Torn Between Alpha and Beta

Chapter 15: Unspoken Secrets and Unseen Faces

Ruby's POV

I walked back into the banquet hall, weaving through the sea of smiling faces, forcing my own to match theirs.

Pretending.

It was exhausting.

The room felt warmer than before, the flickering candlelight casting elongated shadows against the dark wooden walls. My dress suddenly felt too tight, the fabric clinging to my skin, restricting my breath.

I swallowed hard and made my way toward my seat beside Jake.

His attention was elsewhere, his posture relaxed, a half-smirk playing on his lips.

I followed his gaze.

A group of warriors from Shadowridge stood near the entrance, engaged in quiet conversation. They weren’t loud or boastful like some of our own fighters. They were watching.

Jake's smirk deepened.

And then it happened.

His gaze met one of theirs.

A blond warrior, tall and broad, with sharp blue eyes.

The glance lasted only a second.

A flicker of something unspoken passing between them.

But I saw it.

I felt it.

My stomach twisted.

Because there was something there.

Some kind of understanding.

Some kind of secret.

Riley bristled, stepping closer in my mind. What was that?

I don't know.

But the unease that had been growing inside me all night tightened like a noose.

Jake turned back toward me, his expression slipping easily into the warm, charming fiancé everyone adored. “You okay?”

I hesitated.

The right response,the expected response,was to smile and nod.

To tell him I was fine.

So I did.

“Of course.”

His eyes flickered over my face, like he was searching for something.

Then he smirked and lifted his goblet. “Good.”

The unease remained.

Lingered in the back of my mind like a whisper I couldn’t quite hear.

But I pushed it down.

Like I always did.

Because tomorrow, none of this would matter.

Tomorrow, I would be his.

And there would be no room for doubts.

The morning air was crisp, the sky an endless stretch of blue, as if the universe itself was mocking me with its perfection.

The pack was alive with movement preparations in full swing, wolves rushing back and forth with flowers, setting up the ceremonial site, making everything as perfect as it was supposed to be.

As I was supposed to be.

I sat in front of the mirror, watching as the pack’s caretakers arranged my hair, their fingers weaving small white flowers into the strands.

“You look beautiful,” one of them murmured.

I smiled.

Because that’s what I was supposed to do.

Inside, my stomach churned.

My heart ached.

Because he wasn’t here.

I had searched for him all morning, subtly glancing around the packhouse, my heart lurching every time a new face appeared, hoping

Praying.

But Carter was nowhere.

Not at the training fields.

Not among the warriors preparing the ceremonial space.

Not in the crowd of wolves gathered near the packhouse.

Nowhere.

The one person I needed to see today

And he was gone.

Riley let out a low whimper. He should be here.

I swallowed hard, my fingers curling into my lap. It doesn’t matter.

It does.

I closed my eyes.

Because Riley was right.

It did matter.

I had convinced myself that Carter's silence meant he didn’t care, that he had moved on, that he had made his choice.

But some small, fragile, desperate part of me had still hoped.

Hoped that he would come.

That he would say something.

That he would see me today and feel what I felt.

And now, as I sat here, surrounded by preparations for a life I wasn’t sure was mine to claim

I felt that last thread of hope shatter.

I forced a breath.

In. Out. Keep control.

Then I opened my eyes and looked at myself in the mirror.

At the girl with flowers in her hair, dressed in white.

At the girl who was no longer waiting.

Because there was nothing left to wait for.

The caretakers moved around me, adding final touches, smoothing the fabric of my dress, brushing scented oils along my wrists.

Everything was precise, meticulous.

But I felt disconnected, as if I were watching from outside my own body.

“The ceremony will begin soon,” one of them said, stepping back to admire their work. “It’s almost time.”

Almost time.

The words felt hollow.

Like they belonged to someone else’s story.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and nodded. “Thank you.”

The women murmured their blessings before leaving the room, their voices fading into the distant hum of preparations.

The door clicked shut.

And then I was alone.

Alone with my thoughts.

Alone with the reality of what was about to happen.

Riley shifted inside me, her presence more insistent. You don’t want this.

I gripped the edge of the vanity. It doesn’t matter what I want.

It should.

I squeezed my eyes shut. It doesn’t.

Riley growled softly, but she didn’t argue.

Because we both knew the truth.

There was no turning back now.

The sound of drums echoed through the packhouse.

A signal.

A summoning.

It was time.

I turned back to the mirror, taking one last look at myself.

At the girl who had spent years fighting to be seen.

And now, the only person she wanted to see her

Wasn’t here.

Carter had always been there, whether I wanted him to be or not.

Even when we fought. Even when we drifted apart. Even when we became strangers standing in the same pack.

But today, when it mattered most

He wasn’t here.

Riley whimpered. We shouldn’t do this.

I inhaled sharply, pushing down the ache in my chest.

Then I turned.

And walked toward my fate.

The packhouse halls were quieter than usual, as most of the wolves had already gathered near the ceremonial site. Their voices drifted through the open windows, muffled laughter, anticipation, celebration.

I should have felt proud to be at the center of it.

Instead, I felt like a guest at my own wedding.

Like an outsider watching someone else’s life unfold.

I entered my dressing room, ready to take a moment for myself before the ceremony began. But the moment I closed the door, I sensed her presence.

A shadow near the window.

I turned just as Evie stepped out of the dim light.

Her amber eyes were sharp, but there was something else in them, something I rarely saw,desperation.

“Ruby.”

I sighed, already knowing why she was here. “Evie—”

“Don’t do this.”

Her voice was urgent, her fingers tightening into fists at her sides.

I looked away. “It’s already done.”

“No, it’s not.” She stepped forward. “You can walk away. It’s not too late.”

I swallowed hard, the words hitting something raw inside me.

Because hadn’t I been thinking the same thing?

Hadn’t I been waiting for a reason to stop this?

Hadn’t I been searching for someone to stop me?

But there was no one.

No one except Evie.

And Evie wasn’t him.

I inhaled shakily. “I don’t have a choice.”

She scoffed. “That’s bullshit, and you know it.”

I clenched my fists, turning back toward the vanity. “I can’t do this right now.”

She let out a sharp breath. “Ruby, listen to me. I know you. And I know that if you go through with this, you’re going to regret it for the rest of your life.”

I squeezed my eyes shut.

Regret.

That word dug under my skin like a blade.

Because I already knew she was right.

But I had spent so long convincing myself that it didn’t matter.

That it couldn’t matter.

Evie moved closer, lowering her voice. “You don’t love him.”

I let out a hollow laugh. “That doesn’t matter either.”

“Doesn’t it?” Her voice cracked. “Ruby, this is your life.”

I shook my head, fighting to keep my breathing even. “No, Evie. It’s the life that was given to me.”

Silence stretched between us.

Then she whispered, “It doesn’t have to be.”

My chest tightened.

Because I wanted so badly to believe that.

That I could still choose.

That I wasn’t already too far gone.

But Carter wasn’t here.

Carter had made his choice.

And I had to live with that.

I turned to face her, my voice breaking.

“Carter doesn’t care, Evie. He never has.”

Evie flinched.

I did too.

Because saying it out loud made it real.

Because I had spent years fighting for his attention, only to realize that I had been invisible to him all along.

Evie shook her head, blinking rapidly. “That’s not true.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat, forcing a bitter smile. “Then where is he?”

She opened her mouth.

Then closed it.

Because she didn’t have an answer.

Because there wasn’t one.

I exhaled, turning back toward the mirror.

The girl staring back at me looked the same.

But inside, something had broken beyond repair.

Evie lingered for a moment.

Then, finally, she let out a slow breath.

“I hope you’re wrong,” she murmured.

I didn’t respond.

Because I hoped so too.

Even though I already knew

I wasn’t.