Tick, tock. Tick, tock.
Jeremy lifts his head slowly, eyes locking onto the wall clock across the room. The second hand moves in small jolts, but the sound is louder than it's ever been before.
Strange how he never noticed it, how the quiet ticking had always faded into the background when he was in here. But tonight, it echoes heavy, loudly
and impatient.
Eleven thirty-six.
Outside, the low hum of voices rises with every passing minute, swelling into murmurs. Jeremy exhales and finally makes his decision stepping out of his room.
"There he is! That's Jeremy, Alpha Fenris's beta. Finally! Alpha must be here too. He must be the next to come out."
Several pack members rush toward him the moment he appears outside, eyes shining with barely contained excitement. The questions begin instantly.
"Well? Did you see her? Come on, give us a spoiler! Is she like a fairy or something?"
Jeremy doesn't slow. He walks past them without pausing, ignoring their excitement.
"I'm not giving spoilers," he says simply, trying to keep his tone level.
But before he can pull away, someone grabs his wrist in firm, possessive grip. He turns and finds Callum staring at him. He pulls him to the side.
"Where is he?" Callum snaps. "Does he think he's some kind of god? Keeping everyone waiting like they don't have important things to do?"
"On the way," Jeremy answers, not even sparing him a glance.
Callum scoffs, voice dripping with venom. "Say that in front of the Alphas, then. Let's see if you're still so calm." He leans in closer. "Very soon, Jeremy, I will be Alpha of this pack. And whether you like it or not, I'll choose you as my beta. Do you wanna hear the fun part of it?.. You'll have to get on your knees to speak to me, to report anything to me. So if I were you, I wouldn't be showing me that stupid cheap attitude."
Before Jeremy can respond, footsteps echo from the hall. The Alphas begin to appear, frustration written plainly on their faces.
"You're here," one of them says, eyeing Jeremy. "So I'm guessing Fenris is here too."
"Not really," Jeremy answers simply.
The Alphas' expressions twist with irritation.
"That's it? That's all you have to say?" one growls. "We've been waiting for hours. You think that kind of answer is enough?"
Jeremy's words stick in his throat. He can't lie, not with so many eyes on him. Saying Fenris is on his way would only make it worse when nothing happens.
But the truth? That Fenris isn't coming, and even if he does, he won't have the mate they're expecting? That truth could tear everything apart.
So he says nothing. He stands there in silence.
"I smell something off," Callum says suddenly, narrowing his eyes. "You know something, don't you? Something you're not saying."
Jeremy turns to him, trying to stay steady. "What do you think I know that I'm not telling?"
Callum's voice sharpens. "That my brother never found his mate after all, and he's been playing everyone for fools just to avoid handing me the Alpha title."
The Alphas nod, their faces hard with agreement.
"That must be it. How convenient that he suddenly finds a mate just when he's supposed to give up power."
"If he really found his mate, then where is she?" another demands. "Why hasn't his beta confirmed anything about the mate?"
From the crowd outside, another voice rises.. sharp and accusatory. "What's the point of his beta saying anything? He'd lie to cover for him anyway. He's blindly loyal."
Callum's mother steps forward, eyes gleaming. "Exactly. He will just shield him from the truth."
The murmurs outside swell.. loud and restless. More voices cut through the air:
"So it's true. He's really been abandoned by the Moon Goddess."
A voice mutters low, sharp with disbelief. Gasps ripple from the wolves nearby, several turning to one another.
"Not just abandoned... but cursed." Another one replys from somewhere deeper in the crowd, louder, almost gleeful. The word cursed hangs in the air like a spark, and the mood darkens as more voices are heard..
"He must've done something terrible. He was meant to be Alpha after his father, it's a family thing, but the Moon Goddess doesn't even recognize him? How is that even possible?!"
The weight of the accusation turns heads, some nodding slowly as if pieces are falling into place.
"Maybe he's been pretending to be righteous in front of the pack, but you can't fool the Goddess. She sees through lies and hidden sins." Several voices grunt in agreement, the crowd tightening with growing conviction.
"Then what are we still waiting for then?! If the Moon Goddess rejected him, then he's no Alpha even to us."
"Right! The Goddess has clearly chosen Alpha Callum. She has even given him an heir already!"
The crowd erupts in a chorus of snarls and overlapping voices. Feet shift on the ground and shoulders press forward. A name spreads like wildfire... Callum.
The noise crashes over Jeremy like a wave. Things are spiraling out of control, the crowd is turning against Fenris and there's no stopping it now.
Out of the crowd, the elders step forward. One bows low before Callum. Another follows. Then more.
One by one, the entire pack kneels.
"Long live Alpha Callum."
It rolls through the air like a chant... mechanical, practiced, like something drilled into them. Jeremy freezes in place. Everything is happening so fast, too fast to stop, too fast to even comprehend.
He catches a glimpse of Callum's expression, momentarily startled, as if he hadn't expected it to fall into place this quickly. The slowly.. a cruel smirk curls on his lips. His eyes gleam with silent triumph.
Jeremy's chest tightens anger filling it.
The sire steps forward without hesitation, beginning a short ritual. Everyone watches in reverent silence.
Callum's mate is brought to stand beside him, visibly pregnant, the image of fertility and legitimacy. Their hands join.
After finishing, the sire's voice rises, "Alpha Callum. Luna. You are now bound to protect and lead this pack. Only one thing remains.. Fenris must formally pass the mantle. When he returns tomorrow, we shall seal it officially."
The crowd erupts in cheers. Wolves howl, families embrace, and joy floods the air.
The celebration seem to begin officially.
Lights flash and Music begins. The pack moves into celebration like a dam has broken. Food is carried out, and wine is poured. The cheer is deafening.
But Jeremy stands frozen. The crowd doesn't see the tremble in his hand, the tightness in his throat, or the pounding in his chest.