When the Alpha Chose His Pack Over His Mate Chapter 04

When the Alpha Chose His Pack Over His Mate Chapter 04

When Rowen helped me into the car, his grip was as steady as always, his hand warm and reassuring on my arm. The same touch, yet somehow heavier, laced with a melancholy I couldn’t ignore. My mind drifted, though I was certain of one thing—this would be the last time we’d see each other.

I remembered the year Rowen became a Beta. Back then, I was just an Omega girl helping my parents run a small café in the pack’s territory. The day the results were announced, the streets were bustling with excitement, everyone crowding around the newly appointed Betas. I stood on my tiptoes, curious, and my eyes met Rowen’s. He stood there, confident and radiant, his Alpha aura undeniable even then. I looked away first, flustered, never imagining our paths would cross.

But they did.

Years later, I learned why he’d approached me that day. It wasn’t fate or chance—it was because I resembled the Lycan Princess. The Northern Pack, under pressure from the Lycan King, had been forced to consider a mate pairing with the Princess to secure an alliance. Sky, Rowen’s childhood friend and the heir of a powerful Beta family, had been chosen as the stand-in. But Rowen couldn’t bear the thought of her being sent away.

So he found me.

He didn’t reveal his intentions at first. He’d stop by the café, buying coffee and pastries, always leaving a generous tip. When my father was killed by a rogue, he helped me file the report, standing by my side as I navigated the pack’s legal system. When my mother passed away from grief, he borrowed money to help me arrange her burial and brought her remains back to our ancestral lands. He took me in, taught me to read and write, and even hired a retired Luna’s Beta to teach me etiquette and pack customs.

In those dark, difficult days, he was my only light.

I fell for him, of course.

But then the official order came from the Lycan King, demanding the mate pairing with the Northern Pack. The illusion of us shattered, and Rowen asked me to take Sky’s place. He said everything was arranged, that all I had to do was agree.

He didn’t know how much it hurt.

To repay his kindness, I agreed through tears.

I could see the guilt in his eyes, the way he couldn’t meet my gaze.

…

In the pack’s training hall, sunlight filtered through the windows, casting patterns on the floor. The retired Beta who had been teaching us looked us over, her gaze lingering on Sky’s graceful posture and confident smile before nodding slightly. When she turned to me, she shook her head, her voice just loud enough to hear.

“Both of you will do.”

Then she pointed at me.

“You, though—you look more like her.”