They Called Me A Beta

Chapter 4: The Choosing

For the next three days, Kieran avoided me.

Or perhaps I should say he tried to.

I still saw him at breakfast.

At dinner.

In the halls.

Across the training grounds.

But whenever our eyes met, he looked away.

It should have made things easier.

It didn't.

Because every time he came near me, my wolf stirred.

Every time I caught his scent, my heart betrayed me.

And every night, the same word echoed inside my head.

Mate.

I hated that word.

I hated how much I wanted it to be true.

Most of all, I hated that Kieran seemed to hate it more than I did.

By the third day, I had almost convinced myself that I'd imagined everything.

Then the announcement came.

"The Moon Choosing will take place tomorrow evening."

The words traveled through the dining hall like wildfire.

I lowered my gaze to my plate.

Of course.

I had known this was coming.

Kieran was twenty-four. He was the Alpha of the Blackwood Pack. Tomorrow night, he would formally choose the woman who would become his Luna.

Everyone already had their guesses.

I didn't need to guess.

I knew exactly who the pack expected.

Amelia Hart.

The daughter of the Silvercrest Alpha.

Beautiful.

Elegant.

From an old and respected family.

She had arrived at the Blackwood territory that morning with her parents, and the entire pack had been buzzing about it.

"They'd make a powerful pair."

"The Hart alliance would be good for us."

"Amelia would be an excellent Luna."

I heard the whispers everywhere.

I tried not to listen.

I failed.

"Seraphina."

I looked up.

Luna Elena was watching me from across the table.

"You haven't touched your food."

"I'm not hungry."

She frowned.

"You've barely eaten all week."

"I'm just nervous about the ceremony."

She reached across the table and squeezed my hand.

"You don't have to be nervous."

I forced a smile.

"I'm not."

She gave me the look she always gave me when she knew I was lying.

"You're a terrible liar."

I laughed softly.

"Maybe."

She squeezed my hand again.

"Whatever happens tomorrow, remember this."

"What?"

"You are loved."

My smile faded.

She said it so simply.

As though it were obvious.

As though I had never needed to question it.

"You are my daughter," she continued. "That will never change."

My throat tightened.

"Thank you."

She leaned over and kissed my forehead.

Across the table, Kieran watched us.

His expression was unreadable.

Then he looked away.

That night, I couldn't sleep.

I stood by my bedroom window, staring at the moon.

Tomorrow.

Tomorrow everything will change.

Maybe Kieran would choose Amelia.

Maybe he would choose someone else.

Maybe—

I closed my eyes.

Mate.

My wolf stirred.

"I know."

She pushed against my consciousness.

Mate.

"Stop."

She didn't.

A sudden wave of heat rushed through my body.

I gasped.

My fingers tightened around the windowsill.

It was happening again.

The strange sensation I'd felt three nights ago.

My skin burned.

My heartbeat accelerated.

And then—

Pain.

I dropped to my knees.

I pressed a hand against my chest.

Something was moving inside me.

Not physically.

Something deeper.

Something ancient.

My wolf rose.

Not the weak, distant presence I had known my entire life.

This was different.

Powerful.

Awake.

I sucked in a breath.

My eyes burned.

For a moment, I thought I heard a second heartbeat beneath my own.

Then everything stopped.

I remained on the floor, breathing heavily.

Slowly, I looked at my hands.

They were shaking.

"What is happening to me?"

No one answered.

But my wolf did.

Omega.

I froze.

The word had barely formed before it disappeared.

I stared into the darkness.

An Omega?

That was impossible.

I had been tested as a Beta.

The pack doctor had confirmed it.

Everyone knew I was a Beta.

I had always been a Beta.

Haven't I?

A knock sounded at my door.

I scrambled to my feet.

"Seraphina?"

Kieran.

I wiped my face and opened the door.

He stood in the hallway.

The moment he saw me, his expression changed.

His gaze moved over my face.

Then his nostrils flared.

He went completely still.

"What happened?"

"Nothing."

"Don't lie to me."

I looked away.

"I wasn't feeling well."

He stepped closer.

His eyes narrowed.

"Your scent changed again."

My heart pounded.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know."

He sounded frustrated.

Then his gaze met mine.

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

"Seraphina..."

His voice softened.

"What?"

He looked like he wanted to say something.

Instead, he shook his head.

"Tomorrow."

"What about tomorrow?"

"The ceremony."

I swallowed.

"I know."

His eyes stayed on mine.

"Don't expect anything from me."

The words hurt.

I forced myself to smile.

"I wasn't."

He flinched.

I don't think he expected that answer.

"Good."

He turned to leave.

I watched him walk away.

My wolf remained strangely quiet.

For the first time since she had awakened, she didn't whisper mate.

She simply watched him go.

And somehow, that hurt even more.

The next evening, the entire pack gathered beneath the ancient oak.

The Moon Choosing was one of the oldest traditions in the Blackwood Pack.

Hundreds of wolves stood beneath the silver moonlight.

The Alpha's family sat at the front.

Luna Elena held my hand.

"You look beautiful."

I looked down at my dress.

It was simple white silk, nothing compared to the elaborate gowns worn by the daughters of powerful families.

"I feel overdressed."

She laughed.

"You're wearing white to a ceremony where everyone expects you to look beautiful. I'd say you're dressed perfectly."

I smiled.

She squeezed my fingers.

"Stay close to me."

I nodded.

The drums began.

The crowd fell silent.

Then Kieran walked into the clearing.

My breath caught.

He wore black.

The moonlight caught the sharp lines of his face as he walked toward the center of the ceremony.

The pack lowered their heads.

Alpha Richard stood.

"Tonight, our Alpha will choose the woman who will stand beside him as Luna."

Cheers erupted.

My heart pounded.

Kieran lifted his head.

His eyes swept across the crowd.

Then they found mine.

Everything inside me stopped.

My wolf surged forward.

Mate.

Kieran's expression changed.

His wolf had recognized me.

Again.

There was no doubt this time.

Everyone could see it.

A murmur swept through the crowd.

"Who is he looking at?"

"Seraphina?"

"Impossible."

Kieran started walking toward me.

One step.

Then another.

My heart raced.

Luna Elena's fingers tightened around mine.

I could barely breathe.

He was coming toward me.

Maybe—

Maybe he had changed his mind.

Maybe the last three days had been enough for him to understand.

Maybe I had been wrong about him.

Kieran stopped in front of me.

His eyes were dark.

His jaw clenched.

For one beautiful, foolish moment, I believed he was going to say the words I'd spent years dreaming of.

Instead, he looked at me as though he had already made a decision.

"Seraphina Vae."

My heart sank.

"Yes?"

His voice carried across the clearing.

"I have made my choice."

The entire pack fell silent.

Kieran looked directly into my eyes.

And then he said the words that I hated most.

"I reject you as my mate."

The world disappeared.

My wolf screamed.

And somewhere behind me, Luna Elena whispered my name.