Chapter 2: Too Weak For a Werewolf
Rosalie:
Charlotte - the name echoed hollowly in my mind. And I watched as she smiled softly at the gathered pack members, looking graceful and radiant just like a queen. A Luna. Everything they had just declared her to be.
Everything I had believed I would become.
My gaze darted desperately between them, searching... begging... for something.
I was hoping for it all to turn out as a prank, or a mistake. I hoped to see hesitation in those eyes that no longer looked familiar, a lie, anything.
But there was nothing. No guilt. No regret. Not even acknowledgment. All I got was cold and find silence.
"Alastor..." My voice broke completely now, the sound barely more than a whisper. "Darien... Kaiser..."
This time, they finally looked at me, only to make me wish they hadn’t. Because there was nothing in their eyes - no warmth, no familiarity, and no trace of the connection I had clung to for years.
There was just emptiness and indifference, as if I were nothing more than a stranger standing where I shouldn’t be.
My heart cracked and then shattered completely.
And the worst part... the part that hurt more than their words, more than their actions, more than the way they had just destroyed me in front of everyone... was that they said nothing.
There was no explanation, no apology, no denial. All I got was deafening and cruel silence that threatened to suffocate me.
A broken laugh bubbled up from my throat before I could stop it, sounding sharp and hollow. My vision blurred with tears I refused to let fall.
"I..." My voice trembled, faltering as I tried to hold onto something... anything. "I thought-"
But the words died on my lips. Because what had I thought? That they loved me? That they would choose me? That I mattered?
The realization hit like a physical blow.
I had been a fool. A naive, pathetic fool.
My hands clenched into fists as the first tear finally slipped free, trailing down my cheek.
No one moved to wipe it away. No one stepped forward. No one even cared.
And in that moment, surrounded by hundreds of wolves, I had never felt more alone.
I sucked in a shaky breath and forced my spine to straighten despite the way everything inside me screamed to collapse.
But I told myself not here, not in front of them. I wouldn’t give them that. If they could discard me so easily, then I would at least leave with what little dignity I had left.
My gaze lingered on them one last time. On the three men who had been my entire world.
And now... were nothing.
"Congratulations," I said softly, my voice sounding steadier than I felt. And it surprised even me.
Then I turned and walked away.
Each step felt like walking through shattered glass, the pain slicing deeper with every movement.
But I didn’t stop, didn’t look back. Because if I did, I wasn’t sure I would survive it.
And somewhere deep inside me, something fragile and broken whispered-
You were never theirs to begin with.
* * *
I didn’t know where I was going. I only knew I couldn’t stay.
My feet moved on their own, carrying me forward as if the ground itself rejected my presence and pushed me away from the place where my world had just been torn apart. I walked past the grand garden where the ceremony was still in full swing, past the glowing lanterns and decorated arches I had once admired with quiet excitement just hours ago.
The same place that was now celebrating... her.
Laughter echoed behind me. There were cheers, applause, the sound of joy... all for them. For Charlotte. For the future Luna. And for the child that wasn’t mine to even think about.
I kept walking.
No one stopped me. No one called my name. No one even looked.
It was as if I had already disappeared. As if I had never been there to begin with.
My vision blurred again, but I blinked harshly, forcing the tears back. I wouldn’t cry here - not where anyone could see. Not where they could whisper even more about the pathetic girl who thought she could stand beside one of the strongest Alphas in existence.
The gravel path beneath my feet shifted to softer earth as I passed the edge of the garden and moved beyond the crowd, beyond the lights, beyond everything that had once felt like home.
Or at least... something close to it.
Because if I was being honest with myself, it had never truly been mine.
A hollow laugh escaped my lips, barely audible over the distant cheers.
How long had I been fooling myself? Years?
My steps slowed slightly, but I didn’t stop. I couldn’t. Because the moment I stopped, I knew everything would come crashing down on me all at once, and I wasn’t sure I would be able to stand back up again.
So I kept going. Further and deeper into the shadows.
My chest ached with every breath, like something inside me had been ripped out, leaving behind nothing but a hollow space that throbbed with pain.
Memories flooded my head and there were just too many of them. These were the same memories I had cherished once, but they felt so unwanted now.
I squeezed my eyes shut for a brief moment, but it only made it worse. Because I saw them - Darien and Kaiser - from when we were children. Back when things were simpler and when I knew my place.
I had been the Beta’s daughter. It was a title that should have meant something, but it never did. Not for me.
I was born weak. Too weak for a werewolf.
Even as a child, my wolf had been quiet. Distant. While others shifted early, trained, grew stronger, I struggled just to keep up. My body was frail, my energy inconsistent, and it didn’t take long for the others to notice.
Children can be cruel. Wolves even more so.
I remembered the laughter. The whispers.
"The Beta’s daughter can’t even shift properly."
"She’s useless."
"Why is she even here?"
I had learned quickly to stay quiet. To stay out of the way. To make myself small enough that no one would notice.
And for the most part... they didn’t.
Except for them.
Darien and Kaiser had always been distant figures in my life. They were untouchable, powerful, loved, and everything I wasn’t. As the Alpha’s sons, they stood at the center of everything while I remained on the outskirts, watching from afar.
I never dared to approach them. Never dared to hope. I knew better. Or at least... I thought I did.
