Page 2 of Arranged Bullied Mate

I bare my teeth in what might be a smile, but most certainly is not.

I proceed, still trying not to catch the eyes of the omegas just yet. Someone calls my name, and I recognize the voicebefore I see her. Emily, my sister, is manning one of the stalls with a couple of her friends. She’s laughing at something one of them said, but as I walk over, she straightens, smoothing her skirt the way our mother used to when the elders were around. She’s got that same look of resolve and unease, as if she can’t decide whether to run or fight. She’s growing up fast, too fast, and I hate that she’s already in the crosshairs of these relentless traditions.

“Hey, Em,” I say, voice softer than I mean it to be, because I want her to know I’m still her brother, not just the next asshole in a position of power.

She smiles, but it’s brittle at the edges when she glances over my shoulder. “Jacob,” she says, nodding to him, but there’s a flicker of something nervous in her eyes. It’s not the first time I’ve seen her flinch around him, and I chalk it up to how much he’s filled out since the last moon. He’s never rough with her, or any female, but Jacob’s presence has its own gravity, and I guess it pulls her even when she’s known him her whole life.

“Big day,” she says, voice low as she pushes a mug of coffee into my hands. “Ready to pick your mate from the parade?” There’s a teasing edge to her words, but her hands shake a little as she wipes them on her apron.

I frown and turn to look back at the crowd. She seems to sense my reluctance and continues, “I think it will be nice. I always wanted a sister, but got you instead.”

At that, I break into the first genuine smile of the day and wrap her in a hug. “I will do my best, then,” I tell her, mustering more enthusiasm than I really feel. “Save me some of those cakes. You know they’re my favorite.”

“Okay, since it’s your party, after all,” she laughs.

“Don’t remind me, kid,” I mutter as Jacob indicates it’s time.

Jacob leads the way to the dais, and I follow with my hands in my pockets, trying to mask my unease. The council is already assembled in their robes, and the trio of ancient wolves takes their role very seriously. Goddess knows how old they actually are, but time has not diminished their wolves even as their bodies have aged. Elder McCann is at the center, his cane tapping the wood as he gestures for the crowd to hush. The noise dies down quickly, and the tension ratchets up in its place.

I hear my name and step up, facing the field. The sunlight suddenly feels blinding, and every omega in the valley seems to lean forward at once. They stand in neat rows—some trembling, some smirking, all of them radiant and strange in a way that makes my skin crawl. I recognize most of them, but a few are new faces, brought in from outlying towns or perhaps just grown into women since the last time I looked.

As McCann continues his speech about the significance of the luna, the ancient power of the bond, unity, and tradition, my gaze drifts lazily over the crowd of hopefuls. I’m mentally bracing for the part where I have to pick one out, like a slab of meat at the market. My wolf is unimpressed, barely stirring beneath my skin.

Until she steps into view.

At first, I thought I had seen a ghost. But my wolf knows. He knows before I do, and the jolt is hard enough that I have to stop myself from immediately leaving the stage.

It’s her. It’s fucking her.

I am not prepared. Not for the way my chest caves, the way my skin tightens like it might split open, or the way my wolfclaws at my insides as if he could get to her faster if he just tore me apart.

She stands at the very end of the second row, almost hidden behind a girl with dark hair that almost eclipses her light blonde curls. For a moment, I think she might look away, blend herself back into the crowd, but she doesn’t. She meets my gaze, and the entire world drops away. The council’s droning voice, the hopeful faces, even the weight of this stupid and archaic occasion—all of it goes silent, and all I can see is the last omega I should ever want.

Chapter 2 - Ava

I ignore the stares and smooth the creases from my dress. My only dress. I knew it might look a little worn, but I wasn’t prepared for just how out of place I’d look. Well, that’s not entirely true. I’d been fully prepared for the way these people would make me feel—like a traitor, a failure, and an outcast. All of which is true.

But I probably hadn’t given enough thought to how I’d feel physically. I grew up with most of these females, but while they have blossomed into beautiful young women, I still feel stuck in the past. Some of them might even remember the dress I’m wearing. It was my only one back then, too.

Back before my entire family was banished.

I can’t even blame the pack; my parents were part of a small group of traitors and were punished for their crimes. Unfortunately, that meant my brother and I were banished, too, tarred with the same brush. My brother Aiden didn’t stick around to help us find a new pack. The last I heard, he’d found his own way and was living near the northern borders. He couldn’t wait to get away from our parents. I wish he’d taken me with him, but I don’t think he even considered it; he just walked away.

Story of my life. I don’t think I’ve ever been a priority for anyone.

By the time the shock of banishment faded, any thought of escaping myself went up in smoke when I realized I was pregnant. My parents were furious, of course, not because I’d disgraced the family name—they’d done that themselves—but because it would mean another mouth to feed. My father’s beatings became more frequent throughout my pregnancy untilit reached the point I was sure he was going to kill me and my unborn baby. It was during one of these attacks that I made a huge mistake; I revealed who the father was.

That mistake set in motion all the events that led to me standing here now, both terrified of seeing him again and aching to be in his presence.

The fact that my parents think the alpha will choose me is laughable. I thought that before I arrived, and now I’m surrounded by the pack's most beautiful omegas, I’m even more convinced this is the worst plan they’ve ever come up with. At first, I assumed they wanted me to try to become luna so I could arrange for their pardon, but the plan was far worse than that. They just want me to get close enough to kill the alpha as revenge—kill Ronan because his father saw through their plot and labeled them the traitors they are.

They think Ronan will want me because he wanted me before.

But I’m under no illusions. Ronan is and has always been a manwhore—he didn’t want me because I was special, he wanted me because I was available and desperate for affection. My heat cycle was just starting to kick in, and I was walking in the forest alone when we met. It was just pheromones. At least to begin with.

After that first time, we met in the forest almost every day. But he never let anyone see us together. My family’s reputation was ruined long before their banishment, and as the alpha’s son, he could never be with someone like me. When it all came out about my parents, I knew he wouldn’t stand up for me, and I didn’t ask him to. I simply left with my head hung in shame.

I never imagined that anything could bring me back here. The shame remains so thick that it clings to me, no matter how hard I try to ignore the stares and whispers that have followed me since the moment I arrived this morning. Although the children of the banished technically have the right to return for events like these to try and regain status, in practice, none do. It’s too embarrassing.