Page 8 of The Alpha's Chosen Fate

"Or what?You'll reject me, too?"he mocked."I'm loyal to you, but I won't stand by while you sabotage your life and this pack.You think the Goddess won’t punish you for this?"

"Shut up, Colten!You think I wanted this?I didn't have a choice!"

His eyes widened a fraction then fell into thin slits."What do you mean you didn’t have a choice?"

"Nothing," I muttered, looking away.

"If there's something you need to tell me—" he started, but I cut him off.

"No!"I slammed my fist onto the table, the force sending an echo throughout the large cabin."As your Alpha, I order you to support my choice and never question me about my Luna again."

He had no idea what was going on and I couldn’t tell him.The weight of it would only crush us both.

“Trust me, Colt, when I say that this decision was better than the alternative.”

He shook his head slowly but offered no retort.

The path was set and there was no turning back.I would have to face the consequences alone, my wolf refusing to help in any way.

"Leave," I whispered, my voice cracking with a pain I could no longer bear to hide."Please."

Colten hesitated for a moment, his expression a mix of concern and frustration, before obeying.

The front door slammed shut.I took a long pull from the bottle.

Being a shifter, the intoxicating effect would only offer a brief reprieve from the gnawing guilt that began to fester.I’d burn off the whiskey fast, so I kept drinking.

As each drop numbed my senses, I could feel my wolf's agitation ebbing away.It was my own unrest that remained.

An hour passed, maybe more.The whiskey bottle was now empty and discarded in the trash.I no longer had an excuse to delay the inevitable.

My head spun, and my limbs felt heavy as I staggered towards the staircase.Each step was a battle against gravity.When I finally reached the top, I practically fell into the master suite.

"There you are," Ruby purred, her voice sickeningly sweet as she lay sprawled across the bed, clad in nothing but tiny scraps of red silk.

"Here I am," I drunkenly strung together.

My fingers scratched at the skin over my heart, a vain attempt to lessen the pain.I deserved to feel it.I had chosen this and I would endure it.

"Come on, baby," Ruby cooed, her eyes dark with lustful intent."Show your mate what you can do with that big cock.It’s been too long since I’ve had it."

There was no love, no warmth in her gaze.I clearly saw a shrewd calculation despite my intoxicated haze.

I was trapped by my own choices.So I approached, bracing myself against the bed's wooden frame.

"Take that off," I ordered.

Negligees were for seduction.I wanted no part in playing lover, not tonight.Tonight was just about fucking, consummating this union.

The act would be purely transactional, meant to seal the deal she and I had struck, forged in deceit and betrayal.

Ruby’s feral smile remained.Her cool gaze watched me hastily undress.That grin widened when I finally took a step to join her on our mating bed.

"Touch me," she hummed, pulling me closer until my body pressed against hers.

The warmth of our skin contrasted with the icy chill in her eyes.This wasn't love or even lust.It was a raw power game between us.

Moving downwards, my fingertips whispered over the flat plane of her stomach before disappearing into the trim curls between her thighs.She was wet, readiness seeping out from her slit.

---