Chapter 4

Carrie

I never had a problem with making choices. In fact, I love them! For me, it was a way to exercise my right to choose, which my Beta father imposed on me even when I was still a young she-wolf. It was also my way of liberating myself and going with the things that would truly make me happy. 

But so far, the choices my father had left me were nothing but a pain in the ass. How could I choose between two things that I hate?

Tomorrow night, Noah, now my alpha ex-boyfriend, was making his one-night-old relationship with that girl official. He was planning to name her his Luna that quickly! I have waited for three years to prove my worth to him as a better choice for the role but all of my efforts were gone in an instant because of that alpha daughter. Like can you imagine? One night was all it took for her to completely discredit me in Noah’s life. And now my father wanted me to party with them and congratulate her for ruining my life.

Oh, hell no! Not in a million years! Lia Addams seemed to be a nice girl but I would never be friends with her! Ever! 

Meanwhile, here is my extra-talented older brother who told everyone about my little secret. If not for his extrasensory perception, my sudden encounter with my soulmate would become a secret that I would bury in my grave. But no, he chose to let my secret out in the most horrific way possible! Like how could he do that in the middle of my disagreement with Dad about Noah? 

Sometimes, I wished that my older brother Jerald would spend more time with men of his age and loosen up a bit. While he was a very smart and talented man, he lacked emotional intelligence which allowed him to communicate better with the people around him. No wonder he was a loner who spent all of his free time inside a library and reading books. I wished he could be more fun and outgoing like Jerick! 

I scratched my head in frustration, thinking about what I should do next. Now, I could only choose one between these two unpleasant situations, hoping that I would choose the lesser evil between them. 

Should I attend the accession ceremony of our newly-appointed Luna or should I accept the invitation of that stranger who my wolf was yearning about since last night?

‘Of course, choose the latter!’ Vera exclaimed. I rolled my eyes upon hearing the obvious. Of course, she would go for the latter who would let her see the man she was so crazy about. Like how could you even like someone you never laid your eyes on? What if that man was an old man who was so ugly and brute? Yikes! 

‘Well, you know that was not true, right? You saw his eyes, don’t you?’ Well, my wolf had a point. His pair of orbs were as lovely as the stars that night. It was twinkling majestically and had a special trance that made me fall beyond what reality could perceive. 

Oh, shit. Did I say those stupid, cheesy lines? Damn! Vera teased me inside my head. Like she always would. 

Suddenly, I heard a knock on the door. I fixed myself first before letting the unknown visitor in. When the door opened, I saw Jerick. 

“Hey,” he said, trying to gauge if I was in the mood for a conversation.

“Hey,” I answered back, gesturing my hand to invite him to sit with me on my bed. Jerick smiled faintly.

“How are you feeling?”

“Horrible,” I answered. We both chuckled as I said the word. He knew that once I used the word horrible, I meant every letter of it. 

“Have you made up your mind?” he asked again. I took a deep breath before speaking about what I really felt at that moment. 

“You know how much I hate Noah and the girl he replaced me with, right?” Once again, he chuckled at what I said. At that moment, he already knew the invitation that I would go with.

“It was just an invite to meet you. It wasn’t as if you guys would be engaged or something. So don’t think about it too much. Besides, that would be a great opportunity for you to send a message to our stupid alpha that you can still find a decent man to replace him. Like I can’t imagine once he heard the news that another alpha was interested to meet you!” he stated. 

I rolled my eyes, as I grabbed my pillow and threw it at him. How could he say such a thing?

“Get out!” I yelled, but in a good and laughing way. Jerick raised his hand as a sign of surrender and headed to the door. But before he did that, I called out his name and smiled genuinely. 

“Thanks,” I uttered. 

“Don’t mention it, munchkin.” He winked at me before closing the door as he went out, leaving me in my solitude once again. 

And then, I remembered what Jerick joked about earlier. A smile plastered on my lips. 

‘No, Carrie! I don’t think this is a good idea,’ echoed the wolf inside me. But I already made up my mind. It is time for me to get back at love and all the things connected to it. 

I have no plans of falling in love with this alpha from Silverfang but I will use him to get back at Noah. I would show my foolish ex-boyfriend what he had lost when he chose Lia over me! Perhaps that way, he would realize his mistake and get back to me. I know he would! 

‘Playing stupid games would earn you stupid prizes. Don’t play with fire if you don’t want to get burned,’ reminded my wolf. I dismissed yet another word of wisdom from Vera and began searching my dresser for the outfit I would wear tomorrow night. I feel sorry for the alpha of Silverfang, who would become the subject of my revenge. But that was what he get from interfering with my life. I never wanted to see or meet him but he insisted on doing so. Hence, this is the price he had to pay. He would have a taste of the beauty he so eagerly sought after. 

**********

And just like that, the night I was so excited about, came. 

I rode my dad’s car, with my Jerick at my side. Jerald was the one driving while dad was sitting on the seat beside him. Words departed from our lips, as we headed to the place they called Silverfang. 

When I came here, I was expecting a small pack. But all my expectations disappeared when I laid my eyes on their territory. It was big! No, it was huge! 

Silverfang pack was seated around the northern region. It was situated between gorgeous mountain trails, which were a perfect spot to admire the beauty of Candorwick Mountain. I gasped when I saw the beautiful sunset that Candorwick had offered. It was gorgeous! 

I was so enchanted by its beauty that I failed to realize we already reached the packhouse. 

We were welcomed by some omegas who lined up to greet us. My dad was in awe considering how the alpha of Silverfang regarded our visit this much. My brothers were observant but you could see that they were impressed, too.

Minutes later, the alpha family revealed themselves. I froze when I laid eyes on that set of brown eyes once again, only this time, his features were revealed to me for the first time. 

The man had a stubbled beard and a strong jawline. He was wearing a man bun, fixing his curly, double-sided part-long hairstyle. When he smiled at me, I knew right then and there that I am in deep trouble.