After the ceremony
1537 Words
chapter 2
The palace had never been this quiet before.
Not peaceful quiet.
The kind of silence that came before something broke.
Servants moved carefully through the halls of the royal mansion, their voices lowered to whispers whenever guards passed by. Nobody wanted to openly discuss what happened at the ceremony.
But everybody was thinking about it.
The future Alpha had walked away from his Luna.
Brian pushed open the palace doors slowly, exhaustion heavy in his chest as he stepped into the grand hallway. The warmth inside wrapped around him immediately, but it did nothing to ease the tension waiting there.
Several servants lowered their heads the moment they saw him.
None greeted him.
Brian noticed the disappointment in their eyes before they quickly looked away.
Then—
“Where have you been?”
Brian stopped instantly.
His mother stood near the staircase in a silver robe, her arms folded tightly against herself. Luna Evelyn looked nothing like the composed woman who stood proudly beside the Alpha King during ceremonies.
Tonight she looked worried.
“I was out,” Brian answered quietly.
“We noticed.”
Her voice wasn’t harsh. That somehow made it worse.
Brian looked away briefly. “I needed air.”
Luna Evelyn descended the stairs slowly.
“You disappeared after humiliating your future mate in front of the entire kingdom,” she said softly. “Do you understand what you’ve done?”
Guilt twisted sharply inside him.
He did understand. That was the problem.
“I didn’t mean to humiliate her.”
“Then what did you mean to do?”
Brian opened his mouth. Nothing came out.
His mother searched his face carefully.
“You’ve been distant for months,” she murmured. “Your father thought the pressure of becoming Alpha was overwhelming you, but now…”
She trailed off.
“Tell me the truth,” she said quietly. “Did something happen?”
For one dangerous second, Daniel’s face flashed through Brian’s mind.
That smile. That calm voice. The warmth of his hand brushing against his.
Brian immediately looked down.
“No.”
Luna Evelyn noticed the hesitation instantly.
“Brian…”
Heavy footsteps echoed from the opposite hallway.
The Alpha King appeared moments later, his expression dark enough to make the air feel heavier.
Brian straightened unconsciously.
“You embarrassed this family tonight,” his father said coldly.
Straight to the point.
Brian expected nothing less.
“The elders are demanding answers,” the Alpha King continued. “Jasmine locked herself inside her chambers, and half the kingdom believes something is wrong with you.”
Brian remained silent.
“Look at me when I’m speaking to you.”
Brian slowly lifted his head.
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Then his father asked quietly,
“Did someone threaten you?”
Brian frowned faintly. “What?”
“Because I refuse to believe my son would walk away from a sacred bond for no reason.”
The words hit harder than they should have.
Sacred bond. Like the ceremony was unavoidable. Like Brian had no choice in any of this.
“I’m just not ready,” Brian muttered.
“That excuse may satisfy the public,” the Alpha King replied. “It does not satisfy me.”
Silence followed.
Then suddenly—
“Do you not want her?”
Brian’s heart stopped.
His mother turned immediately. “Darius—”
“No,” the Alpha King cut in sharply, eyes fixed on Brian. “Answer me.”
Brian felt cornered all over again.
He couldn’t breathe properly under that stare.
“I don’t know,” he answered honestly.
The room fell still.
Because somehow that answer felt worse than rejection.
The Alpha King stared at him in disbelief.
“You don’t know,” he repeated slowly.
Brian clenched his fists.
“I’m trying.”
“Trying?” his father snapped. “You are the future Alpha of the Blood Moon Pack. You do not get to ‘try’ when it comes to duty.”
The pressure in the room became unbearable.
Brian’s wolf stirred restlessly beneath his skin.
And strangely…
the only thing capable of calming him was the memory of a boy standing beneath a streetlight with bruises on his face and a bicycle beside him.
Daniel.
Morning settled over entity["organization","Brooklyn Hill School","fictional school"] in a dull gray haze, the cold air buzzing with students rushing through the hallways before lectures began.
Lockers slammed loudly while conversations overlapped endlessly.
But near the locker area on the second floor—
something was wrong.
A crowd had gathered.
Students circled around the scene with phones already out, whispering excitedly while others laughed openly. Yet nobody stepped forward to stop what was happening.
Books were scattered carelessly across the floor. Papers torn. A backpack overturned near the lockers.
At the center of it all was Daniel.
One of the boys had him pinned against the lockers while another shoved at his shoulder mockingly.
“You think you’re tough now?” one of them sneered.
Daniel struggled slightly, fear obvious in his pale expression despite how hard he tried to remain calm.
“I said I was sorry,” he muttered.
“Oh, he apologized!” another boy laughed dramatically.
Several students burst into laughter.
One of the boys suddenly snatched the sneakers hanging loosely from Daniel’s fingers.
“Give that back,” Daniel said quickly.
But the boy ignored him completely, tossing the sneakers onto the top row of lockers.
The crowd roared louder.
Daniel looked up helplessly before lowering his gaze again.
“Please…”
BAAM!
A locker door slammed loudly nearby.
The entire corridor instantly fell silent.
Brian stood at the far end of the hallway.
His expression was unreadable.
But the sharpness in his eyes alone was enough to make tension crawl through the crowd.
Even the boys holding Daniel stiffened.
Brian walked toward them slowly.
“What’s going on here?”
Nobody answered.
The closer he got, the more nervous the boys became.
One finally released Daniel immediately.
“We were just joking around,” he muttered awkwardly.
Brian stopped directly in front of them.
His gaze briefly moved toward Daniel’s scattered books before returning to the boys.
“Does this look funny to you?”
Nobody spoke.
One of the boys stepped backward nervously.
Brian didn’t need to do anything else.
“Let’s go,” one whispered quickly before all three hurried away.
The students watching immediately dispersed too.
Within seconds, the hallway cleared almost completely.
Brian exhaled softly before turning toward Daniel.
Daniel was already crouching to gather his books.
“Hey,” Brian said quietly.
Daniel glanced up immediately.
The second he recognized him, a small smile appeared on his face despite everything that had just happened.
“Hi.”
Brian felt something shift oddly inside his chest again.
“It’s nice seeing you again,” he said, sounding more awkward than he intended.
Daniel laughed softly. “Not exactly my best condition though.”
Brian looked down briefly, fighting the smile threatening to form.
Both of them crouched to pick up the scattered books together.
“You school here?” Brian asked while handing one over.
“Yeah.” Daniel nodded. “Still kinda new though.”
“How new?”
“My family moved here about a month ago.”
Brian nodded slowly.
“What about you?” Daniel asked.
Brian chuckled faintly. “I’ve been here my whole life.”
Daniel smirked immediately. “Really? Couldn’t tell.”
Brian laughed softly under his breath.
And strangely… it felt natural. Too natural.
Daniel gathered the last of his books against his chest.
“My lecture’s about to start,” he said after glancing toward the hallway clock.
“Oh.” Brian tried not to sound disappointed. “Okay.”
A brief silence settled between them.
Then—
“Guess I’ll see you around?” Brian asked carefully.
Daniel smiled again.
“Yeah. See you around, Brian.”
And just like that, he disappeared into the crowded corridor.
Brian remained standing there long after he left, his eyes unconsciously following the direction Daniel had gone.
He didn’t even realize someone had been watching the entire interaction from the opposite hallway.
And the moment that figure quietly stepped back into the shadows—
Brian’s smile disappeared.
Jasmine sat quietly in front of her mirror, still wearing the silver bracelet Brian had given her years ago during their first moon ceremony.
Her mother stood behind her silently.
“You should rest,” Vivienne said softly.
Jasmine laughed bitterly.
“Do I look like someone who can sleep?”
Vivienne’s expression softened with pain as she walked closer.
“Brian is confused.”
“No,” Jasmine whispered.
Her fingers tightened around the bracelet.
“He looked guilty.”
The room fell silent.
For the first time since the ceremony, Jasmine felt something deeper than humiliation.
Fear.
Not fear of losing the title of Luna.
Fear that there might already be someone else.
Someone Brian looked at the way he never looked at her.
Slowly, Jasmine lifted her eyes toward her reflection.
“And whatever he’s hiding…” she murmured quietly,
“I’m going to find out.”
- Writer
