf. I have no need of a Luna incapable of standing with me with strength and honor."
These words fell upon me like a blow, a physical weight that stole the breath from my lungs. The weight of their eyes on me was a heavy one, full of disdain and amusement.
Tears blurred my vision, but I blinked them off, fighting to remain upright.
"This cannot be happening," I whispered to myself. "This isn't real.".
"It is very real," said Lucien firmly. "I refuse to be bound by traditions that would have me settle for someone unworthy."
I looked through the pack members, their faces masked both in shock and fulfillment; the most prominent was Cameron's sneer, pure evidence of his complete disgust against me.
My heart ringing in my chest struggled to digest the magnitude of what Lucien had done-what he had said, really.
A sympathetic murmur, full of pity, arose from the crowd and was quickly suppressed as one clear commanding voice rose above the rest: Lucien's. "Return to your duties. This matter is settled.".
I turned my back to the platform and began trudging my way back through the forest, my head hung low. With every step, my legs felt heavier than the last as snickers and murmurings from the pack followed me, their voices cutting into my already lacerated spirit.
I plopped myself into a chair after finally reaching my grandmother's cabin, my hands shaking terribly. A room that was usually my sanctuary was too suffocating for me at this moment. The fire crackled but somehow offered no warmth.
My grandmother entered; her face etched with concern. "Amara, what happened? I heard the announcement. Did Lucien reject you?"
I nodded, wordless. My throat clenched down, as if the sting of Lucien's words was too fresh and painful; I'd be lying if I said this wasn't served with an expected blow.
"It was worse than I thought," I choked out. "He said I'm not worthy to be his Luna. That I am weak and insignificant.
My grandmother's eyes welled with sympathy, and she sat down beside me, putting her arms around me.
She spoke softly, "It is not about you, Amara. It is about his insecurities and desire for power. You were never going to fit his image of strength. That doesn't mean you aren't strong or worthy."
I drew back a little, searching her wise eyes. "What do I do now?
"You keep moving forward," she said with finality. "You prove to yourself that you are more than what they see.
It is not the title that defines you, nor the position; it is who you are inside and how you stand against the various antagonist life continuously throws at you."
I nodded though the pain was still heavy. How much Lucien rejected me weighed on my shoulders, but my grandmother's words had given me a small spark of hope.
Perhaps, even despite everything, I could rise above the humiliation and prove to myself my worth-not to Lucien, not to the pack-but to myself.
Tears welled as I whispered, "I'll find my own path, no matter how hard it is."
- Writer
