FATED TO MY FATHER'S BETA

POV: Aria I had waited eighteen years for this night, as my life depends on it. The pack hall glowed with firelight and silver banners, the Stormridge crest carved into every pillar. Wolves filled the space, laughing, talking, drinking their life out. The air smelled like pine smoke, meat, and excitement. All this celebration was actually because of me. Aria Stormridge, the alpha’s daughter. Finally of age, a full-blown wolf. My heart beat fast as I stood beside my father on the raised platform. Alpha Magnus Stormridge looked powerful as always, tall and broad, his dark hair pulled back, his presence so heavy and commanding. When he placed his hand on my shoulder, the crowd fell silent immediately. “Tonight,” he said, his voice sounding with cheerful authority, “my daughter takes her place among us not as a child, but as a wolf.” Cheers exploded around us. Smiles stretched on my lips so wide that my cheeks hurt. This was supposed to be the happiest night of my life. I searched the crowd without thinking, my eyes finding him instantly, the man I'd been in love with since I was a kid. Kael Stormridge stood near the back, arms crossed, his Beta mark visible on his neck. He was my father’s second in command, strong, respected, and feared by many. He was also the man I had loved quietly for years. He met my eyes, his expression unreadable, zero emotions. My chest warmed just from looking at him, unexplained happiness dancing in my stomach like jelly. Tonight, I will awaken my wolf. Tonight, everything will change. The Elder stepped forward, leaning on her carved staff. Her eyes, cloudy with age, fixed on me. “Step into the circle, child.” I did it immediately without thinking twice. The stone beneath my feet was cold. The runes carved into it pulsed faintly. My breathing grew shallow. “This may hurt,” the Elder warned softly. “Do not fight it.” I nodded. I was not afraid. I was ready for anything that is about to happen to me. After all, I've been waiting for this moment.. The drums began. Slowly at first,then deeply. Each beat echoed inside my chest. At first, it felt like heat. A small spark in my stomach. Then the spark exploded into something I couldn't phantom.. I gasped as pain ripped through me. It was not like anything I had ever felt. My bones screamed as if they were being crushed and rebuilt at the same time. I fell to my knees, crying out as fire burned through my veins. Something inside me woke up. I heard gasps from the crowd, whispers spreading like wildfire. “My eyes,” someone said. “Look at her eyes.” The pain intensified. My spine arched as my body twisted. I screamed, unable to hold it back. My fingers dug into the stone as silver light burst from my skin. My clothes tore. My vision became blurry. Then, with one final wave of agony, I shifted. I stood on four legs, breath heaving unsteadily, heart pounding. My fur shimmered like moonlight, pure silver from nose to tail. I lifted my head and saw the reflection in the polished stone. Ice blue eyes stared back at me. The pack became silent as a graveyard. Then chaos followed. “A silver wolf,” someone whispered, voice shaking. “They are legends.” “Once per century.” I did not understand it yet. I only knew I felt powerful, alive and complete. Then it happened. A sharp pull snapped inside my chest, like an invisible chain locking into place. My breath caught. My wolf lifted her head.. Mate. The word was not spoken, but it thundered through my soul. My gaze flew to Kael. The moment our eyes met, the bond slammed into me fully. Heat and longing crashed over me so hard my legs trembled. Every instinct screamed his name. Kael stiffened. His eyes widened, horror flashing across his face. He took a step back, then another, like I was something dangerous he couldn't handle. “No,” he whispered. My heart broke in real time. Kael turned away. Just like that, without thinking twice, or maybe he actually did, was it fear or what should I call it? The bond still burned between us, raw and undeniable, but he walked away as if it meant nothing. Murmurs turned into shouts. Confusion rippled through the pack. I shifted back, collapsing onto the stone, naked and shaking profusely. A cloak was thrown over me, but I barely noticed it.. “Kael,” I called, my voice cracking. “Please don't go, don't leave me here.” He heard me, I think, but he did not stop. The hall doors slammed open as he left. Silence followed, heavy and suffocating. Then my father moved, grinning like a lion. “What did you do,” Alpha Magnus roared. The room trembled under his fury. His eyes locked onto me, then the doors Kael had exited through. “That bond,” he said through clenched teeth, “is unacceptable.” My heart pounded in fear now, not excitement. “Father, I did not choose this.” “You are my daughter,” he snapped. “And he is my Beta. This weakens the pack.” Weakens? The word cut deep. Alpha Magnus threw his head back and released a powerful Alpha command. The force of it slammed into my chest like a shut door.. “Kael Stormridge,” he bellowed, “return and submit to me immediately.” Pain ripped through me as the command traveled the bond. I cried out, clutching my chest. Wolves dropped to their knees around me, unable to withstand the power. In the distance, a howl rose, it was so raw and literally broken, full of torment and anguish. Kael. The sound tore through my soul. I felt his struggle through the bond, his resistance shaking with agony. He was fighting my father. Fighting the Alpha command. Tears streamed down my face as I curled into myself. Hope had filled me moments ago. Now all I felt was rejection, confusion, and pain so deep I wondered if it would ever heal. Kael’s howl echoed once more, long and tortured, before it cut off suddenly. And I knew. This awakening had changed everything, and nothing would ever be the same again.