Rejected by Fate, I Chose the Beta’s Heart

As I stepped out of the upscale club, the cool night air brushed against my skin, carrying the faint scent of pine from the nearby forest. My phone buzzed in my hand—it was Grandma Carolina.

"Don’t worry, Arianna," her voice, warm and steady, came through the line. "I’ll reach out to the Mitchell Pack immediately and ensure you become the happiest Luna."

A lump formed in my throat, and my vision blurred with tears that soon spilled over. We talked for a while, her words grounding me as she steered the conversation toward mundane things—the pack’s upcoming hunt, the new healer she’d recommended, the weather. When I finally ended the call, I felt a mix of relief and sorrow.

Despite being the daughter of Alpha Francisco of the Grant Pack, my relationship with my parents was nothing like the one my sister, Zora, shared with them. My parents, deeply superstitious, believed that my presence would bring misfortune to the pack. So, from a young age, they left me in the care of Grandma Carolina, a respected elder in the pack.

Except for major pack gatherings like the Moon Festival or the Alpha’s decree ceremonies, I rarely saw my parents or Zora. Even when I was accepted into the prestigious academy in Boston, they refused to let me return to the pack territory. At first, I yearned for their acceptance, for the familial bond that seemed to come so easily to Zora. But over time, I grew indifferent. The pack’s hierarchy, the unspoken rules of deference to my father’s title, and the weight of their expectations felt suffocating.

Grandma Carolina, however, was my anchor. She doted on me, her love unwavering, and she had arranged a promising mate bond for me—her old friend’s grandson, Hayes Mitchell, a Beta from the Mitchell Pack. Yet, in my youthful defiance, I had rejected her proposal, longing for a love I could choose for myself. That’s how I ended up with Colter Cox, an Alpha from the rival Cox Pack.

At the time, I thought I had found my safe haven, a place where I could belong. But now, standing alone under the moonlight, I realized how gravely mistaken I had been. My wolf stirred within me, a low growl of regret echoing in my mind.

*You knew better,* she whispered, her voice tinged with both reproach and sorrow.

I did. And yet, I had ignored the warnings, both from her and from those who cared about me. The memory of Colter’s controlling nature, his possessive grip on my life, sent a shiver down my spine. He had promised me the world, but in the end, he had only taken pieces of me away.

The night stretched on, the silence of the forest pressing in around me. I took a deep breath, the scent of damp earth and distant pine filling my lungs. I had made mistakes, but I was determined to rebuild, to find my place in this world—not as the daughter of an Alpha, not as Colter’s mate, but as Arianna Richards, a wolf in her own right.