Shattered

C H A P T E R - T W O

"Calm down, Amelia! Eli and the group will be back any minute now." Liam flashed me an amused smile and patted my head. Liam was the Alpha's oldest child. He turned eighteen three years ago and was blessed with a goddess of a mate. Isabella was the prettiest female in our pack and undoubtedly the kindest. She'd make a fantastic Luna in a few years when the pair takes over the pack. Liam and Eli were not the same age, because the Alpha family wanted to secure an heir early on.

Normally, the Beta family and other higher ranks would also conceive a child at the same time, but the Alpha had decided they should conceive their children after. We were facing war with a neighboring pack and the risk of so many important children being born at the same time was too great for the Alpha to handle. He created an heir in case he perished, but didn't want to risk losing all the heirs if we were attacked. Thankfully, the war ended in a truce a few years later and the rest of the families produced offspring to serve alongside Liam.

"I can't help it, Liam. I've been dying for this moment the second I recognized Eli as my future mate." Everyone knew of our love story. We were the lucky ones who felt our bond even without being eighteen. Everyone else experienced similar feelings, but we seemed to have heightened ones that surpassed anything our pack has seen. There was no doubt in anyone's mind that Eli was made for me and I was made for him.

"Are you ever going to call me Alpha Liam like everyone else?" Liam rolled his eyes at me. I may have been a middle of the pack wolf, but Liam Stanford has been my best friend since diapers. The three-year age difference did nothing to stop us from developing a friendship I'd cherish for the rest of my life. Liam was more like a brother to me than an Alpha. We were equal even with a title difference. I knew Liam and his wolf felt the same, but that didn't stop Liam from chastising me every time we were surrounded by other pack members.

"Stop being dumb, Liam. I have no patience for your macho, Alpha act." I rolled my eyes right back at him and bit my nails. It was a nasty habit that I picked up when I'm extremely anxious. Eli was the only one who could help me break it, but whenever my anxiety involved him, I couldn't seem to stop.

I rocked back and forth on my heels staring out into the forest listening to the sounds of footsteps and wolf howls. The pack was only a short distance away. I could feel my heart beating rapidly in my chest. Eli would be here any minute to calm my nerves and place kisses all over my face. The thought brought a light smile to my face. I looked around and saw all the other pack members with their eyes trained on the same area. There was a bon fire to the right of us where younger wolves danced and roasted marshmallows. Mates were generally of the same age, so the younger children would not be chosen tonight. My eyes focused back on the forest as my anticipation and anxiety became too much to bear.

A hand looped through my arm ripping my fingernails from my mouth and left me yelping out of surprise. Most people didn't speak to me without Eli around. I was too shy and could barely get two sentences out without stuttering, blushing, and running away. I looked to my left and saw Elizabeth link her arm with mine.

"That's a nasty habit, Amelia." She frowned and shook her head at me. Elizabeth Stanford was a nice girl, but her presence often irritated me. We were the same age and I grew up around her, because of Liam. We were never close friends, because her existence just pushed my buttons. I had no idea why she irritated my wolf and I so much, but I tried not to act on my emotions for Liam's sake. He was her brother biologically, after all. He'd have no choice but to chose her over me if it came down to it.

"I just – I just need Eli." I sighed and looked back to the forest, ignoring everything Elizabeth said after that. I don't think I could calm down until I had Eli's arms wrapped around me. I saw Liam glance my way with understanding as he pulled Isabella close to his side. They were such a cute couple and I couldn't wait to end up just as happy and in love as them.

Movement from the forest caused a megawatt smile to adorn my face. I could barely make out the pack shifting and getting dressed. Alpha Magnus was the first to exit the forest and placed himself between Liam and I. We were standing in front of the crowd where the Alpha and Beta family would be found for the rest of the ceremony. In front of us sat rows of chairs for the pack to sit as Alpha Magnus made a speech to all the newly mated wolves. We weren't extremely large, but we had enough members to hold our own in almost any war. There was only one pack that would most definitely conquer our land if they tried. We were the Tsuki Tribe, but we stood no chance against Gyakusatsu Tribe. They were ruthless and large, but admirable nonetheless.

Slowly all the other wolves made their way towards Alpha Magnus. I watched as several wolves hugged and kissed their newly found mates. Each one had love shining in their eyes. It was a sight to see and I was thankful the Moon Goddess had allowed fate to be altered to ensure we were always able to find our mates within our pack.

Through the crowd of people, I could make out Eli's figure practically running my way. The closer he got, the bigger the smile on my face grew. I could feel my wolf nudging at me in my mind, but blocked her out to focus on this moment with Eli. He reached us in no time and it was only then that I realized Eli hadn't been staring at me at all.

I watched as he sniffed the air and threw me a small glance before ripping Elizabeth off my arm. He nuzzled his face in her neck and clutched her against him as tight as he could. I vaguely could feel Liam's horror as he shifted closer to me. My body was numb and my mouth was open to let small pants of air escape. I was on the verge of hyperventilating I could tell.

I watched the love of my life, the man I thought was my mate, grasp another in his arms whispering what I could tell were sweet nothings in her ear. I could hear Elizabeth sniffling and I felt Liam grab my arm. He was pulling me away from the sight that was literally shattering my entire world.

I could feel my insides breaking. I wanted to clutch at my skin and rip off the layers. I didn't want to be in the skin he whispered his love to on many occasions. I wanted to scrub my lips raw to wash away all the lies he spoke against them. I wanted to claw marks down my face that followed every tear like a race. I wanted to shed every inch of my soul until I was no longer the same girl he touched. Every inch of my being felt wrong. Every memory and everything I knew felt violated and untrue.

Liam continued to drag me away from the pair, but I continued to stare at them. My eyesight became blurry with tears. We were a good distance away and I could only make out blobs now. Nonetheless, right before Liam pulled me into the pack house, I heard Eli whisper to another.

"I, Eli Woods, accept you, Elizabeth Stanford, as my mate."

A/N - The tribe names are google translate's way of saying Moon (Tsuki) and Slaughter (Gyakusatsu) in Japanese. (If that makes sense... haha).