CHAPTER 3: MINE FOREVER

**Evelyn**

Mate… her voice echoed in my head as utter chaos ensued in the pack. 

“Mate?!” Elder Anthony shrieked gleefully, looking between the girl and Ryan, before turning to me with a gloating look. But I just stood there numbly, seeing everything but not registering anything. As if I was a stranger watching it all happen to someone else. Amidst the cacophony of voices of the elders and the pack members that gathered there by now, the girl walked towards Ryan as if in a daze. Suddenly, the haze in my mind cleared up and my senses turned sharp. She was walking towards my man! Fated mate or whatever, Ryan was mine now and mine forever! 

I rushed towards him and stood in front before she reached him. The girl tilted her head in a questioning look as she stared at me, annoyance flashing in her eyes at the hindrance. As she stood there studying me, I did the same. I didn’t realize it before since she was lying down, but now that she was standing up, she was on the shorter side. Maybe about 5’3” compared to my 5’7” height. And whereas I was the typical blue-eyed blonde, she had inky black hair and gray eyes. We were polar opposites… The thought startled me and I realised I was comparing myself to her. Why? Her appearance didn’t matter! She may look delicate and pretty, but Ryan will never care! He will never even glance at a woman other than me, even if she is his fated mate! 

“Is she really your mate, Alpha Ryan?” Elder Zachary asked, and my gaze fell on the girl, whose eyes widened as if in disbelief that her mate was an Alpha. 

“Ry- Ryan,” she said in a voice barely above a whisper, and I bit my lips hard enough to draw blood. It felt wrong to hear another woman calling my man’s name so intimately. 

Trying to ignore her adoring gaze, I turned to Ryan, wishing he would say no. That he would deny her claim and tell that she was lying. That he didn’t have any bond with her. But as Ryan stood there with his face devoid of emotions, I could still see his hands clenching into a fist, betraying the turmoil in his mind. And I knew his answer even before he ever opened his mouth. I guess I knew the moment my eyes fell on her. That her arrival was going to change my world and indeed it did. 

As I watched, Ryan stayed silent but gave a slight nod that I would have missed had I even blinked for a moment. Even though I already knew it, I couldn’t help but close my eyes, my heart feeling heavy. When we had chosen each other as mates, we had decided that we will not accept our fated mates if we ever come across them. Still, I had hoped that such a situation would never happen. But here we were. Even thinking of Ryan having a mate that was not me made goosebumps rise on my skin. It just felt unreal. How could he belong to someone else when it feels so perfect being with him? Why couldn’t the moon goddess make us mates instead? Just because I was born an omega?

I stared at Ryan, who was glaring down at the floor as if wishing to burn a hole in it. Now that his fated mate was in front of him, could he really adhere to our promise and choose me? Or was the mate bond pull too strong to resist? I had full trust in my man, but this was not simply a matter of choice. How could I understand it when I have never faced the pull off the mate bond? What if it was simply impossible to ignore?

Suddenly Ryan looked up, his eyes meeting mine, and I could see the burning determination in it. I felt my lips move into a smile as I recognised the emotion flaring in those golden orbs that I loved beyond life. He was still my Ryan, and he had no intention of changing it. Mine…

“Quick! Bring the divine orb! Let’s check and confirm if the girl is indeed the Alpha’s mate!” Elder Anthony called out gleefully, and I stiffened. Even if I had already realised that the girl was indeed Ryan’s fated mate, seeing it verified in front of the entire pack was a different thing. To see them standing together and announced as fated mates… I wish I never had to see such a sight. But the elders who were waiting for a reason to separate me and Ryan had no intention of wasting this golden opportunity. 

Even before I could blink, the divine orb was brought, and the girl was standing right next to Ryan as if she belonged by his side. And as I stood there like a bystander who was simply there to watch the proceedings, I couldn’t help but watch them together. The first thing I noticed was how both of them had shining dark hair. With his 6’3” height, Ryan stood tall and powerful while she looked petite next to him. So delicate and helpless that everyone would wish to protect her. 

I shook my head and glanced at the white orb that was placed in the center of the table in front of Ryan and the girl. This was the divine orb that was said to be blessed by the nature witches, said to be the descendants of the moon goddess herself. All packs had one in them and they were used in the most important ceremonies, such as the ascension of the Alpha and Luna and for the mating ceremonies. It can also verify the mate bond between two people. When a couple places their hands together on top of the orb, if it glows, then they are mates..

I sighed as I looked away from the orb. This was the same orb that had witnessed my mating ceremony with Ryan. And now that memory will be tainted forever with seeing him holding another woman’s hand over it…

As the elders chanted the prayer to seek the moon goddess’s blessings, Ryan looked at me, his gaze unwavering and full of promises. I nodded back, my eyes full of unshed tears as I smiled back. This was just another hurdle in our journey together. We had faced many obstacles to become one and now here was yet another one. We will overcome this too. 

“Alpha Ryan, state your name and rank before seeking the goddess’s blessing. Then place your hand on top of the divine orb,” Elder Anthony instructed, and for a moment, Ryan just stood there unmoving. Then, slowly, he placed his hands on top of the orb and I could see the slight tremble in his fingers even though his face still looked stoic as always.

“I, Ryan Samuel Blackwood, Alpha of the Hawthorn pack, seek the blessing of the Moon Goddess,” he said solemnly.

The elders turned and looked at the girl.

She nodded at them with a radiant smile on her face. Then she placed her hand on top of the orb, her hand covering Ryan’s. Seeing him flinch, I knew he had felt the spark from the mate bond. 

“I, Freya Gladice Maddox, daughter of Beta of the Redmoon pack, seek the blessing of the Moon Goddess.”

Freya, so that’s her name… And she was a beta heir from the Redmoon pack, yet another pack ambushed by the Moonstone pack…

As everyone stared with bated breath, waiting for the orb to glow, moments passed, but nothing happened. Slowly, murmurs rose in the crowd, and hope bloomed in my heart. Was it just a misunderstanding? Was she really not his mate? But even before I could heave a sigh of relief, the orb suddenly glowed brilliantly, its light nearly blinding. I could only curse myself for hoping and stared at the girl’s hand that was still on top of Ryan’s. Abruptly he stepped away from the girl, throwing her hand off him as if burned. She simply stood there with a hurt look, her eyes wide open in confusion, and I looked away, feeling a twinge of guilt.

“Rejoice everyone! Our Alpha has finally found his fated mate!” Elder Timothy declared and cheers erupted around us, everyone merrily congratulating Ryan on finding his mate. Nobody even spared me a glance, and I could only turn deaf ears to their cheers.

“Now that you have found your true Luna, you must bring her to her rightful place,” Elder Anthony announced. 

“Indeed!” someone called out in agreement and more voices joined.

“Divorce your omega wife and you can marry your fated mate. The moon goddess has blessed you with a beta born as your mate! With her by your side, you will finally be stronger and we can win the war. The future of the pack is going to be safe!” Elder Zachary cheered.

As I heard the word divorce, I stiffened and stared at the people around me in disbelief. I had treated them all as family and they didn’t even give a damn about me. They just wanted to discard me as if I was nothing more than trash. Was my love and care for them that little in their eyes? They didn’t even hesitate a moment before supporting another woman as their luna right in front of me?

“Divorce?” Suddenly the girl, Freya, croaked out, realising that Ryan was already married, and she looked at him with an accusing gaze, which he ignored. Then he turned to me before beckoning me over to him. As everyone watched me as if just realising that I was still there, I raised my head and walked towards my husband. As I reached him, he held my hand tightly, and we both turned as one, facing the pack together. Like we had done from the very beginning.

“Divorce Evelyn? Not even in your wildest dreams!” Ryan declared, and chaos ensued. 

“What do you mean, Alpha?! You dare to throw away your fated mate for this fake one?!” Elder Anthony growled.

“Silence! Fake, huh? Just because my fated mate is here, Evelyn is no longer your Luna, huh?” Ryan thundered and suddenly everything turned silent.

“Why didn’t anyone care if she was fake when she had been slaving off day and night for you? You forgot the hospital she had proposed and brought to life? You forgot how she was a second mother to your kids?” He asked before his voice got hoarse. “And did you forget? This fake Luna of yours had been once pregnant with our child. And she lost our baby because she risked her life in the rogue attack three years ago! Some of you are alive here because of her selfless sacrifice and we lost our baby because of that! And you forgot that! I am ashamed that I am the Alpha of such an ungrateful bunch of animals!”

Ryan shook his head, and his eyes glowed for a moment. 

“You can all forget, but I will never. When I had chosen her as my woman, I meant it. She is the only one for me. If that means going against the moon goddess’s wish, so be it.”

Everyone stared silently, and the silence lasted for a moment until it was broken by a loud sob. I turned to see Freya crying pitifully, her hands covering her mouth as she stared at Ryan.

“I had already lost my family because of the war. My only hope was that I could find my mate one day and start a new family where I will be loved once again. And now you are telling me that it was all a lie and you never even waited for me? That you will never mark me or accept me as your mate?” she asked, her voice wavering as she gazed at Ryan with eyes full of tears. 

“I am sorry, but I will never glance at a woman other than Evelyn,” Ryan replied icily.

Freya let out a sob before speaking again.  

“So what am I supposed to do? I have nowhere to go and I will be a rogue if I leave here. I will be dead the moment I step out of the boundary. You are sentencing me to death just because you don’t accept me as your mate?”

I stared at her and felt a mix of guilt and pity. After all, it was not her fault that Ryan fell in love with me. She didn’t deserve to be thrown to the wolves because of me. 

Before Ryan could rebuke her, I replied.

“You don’t have to turn rogue. You can stay in this pack,” I said before pausing. “But that doesn’t mean that you can have my husband, even if he is your fated. If you want to stay here, you have to accept me as your Luna and respect me as such,” I said firmly, and the girl stared at me before nodding slightly.

Ryan gave me a disapproving look before turning to her.

“You are an outsider here, and we can’t have you running around unchecked in the times of war. If you want to stay here, you will have to work as Evelyn’s maid and be under her watch all the time. Agreed?” He asked, and my eyes widened just like Freya’s. Maid? Wasn’t it too much to ask her to be my maid? But before I could voice out my doubt, she nodded in agreement. Ryan turned to me and I could only nod, agreeing to accept her as my maid. 

“Good. And to make it clear, that is what you will ever be. Don’t even dream of the Luna position because that will never belong to you,” Ryan said and, without bothering to say anything more, he just stalked away, leaving utter chaos behind him. I stared at Freya, who stood there with blank eyes and sighed. I got to keep my man, but at what cost? Only time will tell…