He Chose Another

Aimee’s P.O.V

“What?” I sprang to my feet, a slow smile forming on my face.

I couldn't believe what I heard. My father had just given me the best news: The night I had dreamed of all my life was only a few hours away.

I was an Omega, the lowest rank in our pack, and usually forbidden from attending important occasions. But this was different. I couldn’t miss this for anything in the whole world. This was the night Jake would declare me as his Luna, his mate for life. I felt like the moon goddess herself had blessed me with good fortune.

Joy again flooded my veins, washing away the sadness of Jake’s earlier treatment. Suddenly, everything made sense to me. Jake wanted to make it up to me after what happened today, and that’s why the announcement was so soon.

"Dad?" I called out as I rummaged through my closet. "What should I wear? Something blue or something red?"

There was no answer. I turned around and saw my father standing in the doorway, his face dark and angry.

"You are not going to this event." He said bluntly, crushing my hopes in an instant.

My eyes widened in fear and confusion. "What do you mean, Dad?" I whispered, hoping he was joking.

"I mean what I said." He lashed at me. "You are not going anywhere near Jake or that ceremony. And you'll end your relationship with him right now or be grounded until your eighteenth birthday."

For a moment, I thought he had lost his mind. What was he talking about?

"Dad, please," I begged, clutching a dress to my chest. "He's announcing me as his Luna tomorrow. I have to be there!"

"Don't be foolish, Aimee." He said, shaking his head. "He's not going to make you his Luna, nor does he care about you."

His words cut me like knives, wounding me more than Jake ever had. How could he say such things to me?

"That's not true!" I protested, stamping my foot on the ground. "Jake loves me and treats me like an equal!"

He snorted, looking at me like I was the dumbest kid ever. "Aimee, listen to me. You are an omega. Omegas don't belong with alphas as their Lunas. Jake will choose a suitable mate who can match his power and status. A mate who can bear him strong pups. He wouldn't want to ruin his bloodline with someone like you."

Tears stung my eyes as I heard his words. They hurt me more than anything he had ever said or done to me. How could he be so cruel...so wrong?

"Stop it, Dad!" I screamed, wiping the tears from my eyes. "You are wrong about him...about us. He doesn't care about my bloodline and will make me his Luna tomorrow. Nothing you say or do can stop him!"

I raised my voice, too angry and hurt to care. How could he?

Pointing a finger at him, I shouted. "Stay out of my business because I wouldn’t end up like you! Wallowing in sorrow every day for letting his mate slip through his hands! Leave me alone!"

A hurt expression flashed over his face before he quickly masked it and left my room.

Guilt wrecked me, but I couldn’t bring myself to go after him to apologize.

Pushing his words to the back of my mind, I crawled back into bed and allowed the tears to fall.

***

*The next night.*

I didn’t care what my father said; nothing under the sun would stop me from going!

I waited for my father and brother to leave the house with the other family members. As soon as they drove out of the compound, I slid into the long black number on my bed and paired it with red pumps and a purse before sneaking out of the house.

The night wind tussled my hair, goosebumps dotting my arms as I giddily approached the hall. It was the biggest event of the year, and I would be a part of it. I couldn't wait to see Jake in his Alpha splendor, standing on the stage and declaring me as his mate.

The gateway of the hall was crowded with people, and their whispered gossip about the guests and the ceremony kept my mind busy as I squeezed my way through them while trying to hide from my family–thankfully, they were out of sight.

Through the gossip, I discovered some guests were from other packs, invited by Jake as a sign of peace and alliance. One of them was Alpha Logan, the new ruler of the New Ridge Pack.

That pack had been at war with our pack for a long time, and the endless warfare had taken a heavy toll on both sides, especially on the Crescent Pack. We had lost many warriors and resources in the battles, and our territory was dwindling by the day.

Thoughts of the New Ridge Pack led my memory down to when my mother was still alive. She had fought alongside male Alphas as a Gamma wolf and sacrificed herself on the Frontline. A fuzzy memory of a little girl with wide brown eyes staring at a group of people weeping beside a sleeping woman flashed through my mind, and I felt a soft ache in my chest.

Although I had been too young to understand death, I still wished my family didn’t shun the topic of her death like the plague while I was growing up. I painfully wished I knew more about my mother and the pack she had been fighting against. Could it be the New Ridge pack?

I shook myself out of my reverie, frowning as I wondered why the new Alpha of a hostile pack would attend Jake’s coronation.

“Aimee!”

My heart leaped as someone yelled my name.

I whirled around toward the yell and grinned when I saw red curls bouncing toward me. It was Lily.

“HI, BITCH!” She squealed, jumping into my arms. Her usual scent of cauliflower and vanilla filled my nose as I hugged her back, loving the feel of her silk dress. I’ve always loved the scent of her omega wolf.

“Hey, yourself,” I muttered once she pulled away, and her eyes narrowed instantly as she held me at arm’s length.

“First thing... You look like a total meal, and if I were gay, my tongue would be the only thing left on you.” She folded her arms over her chest, her eyes filled with concern. “Now, tell me, what’s wrong? You look like your hamster died from food poisoning…from the food you cooked.”

A very unladylike snort rose to my lips as I stifled my laugh at her absurdity. But she raised her brow, and I sighed, telling her everything that had happened.

“Oh, my baby.” When I finished, she wrapped her arms around me, and I relaxed into her hug, grateful for her support. “I hope Liam is wrong. Now cheer up. I know the best thing to raise your mood!”

Taking hold of my hand, she dragged me deeper into the hall, and I almost tripped in my heels.

Just as I opened my mouth to scold her, my eyes were drawn to a tiny girl standing in between three burly men in suits. Her eyes were cast to the floor as she trailed after them, and I couldn’t help but think she was like a lamb being led to the slaughter.

“It’s not nice to stare, though,” Lily whispered into my ears, snapping me out of it. “But there’s something I heard about that girl too… She'll be the latest addition to Alpha Logan’s sex slaves.”

She leaned in closer, lowering her voice. “I heard that man is only good at war but not in bed! Because of his sexual dysfunction, he likes to collect women to abuse and torture. Hell, I heard he even killed his stepmother for the fun of it… that guy is unhinged….I think---”

The rest of her words drifted into the wind as I spotted Jake standing from his seat. He looked like he was scanning the crowd for me, and my heart skipped a beat. Passion so intense rose in my, and I could hardly breathe.

“Shut up, Lily.” I grabbed her hand and pulled her along toward the hall. I wanted to get closer to him, to see his face when he saw me.

But before I could reach him, his voice echoed in every corner of the hall.

“My deepest gratitude goes to all of you for sharing this wonderful evening with me as I take my father’s place as the new Alpha.” He smiled brightly at the wolves of the pack. “But behind every successful Alpha is a beautiful and astounding woman.”

My heart seized…waiting….

“In that light…” he reached for someone standing beside him. “...Love, come here. I’d like to announce Jessica Hunt as my Luna.”

“What the fuck!” Lily sharply turned to me, gasping as her fingers squeezed mine tightly. But the applause and cheers from the crowd drowned out everything else.

Then I watched them kiss. Jake kissed her.

The blood rushed to my head, and everything went silent as the world spun. My knees buckled, and my legs threatened to give way beneath me.

I could feel myself collapsing and faintly hear Lily’s shriek, but it was as though my body was filled with cement that solidified and now was about to crack and explode.