Page 17 of Fat Forced Mate

For a heartbeat, awe replaces fear on the faces around me. Even Nic's mask cracks slightly, something like recognition flickering in his eyes.

Then Melissa ruins it. "Thirty seconds in, and she’sattackingour pack members—”

The shouting kicks right off again at that, everywhere, so very loud and cruel.

More accusations follow, but I barely hear them. I'm too focused on Nic, on the way he watches my magical display with those distant eyes. Does he remember how my power used to respond to him? How it would surge whenever he touched me, whenever he whispered promises against my skin?

"Your magic knows me,"he'd said once, after it had shattered every window in his cabin during a particularly passionate encounter."Just like my wolf knows you."

Now, he looks at me like I'm a stranger. Like the past never happened. Like his wolf hasn't been going crazy in my presence since I returned.

Through it all, Victoria stands silent by the altar, watching with knowing eyes. She doesn't seem surprised by my naming, magical display, or any of it.

"The ceremony is concluded." Nic's voice cuts through the continuing chaos. "The lottery has chosen. Preparations for the trials will begin tomorrow."

Shit. The trials. Gods know what they’ll do to me.

I was so sure it wouldn’t be me. I wascertain.

The Alpha turns and strides away without another word or glance in my direction. His honor guard follows, then the Elders, then the rest of the pack. They give me a wide berth as they pass, but I still receive sneers, insults, glares. I used to think I was used to it, that nothing could hurt me anymore. But suddenly, I’m weak again. I feel so small.

Soon only Ruby and I remain in the clearing. My magic still crackles fitfully, responding to my turbulent emotions.

"Luna?" Ruby touches my arm carefully. "Are you okay?"

Am I okay? I've just been chosen to mate the man who broke my heart. The pack that rejected me now has to accept me as Alpha female. And Nic...

Nic looked at me like I was nothing.

"I can't do this." My voice breaks. "I can't mate someone who's ashamed of me. Who won't even look at me properly."

"Maybe there's more going on than we know." Ruby squeezes my hand. "Victoria seemed—"

"Victoria can keep her secrets." My magic finally subsides, leaving me drained. "I need... I need to be alone. I need to be alone before the trials—before whatever they want to do to humiliate me even more.”

She hesitates, then nods. "I'll be at the shop if you need me."

I wait until she's gone before sinking to my knees in the ceremonial circle. The altar still glows faintly, my name written in fading silver light.

The lottery is supposed to know what the pack needs. But how can the pack need this? How can it need me, when everything about me goes against their precious traditions? And how can I possibly mate someone whose eyes hold nothing but ice when he looks at me?

The moon watches silently as tears fall, my magic curling around me like a shield against the world. Against the memory of Nic's cold gaze. Against the knowledge that tomorrow, everything changes.

The lottery has chosen. Now, we all have to live with the consequences.

Chapter 8 - Dominic

Dawn breaks over Silvercreek far too soon, sweeping away with it all my time to think and stew, painting the sky in shades of crimson and gold that seem to mock the tension gripping our territory. The pack building's ancient windows catch the light like amber flames, casting long shadows across floors worn smooth by generations of previous Alphas’ footsteps. I've been awake for hours, reviewing the proposed Trial of Strength layouts spread across my desk—each design more brutal than the last. I can’t bear to approve or allow any of these. But if I don’t, the Elders will.

It’s barely been thirty-six hours, but our Elders and enforcers have outdone themselves in their determination to prove Luna unworthy. Sheer cliff faces slick with morning dew. Rope bridges spanning ravines that would give even experienced wolves pause. Underwater tunnels through the lake's coldest depths, where the current runs swift enough to challenge shifted wolves, let alone someone who can't take wolf form. The final layout makes even my stomach turn—a gauntlet clearly designed to break both body and spirit.

My wolf paces restlessly in my mind, angry at these obvious attempts to sabotage his chosen mate. The rage builds with each new detail I discover: specifications for the rope's thickness, the angle of the rock climbing section (nearly vertical), the depth of the water challenges. I silence him with practiced control, though my fingers leave deep creases in the paper as I study the final layout. I can't show favoritism. Can't let personal feelings interfere. The trials are sacred tradition, meant to test and strengthen the future Alpha female.

Even if they kill her?My wolf demands, and for once, I have no answer for him.

A knock interrupts my brooding. "Enter."

Thomas steps in, looking annoyingly alert for this hour. His pressed suit and perfect posture are a stark contrast to my rumpled state—I never changed after spending the night pacing these halls, haunted by the memory of Luna's name written in silver light.

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