Torn Between Alpha and Beta

Chapter 17: Too late or just in Time?

Carter's POV

The world blurred around me as I staggered toward the ceremonial grounds, the distant hum of voices growing louder with every unsteady step.

My heart pounded against my ribs, drowning out everything else.

I was late.

Too late.

But I didn’t care.

I pushed forward, the whiskey in my veins burning, my limbs heavy, my breath uneven. The air was thick with the scent of the pack, of burning sage, of finality.

The ceremony had already begun.

Kale was a restless storm inside me, snarling, pacing. Run.

I forced myself to move faster, nearly tripping over my own feet.

The voices ahead became clearer: low murmurs, reverent whispers. I could see them now.

The entire pack was gathered in a massive crescent, their gazes locked on the center, where Jake stood tall.

Where she stood.

Ruby.

My breath hitched.

She was dressed in pale silver, her dark hair cascading over her shoulders, a delicate floral crown resting atop her head.

She looked beautiful.

And completely numb.

Kale whimpered. She doesn’t want this.

I knew that.

I felt that.

But she was still standing there.

Beside him.

I clenched my fists, swaying slightly, my stomach twisting. I could barely stand straight, the alcohol clouding my mind, but the sight of her standing so close to him,so wrongfully close,cut through my haze like a blade.

My vision tunneled.

Elder Alec voice rang out through the clearing.

“Tonight, under the full moon, we witness the sacred bond between—”

“No.”

The word ripped out of me before I could stop it, raw and broken.

The entire ceremony halted.

All heads turned.

Dozens of wolves stared.

Ruby froze.

Jake's jaw tensed.

And for the first time in weeks,months, maybe forever, Ruby's eyes met mine.

Everything around us disappeared.

My chest heaved.

My entire body shook.

She looked… shattered.

Like she had been holding herself together with paper-thin threads.

And I wanted to tell her I was sorry.

That I should have come sooner.

That I should have fought for her before it got this far.

But it was too late for apologies.

So I did the only thing I could.

I took a staggering step forward, then another, shoving past the stunned crowd, ignoring the whispers that followed me like shadows.

I barely heard the murmurs

"He's drunk."

"What is he doing?"

"This is madness!"

None of it mattered.

Ruby's lips parted, her breath shaky, her pulse thundering in my ears.

I stopped just a few feet away from her.

Kale pressed against me, urging me forward, urging me to claim what was ours.

But I couldn’t.

Not yet.

She had to choose me first.

Jake's voice cut through the stunned silence, low and dangerous.

“Carter,” he said evenly, “you need to leave.”

I barely looked at him. “No.”

His eyes darkened. “You’re making a fool of yourself.”

I let out a rough, bitter laugh. “I don’t care.”

Elder Alec cleared his throat, attempting to regain control. “This ceremony is sacred—”

“It doesn’t matter,” I growled.

A ripple of shock passed through the pack.

Jake stepped toward me. “You’re drunk.”

I smirked. “You’re observant.”

His jaw tightened. “This isn’t about you.”

My hands shook.

Because he was wrong.

This had always been about me.

Me and Ruby.

Me and the girl I had spent my entire life trying not to love,only to realize too late that she was the only thing that ever mattered.

I turned my gaze back to her.

Her eyes were wide, her chest rising and falling too fast, her fingers trembling slightly at her sides.

She hadn’t moved.

Hadn’t spoken.

She was waiting.

For me.

For the truth.

For the words I should have said long ago.

I took a deep breath, steadied myself, and said the only thing that mattered.

“I should’ve told you long ago.” My voice was hoarse, raw, but undeniable.

The pack was silent.

Ruby's fingers curled at her sides.

My throat tightened.

“But I love you.”

A sharp gasp cut through the air.

I swallowed hard. “I’ve always loved you.”

The moment the words left my mouth, the world tilted.

I could hear the pack’s collective gasp, the murmurs spreading like wildfire, but none of it mattered.

Not the ceremony.

Not the wolves watching.

Not the furious presence of Jake just a few feet away.

Only her.

Ruby.

Her lips were slightly parted, her breath uneven, her dark eyes locked on mine.

She looked like she had just been hit by a storm.

Like she was waiting for me to take it back.

But I wouldn’t.

Because it was the truth.

It had always been the truth.

My hands shook, my entire body buzzing with adrenaline and the dull haze of alcohol.

But I had never been more certain of anything.

“I love you,” I repeated, my voice hoarse but steady.

The murmurs grew louder.

I didn’t care.

Because she still wasn’t moving.

Still wasn’t speaking.

Her fingers curled slightly at her sides, as if she were bracing herself.

I took a step closer.

“I should have told you a long time ago,” I said, my voice low, raw. “I should have told you when we were kids. When I followed you around the packhouse, driving you crazy, stealing your hair ties just to make you chase me.”

A flicker of something crossed her face,a memory, recognition.

But she still didn’t speak.

So I kept going.

“I should have told you the first time we shifted,” I whispered, my throat tight. “When Kale saw Riley and knew she was meant for us. When I saw you in your wolf form, standing there, looking like you belonged to the wild more than you ever belonged to this pack.”

Ruby inhaled sharply.

Her shoulders trembled.

I took another step forward, my hands clenching at my sides.

I was swaying slightly, unsteady, but I didn’t stop.

Didn’t care.

“I should have told you when you looked at me after my mother died,” I continued, my voice barely above a whisper. “When you didn’t say anything, but you sat beside me anyway, you cared for me. When I knew, even then, that you were the only person I ever wanted to sit beside me for the rest of my life.”

Ruby's breath hitched.

Her throat moved as she swallowed.

Aria was pacing inside her, her energy flickering, restless.

I exhaled shakily.

“And I should have told you the night my father told me an Alpha can’t be with an Omega.”

Ruby flinched.

I felt the shift in her immediately.

The way her body tensed.

The way her expression darkened.

The way the pain flashed across her eyes.

“I should have fought for you then,” I admitted, my voice breaking. “I should have told him that you were more than just an Omega. That you were everything. That you were stronger than half the warriors in this pack. That you were the only person I ever wanted.”

Tears glimmered in her eyes.

But she still didn’t speak.

Kale whined, pressing forward. She hears us.

I took a final step forward.

There was barely any space between us now,just a breath, just a heartbeat.

Ruby's chest rose and fell too quickly, her pulse wild.

I swallowed hard.

“And I should have told you that every time I ignored you,every time I let you believe I didn’t care,it was because I was trying to convince myself you’d be better off without me.”

Her lips parted slightly.

I let out a rough breath.

“But I was wrong,” I whispered.

The entire pack was silent.

The entire world was silent.

I clenched my fists.

“I was wrong,” I said again, my voice stronger.

Then I met her gaze.

And for the first time in my life

I said the words without hesitation.

Without fear.

Without running away.

“I love you, Ruby.”

The words hung in the air.

Everything stopped.

The pack was stunned, frozen in disbelief.

Jake was stiff, silent, deadly.

And Ruby

Ruby was shaking.

Her breath was uneven, her eyes searching mine, her entire body caught between fight and flight.

And I waited.

For her to say something.

For her to run.

For her to choose.