The Pack’s Treason

A dream life

I was so so happy. No, happy wasn’t strong enough of a word to describe how I was feeling. I was delighted, no, ecstatic! I smiled at the handsome soon-to-be Beta who currently held me in his muscular arms. Luke was perfect, everything I had ever wanted, tall, strong, with brown hair and striking blue eyes that sparkled with love and admiration when they landed on me. His skin was tanned by the sun under which he spent many hours training to become a stronger warrior and he had the most beautiful warm smile. To add to his perfect appearance, he was also the most charming guy I had ever met. And he loved me. I sighed contentedly while making myself more comfy in his arms. His chin went to rest on top of my head and I felt a delicious shiver run through me when he spoke and I could feel the rumble of his voice through his chest.

“Are you worried about tonight?”

I chuckled. How could I worry about tonight? Yes, it would be the first full moon since we both turned eighteen and we would shift for the first time. Yes, shifting would be painful and a bit scary, but I couldn’t wait to finally meet my wolf in person, for real, to feel the earth underneath my paws and run with everyone and especially with Luke. Cause he would be with me and what could go wrong if he was there?

“Maybe he isn’t our real fated mate. Have you ever thought of that?” A voice in my head said and annoyance surged through me. My wolf Nyx could really be a pain sometimes. Most people had a pretty perfect relationship with their wolf and were in total sync with them, but me and Nyx were rarely on the same page. I was secretly hoping our first shift would change that.

“Common Nyx, Luke is perfect for us. He has to be our mate! I’m sure tonight, soon as we shift, we will find out he is our fated companion.” I answered her as confidently as I could, but since Nyx had access to my every thought it was hard to hide the feeling of apprehension her words had created in me. She didn’t add anything, but I could feel her disapproval. I didn’t understand why she was being like this ; she liked Luke, but lately she had been distant and impatient. I was blaming our imminent shift but couldn't help but feel like something more was on her mind.Whatever it was, she was keeping it well hidden from me.

“Bee?” Luke’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts. I looked up to see him looking down at me, still waiting for my answer. I smiled at him and decided to brush off my concerns.

“Sorry baby, I was just lost in thought. I’m sure everything will be absolutely fine. I’m not worried at all, as long as I’m with you," I said reassuringly. Luke smiled back and gave me a kiss on the nose.

“You’re right, he said, nothing can go wrong if we’re together.”

I was mad at Nyx for making me doubt. Luke would be my mate. He was my mate, we were just too young and had not shifted yet, so we couldn’t know for sure, but we would know tonight. Everything was perfect, I literally had a dream life. My father and mother were Alpha and Luna of our pack, my older brother was soon to be Alpha and Luke would be his Beta. Being a Beta’s mate was more than acceptable, since I had no shot at being Alpha. Anyway, I would not want to be. It was too much responsibility. I already had everything I'd ever wanted and there was no reason why this would change. I laid my head back on Luke’s chest and closed my eyes. We stayed like this for a while, sitting on the bench outside, near my house, talking quietly and exchanging kisses. The sound of footsteps on the trail leading to our quiet spot put an end to our moment. The intruder stood before us and I sighed, annoyed.

“What do you want Michael?” My big brother grinned at me and I rolled my eyes.

“Always happy to see you too, sis! He turned to Luke : “My dad wants to see us so we can help with the preparations for tonight.”

I couldn’t help but pout. Our father, Alpha Stephen Brooks of the Crimson Fangs, was not someone you made wait for anything. Since Michael turned 18, he had been preparing him to take over as Alpha and, since my brother chose Luke as his beta, this meant they were both always off learning how to properly lead the pack. I loved that my boyfriend was someone important and was taking his duty seriously, but it was making it harder to find time to hang out with him. Luke saw the look on my face and chuckled softly. He kissed my forehead and got up to go with my brother.

“ Don’t be sad Bee, we’ll see each other soon enough, at the ceremony. I love you.”

I forced myself to smile.

“I love you too.”

“Bye, Beatriz! My i***t brother shouted before jogging back the way he came from, my boyfriend behind him. I rolled my eyes again and watched as they disappeared behind the trees surrounding us, wondering how that dummy could actually come to lead our whole pack.

I shook my head, and finally decided to get up and follow the trail back to my home. We had a huge and luxurious pack house but my mom and dad decided a few years ago that they’d rather live somewhere a bit more remote and quiet, so they had the cutest little cottage built deeper into the woods of our territory. When I finally got through the front door, I saw my mom, Luna Maria, sitting at the dining table. She was busy threading flowers together to make delicate garlands for tonight’s ceremony. She always had great taste and loved to decorate.

“Good morning, honey.” She said softly without looking up from her work.

“Morning mom!”I answered, making my way towards her with light dancing steps to give her a kiss on the cheek. She laughed and finally looked up.

“You’re in a good mood today.”

I smiled.

“I sure am! I can’t wait for my first shift.” And to discover that Luke really is my mate, I added in my mind, making Nyx scoff. I ignored her as always.

“Talking about tonight, Rachel is waiting for you in your room. She said it was a fashion emergency or something like that.” I was about to run to my room when my mom added “Elena made some croissants, make sure to eat, Bee.”

“Yes, mom.”

I made a detour to the kitchen where Elena, one of the omega in charge of cooking for our family, was cleaning and tidying up after having made breakfast.

“Sup, Elena!” The young woman stepped to the side, her head down, avoiding my gaze. The omegas of the pack were always very respectful of the Alpha family. I took two croissants and, still walking on air, I made my way to my room, where I found my best friend Rachel standing in a pile of my clothes. She was gorgeous as usual. Even with her red mane of perfectly curled hair falling from a messy bun on top of her head, her cheeks flushed and a hint of panic in her big hazel eyes. No wonder everyone was always staring at us at school. With my long straight midnight black hair and smooth bronze skin that I got from my mom combined with my dad's striking green eyes, I was just as stunning.

“Aaaaarrrgh! I've got nothing to wear at home and I can’t find anything in your closet either.” Rachel complained, pouting her perfect glossy lips. I laughed.

“Between us two, we must have hundreds of outfits. Besides, it’s not even your shifting ceremony, you’ve already shifted three months ago.” She blew away a piece of hair falling in front of her eyes and put her hands on her hips.

“As daughter of our pack’s Beta, I have the duty to look absolutely impeccable at every event. You should know that, as Alpha’s daughter.”

“Okay, okay, you’re right.” I threw my hands up in the air in surrender. “You know what that means?”

“Shopping?”

“Shopping!” We laughed and she linked her arm in with mine, pulling me towards the door.

Yes, life really was perfect, I thought for the hundredth time that day. I had the greatest, most handsome boyfriend, a gorgeous, awesome best friend and my family led the whole pack. What could go wrong?