Chapter 8: The Pack Reaction
1431 Words
The whispers were deafening.
They filled every corner of the grand hall, rising like smoke in the aftermath of Kaden's declaration. Wolves huddled in small groups, their voices low but no less cutting.
“She can’t be serious.”
“The Alpha’s mate? Her?”
“She’s… damaged.”
Althea stood frozen at Kaden’s side, her entire body trembling. The weight of their stares pressed down on her, suffocating her, making it hard to breathe. She wanted to disappear, to melt into the floor and escape the eyes that lingered on her with judgment, disgust, and pity.
Her fingers twisted nervously in the fabric of her skirt as she kept her head down, unable to meet anyone’s gaze.
“You don’t deserve this,” her father’s words echoed in her mind, cold and sharp. “You’re nothing but a failure.”
Her chest tightened, and her vision blurred with unshed tears.
Vera's voice rose above the murmurs, her tone biting. “Alpha Kaden, you must reconsider.”
She stepped forward, her emerald gown swishing around her ankles, her expression tight with barely concealed outrage.
“With all due respect,” she continued, forcing a smile that didn’t reach her eyes, “this… girl is not suitable for you. The pack needs a strong Luna,someone who can lead beside you.”
“And you think that’s for you to decide?” Kaden asked, his voice calm but icy.
Vera faltered, her confidence cracking under his sharp gaze. “I—I only mean to advise, Alpha,” she said quickly. “For the good of the pack.”
“The good of the pack,” Kaden repeated, his silver eyes narrowing slightly. “And you think rejecting my mate would be good for the pack?”
Vera opened her mouth to respond, but no words came out. Her cheeks flushed with humiliation as she stepped back, her lips pressed into a thin line.
Chloe and Cassandra, who had been lingering nearby, seized the opportunity to insert themselves.
“Alpha Kaden,” Chloe said, her tone dripping with false sweetness, “you can’t seriously mean to make her your Luna.”
“She’s weak,” Cassandra added, her lip curling. “She doesn’t even shift. How can someone like that lead?”
Kaden turned to them, his expression as cold and unyielding as stone. “Are you questioning my judgment?”
Chloe hesitated, her confidence faltering under his piercing gaze. “N-no, of course not,” she stammered.
“Good,” Kaden said, his tone cutting. “Then I suggest you hold your tongue before you embarrass yourselves further.”
Chloe's face turned red, but she didn’t dare speak again.
The whispers grew louder, more pointed.
“She’s not strong enough.”
“She’ll embarrass us all.”
“Why would he choose her?”
Althea’s breath hitched as the words surrounded her, each one cutting deeper than the last.
Her hands trembled, and her chest ached as she tried to keep herself together. But it was too much,too overwhelming.
She looked up at Kaden, her tear-filled eyes meeting his steady silver gaze.
“Please,” she whispered, her voice barely audible. “Take it back.”
Kaden frowned, his brow furrowing slightly. “What?”
“Take it back,” Althea repeated, her voice trembling. “Tell them it’s not true. Tell them I’m not your mate.”
The room fell silent again as the pack strained to hear their conversation.
Kaden's jaw tightened, and his silver eyes darkened with a mix of frustration and something.
“I won’t,” he said firmly.
Althea’s hands clutched at her skirt, her tears falling freely now. “Why?” she choked out. “Why are you doing this? Why are you humiliating me like this?”
Kaden stepped closer, his voice low but unyielding. “I’m not humiliating you.”
“Yes, you are!” Althea cried, her voice breaking. “Look at them! They’re laughing at me! They think I’m a joke! And they’re right,I am a joke!”
Kaden gaze softened slightly, but his tone remained firm. “You’re not a joke.”
“I am!” she insisted, her voice rising. “I’m weak, I’m useless, I can’t even—”
“Enough,” Kaden interrupted, his voice quiet but commanding.
Althea froze, her breath freezing as his intense gaze locked onto hers.
“You’re not weak,” he said, his voice steady. “And you’re not useless. You’re my mate, Althea. That’s all that matters.”
Althea shook her head, her tears falling faster. “I don’t want to be your mate,” she whispered.
.
“That’s not your choice,” he said quietly.
Althea’s chest tightened, her emotions swirling in a chaotic storm of fear, shame, and something she couldn’t name.
“You don’t understand,” she said, her voice trembling. “I’m not,I’m not strong enough to do this.”
“Yes, you are,” Kaden said, his tone filled with quiet certainty.
Althea shook her head again, her hands trembling. “I’m not,” she whispered.
“You are,” Kaden said firmly, stepping closer.
Althea flinched, her body trembling as she tried to step back, but there was nowhere to go.
“Do you feel the bond?” Kaden asked, his voice low but steady.
Althea didn’t answer, her chest heaving as she tried to steady her breathing.
“You feel it,” Kaden said, his silver eyes piercing hers. “I know you do.”
Althea’s throat tightened, her emotions threatening to overwhelm her. She didn’t want to admit it,didn’t want to acknowledge the truth of what he was saying.
But she did feel it.
The bond between them was undeniable, a pull so strong it made her chest ache.
“I can’t,” she whispered, her voice cracking.
“You can,” Kaden said, his voice softening.
Althea shook her head, tears streaming down her face. “I can’t do this,” she said, her voice breaking. “I can’t be your Luna. I don’t belong here. I don’t belong anywhere.”
Kaden’s jaw tightened, his silver eyes blazing with determination. “You belong with me,” he said, his voice firm.
Althea’s breath froze, her chest tightening as she looked up at him with wide, tear-filled eyes. “Why?” she whispered. “Why me?”
Kaden's expression softened slightly, and he reached out to gently brush a tear from her cheek.
“Because you’re mine,” he said quietly.
Althea’s heart clenched, her emotions swirling in a chaotic storm of fear, doubt, and something she couldn’t quite name.
The crowd murmured again, their whispers rising like a tide.
“She’ll never survive as Luna.”
“She’s not good enough.”
“She’ll drag him down with her.”
Kaden turned to face the pack, his silver eyes blazing with fury.
“Enough,” he said, his voice booming through the hall.
The room fell silent, the weight of his authority pressing down on them like a physical force.
“You question my choice?” Kaden asked, his voice cold and sharp. “You question me?”
No one dared to speak.
Althea’s hands trembled as she watched him, her chest tightening with a mix of fear and awe.
Kaden’s gaze swept over the crowd, his silver eyes gleaming with barely contained rage. “Althea is my mate,” he said, his voice low and dangerous. “Anyone who disrespects her disrespects me.”
The tension in the room was clear, the pack frozen under the weight of his words.
“Do I make myself clear?” Kaden asked, his voice deadly calm.
A murmur of agreement rippled through the crowd, no one daring to meet his gaze.
Althea’s legs felt like they might give out beneath her as she clutched at Kaden’s arm for support. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing,what she was seeing.
He was standing up for her. Protecting her.
No one had ever done that before.
But the fear was still there, gnawing at the edges of her mind.
“I can’t do this,” she whispered again, her voice trembling.
Kaden turned to her, his expression softening as he placed a hand on her shoulder.
“Yes, you can,” he said quietly. “And I’ll be with you every step of the way.”
Althea’s throat tightened, her tears spilling over as she looked up at him. “I don’t know how,” she whispered.
“You’ll learn,” Kaden said, his voice steady.
- Writer
