Chapter 9

C9: The Only Chance

Raine trekked home, watching as the sun slowly dipped beneath the horizon.

Before nightfall, she arrived. The moment she stepped inside, she saw her parents seated.

 Their expressions were unreadable at first, but the instant their eyes fell on her, everything changed.

Alice clung to their mother’s hand, sobbing softly.

Raine walked forward and greeted them quietly.

“Why are you back at this time?” Alpha Elmore asked, his gaze sharp and probing.

“I... I was delayed a bit and didn’t realize when Alice left,” Raine replied softly.

“Really? Alice has never left you alone at the training grounds before. So what exactly is going on between you and Raphael?” he asked, getting straight to the point.

Raine swallowed, feeling the air grow heavy. She had known this moment would come.

“We are in love with each other,” she whispered, lowering her gaze to avoid his piercing stare.

“In love? With your sister’s man?” Luna Indira finally spoke, her voice laced with anger.

Raine snapped her head up in shock. She didn’t understand what she was talking about.

“You were fully aware that Alice is in love with Raphael, yet you chose to seduce him. What kind of sister are you?” Alpha Elmore snapped.

Raine shook her head quickly.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. We became friends after meeting him again. He never mentioned Alice, and she never mentioned him.”

Alpha Elmore frowned deeply.

“That is none of my concern. I do not want to see you anywhere near him again.”

“I can’t. I can’t leave him,” Raine said, lifting her head to meet her father’s eyes for the first time.

His brows furrowed, her defiance bruising his pride. Without warning, he struck her.

The slap echoed in the room.

Raine staggered backward, barely managing to steady herself. The metallic taste of blood filled her mouth.

“How dare you disobey my orders? He is not yours. Do not even dream of it,” Alpha Elmore spat before storming out.

Raine stood there, stunned. Slowly, she raised a hand to her cheek as tears gathered in her eyes and fell to the floor. She blinked rapidly, trying to hold them back.

She would not appear weak. Not anymore.

Without another word, she turned and walked to her room.

The next morning, she dressed to leave with Alice, only to be stopped at the entrance by the gamma guards.

“Sister, do not think you can take what I desire from me. Do not even dream of it,” Alice sneered before stepping into the carriage.

Raine clenched her fists tightly. If only she could fight off the guards. They were well trained gammas, and she was wolfless.

She bit her lip and turned back inside. 

They would let her out eventually, even if it took time.

To pass the days, she tended to the gardens. Yet her thoughts always drifted back to Raphael, and each time they did, a faint blush crept onto her face.

For days, he became her only source of warmth in the cage they called home.

Some days later, she saw her father return, his expression tense and troubled. 

Alice followed closely behind him. Something had clearly gone wrong.

Voices soon echoed from the Alpha’s study room.

Curiosity pulled Raine closer to the mahogany door, she didn't intend but couldn't help it.

“Father, he has to accept me. Am I not good enough for him? Just think, marrying me would make him the next Alpha, yet he still refuses. Is Raine truly that much better?” Alice’s voice trembled with frustration.

Raine frowned, confusion settling in.

“He is stubborn. He has already made up his mind. What can I do? My hands are tied,” Alpha Elmore replied tiredly.

Despite his favor toward Alice, he was not a man who forced love.

“You do not mind if he ends up with Raine? You do not care if I suffer watching them together?” Alice’s voice rose, thick with emotion.

She was crying.

“If only you were his mate. You will turn nineteen in two months. Be patient and see what the Moon Goddess has planned. 

If he is your mate, then you are fortunate, and I will stand by you. If not, do not destroy yourself over a warrior,” Alpha Elmore advised.

Silence followed for seconds.

Then Alice spoke again, her tone now firm with resolve.

“So if he is my mate, everything will be settled.”

Those words unsettled Raine.

Before she could think further, the door opened. Alice stepped out, her eyes landing on Raine. The glare she gave her was sharp and full of warning before she walked away.

Two days later, Raine sat in her room reading when a maid informed her that her father wished to see her.

Her heart pounded as she approached his study. She hesitated before pushing the door open.

Her eyes scanned the room. Only her father was there.

“Sit,” Alpha Elmore ordered calmly, too calm but it was his way, until things didn't go as he planned.

Raine blinked but obeyed, sitting across from him in silence.

“Have you changed your mind about Raphael?” he asked, placing a parchment on the desk.

Raine looked at him steadily.

“No. I have not, and I will not.” with Raphael standing by her was all she needed.

Alpha Elmore nodded slowly, studying her face.

“Very well. If that is your decision, then understand this. You will never become the next Luna. I will not accept you,” he said coldly.

Raine’s chest tightened.

“Why do you dislike me so much?” she asked softly, her voice barely a whisper.

“You are the misfortune the Moon Goddess gave me. Your birth took too much from your mother and me. And after all that, you turned out weak and wolfless. 

That alone is enough for me to despise you,” he replied, his tone low and filled with quiet hatred.

The words struck deeper than any slap.

Raine stared at him, confusion and pain crashing through her. Her nails dug into her palm as she struggled to breathe steadily.

“What did I take from you... that makes you hate me this much?” she asked, her voice trembling despite her effort to stay strong.

For a moment, Alpha Elmore said nothing. His jaw tightened as he looked at her tear filled eyes.

“Get out. We are done here,” he barked suddenly.

Raine flinched before standing.

She turned toward the door, her shoulders slumped, her steps heavy.

“You are free to go out from now on,” his voice came from behind her.

She paused briefly, then nodded and left.

As she walked away, only one thought lingered in her mind.

What had she done, other than being wolfless?.