Betrothed To The Alpha

CHAPTER 31

ALICE

My blood boils as I stare straight ahead, my gaze fixed on the podium where my sister Hannah and my mate Alex stand. Yes, he rejects me, and I begrudgingly accept it, but that doesn't mean a damn thing to me. Alex is still mine, no matter what.

Their engagement ceremony unfolds before me, a spectacle of joy and celebration that feels like a slap in the face. As the elders from both the sky and silver packs speak words of wisdom and guidance to Hannah and Alex, my fists clench at my sides, the rage inside me threatening to consume everything in its path. It should be me standing there, receiving their blessings and stepping into the role of Alex's Luna and equal. But fate has other plans, and now I'm forced to watch from the sidelines as my sister takes what should be rightfully mine.

The ceremony presses on, each moment feeling like a dagger twisting deeper into my wounded heart. And then comes the ultimate betrayal: the elders ask Alex to mark Hannah. In any other circumstance, such a ritual would be reserved for the sacred bond of mating, but since this is an alliance between two packs, they choose to perform the marking here, in front of everyone, as a symbol of unity between the packs.

With seething fury burning inside me, I watch as Hannah's body readily accepts the mark of Alex. It's infuriatingly easy for her, all because she's his fucking second chance mate. If she weren't, it would have been much harder. But even as my anger threatens to consume me, I'm forced to endure the sight of everyone around me cheering and smiling as if this travesty is something to be celebrated. Even Alex's parents look on with happiness in their eyes.

"Fuck!" I exclaim, the frustration boiling over as I turn to face my parents beside me, my voice sharp with anger.

"Why did you make Hannah the one who Alex marries? I was his first mate. Why the hell didn't you pick me?" I bark at them, my words laced with bitterness and resentment. My mom attempts to hush me, her hand reaching out and pulling me to the side, away from the crowd.

"It's not that simple, my dear," Mom says, her voice gentle but firm as she places a comforting hand on my arm.

"What do you mean?" I demand.

"We can't go into details right now, but just know we did it for a reason. We would never have chosen her if it wasn't necessary," Mom says, her voice gentle but tinged with an underlying gravity that leaves me with more questions than answers.

But before I can ask further, Dad's interjection only adds fuel to the fire raging inside me. "Besides, you should forget about Alex. You still have his brothers as mates,"