Chapter 26

Bella “No, this can’t be, he’s mine, Father!” I screamed, shoving the table aside, the glass and cutlery clattering to the floor. My eyes were locked on the headline: “Future Alpha of Silver Crest Pack with His Mate.” And there he was—Osborne—hand in hand with a woman. Not just any woman, but someone so beneath me she wasn’t even worthy of walking the same ground I walked on. How could he stoop so low? To choose a girl like her? I can't believe he chose this fatty over me. My makeup was ruined by now, smudged with angry tears. The moment I heard he had attended Alex’s mating ceremony with his so-called mate, I had stormed straight to my father’s study. One glance at me and at the paper in my hand, and he already knew why I had come. “Calm down, Bella,” my father said, his tone gentle as he patted my shoulder. “You are my most prized possession. You must take care of yourself.” “But Father, I can’t let him marry that woman! Osborne belongs to me—he always has. And what about the betrothal?” My voice cracked. Osborne was betrothed to me, destined to be mine so that our packs could unite and grow stronger together. But none of that mattered. I didn’t want him for politics—I wanted him for myself. I had fallen for him the very first time we met. Osborne was perfect. The perfect man, for the perfect woman. For me. I would never let some nobody steal him away from me. He was meant for me, not her. “I’ll speak with Alpha Owen,” my father promised. “We’ll settle this, Bella. Please, don’t cry.” He’d better do something, and fast, before I completely lose control. I had rejected my mate because of him. Osborne who at twenty-four years old, still unmated, yet walking around as if destiny itself bent to his will. He never seemed worried, never seemed desperate like the others who longed for their fated ones. And I thought… Just maybe that was the sign. Maybe he knew, just as I knew, that he was meant for me. So when the Moon Goddess tied me to Alphonse, I didn’t hesitate. I severed that bond with a cold smile. Alphonse had nothing—no pack influence, no wealth, no status. Just a crumbling house passed down from his father and a pair of pleading eyes that disgusted me the more he begged me not to do it. How could I, the Alpha’s daughter, lower myself to someone so insignificant? He was beneath me. Osborne was the only man worthy of me. Alphonse was devastated when I rejected him. Maybe he thought of me as his way out of poverty, I could see it in his eyes, but I didn’t care. That was his problem, not mine. My gaze was fixed only on Osborne—the perfect man for the perfect woman I was. A year ago, I heard whispers that Alphonse had been granted a second chance mate. Good for him. At least the Moon Goddess took pity on his pathetic existence. Better her than me. At least he wouldn’t keep circling around me like a stray mutt, begging me to undo my rejection. But what about me? Where was my second chance? The Goddess had stayed silent, leaving me with nothing. And that silence told me one thing: Osborne was supposed to be mine. Fate had chosen him for me, not some weakling like Alphonse. He and I were betrothed—our union meant to merge our packs, to fortify our strength and rule. Yet instead of fulfilling what was already promised, Osborne had betrayed me. He had gone and taken another woman by the hand—parading her before the world as his mate, his Luna. A nobody. That fat thing No. I wouldn’t stand for it. If my father could not handle it, then I would. I had already sacrificed more than anyone else—I had given up my destined mate for Osborne. I had waited, I had been patient, I had loved him even when he doesn't seem to care that I exist. And now he thought he could throw me aside for some… worthless big thing? Let him try. If Osborne wouldn’t claim me, then I would make him mine by any means necessary. My father grabbed his phone, and I instantly knew who he was about to call. I sank into the couch, arms crossed tightly over my chest, waiting for Alpha Owen to answer. The phone rang once, twice, three times before he finally picked up. “Hello, Owen. I’d like to speak with you,” my father said, his tone clipped. I sharpened my senses, listening in on their conversation. “Yes,” Alpha Owen replied, his voice infuriatingly calm. “And I believe I know why.” “Why has your son chosen another?” my father demanded, fighting to keep his anger under control. Their friendship spanned years, and Owen still owed my father for helping him long ago. That debt was to be repaid through my marriage to Osborne. But now, Osborne’s betrayal threatened not only my future but also the bond between our packs. “It seems my son has made his choice, Hamilton,” Alpha Owen answered, his words steady. “I’m deeply sorry, but I don’t think this is a matter to be discussed over the phone. We should meet up.” My father slammed his fist against the table, his fury boiling over. “Don’t say that to me, Owen! You know the promise we made. You will not break your word. What about my daughter, huh? Do you want her to become a laughingstock?” He began pacing the room, his voice heavy with anger and betrayal. I wanted him to keep going, to make alpha Owen see just how serious this was. This wasn’t something they could just simply walk away from. “I understand your pain,” Alpha Owen tried to reason. “But you know how stubborn Osborne is. I swear to you, old friend, I’ve done everything I can. Yet he refuses.” His words were like fuel to the fire inside me. I pressed my hands to my head, my eyes wide with disbelief. My father looked at me then, his gaze full of pain, before growling into the phone, “I don’t care what it takes, Owen. Your son will marry my daughter, and their ceremony will take place a week from now.” He ended the call without giving Owen a chance to reply. Then he rushed to my side, crouching down to meet my eyes. “It’s okay, my love. Everything will be fine. Dad will handle it for you.” But I couldn’t hold back the tears. No—this was my battle. I had to claim what was mine, and I had to do it quickly.