The Humiliation
900 Words
CHAPTER TWO
Roseline POV
The words slammed into me like a blade.
Someone else.
Alpha Kael… chose someone else.
My knees weakened, and Selene grabbed my arm before I collapsed.
“Rose… breathe,” she whispered.
But how do you breathe when your entire destiny is ripped out of your chest?
I didn’t remember walking home. Didn’t remember pushing my door open. Everything felt distant, muffled, like the world was happening behind thick glass. My wolf whimpered, curling into a painful ball inside my chest.
Selene followed me in, worry etched deep into her face. “Roseline, talk to me"
“Not now,” I whispered, voice breaking.
She hesitated, then nodded softly and stepped back. “I’ll be outside if you need me.”
When she left, the silence swallowed me whole.
I touched the old family portrait hanging crooked on the wall… the only thing left from the life I once had.
“Mother… Father…” My voice trembled. “Is this really my fate?”
My fingertip traced their faces.
“Tonight, I was supposed to meet my mate. To finally belong. To be loved… even just a little.”
But fate had mocked me instead.
Still… I needed answers.
I needed to see it with my own eyes.
No matter how badly it would hurt.
---
Night fell faster than I expected.
By the time I stepped into the clan square, the entire territory was glowing, silver lanterns, flowing banners, sparkling gowns and robes. Wolves from neighboring clans had arrived, dressed in gold-edged silks and shimmering beads.
This wasn’t just a celebration.
It was a spectacle... bigger than any ceremony in decades.
For who?
For the pack’s chosen Luna.
Only… it wasn’t me.
My wolf shrank, trembling in fear and shame. “Turn back…” she whimpered. But my feet kept moving.
I blended into the crowd, gripping the folds of my white dress — the dress Selene made with love… now suddenly feeling like a joke.
Whispers pricked my ears.
“Is she still here?”
“She should be hiding in shame.”
“Poor thing. Thought she’d be Luna.”
“She always was delusional.”
Their giggles were knives.
Still, I held my head high.
If I was going to break, I would do it with dignity.
The drums thundered — three deep, commanding beats — and the entire clan erupted in loud howls.
Alpha Kael had arrived.
The ground vibrated under the weight of his presence. The crowd parted as he walked through, shoulders broad, head high, aura suffocating. Even the air itself bowed to him.
My heart ached violently.
He passed right by me…
and didn’t spare me a single glance.
Not even a breath.
Not even a flicker of recognition.
Only his cedar scent drifted over me like a ghost.
My wolf let out a pained whine.
“He didn’t even look at us…”
I clenched my hands until my nails dug into my palms.
He would not see me fall apart.
Not here.
Not in front of everyone.
The elder stepped forward, holding the ancient staff of authority that glowed under the moonlight.
“Tonight,” he announced, “the goddess has revealed the mate destined to stand beside our Alpha.”
The crowd howled.
My heart hammered.
My chest tightened painfully.
Please… a desperate, broken part of me whispered. Please say my name… please…
“Let the fated mate,” the elder continued, “chosen by the moon goddess herself… step forward.”
A heavy silence fell.
Eyes turned toward me.
Dozens of them.
Hundreds.
Their stares pinned me in place — judgmental, mocking, expectant.
They all knew the prophecy.
They all knew the rumors.
They all knew the whispered truth:
Roseline, the omega orphan, marked by fate.
I swallowed my fear and forced my legs to move. One step. Another.
“I—I’m here,” I said softly.
A murmur rippled through the crowd.
“That weak omega?”
“The cursed girl?”
“She can barely shift"
“She’ll disgrace the Alpha.."
Cursed.
That word cut deeper than any blade.
I felt the sting behind my eyes.
But I kept walking.
I kept breathing.
Until...
“STOP.”
The elder’s voice cracked like thunder.
My body froze.
“Roseline,” he said slowly, cautiously… “sit down.”
My heart stopped.
“I… what?” My voice trembled.
“Sit down,” he repeated. “You are not the one.”
The world tilted.
The air vanished from my lungs.
Selene, somewhere in the crowd, gasped loudly.
Then the elder lifted the staff again and thundered:
“LET THE TRUE LUNA STEP FORWARD.”
My ears rang.
My vision blurred.
Then a familiar scent hit me.
Sweet rosewater.
Vanilla.
And betrayal.
A woman stepped out from the center of the crowd…
Tall. Beautiful. Smiling.
My greatest fear made flesh.
My stepsister, Velora.
Clothed in silver silk.
Adorned with jewels.
Glowing under the moonlight as if the goddess herself favored her.
The crowd erupted in cheers.
Alpha Kael’s eyes finally softened…
But not for me.
For her.
Velora walked straight toward him, and Kael extended his hand, willingly, proudly.
My stomach twisted.
And then, with the whole world watching, Kael’s lips parted…
And he spoke the words that shattered the last piece of me:
“Tonight, I claim Velora as my Luna.”
- Writer
