The Luna He Didn't Choose

Chapter 004: The Arranged Marriage

My mother is sitting across from me with her hands held tightly in her lap. "You have to understand, Eli," she says in a voice that trembles a little. "You and Logan are not the only couple in this marriage. It's about protecting the pack's future. This partnership is essential. You'll eventually realize why things must be this way.

My thoughts are racing as I look at her. The weight of her remarks makes the room's walls feel like they're closing in on me. My parents, who have always supported me, are suddenly asking me to do something that I find unfathomable. Get married to Logan Roberts. Not because I'm in love with him. Not because I'd like to marry him. However, because it's a component of a plan. I don't appear to be involved in this strategy other than as a piece to be moved on their board.

"I don’t care about the pack’s politics," I say, a little too sharply. "I care about my life."

My father sits next to her, unflinching, while my mother flinches. Although his face is a mask that cannot be read, I am aware of his thoughts. Duty and what's best for the pack have always been his priorities. regarding the future. concerning legacy.

"You think I don’t understand that?" The voice of my mother breaks. "You're more than simply our daughter, Eli. You belong to something far greater. It has always been like way. Such a marriage secures our position and makes us stronger. You'll notice—"

She is no longer someone I can listen to. As the truth of what they're asking sets in, my stomach turns and my sentences start to falter. It has nothing to do with love. I am not the focus of this. It has to do with power. Even worse, it has to do with Logan, the man I no longer know. The same Logan with whom I used to share everything and with whom I had once fantasized. Not just now, though. No more.

My chair scrapes the floor as I push it back harder than I meant to, and I rise up suddenly. "Securing the pack's future is not important to me. My own is important to me. And I don't now see myself getting married to Logan Roberts."

Something flashes in my father's eyes that I have never seen before. It's something colder than fury. "Eli, you'll fulfill your obligation. This is where you belong. This is how things are supposed to be. You're acting self-centered.

Selfish. I'm slapped by the word, but I don't recoil. Rather, I experience an unexpected outburst of rage that is more profound than I can describe. I repeat, "I’m not being selfish," in a softer tone, but the passion remains. "I just want the freedom to choose."

"Choose?" A little smile curls my father's lips. "That privilege is not yours. No more.

Like sand between my fingers, I feel the last of my defiance slipping away. What am I to do? Not at all. I wonder how much of this was my mother's choice as I watch her, who is now looking at her lap with her hands gripped firmly as if she's ashamed of something. How much did she also want me to wed Logan in order to guarantee my future with the pack? How much of this has she always known will occur?

Now that the room is smaller, it feels oppressive, and I feel confined. This cannot be avoided. Not right now. Not when they've already decided against me.

I make myself take a big breath, relax, and attempt to restore my composure. "When do you want me to marry him?" I ask, knowing the answer already.

My father responds, "Not immediately," in a much milder tone. "But not long. To get ready for the ceremony, we need time. for the announcement.

I nod, but my thoughts are elsewhere. "What about Logan? What is his opinion on this? Is he even concerned?

My mother's lips twitch slightly, and I catch a gloomy smile that hardly reaches her eyes. "Logan is... dedicated to his duties." He is aware of the implications for the pack.

"Yeah, but what does he feel?" Despite the fact that I already know the solution, I push. He has evolved. He is unique. chilly. detached.

My father looks at me with that constant intensity that used to be reassuring but now feels like a burden I can't get rid of. "He does what he has to do," he adds firmly. "And so should you."

I'm having trouble breathing. My vision briefly becomes blurry, and the walls appear to shut in more tightly. "I am unable to. Marrying someone I don't love is impossible. Not in this manner.

When my mother eventually looks up at me, her eyes are filled with something I can't quite identify—perhaps sadness? Feeling sorry? "Eli, you still don't get it. However, you will. on schedule. You'll comprehend when you're older and have a broader perspective.

I don't want to comprehend, though. I don't want my life to be dictated by the aspirations of others. Being forced into an arranged marriage—one that I never requested—is not something I want. A marriage to him—the man who, although I thought I could rely on him, now hardly acknowledges my presence—who hardly even looks at me.

Before any of them can speak another word, I scream out of the room. I only know that I have to be somewhere else, but I have no idea where I'm going. Stay away from them. away from their expectations' burden.

I find myself mindlessly walking the pack house's hallways, almost as if I'm trying to find a way out. I feel as though I'm living in a world that isn't mine anymore because the sounds of the pack's everyday routines are muffled and far away. Even though it's so far away, I can hear conversations, laughter, and the clinking of cutlery coming from the dining hall. I am suddenly a stranger here.

Logan is standing at the end of the hallway when I turn a corner. My heart stops. When I see him, I feel as though everything freezes. His eyes are cold, his posture rigid, and his big shoulders squared. He has the appearance of an Alpha-in-training. He doesn't look like the Logan I used to know—the Logan who would sneak kisses under the stars and run with me through the woods. He is unique. He is aloof. detached.

And yet, like gravity, I sense that ancient draw toward him. Uncertain of what to do, I take a step forward and then halt.

At first, he just stared at me with that unreadable expression in his eyes without saying anything. He ends the silence at last. "Eli, I didn't request this either. However, you are not alone in being coerced into this agreement.

His comments are like a slap in the face, but I'm surprised by something in his tone. Is he upset? Is he injured? I'm not sure, and the uncertainty makes my stomach turn.

"You think I want this?" With a quieter voice than I anticipate, I ask.

With his eyes fixed on mine, Logan steps closer to me. "No. However, it's the only option. For us both."

I get a wave of rage. "I’m not a pawn in some game, Logan."

However, his countenance hardens once again as he simply stares at me. "Neither am I."

The gap between us becomes insurmountable in an instant. Once more, the world changes, and I'm left standing by myself. Something that is no longer there and might never have existed at all makes my heart hurt.

Abruptly, behind Logan, a man emerges in the doorway. Someone I didn't anticipate.

And everything will change with the next sentence.

"Logan, Eli... it’s time."

At that moment, I realized that nothing would ever be the same.