Luna took a step back in disbelief at the unexpected words and the stabbing pain that followed after he finished speaking. She was in so much pain that she didn't register the gasps of surprise from the pack members present at the pack territory, nor did she hear the whispers that broke out. Luna was in a state of shock, her eyes wide open as she looked at Magnus, only to see a bemused smirk at the corner of his lips.
She was still lost in her thoughts when she heard a loud voice from her side. It was the shaman. She couldn't hear him clearly, as his voice sounded distant and distorted, but she caught fragments and knew the man was shouting at Alpha Magnus.
"What are you doing, Alpha?!"
"You can't do that! Do you want to kill your mate?" the man scolded in disbelief. He felt sad for Luna when his gaze fell on her. She looked so small, her shoulders slumped, almost as if she were carrying the weight of the whole pack on her small, fragile-looking frame. But Alpha Magnus wasn't done.
The Alpha smirked, and then his gaze flitted to one corner. His eyes lit up instantly. Ignoring the shaman's scolding, Magnus continued addressing the pack members. He was like a judge delivering the final verdict of a crime before execution. Immediately, the noise died down.
Magnus's blue, sensual eyes turned to Luna, and he smirked. "I have chosen to marry someone else," he announced. As if on cue, Luna turned to look in the direction of his gaze, and she was left in shock when she saw Talia, the pack's princess, making her way to the front of the crowd. The markings on her body were different from the rest of the young ladies in the pack. Her whole body was painted with a combination of black and silver, setting her apart from the other girls. She wore a white skirt covering her waist, and like every other she-wolf, the skirt was embroidered with brown wolf shapes. She was a beauty to behold, and Luna couldn't help but praise her in her head.
But the thing that struck her most was the necklace resting on Talia's slender, attractive neck. Luna was a novice, but she could tell when something was authentic. Compared to the rest of the girls who wore fake animal teeth necklaces, Talia wore a striking necklace made from the teeth of a dragon. Luna was sure of it, she thought, as she stared at the girl. But that wasn't the problem here. The problem was that she was trying to understand why Talia was now walking closer to the podium.
Luna was still trying to process everything — Magnus's sudden declaration and why Talia's appearance was so different from the rest of the crowd. It all felt intentional. She looked around and noticed that everyone's attention was now fixed on her, Alpha Magnus, and Talia. They all wore amused expressions on their faces. It felt like she was the means of their entertainment. Luna wanted to run away from there.
'I should have stayed at home,' Luna thought in her head. But before she could move, she heard the Alpha's chilling voice behind her again.
"And I have chosen to marry Talia Moonrider as my chosen mate!" Alpha Magnus declared before signaling for a guard to bring Talia to the front of the podium. Everything looked like a movie to Luna's eyes — from the sudden silence that filled the territory border to Alpha Magnus's words. It all felt like his words had the impact of a lit match held to gunpowder aimed at her chest.
Luna refused to believe any of his words, even as she watched the guards lead Talia up to the podium gently and safely, like she was a most prized possession. Luna still refused to believe this. Alpha Magnus was only doing this out of spite, right? She didn't know. This was the man who had promised her the world just to get close to her. What had she done to deserve this? she thought apprehensively. There was no way her fated mate would reject her. No way. Luna told herself, but every time she looked up and saw the smiling face of Talia, she began to think otherwise.
Talia and Magnus were the two people in the pack house who had made living in this pack more bearable for Luna. For three years she had been bullied, and these two had tried to stop it the best way they could, most especially Talia. She was the daughter of one of the senior elders in the pack. She was respected not because of her father's wealth but because of her kind nature. Talia was always seen in the pack house, probably too close to Alpha Magnus now that she thought about it, Luna realized. But she shook her head. It couldn't be. Was it all a ploy?
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*Author's Note:* This chapter was split into two because of how long it was. I hope you understand ^∼.
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