5
1294 Words
Alpha Richard
Rage didn’t just burn through my veins, it consumed me. I couldn’t stop staring at her—that trembling excuse of a she-wolf the Moon Goddess had dared to call my mate.
My heart pounded so hard I thought it might explode, and my hands shook with the need to destroy something. Anything.
How could she do this to me? How could the Moon Goddess, the divine mother I’d worshipped my entire life, betray me so completely?
“This is all your fault, Ray,” I snarled at my Beta, my best friend. We were back at our table, but I could still feel the shame crawling under my skin. “You made me come to this cursed place.”
“How exactly is this my fault?” Raymond stared at me like I’d sprouted a second head. “I didn’t handpick your mate from a catalog, Richard. I just accepted an invitation to a mating ceremony.”
“The Moon Goddess must have been blind drunk or in a coma when she made this match,” I muttered, my wolf thrashing inside me like a thing possessed. “Did you actually see her, Ray? Really look at what I’m supposed to claim as mine?”
“I saw her.”
“Then explain to me—make it make sense—how that pathetic, broken little thing could ever stand beside me as an equal.” The words came out as barely contained growls. “She couldn’t even meet my eyes without shaking like she was facing her executioner.”
“I can’t claim the Moon Goddess made an error,” Ray said carefully. “That would be blasphemy. But... she does have the appearance of Luna material.”
“Blasphemy be damned!” I snapped. “She made me into a cosmic joke tonight. Me—the Alpha of the Silver Moon Pack, ruler of the strongest territory in three states—paired with that hollow shell of a girl? It’s not just wrong, it’s obscene.”
My fist hit the table so hard it cracked. “I’ve built an empire from blood and bone. What possible use is a Luna who cowers in terror at the mere sight of me? She’s weaker than the Omegas who scrub our floors. I can’t believe that mouse shares DNA with a Beta.”
“You’ve said enough, Alpha,” Ray’s voice went quiet. Dangerous. “Give her a break.”
Something cold settled in my chest. “What did you just say?”
“Maybe she’s not the disaster you think she is. So what if her wolf hasn’t emerged yet? There could be hidden strengths, qualities you’d discover if you bothered to look past your prejudice.”
His eyes met mine without flinching—steady, unwavering, and disappointed. “The Moon Goddess doesn’t make mistakes, Richard. We have to trust in her wisdom.”
“Trust her?” I laughed, but there was no humor in it. “I’d rather throw myself off a cliff than trust that broken girl with the lives of my pack members. I couldn’t survive a single day pretending she was worthy of the Luna title.”
“Without even attempting to know her?” Ray shook his head. “But did you have to destroy her like that? It would’ve been kinder to reject her privately, let her keep some shred of dignity. Now she’ll be the laughingstock of every pack gathering for years.”
“I couldn’t give a single damn if the entire world mocked her for the humiliation I delivered,” I said coldly. “Her feelings are irrelevant to me. She should be grateful I didn’t snap her neck where she stood.”
“That makes you cruel, Richard. Heartless. And you wear it like a badge of honor.”
“All this concern for her?” I replied, raising an eyebrow. “Ray, what’s wrong with you? Why are you taking her side instead of mine?”
“I’m not taking sides,” Ray held up his hands. “I’m telling you the truth.”
“Sounds like you’re defending her to me.”
“I can’t help how you hear things. But what you did was wrong. The truth hurts, but you need to face it.” Ray stood up, his chair scraping against the floor. “You were wrong, Richard.”
“Ray!” I called after him, but he was already walking away. He disappeared into the crowd, leaving me alone with my rage—and something else I didn’t want to name.
*
The party dragged on forever. When we finally left, the silence in the car was suffocating. Ray stared out the window like I didn’t exist.
He wanted me to admit I was wrong, but I wouldn’t. Because I wasn’t wrong. She was weak. Broken. Useless. She would have ruined everything I’d built.
Ray had been my friend since we were kids. When my father died and I became Alpha, and when his father died and he became my Beta, we promised we’d always have each other’s backs. We fought sometimes, but he was the only person I trusted completely.
Seeing him look at me with disappointment hurt more than I wanted to admit.
“Are you really not going to talk to me?” I finally broke the silence. Ray pretended to sleep, but I knew he was awake. “I’m talking to you, Ray.”
“What do you want?” he grunted without opening his eyes.
“I want my best friend back,” I muttered. “Why are you treating me like the enemy?”
“Why wouldn’t I be cold? You’ve become someone I don’t recognize, someone who refuses to listen to reason or conscience.”
Heat flared in my chest again. “Is this about that useless she-wolf?”
“That she-wolf is your mate!” Ray’s eyes snapped open, blazing with fury. “Your Luna! My Luna!”
My jaw clenched so hard my teeth might’ve cracked. How dare he call her my mate? I should’ve killed her when I had the chance.
The Moon Goddess thought she could humiliate me by pairing me with that broken girl?
Ray glared at me like I was his worst enemy instead of his best friend. The look on his face made something inside me crack.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” I whispered.
“Enough,” he muttered, turning back to the window. “Let’s stop talking about this.”
“You’re my Beta and my best friend,” I said, desperate now. “You should care about the pack’s future. How can I accept a girl who brings nothing? She’d only drag us down.”
“This is insane, Rich. Completely insane.” Ray’s voice shook with anger. “The goddess doesn’t make mistakes.”
“She did this time,” I snarled back. “She was dead wrong. Pairing a strong Alpha like me with her? I’m a king among wolves! This is your fault for dragging me to that gathering.”
He hissed, “You shouldn’t have come, then.”
“You know I didn’t want to go,” I shot back.
I’d only attended because Ray begged me to. He wanted to find his mate, and I’d gone to support him like the loyal friend I’d always been. Look where that loyalty had gotten me.
“You made me go,” I whispered, my voice turning dark and venomous. “You dragged me there, and now I’m paying the price for your dreams. I’ll make sure to put that pathetic girl out of her misery the next time our paths cross.”
- Writer
