FATED BEYOND THE PACK (rejection and redemption)

Chapter 6: Chapter 6



The silk of the gown clung to my skin like ghostly hands, its ivory threads gleaming under the silver moonlight. I sighed as I silently adore the delicate lace sleeves, woven with patterns of roses and thorns, then I begin to doubt whether it was an omen of the loveless marriage I was about to be bound to.

I stood before the towering mirror, staring at the reflection of a wolf less girl who is dressed for a fate she never once wished for.

My heart pounded in my chest, heavier than the silver crown that I will bear after tonight, as the Luna of Shadow Walker Pack. I had always imagined my wedding day to be one of freedom, of choice, of joy.

Instead, it felt like a sentence, a chain around my neck forged not by by love. But a hatred I could never comprehend.

"Foxy."

A voice murmured behind me. It was Miya, her eyes gleaming with unspoken understanding.

"It is time."

She said almost a whisper before a warm smile escaped her lips.

Time...

The word sent a shudder through my bones. It was time to stand beside Alaric, the wolf I somehow had grown up with, the only wolf whom despite knowing the amount of care and love I have for him, still chose to despice me for a reason I will never understand.

It was time to vow myself to him in front of the pack, to speak the words that would tie us together forever.

But in my soul, I knew, Alaric did not love me, the way I deserved.

I clenched my hands into fists, my nails pricking through the silk.

How cruel fate could get to make my heart yearn for the wild unknown while forcing myself into the arms of the most cruel wolf in our pack?

I wish I could hate him. I wish I could just erase the love I have for him. Alaric had never been anything but cruel, heartles, and always hungry for power, so much that he did not even bother to show grief for his own father's death.

I flinched as I heard the drums began to beat from outside, their rhythm echoing through the stone halls of the pack house. The pack had gathered and the new Alpha waited smirking as if plotting for a new show to embarass me again.

I let out a deep breath as I glanced in the mirror before I finally stepped forward, my wedding gown trailing behind me like the weight of a destiny I could not escape.

The heavy steps of boots upon sacred ground made my breath hitch. I stood there in silence as Alaric approached me, he was clad in the ceremonial black robes, wearing the silver crown enough to announce his new position to the pack. His eyes were like shards of ice as they met mine. No tenderness, no grief, only cold resolve.

My hands trembled slightly as I reached for his, but he pulled away. A cold prickle ran down my spine.

Then I knew, something was wrong...

"I, Alaric Barlowe, Alpha of the Shadow Walker Pack reject you, Brielle Fox as my mate and Luna of this pack."

His voice echoed in the silence of the night, a collective gasp spread through the pack, my breath hitched and my chest tightened.

"W-What…?" I whispered, my voice barely audible over the murmurs.

Alaric smirked, crossing his arms.

"Did you really think I'd accept a mate who can't even shift?"

His eyes gleamed with cruelty.

"You're weak, Foxy. A disgrace to the Shadow Walker Pack's name."

The words cut down through my chest, even deeper than any claw or fang ever could.

"Alpha Alaric, this isn't how it's done."

Shara muttered from the side, shifting uncomfortably.

Alaric scoffed, staring the Elder Shara down.

"What? You think I should pretend? Let's not fool ourselves. She's an embarrassment. A wolf who can't shift is no better than a human."

He said before turning back to me, eyes cold.

"You should leave before you humiliate yourself further."

My nails dug into my palms.

"Y-You're rejecting me just because I haven't shifted yet?"

I asked, my voice low as I try to hold my breath.

"Yet?"

A sharp, mocking laugh escaped his lips.

"You're eighteen, Foxy. Every wolf shifts by eighteen, some even earlier. Face it, you're broken."

Whispers spread like wildfire through the pack.

My vision blurred. Not with tears, I refused to cry.

I should be celebrating.

I never wanted this marriage anyway and that is the reason I was trying to talk to Alpha Aric earlier this evening.

I gulped as I silently reminded myself how much I tried to convince the fallen Alpha not to let me marry his son.

I loved Alaric, he was my mate, we are fated, or so I thought?

I love him, but I never want to marry him.

I repeated the words like a mantra in my head, still trying to fight the tears to roll down my cheek.

I have expected this to happed so I wouldn't cry for this. I wanted to scream and burst into tears not because Alaric rejected me, as his mate, as his Luna, but because of the sheer force of my humiliation.

Though Alaric's hatred towards me wasn't a secret, I had spent years waiting for this moment, believing in fate, in the mate bond that was supposed to be sacred.

But he had turned it into a spectacle.

"I trusted you... Why would you ask me to prepare for th-"

I said, unable to finish my words, my voice barely above a whisper.

"I-I thought, I-"

Alaric rolled his eyes.

"You thought... That we were meant to be? Please. I've found someone stronger. Someone worthy."

As if on cue, a figure stepped forward. Miya, the only trusted friend I ever had on this pack.

I couldn't blame Alaric, Miya was tall, beautiful, and shifted into a sleek, brown wolf with ease.

The sight of her transformation that night became the talk of the whole pack.

I remember how proud I was to her, Miya was my friend... Who would have thought?

Miya walked towards us, she tilted her head and smirked.

"You didn't actually think he'd choose you, did you?"

My blood ran cold.

I clenched my fists.

Once upon a time, I was Brielle Fox, daughter of the strongest Alpha ever to live, I once stood tall, that even after I didn't transform that night, I still chose to cling onto Alpha Aric's words. I am Brille Fox, daughter of Alpha Weldon Fox, my name alone is enough to command respect from the pack.

But now...

My rejection, my pain, my humiliation, suddenly became the source of entertainment for them.

I inhaled sharply as I finally let a single tear roll down my cheek, I

looked at Alaric one last time, taking in the smirk on his lips, the way he stood proudly beside Miya, as if this was a game he had already won.

But I wouldn't let them break me. Not yet, not ever...

I took a deep breath, straightened my back, I gathered all the courage left in me before meeting the intensity of his gaze with unwavering resolve.

"I may not have shifted."

I said, my voice steady.

"But I'd rather be without a mate than be bound to a coward."

The smirk slipped from Alaric's face.

Gasps rippled through the crowd again but I chose to ignore them.

"I... Brielle Fox, daughter of Alpha Weldon Fox, accept your rejection."

I said, my voice loud as I could before I turned on my heel, walking away from the ceremony, I wanted to leave the pack, the shame, and the mate who never deserved me.

Where do I go?

I have no idea...

All I know is that I don't belong here anymore...

Not without my parents, not without Alpha Aric and not without my wolf.

--

"This seemed to be quite the show, huh?"

Lucas whispered in disbelief. We have just arrived to Shadow Walker Pack and this is what greeted us.

"Good. Leave. You don't belong to us anymore, Foxy. You are weak, you always will be. I need a Luna who will strengthen this pack, not someone who will burden it."

I felt something tighten in my chest as I watch the scene unfold. There was cruelty in the way Alaric spoke, a heartlessness that settled in my chest.

The pain in the woman's eyes was raw, a wound laid bare for all to see.

"Okay..." The woman said, her voice steady despite the visible storm within her.

With that, the woman turned his back on him, walking away without a second glance. The pack remained silent, their eyes filled with pity, but no one stepped forward to comfort her.

I could not move. The Lycan instincts within me roared, urging me to intervene, to shield this woman from the cruelty of the world.

I have seen rejection before, but something about this, about her, gnawed at the edges of my soul.

Before I knew what I was doing, or even stop myself, I strode forward.

"Hey."

Her eyes snapped at me, confusion flickering in their depths.

"K-King Marcus!"

She murmured, bowing slightly.

"F-Forgive me. You should not have to witness such a disgrace."

I studied her for a moment, and I saw the way her body trembled with restrained anguish.

"It is not you who should be ashamed here."

I said firmly.

Her lips parted slightly, it was obvious she was startled by my words.

"The mark of a true Luna is not in brute strength."

I continued, my voice softer now.

"It is in resilience, in the fire that does not extinguish even when the world tries to smother it."

She swallowed hard, blinking rapidly.

"I... don't know what to do now."

"You survive."

I said simply.

"And when you are ready, you rise."

I added, I watched as he inhaled sharply and before I knew it, I was already touching her face, giving it a soft caress. It was not pity I was offering, it was acknowledgment, an understanding of the pain only a warrior knew.

I finally steppeded forward, turning to the pack, letting everyone recognize my pressence.

"A pack that allows its own to be discarded like a broken tool is a pack that will crumble."

I said, ensuring that my voice taking on the command of a King. My silver eyes locked onto the new Alpha of the pack, who had stopped but did not turn.

"Remember that, Alpha."

I added before turning my attention back to the woman.

And just one more look at her amber eyes, I've made my decision.

I would not let this stranger fade into mystery, or lost in the sorrow of rejection.

I would protect her.


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