Too Late, Alpha

The Mate He Chose

"Smile, Evelyn."

Bella leaned closer and adjusted the silver ribbon in my hair.

"You don't want everyone thinking you're jealous today."

I stared at my reflection.

The dress wasn't mine.

Nothing about tonight was mine.

Not the gown.

Not the jewelry.

Not even the title I had spent three years earning.

Across the room, servants rushed around carrying flowers and candles.

Outside, hundreds of wolves were gathering in the pack square.

Tonight was the Mate Ceremony.

The night Alpha Damien would officially announce his Luna.

My wolf stirred restlessly.

She already knew.

I swallowed hard.

"Have you seen Damien?"

Bella's smile widened.

"Why? Nervous?"

"Just answer the question."

"Oh, I've seen him."

She smoothed her own dress.

"A lot."

Something in her tone made my stomach twist.

Before I could ask another question, the door opened.

One of the servants stepped inside.

"The Alpha is ready."

Bella immediately hooked her arm through mine.

"Come on, sister."

I hated when she called me that.

We weren't related.

Three years ago, Damien had found me unconscious near the border after a rogue attack.

No family.

No pack.

No memories before age ten.

Nothing.

Damien brought me home.

His pack became my home.

At least I thought it had.

The ceremony platform stood at the center of the square.

Thousands of lights illuminated the night.

Pack members filled every seat.

The moment Damien appeared, cheers exploded around us.

"Alpha Damien!"

"Our Alpha!"

He looked exactly like the leader everyone admired.

Tall. Confident. Powerful.

The man I had loved for three years.

The man my wolf recognized as her mate.

For a second his eyes met mine.

Something flashed across his face.

Then Bella stepped forward.

And his gaze shifted to her.

My chest tightened.

No.

Not tonight.

Not after everything.

The Elder raised his hands.

"The Moon Goddess has blessed this pack."

The crowd fell silent.

"Tonight our Alpha will formally present his chosen Luna."

My wolf whimpered.

I clenched my fists.

Please.

Please look at me.

Damien stepped onto the platform.

The Elder smiled.

"Alpha Damien. Who stands beside you as your mate?"

The world seemed to stop.

Damien reached for someone's hand.

Not mine.

Bella's.

The crowd erupted.

Cheers.

Applause.

Excitement.

Everything became noise.

My ears rang.

Bella climbed onto the platform wearing the smile of a queen.

"I knew it."

"Oh my God."

"They look perfect together."

"I always said Evelyn was delusional."

Someone laughed.

Another person joined in.

Then more.

Damien raised Bella's hand.

"My mate."

The words hit harder than any blade.

My wolf screamed inside my head.

Pain shot through my chest.

Mate rejection.

Not official.

Not complete.

But enough.

Enough to break something.

Bella looked directly at me.

Then she smiled.

Slowly.

Cruelly.

Like she'd won.

The Elder placed a silver crown on her head.

"Future Luna Bella."

The crowd roared again.

I couldn't breathe.

Three years.

Three years of standing beside Damien.

Helping the pack.

Managing disputes.

Organizing supplies.

Taking care of injured wolves.

Three years of believing I mattered.

Apparently I didn't.

Apparently I never had.

Then Bella spoke.

"Wait."

The crowd quieted.

She tilted her head.

"I think someone deserves recognition."

A bad feeling settled in my stomach.

Bella pointed directly at me.

"There she is."

Several people laughed immediately.

"Evelyn."

My feet refused to move.

Bella smiled.

"Come up here."

I didn't want to.

But every eye was already on me.

So I walked.

One step.

Then another.

When I reached the platform, Bella turned toward the crowd.

"Everyone knows Evelyn had feelings for Damien."

Laughter spread again.

My face burned.

Bella continued.

"She worked so hard for this ceremony."

More laughter.

Damien remained silent.

That hurt more than Bella's words.

I looked at him.

Say something.

Anything.

Tell them to stop.

He didn't.

Bella lifted her gown slightly.

"Actually, Evelyn."

She smiled sweetly.

"Could you help fix my dress?"

The square became silent.

Everyone understood exactly what she was doing.

This wasn't a request.

It was humiliation.

I stared at her.

"You want me to kneel?"

"Oh."

Bella laughed.

"Only if that's beneath you."

The crowd laughed.

I looked at Damien again.

Still nothing.

Not one word.

Not one objection.

The realization finally settled.

He was allowing this.

Maybe he even wanted it.

My throat tightened.

Slowly, I lowered myself.

One knee touched the ground.

Then the other.

The crowd erupted.

Someone whistled.

Someone else clapped.

Bella looked down at me like royalty.

I adjusted her dress.

The Future Luna.

The title that should have been mine.

The title I'd spent years preparing for.

The title Damien had silently taken away.

"Thank you, Evelyn."

I stood immediately.

Without answering.

Without looking at either of them.

I walked away.

The laughter followed me.

Every step hurt.

Not physically.

Something worse.

By the time I reached the forest, tears blurred my vision.

I kept walking.

Deeper.

Away from the music.

Away from the celebration.

Away from him.

My wolf finally spoke.

"He is our mate."

I laughed bitterly.

"Apparently not."

"He is."

"Then why did he choose her?"

No answer came.

The forest was silent.

A branch snapped somewhere behind me.

I froze.

Another sound.

Closer this time.

Then a growl.

Low.

Dangerous.

My heart dropped.

Rogues.

Three of them emerged from the darkness.

Large.

Scarred.

Hungry.

One smiled.

"Look what we found."

Another sniffed the air.

"Pack girl."

"Not for long."

I backed away.

Slowly.

Carefully.

The first rogue laughed.

"You're scared."

"No kidding," I said.

He grinned.

"I like this one."

The second rogue shifted.

Bones cracked.

Fur exploded across his body.

Wolf.

Huge. Fast. Deadly.

I turned and ran.

Branches whipped across my face.

Footsteps thundered behind me.

One rogue grabbed my arm.

I screamed.

His claws dug into my skin.

Pain shot through my shoulder.

Then suddenly—

A roar exploded through the forest.

Everything stopped.

Even the rogues froze.

A massive pressure crashed into the area.

Alpha power.

No.

Stronger.

Much stronger.

The rogue holding me released me instantly.

Fear filled his eyes.

"What the hell is that?"

Then a figure stepped from the shadows.

Tall.

Broad shoulders.

Black coat.

Silver eyes.

The moonlight seemed to follow him.

One look.

That was all it took.

Every rogue backed away.

Terrified.

The stranger spoke calmly.

"You touched her."

The rogue swallowed.

"We didn't know she belonged to anyone."

The man tilted his head.

Belonged?

Before I could process that word, he moved.

One second he stood twenty feet away.

The next he was in front of them.

The fight lasted less than ten seconds.

Then silence.

The rogues fled.

The stranger turned toward me.

For the first time, our eyes met.

Something strange happened.

Not a mate bond.

Not exactly.

But something.

Recognition.

His gaze lingered on my face.

Then my neck.

Then my wrist.

As if he was looking for something.

Finally he asked,

"What is your name?"

"Evelyn."

He repeated it quietly.

"Evelyn."

Like he was testing the sound.

Then he smiled slightly.

A smile that somehow made my heartbeat skip.

"Interesting."

"No," he corrected himself immediately.

"Not interesting."

His eyes darkened.

"Unexpected."

Before I could ask what that meant, he stepped back.

"Who are you?"

The stranger looked toward the north.

Far beyond our territory.

Far beyond Damien's pack.

Then he answered.

"Someone you'll meet again."

I frowned.

"That's not an answer."

His smile returned.

"No."

Then he pointed north.

"If the day comes when you have nowhere left to go."

His voice became serious.

"Find me."

The wind shifted.

For a brief moment I caught his scent.

Power. Snow. Pine forests.

Something ancient.

Something royal.

Then he disappeared into the darkness.

Leaving me standing alone beneath the moon.

And for the first time tonight—

I had the strange feeling that my story wasn't ending.

It was only beginning.