Page 7 of The Alpha's Chosen Fate

She stopped inside and turned to me.Long polished fingernails trailed down my chest.

“I mean really, can you even imagine that wallflower knowing what to do with this much power?You did the right thing, darling.Iam the better choice to be your Luna.”Her dark brown eyes locked onto mine, daring me to challenge her position.

"Go upstairs," I ordered tersely."I’ll be up later."

"Of course.”A mocking smile played on her full lips.“I'll slip into that little number I showed you yesterday.”

With one last lingering look, she sauntered away, up to the master suite, leaving me to stew in a mess of my own making.I went in the opposite direction.

The kitchen was dim and unwelcoming, but I appreciated the solitude.The heaviness of my decision bore down and pinned me beneath its oppressive force.

My wolf ached for Ivy, our true mate, the woman I had forsaken.

I snatched an unopened bottle of whiskey from the cabinet and tore off the seal, desperate to numb this pain.Tilting the bottle back, the amber liquid burned a fiery path down my throat, sending warmth radiating through my body.

As I drank, my wolf, Onyx, stirred within, knowing what I was trying to do.He snarled and railed against my actions.

"Damn it," I muttered, taking another swig.I needed to sedate the beast.

If I lost control, I could very well kill Ruby.And despite everything, I could not let that happen.She was my responsibility now and I had a duty to protect her.

Protect Ruby.The thought was laughable when she’d just accepted a death sentence.

The alcohol dulled my senses as I stared at the half-empty bottle.So this is what it's come to?

Uncontrollably, I reached for the bond I’d felt, strong and true before I rejected it.I came up against a block of ice.

Onyx howled in grief.Ivy was lost to us.For now, at least.

I had yet to figure out how I was going to manage seeing her.I would have to keep someone on her to make sure we didn’t cross paths.

Or maybe I could loan her out to a pack in need of a healer until I had everything under control and it was safe for her to return.

A gust of air rushed through the room, snapping me back to reality.Colten stood in the doorway, his broad frame filling the space, his gray eyes like steel.

"What in the ever-loving fuck were you thinking?"he barked.

"Go away," I slurred, taking another drink.

He stormed towards me, snatching the whiskey bottle from my hand and slamming it onto the counter, his face inches from mine."This isn't the Alpha I know."

“It is now.”

“Briggs.”

I fixed my Alpha stare on my closest friend.“Leave it alone, Colt.”

“You know I can’t do that.”

My palms scrubbed my face like I was waking up from a bad dream.Sadly, this was one nightmare I wouldn’t be escaping anytime soon.

"Why?"His tone softened, but the bite remained.“You know she's not your true mate.She’s the worst sort of female there is.You doomed this pack and now you’re here drowning yourself in liquor because you damn well know it."

I snarled at the male, baring my teeth."I did what I had to do."

"By abandoning the one female the Goddess herself chose for you?You've lost your fucking mind, Briggs."His words stung like a whip.

"Watch your tongue, Beta," I warned.

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