Offered To The Supreme Alpha

CHAPTER ONE

My name is Amaranth Silverwood, and I’m the Alpha's illegitimate daughter, born of a slave. Nothing has ever been easy for me since birth, as I'm different from everyone else. I had to fight twice as hard for everything in this life and even had to endure the whispers that followed me through the pack.

But medicine had given me purpose. If I couldn't shift, couldn't run with the pack, and couldn't feel the moon's call like other wolves, I could at least heal those in pain. There's nothing but joy in me whenever a patient calls me Dr. Amaranth..

And soon, everything would change for me, as Gideon would take me away from here to his pack, where I'd be his future Luna—respected and valued despite my deficiencies.

"You look beautiful," my mother's voice brought me out of my thoughts, and I met her eyes in the mirror. "Like a true Luna."

I smiled. “Thank you, Mother.”

Then I looked at myself in the mirror, and seeing myself dressed this way made me look different… so different that I hardly recognized myself.

"Mom, how did you…"

"You don’t have to bother about that," she said softly, a small smile playing on her lips. "Today is your day. Just enjoy it.”

“Thank you so much,”

“Anything for you.” she pressed a kiss at the side of my head.

After checking myself over and over again, we made our way to the main house where the event would be held. My mother and I actually lived in the servant quarters, which are far from the main mansion.

My heart raced very fast, but upon getting to the entrance of the main mansion, my mother couldn't go in with me, and it brought me nothing but tears.

Legally, Luna Bellamy was my mother and would be the one on the seat, while my birth mother would be hidden away like a shameful secret.

But it's just for a while.

Once I get married to Gideon, I'll definitely give my mother the proper respect she deserves.

I wiped my tears as I entered the room. Silence fell everywhere as many eyes turned to stare at me, and I just couldn't tell what exactly they were thinking.

And then I saw him. Gideon stood near the front of the hall, resplendent in a black suit that accentuated his broad shoulders and tall frame. My heart fluttered at the sight of him, as it always had.

He also seemed stunned to see me. Maybe it was because I hardly dressed up like this. I don't really know.

Among the crowd, I spotted Gideon's parents and they looked neither pleased nor displeased, merely watchful.

Well, they never liked me that much.

But something was wrong.

His expression was weird, and his gaze held something like… like…

I don't even know what to call it.

When I finally reached his side and touched his arm gently, he flinched, pulling away from me.

"Gideon?" I whispered. "What's wrong?"

"Didn't you get my message?" he asked coldly, not looking at me.

“What message? I didn’t get any.”

“What do you mean you didn’t…”

Before he cou complete his words, my father, Alpha Lain of Moonstone, stepped to the center of the room. Though I shared his dark hair, we looked nothing alike, and he had never acknowledged any resemblance.

"Welcome, my honorable guests," he announced, his voice booming through the hall. "Tonight is a momentous occasion for both of our packs, and I am truly grateful for this all." He bowed his head slightly, placing his hand on his chest, and Gideon's father also stood up and did the same.

My father continued, "As our tradition dictates, I hereby ask Gideon Moon to come forward and choose his bride, whom he’s here to seek, so I can give him my blessings."

My breath caught, and I could feel my body shaking in anticipation of Gideon taking my hand, both of us standing in the middle of the room with many eyes on us.

I thought I was ready for this, but… I don't think so.

Gideon stepped forward, his shoulders squared. For the first time that evening, his eyes met mine, and the coldness I saw there froze my blood.

Then he slowly walked away from me while my gaze trailed after him.

I don't remember any rule that asked him to parade around before bringing his bride forward. So what is he doing?

As he paraded around, he said, "I, Gideon Alexander Moon, future Alpha of the Moonstone Pack, have found my true mate." His voice carried across the silent hall.

Mate?

Did I just hear that right?

But…

"And I'm here to seek her hand in marriage."

Gideon suddenly stopped in the middle of the room while facing me. Our eyes locked together.

But we are not mates. Why did he lie?

We can just talk about that later. Let's get this done first.

I braced myself, squared my shoulders, and began to walk toward him. But just as I was about to reach him and stretch my hand forward, Gideon suddenly turned away from me and stretched his hand toward her.

To Fiona. My stepsister.

I halted in my tracks as the world slowed down to an excruciating crawl. I watched as Fiona, with her perfectly coiffed blonde hair and practiced smile, stood up from her seat and took Gideon's hand.

The same Fiona who had once pushed me down a flight of stairs and told everyone I had tripped. The same Fiona whose favorite hobby was reminding me of my worthlessness. The same Fiona who was bullying me the first time I met Gideon, and Gideon had saved me from her, insulting her arrogance.

That same Fiona was the one Gideon just chose?

"I choose Fiona Silverwood as my mate and future Luna," Gideon announced.

The triumphant smile Fiona shot me was like a knife between my ribs.

"No." The word escaped me before I could stop it, echoing in the sudden silence. Everyone's gaze turned to me.

Walking closer to them, I said, "Gideon, this isn't… we agreed…"

He turned to me, his face a mask I didn't recognize. "Agreed to what, Amaranth?"

I looked around the room, unsure if I should say it here.

My chest hurt, my heart beating faster under the weight of so many eyes.

"Gideon, we agreed that if we found our mates, we would reject them," I said, my voice gaining strength despite the trembling in my limbs. "We promised each other."

A cruel laugh cut through the tension, belonging to no one other than Fiona. "How pathetic, Amaranth. Did you actually believe he would choose you over his true mate? Over me?"

Gideon's jaw tightened. "Amaranth, I didn't expect to find my mate. But when I did…" He looked at Fiona with an expression I had thought was reserved only for me. "When I found Fiona, I realized what a real connection feels like. What was meant to be."

"Then what about us?" I demanded, stepping closer despite the warning glances from my father's enforcers. Tears welled up in my eyes as I locked eyes with the man I had given my entire heart to. "Five years, Gideon. Five years of promises. Of plans. Was it all a lie?"

Something flickered in his eyes. Was it regret or perhaps guilt? I don't know. But it hardened quickly into resolve.

"It was a mistake. We were young and foolish back then. I thought I could live without my mate, but after finding her, I realized how difficult it would be. I found out two days ago and didn't know how to tell you, so I sent you a message not to bother coming here, that this wasn’t for us anymore… So why are you here?"

"I didn't get any f*****g message!!" I yelled at him, the tears that had pooled in my eyes now falling freely. "I didn't get any. And even if I did… was that really how you should have treated me? You said you loved me. You said you would always be there for me. Gideon, you promised to give me the happiest family I never had. But what is this?" I whispered, hating the break in my voice.

Whispers rippled through the crowd. I could feel their judgment and their mockery all coming down on me.

But I didn't care. What he did to me had already shattered the last piece of my life I had been holding onto. So what else was left for me?

Gideon's face hardened. "Can you please be reasonable, Amaranth? How could this ever have worked? You're…" He hesitated, but only briefly. "You're illegitimate and weak. You don't even have a wolf."

Each word that came out of his mouth was a physical blow. Even if others had said it, it shouldn’t have come from him.

I staggered back, unable to believe this was the same man who had held me at night when I cried, who had promised me a future where my birth wouldn't matter.

"So why should I settle for less?" he continued, his voice growing colder with each word. "When I can have a legitimate wife with pure bloodlines? When I can have a Luna who will bear strong children to lead my pack?"

Fiona stepped forward, her arm possessively linked with Gideon's. "Did you really think he would choose the pack embarrassment? You should at least consider his status before you started throwing yourself at him." Her smile was venomous as she leaned closer to me and whispered, "I told you, didn't I? That I will take everything from you, just like you did to me, you little b***h!" Then, saying it loudly, "But if you don't mind and you want to insist on being with him, I can have you as his formal whore."

Laughter erupted around us—not everyone, but enough. I saw my stepmother, Luna Bellamy, watching with barely concealed satisfaction, and my half-siblings snickering behind their hands. Only Henry looked stricken, his eyes meeting mine with genuine sorrow.

"Enough of this spectacle," my father finally intervened, though whether to spare me or himself the embarrassment was unclear. "Gideon has made his choice." Referring particularly to me, he continued, "So I will not tolerate any other drama. Everyone has his or her past before marriage, so I wish whatever happened in the past… will remain in the past." He said, and I could not believe those words could come from a father to a daughter.

"Father!!!!!" I called, but he just shifted his gaze away from me.

He raised a toast. "So let us celebrate the union of our packs." Then they all also followed suit.

As music began to play again and attention reluctantly shifted away from me, I stood frozen, unable to process the complete destruction of everything I had believed in.

"Darling, your parents are waiting," Fiona said, and they began to turn away, leaving me standing alone in a room full of people who had always seen me as nothing but a stain on their perfect pack.

But I was brought back to life when a tray which was filled with glasses of wine poured over me.

Gasps and mocking voices filled the room, and I could see some even taking pictures of me.

I don't remember deciding to leave. One moment I was standing there, shattered; the next, I was pushing through the crowd, ignoring the whispers, the pitying glances, the smirks. Someone caught my arm, it was my step brother, Henry—but I pulled away, unable to bear even his kindness right then.