Written on April 17th, 2017

Chapter 7: The Beta Ceremony

Aletta Castilo

Aletta knows that she barely has any time left, and that she couldn't afford to waste a minute. Which was why she was forcing her legs to move faster than they already are - something seemingly impossible for a mere Human - frustrating her even more. There was no room for mistakes, seeing as one simple mistake would be the end of Amada.

Amada.

The thought of Amada gave Aletta the chance to muster up that last bit of courage she needed to push open the large doors leading to the Church. It took quite some strength, as the large doors were heavier than she expected. Aletta ignores the suprised looks she receives from bystanders, and attempts to get her breathing in check.

As soon as Aletta makes eyecontact with Amada, she feels relieved of the tension she was feeling just before. A look of relief is etched on Amada's face. Aletta nods to her in reassurance, and a gentle smile makes way to her face. Before opening her mouth, she inhales deeply - as if it was her attempt to muster up all the courage she could find.

'I object.'

The moment those words leave Aletta's lips, several Wolves around her gasp for breath. The surprised looks from before had changed to one of horror, some of them even had a hint of fear mixed in.

At the same time, Alpha King Julius stood up from his throne, looking completely surprised to where Aletta was standing. Meanwhile, Aletta was - slowly, cautious and in complete control of herself - making her way to the altar.

No one had said a word since Aletta had entered the room, and it looked to her that no one was planning to do so.

Once Aletta had reached the almost newlyweds, Amada immediately grabbed her hand. She had a grateful look in her eyes, but it was mixed with a certain sadness. Amada had the chance to get away from the barbaric Beta, but she knew that it would go at the cost of losing her older sister.

'You want to object?' Julius repeats, and raises his eyebrows. 'How were you planning to object?' Even though Aletta - who thought that the man was way too arrogant for his own good - couldn't stand the man, she had to admit that she was glad that he was reacting calmly to this matter.

'I want to take Amada's place,' Aletta replies, adding as much force to her voice as she possibly could. She tried her best to keep her nerves under control, something she barely succeeded in. She couldn't show them that she was fearing whatever would - or could - happen next.

'Take her place?' Eros growls, irritated. 'And what makes you think that you could do something like this?' Aletta shrugs. 'What makes you think I can't do something like this?' she bit back, glaring at him deadly. Something that had little effect on Eros, as he took on an attitude that would allow him to retaliate immediately.

Julius raises his hand, effectively silencing both Eros and Aletta, and everyone else that were whispering to one another about the scene that played out before them. 'You can object,' Julius speaks out, before turning to his loyal followed. 'Taking her place, however, is going to be a bit harder.'

Aletta nods in understanding, and breaks the eyecontact between her and the King. She already expected this argument from him, and had already talked it through with Amada before. Ofcourse, Amada had objected to this idea in the very beginning, unable to bear the thought of Aletta being stuck to the likes of Eros, but Aletta refused to hear it.

'The Sphera matched us,' Aletta started, turning to everyone that was here to witness the wedding. 'The Sphera made sure I ended up being the new Queen Luna - albeit forcibly - and that my sister, Amada, would be my left hand seeing as Beta Eros claimed her.

For a few moments, Aletta stopped talking so she could think about what she would say next, without offending the Beta standing next to her by exposing his barbaric nature. She couldn't just say that the only reason she was objecting to this was because Eros was mistreating Amada - both mentally and physically -, she knew that would be the wrong thing to do here.

'But in the short period of time that I have spent here, surrounded by Wolves and the Royal family, I came to the conclusion that I'm unfit to fill that position. One that didn't come from love, mind you, but from the Sphera.'

From Aletta's point of view, it was a wise step to just call out the Sphera as many times as she possibly could - hoping that she could make it crystal clear that neither she, nor Amada, came here willingly. She also thought that it would be the better way to solve this problem in its entirety.

'Amada, on the other hand, is much more suitable for the position as Queen Luna,' Aletta then proceeds to say, falling silent once again. She really didn't know what to say anymore, to make sure that the ceremony between Eros and Amada would be called off. Perhaps it would've been a better idea afterall, to talk about this matter with Julius privately, instead of infront of the entire mob of Wolves standing there.

'What I'm trying to say here, is that I want to switch places with Amada. I'll take her place, I'll get married to Beta Eros, and she'll take my place with King Julius, and become the new Queen.'

Sounds of surprise and protest erupt from the mob. 'This can't be happening!' someone yells, offended by all of this. 'You can't just come in here and decide who switches places!' A lot of other Wolves seem to agree with this, and within moments, a full on protest plays out infront of Aletta - along with several offenses being thrown to her head.

Even though Aletta was informed about the culture within the Werewolf society, she could've already figured that something like this would happen. The Wolves were right. Who was she, thinking that she could easily decide something like this? When this idea started forming in her head last night, she thought way too simple about all of this - way simpler than it was playing out to be right now.

'Enough!' the voice of Julius roars, his voice resonating through the room and adding to his intimidating demeanor. Aletta cringes a little, just like Amada - who gripped Aletta's hand a bit tighter.

'I understand the protest,' Julius starts speaking to his people. 'But I have to admit, that Aletta makes a valid point here. It is, afterall, the Sphera that has brought us together, and not the natural Mate-bond.'

Aletta's heart skips a beat upon hearing his words, but shortly after, she feels a pang of pain soar through her body. Her sister could be saved now, but she on the other hand, would have to endure much more than when she was with Julius.

Soft murmurs sound from the mob of Wolves, but a simple growl from Julius silences them immediately.

'I will think about this proposition-,' before Julius is able to finish his sentence, Eros interrupts him furiously. 'You cannot be serious!' he hisses to his King, the words only audibly to the King, Aletta and Amada. Julius looks at him, his eyebrows quirked, asking why his Beta was objecting to this.

'Who says I'm agreeing to this?' Eros speaks, a bit louder now so the other Wolves could hear him as well. 'I chose Amada for a reason,' he continues, turning his back to the two sisters and Julius. 'Just so someone - who was chosen aswell - could come here, claiming that 'she wants to trade places'!'

Agreeable sounds were sounding from the Wolves now. It was on that moment, that Aletta lost her patience, and smacked the Beta to the back of his head. Something she shouldn't have done in the first place, but on that moment, Aletta couldn't care any less.

As if struck by lightning, Eros turns around and looks at Aletta with dark, terrifyingly black eyes. 'How dare you,' he growls, his voice sounding so low that it instantly killed the sounds of murmurs coming from the mob.

Fortunately for Aletta, Julius stepped in.

'Enough,' he roars once again, his eyes changing color aswell. Soft whining is the only thing that is heard in the room, and even Beta Eros bows down for Julius - something both Aletta and Amada hadn't witnessed before in their time here at the castle.

'I'm fed up with this,' Julius continues harshly. 'Aletta has as much right to object as anyone else, even if she's just a mere Human.' When she hears the 'just a mere Human' part, a pang of pain goes through Aletta's heart. Even if she was just a mere Human, what was she even thinking, starting a revolution against Wolves could have her killed in an instant?

'Can I just say something?'

Caught off guard by the sudden sound of Amada's soft voice, everyone turned to look at her as her face started to turn red. She takes a small step forward, creating a bit more space between her and Aletta. Julius looks at her in surprise, but decides to remain silent and wait for what Amada had to say.

'It never was my - our - intention to disrespect your culture in any way, but please, you have to see the situation from our side. We were raised by two simple, yet fantastic Humans, with the thought that we'd be able to marry the man we want to spend the rest of our lives with. Don't take this the wrong way; we're honored that we were chosen by the King Alpha and his Beta, but it has been very hard for us to adjust to the situation.

Amada stopped talking, wondering if her words would have a positive outcome. When she doesn't hear anything, she looks at Aletta, feeling a bit too selfconscious. Aletta however, smiles proudly and squeezes her hand in reassurance, a sign that Amada should continue her speech. But Amada decides to remain silent.

Instead, Julius takes a step towards them and reaches his hand out towards Amada. She looks at him in uncertainty, but eventually lets go of Aletta's hand and takes his. Stunned by what's going on in front of him, Eros growls disapprovingly - an action that earned him a warning glare from Aletta.

Julius also looked at Eros, a bit disappointed, but soon has his attention back on Amada again. He leads her to the front of the altar, where Eros and Aletta had to take a step back so that they were almost out of sight. Julius turns to Amada, making eyecontact with her.

'Is this what you want?' he whispers to her, so soft that only she could hear it. She nods cautiously, too shy to say another word. This isn't what she wanted, at all, but it sure beat staying with Beta Eros.

'Then it is settled - if Amada is able to pass the Test,' Julius spoke, loud enough for even the Wolves outside the castle to hear, '- she'll take the place of Aletta in our marriage, and become the new Queen Luna.'

********

Sorry for taking so long with translating/updating this story, I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

x L