Lose Me Once, and You'll Regret it Forever

Alexandra

It was the day of our mating ceremony. Though I had doubts about Aidan and Brooke, I still convinced myself that things would change once the ceremony was done, I thought as I stood in front of the mirror dressed to impress my soon-to-be mate.

I felt butterflies in my stomach, but my inner wolf kept telling me that it wasn't out of happiness. Maddened by her assumption, I blocked her out and went on with the preparation, but as I waited where everyone was gathered, Aidan was nowhere to be found.

"Where is he?" I asked beta Marcus and Gamma Lilith, who could only shrug.

"We hadn't seen him since last night, he's also radio silent when we try to mind link him," his beta answered.

I looked nervously through the crowd unable to think straight. At first, I kept telling myself that he was just going to be late and that something important must've come up, but when I noticed that Brooke was also not where she was supposed to be, my stomach churned.

Yes, I was jumping to conclusions, but what were the odds of them not being here at the same time? The entire pack waited patiently for any sign of their alpha for what felt like years, and when he finally showed up, he was dressed as he was the last time I saw him.

"What's going on?" I asked the moment he was standing in front of me.

He raised his hand to silence me and stood in front of our pack. I looked between him and Brooke questioningly but otherwise waited like everyone else for Aidan to speak.

"Thank you all for gathering," he began, his voice loud and proud.

Silence fell upon us, each of us holding our breaths for what Aidan was going to say next.

"I'm afraid that there will be no mating ceremony today."

Loud gasps rang throughout the entire venue, including mine.

"What? What's going on Aiden?" I questioned, almost at the brink of humiliation.

"Brooke was just attacked by a rogue on the way here. Luckily, I was there to protect her. She was wounded badly," Aidan explained, addressing the pack and not me.

Whispers and chatters quickly erupted at his revelation, causing everyone to immediately forget what the occasion was supposed to be about.

I looked at Brooke from head to toe and noticed that she only had a scratch on her right arm. There were no other wounds I could see. If she was badly wounded, most of her injuries would still be a bit visible, just like the one on her arm.

"With that said, I need everyone to make sure that no other intruders are around our territory right now!" He ordered and, in an instant, everyone dispersed to follow his command.

"What are you doing? You didn't have to cancel the ceremony just like that!" I protested.

"You’re selfish, Alexandra. You care more about our mating ceremony than the safety of our pack!"

The weight of his accusation crushed me. I understood how important the pack was, but I had been waiting for this day. Our mating ceremony was supposed to be the moment that tied us together. The most important part of our union.

"Brooke isn’t the only one who matters," I uttered, trying to mask my hurt with anger.

I didn’t want to seem weak. I needed him to see that I wasn’t going to back down, so Aidan’s face twisted in frustration.

"You don’t understand! She's one of us now. We have to protect our own."

I didn't believe for one second that this was about protecting our pack. We had been attacked many times before, but he never asked everyone to go around the territory this quickly.

"Fine. There will be no ceremony at all," I snapped, trying to keep my voice steady.

Aidan’s expression shifted from anger to shock as soon as he heard what I said. "Have you gone mad?"

I shrugged in response before turning my back on them.

"You think this is easy for me?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper. "I'm torn between my duty to the pack and my duty to you."

I whirled, glaring at him for even thinking that I was only a duty to him. The look on my face must've been alarming because it caused Brooke to shrink behind Aidan. I wanted to hurl insults at them and throw punches, but I also knew that it wasn't the right thing to do at this point.

The silence stretched between us as Aidan studied my demeanor. His features suddenly softened when he realized that I was trying my damnest to keep it together.

"I will fix this. We'll have the ceremony in a few days. I'll make sure of it," he said as if his word was sealed.

But could I believe him? The question lingered in the air.