8. My chosen mate.

Beatrice's POV

For a moment, time seemed to still. My breath hitched as I found myself pressed against his firm chest, his warmth seeping through my body as if I'm not dressed.

'Be careful, girl.' My wolf tries to warn me, but I shove her right at the back of my mind as the scent of pine and crisp autumn air wraps around me, so different from the suffocating musk of the man who had just thrown me away. The man that the goddess chose for me.

His face is shadowed by the dim lighting at the corridor, but I can make out the sharp angles of his jaw and the piercing depth of his hazel eyes. I try to read his eyes, and I don't find any hint of mocking in them, no pity either.

“You okay?” He asks, His voice as deep as I remember, soothing and laced with concern. I'm not really sure, though, because I'm not really a good judge of character. Cause what happened a while ago, I thought Mason had changed and had accepted me.

I swallow hard, suddenly aware that his arms are still around my waist, and our proximity... I feel warm air rush over my cheeks, I'm sure I look as red as a tomato right now.

I should move, I should step away... I tell myself... But my legs feel unsteady, my mind still reeling from the cold rejection mere seconds ago and this man infront of my eyes. I'm overwhelmed.

“I'm fine,” I mutter, though my voice betrays me, trembling slightly. The tears that I've been trying so hard to stop, threatening to spill. I swallow hard to stop them.

His gaze flickers to the closed door behind me, his jaw tightening.

He doesn't ask what happened, the way Mason threw me out like unwanted baggage, the way I was still struggling to catch my breath it's just evident, no explanation needed.

Slowly, he loosens his grip, allowing me the space to pull away, but his hands remain close, hovering, as if ready to catch me again. “You shouldn’t be here,” he murmurs.

Something about the way he says it makes my heart clench.

“I don’t have a choice,” I admit, my voice barely above a whisper. I hate that I have no place to go, no education, I know nothing about the world. If I go away, where will I even start from?

A heavy silence stretches between us. Then, his fingers brush against mine, just for a tiny moment, but it sends a shiver down my spine. I wonder what it is.

“Maybe you do,” he says quietly, and for the first time in what felt like forever, the possibility of something else, something new, flickers to life inside me.

“You should go.” He says, not in a commanding tone. I nod, and without a second glance, I head to my store room, reality hitting me. Why did Mason treat me like that? Why?

And why was the hazel eyed man outside his room? I'm glad he was there though. I have no one, no friend, even among the maids, I have none. They all treat me like a plague.

*A week later*

“Make sure everything is set alright, we can't afford to make any mistakes.” The head maid, Precious, says to us. We bow in respect, all this time I can feel the words are directed to me. To be honest, I'm always quite clumsy at times, especially when my head is not in its right place. But today isn't the day for mistakes. Mason is taking his oath of allegiance today, and the whole pack will pledge their lives to him as the sovereign ruler; The Alpha of Nadine-west pack. Well, I've never felt like a part of this pack because they have never treated me like one.

Despite the heartache, I push myself, I push myself mainly because I have no place to go to. I push myself mainly because I have a new goal in my life now. And I will do anything to make it happen. I'm not going to allow myself to die as retched as I've lived.

“I'll hand over the treats after the ceremony, then you will handle the drinks.” Hannah, my co maid spits.

“Not the drinks please.” I beg I know how shaky my hands can be at times, and she knows it.

“Can't I just handle the eateries, please. Or rather just clean up after the party.” I ask.

“Well, Miss Precious is the one who assigned us, so you will just have to do it.” She mutters, rolling her eyes at me. I'm pretty sure she was the one who did that, knowing pretty sure that I might not be able to handle it. Good thing today we are in uniform, a navy-blue fitting short-sleeved material dress, with white collar, knee-length. A white apron with lace trim extended over the shoulders. A headpiece so that our hair isn't all over the place. And black low heeled closed shoes. I really love the outfit.

Though it's the training grounds where the ceremony is held. It's decorated in a way that you might think it's a house. A clear tent is placed all around it to shield the pack members against the sun, chairs are beautifully arranged, and each pack member is seated according to ranks.

The alphas and Luna's are seated at the podium facing the people. Then the betas, Gammas, deltas, subordinates, then the omegas at the last row and then, of course, us who are outside the tent waiting for the ceremony to end so we can serve the guests. The pups have their tent, so they can be free and play among themselves. There is also a supervisor, I would have preferred been assigned to the pups tent, though.

I peep through the tent, there are so many people inside, hundreds, I will do all I can to avoid Mason, as I have for the past week. Now that he is Alpha, who knows what he'll do to me if I cross him.

Outside the tent we have arranged the table with champagne glasses, another enormous table with buffet plates aligned. For wolves, food is everything, so we cook as much as we can because we eat as we can. In short, we are foodies. Food is our first instinct.

So I thought about serving everyone, then I came up with this idea, this way I will do more of supervising than serving. I'm glad the Alpha and his Beta aren't coming to the buffet. I wonder who the Beta is though, I've been busy I haven't had time to know him.

“… She is my chosen mate.” The words take me by surprise, it's Mason.

My heart feels like it has been ripped apart, just him referring another woman as his mate affects me this much. the glass I am holding falls to the ground and shatters to pieces as I peep through again, and Mason's arms are wrapped around another female as the crowd cheers “Luna… Luna… Luna.” As they bow repeatedly.

My legs lose their strength, and the next thing I know, I'm on the floor, I knew he didn't want me, but how could he continue hurting me like this? He knows what his actions will do to me physically, but of course he doesn't care about me.

He should have rejected me, the pain in my chest becomes unbearable, the world starts becoming quieter, as my heartbeat grows rapid and louder. I clutch at my chest tightly, as the world grows darker.