Impregnated by the Wrong Alpha Brother

POV: Briar“Next in line, the wolfless daughter of the councilor!”The diviner's voice echoed over the roaring fire, sharp enough to cut through the heavy beat of the pack drums. The whole pack had gathered in the palace garden that night, the flames rising high into the dark sky. Every wolf who turned nineteen that year stood in a line, waiting to be bound to the one the Moon Goddess chose. I stood among them, my heart slamming against my ribs so hard I thought the people beside me could hear it. I had prayed for this night since I was a child. I did not just want any mate. Deep down, I hoped and prayed the goddess would give me Kaius, the Alpha heir.I loved him quietly for years. I watched him from a distance and remembered every sweet thing he ever said to me. I told myself that if fate wanted us together, maybe my size would not matter to him anymore.When my name left the diviner's lips, I stepped forward. My breath caught in my throat as Kaius stood up from his seat beside his f

POV: Briar"Last night was my best." I read the words written on the small white paper out loud to the empty room.The other side of the large bed was completely cold. It felt empty. He was already gone. I read the note three more times before I allowed a small smile to touch my lips. For just one single second, I felt normal. Then the memory of his unmasked face crashed straight into my skull, and my smile vanished completely."It could not be Kaius," I whispered to myself, dropping the paper onto the pillow. "He was with Calla."He was probably still asleep beside my sister in the palace right at this exact moment. But the face I saw under that black mask would not leave my mind. I saw his sharp jaw on my long walk back home. I saw his cruel eyes while I changed out of last night's wrinkled dress. I saw him while I sat at the kitchen table, staring blankly at my own shaking hands."Are you just going to sit there all day?" my father asked.I jumped in my chair. He walked into the kit