Fated: The Alpha's Unwanted Luna-Chapter 91: Clingy Alpha_Part 2
Elder Halvrek, who had been trying unsuccessfully to talk everyone out of crowning this girl as their Luna before her arrival to the hall, or at least persuade them to consider a rematch for the competition when Laila regained consciousness, scowled openly at Viola.
Meanwhile, Camilla, who had finally decided to join the gathering because she wanted this girl to be crowned, smiled kindly at her. She had never known the girl was this beautiful. It was only unfortunate that she lacked the most important thing of all, a wolf, but fortunately for Camilla, that was exactly what she believed Sebastian needed, something that would eventually bring about his future downfall.
"Have your seat, dear," Camilla said, finally breaking the silence as everyone seemed to have lost their tongues at the sight of the girl. Even her own sons were gawking like fools. But then, she couldn’t entirely blame them. The girl wasn’t bad to the eye.
Viola turned toward the woman who had spoken to her so warmly and smiled politely in return before making her way to her seat.
She sat where she had once sat the last time she came there for dinner, on the right side of the Alpha’s seat, even though he wasn’t present, which, truthfully, she was more than grateful for. She had no idea how she was supposed to face him after what he had done yesterday. The shameless bastard.
There were more unfamiliar faces in the hall than she remembered seeing before, but she chose not to dwell on them.
The moment she took her seat, one of the elders spoke. "The Alpha is not here yet, but he has given us permission to make our decision without him."
"He’s clearly not here because he doesn’t care and doesn’t like the fact that a wolfless is in the lead and would be his Luna. No Alpha would want that," said Elder Brennan, sounding slightly bitter that her daughter had cowardly forfeited because she feared Laila, while a wolfless had been brave enough to face black howlers and even kill them.
But even then, she couldn’t help thinking that her humiliation was still better than Elder Halvrek’s, who had foolishly wagered half of his wealth only to be disappointed, ridiculed, and left as the laughingstock of the pack members.
"But it’s not like we have a choice when the majority of the Silver Pack wants you as their Luna, especially Mrs. Kade, who has personally come here for your sake," Elder Brennan continued, casting Camilla, who never usually interested herself in anything that had to do with the Alpha, a curious look. No doubt the woman was up to something.
Camilla smiled and addressed Viola directly. "How could I not personally come after watching how remarkable you were in the arena? It would be terribly unfair if the system decided to remove you simply because you lack something werewolves here deem important. I dislike injustice and wanted to make sure our elders would not practice that on you. Not to mention, I have learned that you are friends with my son," Camilla spoke kindly, ensuring she warmed up to the girl she was certain would either bring about Sebastian’s downfall or perish herself.
Viola, who was meeting Camilla for the first time, managed a smile she hoped was convincing enough to convey that she appreciated the woman’s support. Though she couldn’t fully trust her, or any of the elders, hearing that she was Nick’s mother made her feel slightly at ease. Nick was kind; surely his mother must be genuinely kind as well.
"Thank you, Mrs—" Viola began, but Camilla quickly interrupted.
"There’s no need for formality. You can just call me Aunt Camilla, like Zoe and the Alpha do. We are now a family, since it is so clear you will be our Luna, don’t you agree, elders?" She turned a smiling face toward the elders, who were privately wondering what the woman was up to by being so kind to the wolfless girl. Still, they all nodded in agreement, as they had already decided to crown Viola.
Not just because of her victory, but because everyone believed she wouldn’t last. There was no need to worry about her ruling over them when Sebastian’s curse would eventually kill her, just as it had killed the previous Lunas.
In fact, she might even end up being the one to lift his curse as the so-called "wrong" third wife, just as many former Alphas had sacrificed three Lunas in an attempt to pass the curse on to the next generation when they failed to find the prophesied one on their own.
The Kade family’s curse had existed for as long as many members of the Silver Pack could remember. However, not everyone truly believed it was a curse, because it had been prophesied that a certain she-wolf would one day lift it and permanently take it away. Many of the Supreme Alphas were fated to have multiple mates, but only one of them was destined to be the right one, the true prophesied Luna.
Though no one fully understood why the curse had skipped over certain past Alphas who had made no sacrifices at all, many were aware of the grim pattern that followed.
If the true prophesied mate was not found, the Alpha would be forced to sacrifice the lives of three Lunas. The fourth would remain alive, and the curse would then be passed down to the next heir. The cycle would continue in that same cruel manner until the right she-wolf was finally found.
However, none of the Alphas had succeeded in finding that one.
Although most of the pack did not know the full details of the curse or precisely how it killed the Lunas or the description given about the prophecy, since only the Alphas carried that forbidden knowledge, they all understood one undeniable truth: not just anyone could survive becoming their Luna.
The few elders who had allowed their daughters to participate were convinced that their own blood would be the prophesied Luna. Elder Halvrek, in particular, already had a calculated plan in mind if Laila turned out to be the wrong one. But it seemed everything was not going his way.
"We have all come to an agreement to crown you as the Luna, and a public announcement will be made to the world once the Alpha picks a date for the ceremony."
Viola, who had been dreading this moment, felt a great wave of relief wash over her. This was what she had wanted with everything inside her. She felt the back of her eyes sting and the strong urge to weep in relief, but she knew this was neither the right place nor the right moment to openly celebrate that she was one step closer to being free from the past that had been haunting her life.
A step away from finding her sister, a step away from making Evan pay.
After the elders finished speaking, they didn’t stay behind to ask questions or get to know her. It was as if they had been forced to make the decision, and now that it was done, they immediately rose from their seats and walked out of the hall, speaking in their native language about how this would be a disaster for their pack. Camilla, however, was quick to defend Viola from any lingering disapproval.
The elders left, leaving behind Viola, Zoe, Nick, Javier and his wife, Sofia, along with a few other distant relatives of the Kade family. Javier did not linger either. He rose from his seat, took his wife’s hand, and then walked toward Viola. He gently took her hand and lifted it to his lips, pressing a light kiss to the back of it.
"I can’t wait to welcome you into the family. If you ever need anything, sister-in-law, you can always reach out to me. Nos vemos."
Javier then left, pulling his wife along with him like one would a stubborn mole. Viola fought off the strange energy this particular man gave her and the unsettling way he treated his wife. She pushed the thought aside as Zoe came around the long table and exclaimed,
"I can’t wait to start designing your dress, Vee! You’re going to be my sister-in-law!" She hugged Viola from behind, wrapping her arms around her neck.
Viola smiled, feeling more excited about being Zoe’s sister-in-law than about becoming a certain someone’s wife, someone who clearly still didn’t want her but shamelessly sent her expensive gifts. What did he expect her to do with his gift if he made it so obvious by not being present that he didn’t even want this?
"I brought some sample designs with me for your ceremony. Look through them before we leave because I’m too excited to wait," Zoe said, shoving her tablet eagerly in front of Viola.
Viola had nothing pressing to return to in her penthouse but the emptiness, so she took the tablet and began looking through the designs.
As she scrolled through the screen, someone quietly entered the hall. Because she didn’t have a wolf to sense his aura, she remained completely unaware and focused on the stunning designs before her. Zoe was talented, far more talented than Viola had originally thought and she found herself sincerely immersed in looking through the gowns and other designs.
At the entrance, Sebastian had just arrived. He had purposely come late so he wouldn’t accidentally reveal anything to the elders in the hall that might hint she was his mate.
He had seen them leaving and told them he needed to discuss some matters with the future Luna. They had simply nodded and bowed quickly, still visibly displeased with the outcome but having no power to send her away after she had won publicly.
