On The Night Of Our Mating Ceremony, My Alpha Chose Her

CHAPTER 1 The Mating Ceremony Mara's POV  "It's you I love. Only you." My steps froze outside the corridor. The gift box in my hands suddenly felt too heavy, my fingers tightening around the silver ribbon wrapped neatly around it. "Only you." My breath caught in my throat. That voice— It was Caden. My mate. My Alpha. Tonight was our mating ceremony. Tonight, before the entire pack, he was supposed to mark me as his forever. So why was he here… whispering to someone. "This bond happening tonight is just a formality," Caden said softly, his voice carrying through the half-open door. "The Pack Law requires it. She will never know. Mara trusts everyone—that's her problem." For a moment, I forgot how to breathe. The world around me went silent. Then a woman's voice drifted out. Soft. Familiar. Painfully familiar. "But you've been saying that for months since I came back," she said, hurt lacing every word. "I'm tired of hearing promises, Caden." Isala. My best friend. My mate's first love. The same woman who had once shattered his heart and disappeared from the pack without a word. The same woman who returned three months ago. My pulse thundered in my ears. "I'm giving you my word," Caden murmured. "Is this because I left before?" Isala asked quietly. "Is this my punishment?" A pause. Then his voice came again, low and tender. "Don't say that. Leaving once was a mistake. Even if you leave a hundred times, it's still you I'll choose." Something inside me cracked. Not the gift box in my hands. Me. The ribbon snapped beneath my fingers as I gripped it harder. Then I heard it. A kiss. Soft. Intimate. Unmistakable. The sound struck me harder than a slap. A tear slid down my cheek before I could stop it. I turned and ran. By the time I got to my room, my chest was rising and falling in uneven breaths. I stared at myself in the mirror. My makeup was ruined. Mascara streaked beneath my eyes. Lipstick smudged. But none of that mattered. In ten minutes, I was supposed to stand before the Moon Goddess and be bound to the man who had just told another woman that she was the one he loved. I should have walked away. I should have called off the ceremony. But Caden was Alpha. And I knew exactly what refusing him tonight would mean. Humiliation. Punishment. Possibly exile. * * * So ten minutes later, I stood in the ceremonial hall. The pack house was glowing with golden lights. Music filled the air. Laughter echoed around the room. Everyone was smiling. Everyone except me. The moment Caden saw me, he smiled. That same smile that once made my heart race. Now it only made my stomach twist. "Mara," he said softly, reaching for my hand. "Are you okay?" The touch of his fingers against mine made disgust crawl beneath my skin. I pulled my hand away before I could stop myself. He frowned. Too stunned to hide it. "Nothing," I said quickly, forcing a smile. "Something got into my eyes." His gaze lingered on me. For a second, I wondered if he knew. If he could see the truth written all over my face. But then he smiled again. "Come here. Let me help." "No." The word came out sharper than I intended. He blinked. I forced a laugh. "It's gone now." The High Priestess stepped forward. "Shall we begin?" I nodded. My lips smiled. My heart bled. As the vows began, memories flooded my mind. Caden and Isala. The pack's golden couple. Childhood sweethearts. Everyone believed they were destined. Then one day, she left. And when the Moon Goddess revealed Caden as my fated mate years later, I had thought—selfishly—that maybe fate had chosen me for a reason. I had loved him long before he ever looked my way. But he never truly let go of her. Even when he promised me she was in the past. Even when he swore he would love me. Now I knew the truth. I had only ever been a replacement. A law-bound obligation. Nothing more. "Do you, Alpha Caden, accept Mara as your mate—" Suddenly, a sharp scream cut through the hall. Every head turned. Isala. She was on the floor, clutching her ankle. "Caden—" Before the High Priestess could finish the vow, Caden let go of my hand. And ran to her. Gasps swept across the room. Whispers followed immediately. He had left the altar. Left me. In the middle of our mating ceremony. For his ex. For my best friend. I stood frozen. The flower bouquet in my hands crumpled beneath my grip. He knelt before her. "What happened?" he demanded, panic filling his voice. "I twisted my leg," Isala whimpered. There were at least five attendants standing close enough to help her. Five. But he still ran. Because it had to be him. Because it was always her. Slowly, he looked up at me. A flicker of guilt crossed his face. "I had to help her," he said. "You know she's fragile." Fragile. A bitter laugh almost escaped me. And what was I? Invisible? Disposable? Replaceable? "I'm sorry, love," he said as he walked back toward me. Love. The word made me sick. "Let's continue," I said, forcing a smile. "My stomach hurts." * * * That night, inside the Alpha chambers, Caden fell asleep almost immediately. As if nothing had happened. As if tonight had not broken something inside me. Moonlight spilled across the room. I sat on the edge of the bed, staring at him. Then quietly, I reached beneath the mattress and pulled out my notebook. I opened the first page. My hands trembled as I wrote. March 30th. I found out he never stopped loving her. I stared at the words for a long time. Then beneath it, I added another line. First disappointment. I closed the notebook and slid it back into its place. Because tonight, something had changed. I didn't know how many disappointments my heart could survive. But I knew one thing. The day Caden broke me for the last time— I would leave.