Chosen by the Beast Alpha

Chapter 152: Chapter 152

Lena’s POV

She gave a small smile. "He’s been swamped with work lately."

"Busy is good. Busy means money." Anna’s mother beamed, then turned to Anna. "Speaking of money, you and Daniel are already mates. You’ve marked each other. So what about the ceremony? When are you making it official? Don’t think I’ve forgotten about wanting grandkids. You’re not getting any younger."

"Mom, I’m really not in the headspace to think about a ceremony right now."

"You should be." Her mother leaned forward, full of energy. "You were fated to end up with someone from Bloodmoon Pack. Bloodmoon Pack, Anna. Do you even realize what that means for this family? The Beta of the strongest pack in this whole territory chose our daughter." Her face was practically glowing. "But a bond without a ceremony is like a handshake with no contract. It doesn’t stick. You need to announce it properly, celebrate properly, and then start having pups."

Anna set her fork down with a sharp little clink. "That’s not how this works."

"That is exactly how it works. Your cousin waited too long, and her mate ended up leaving for another pack. By the time she finally wanted to lock things down, he was already gone." Her mother lowered her voice like she was sharing top-secret gossip. "She gave that wolf ten years. Ten whole years. And what did she get out of it? Nothing. Don’t make the same mistake."

"Mom." Anna’s voice had gone tight, stretched thin like it might snap any second.

"I’m saying this because I love you. You found a good man. A Beta, from Bloodmoon Pack. Lock it in. Have the ceremony before winter, and next year you’ll have pups. That’s the plan."

Anna looked one second away from flipping the whole table. Lena sat beside her, torn up inside, wanting to step in but also knowing this wasn’t her family, not her place.

Then Anna’s mother looked at her. "Lena agrees with me, right?"

Lena smiled. "You’re not wrong."

Anna’s head snapped toward her.

"A ceremony would be beautiful," Lena said softly. "And Daniel obviously loves her. Anyone in the pack could see that yesterday."

Anna’s mother nodded hard. "See? Lena gets it."

Anna didn’t buy it for even a second. She knew Lena too well. There was no way she thought Lena had suddenly switched sides. So she waited.

"But..." Lena leaned in, lowering her voice, glancing toward the doorway like she was making sure no one else was listening. "I think Anna can do better than rushing into it."

Anna’s mother frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Daniel is the Beta of Bloodmoon Pack. That’s huge. A ceremony tied to his pack has to be done right, like really right. If it’s rushed, it could come off as... underwhelming. And Bloodmoon Pack has standards. The Voss family has standards too. If Anna’s ceremony doesn’t meet that level, it could reflect badly on your family."

Anna’s mother’s eyes widened. That clearly hadn’t crossed her mind before.

"Give Anna some time to plan a ceremony big enough to have the whole territory talking. That kind of thing takes months, not just a couple of weeks." Lena kept her face serious. "You raised a wonderful daughter, and she’s mated to the Beta of Bloodmoon Pack. The ceremony should match that."

Anna’s mother rolled those words around in her head again and again.

"The pups will come when they’re meant to," Lena added, gentler this time. "Strong people don’t rush stuff like that. What you want is healthy pups, not pups brought into the world under stress."

That finally seemed to settle it. Anna’s mother gave a slow nod. "You’re right. We can’t embarrass ourselves in front of Bloodmoon Pack."

Anna’s shoulders visibly sagged with relief.

"And Daniel," Lena went on, "is dependable, loyal, and patient. He’s not going to leave her. You’ve seen how he treats Anna. He’d do anything for your daughter."

Anna’s mother’s tone softened at once. "He is gentle. Did you see how many bags he carried yesterday? And he ate everything I cooked for him without a single complaint."

"A man who eats your cooking and doesn’t complain?" Lena said. "Yeah, that’s a keeper."

She laughed, and just like that, the tension in the room broke apart.

Over her mother’s shoulder, Anna mouthed a silent, "Thank you."

Her mother reached over and patted Lena’s hand. "Lena, you’re such a smart girl. Honestly, I wish Anna had even half your common sense."

Lena just smiled and nodded. Anna’s mother leaned in a little closer. "You and I should keep an eye on her for me. She gets too wild when she’s out there. And make sure Daniel stays loyal to her."

"Anna knows exactly what she’s doing. And Daniel isn’t the kind of man who runs around." Lena rose to her feet. "You raised her well. Trust her."

Anna’s mother let out a long sigh. "You don’t know what it’s like to be a mother. I just want her settled, safe. A few pups, and a faithful mate."

Lena could hear the love underneath all that control. It was real, but it was also suffocating.

Balancing the plate in her hands, she stepped out through the back door. Anna was sitting by the fence on a flat stone, picking at eggs on her plate, her eyes red and puffy.

"I get where they’re coming from, but I don’t agree with how they do this." Lena sat down beside her. "Don’t let their words get in your head. They’re not trying to be cruel. They just can’t see past the version of your life they’ve already built in their minds. You can’t change that, so focus on living the life you actually want."

"Every time I come home, I tell myself I won’t let it get to me. And every single time, I still end up sitting here trying not to cry." Anna poked at the eggs with her fork.

Lena understood. "They’re your parents. That bond is real, even when it hurts."

Anna finished the last bite on her plate, then stood, wiping her face before looking at Lena. "Sorry you had to see me like this."

"Don’t say that." Lena lifted her head and looked up at the sky. "I know this probably sounds messed up, but... I really envy you. At least your parents are still here with you."

Anna pulled her into a hug and gently squeezed her shoulder.

"I know." She held Lena tighter, her voice soft. "And I care about you too. A lot."

Lena gave a small smile. "I know."

After breakfast, Anna’s parents headed out to work in the fields. Anna took Lena and Daniel for a walk through the village.

The autumn harvest was in full swing. Everywhere they looked, people were busy. The land stretched out in waves of gold, lively and full of life.

By noon, Anna started making lunch. Lena and Daniel helped by chopping vegetables and washing dishes. The kitchen was tiny and warm, thick with steam, while oil crackled sharply in the pan.

After lunch, Anna’s parents rested for a couple of hours, then went back out again. Life in the countryside didn’t hit pause just because visitors had come by.

Lena and Anna cleaned the house together. Daniel stepped in from the porch, glanced at Lena, then turned to Anna. "I need to head out for a bit."

"Where to?" Anna didn’t press him. She just honestly couldn’t figure out where he’d even go in a place he’d never been before. Not now.

Daniel hesitated.

Anna caught the look on his face right away and took a step back. "Go on, then. Just be back before dinner."

"Okay."

He drove off in the truck.

"Did Dominic call again?" Anna was slicing up fried chicken, the knife tapping against the cutting board in a steady rhythm.

"No." Lena tore lettuce into a bowl, her tone flat.

Anna let out a cold little laugh. "Unbelievable."

Lena shrugged. "You get used to it."

"Do you think this business trip is really a business trip?" Anna’s knife moved fast, almost too fast. "What if it’s for some she-wolf? Maybe that missing girl is back."

Lena laughed. "Wow. Your imagination is seriously wild."

"I’m serious. She’s just missing. Nobody has confirmed she’s dead."

"So you’re saying he can vanish out of nowhere, give zero explanation, not contact me for a whole week, and I’m just supposed to not find that weird?"

"Even if that is true, what exactly am I supposed to do about it?"

Anna paused for a beat, then nodded. "Fair point."

I held the lettuce under the faucet and rinsed it clean. "I’ve stopped wasting energy on stuff that hasn’t even happened yet. Overthinking fixes nothing. If a problem shows up, I’ll deal with it then."

"You’re seriously the calmest person I know."

"What else am I supposed to do?" I dried my hands on a towel. "Whatever’s going to happen will happen. Stressing early won’t change the ending."

Anna studied my face. "You really aren’t scared of losing him?"

"No." I met her eyes without dodging. "I never assumed this relationship would last forever anyway. Even if we break up, I won’t be worse off than I was in the beginning."

"True." Anna flashed a grin. "Even if you two split, you’ll still be rich."

I laughed. She wasn’t wrong. My original plan had been to inherit after my mate died from illness. A breakup was basically a different route to the same finish line.

Daniel had been gone for hours already. Anna’s parents came back from the fields, and he still wasn’t home.

After finishing her fried chicken, Anna called Daniel and put him on speaker while she kept working with her hands.

"How far out are you? Dinner’s almost ready."

"On my way back now."

"Okay. We’re waiting."

She hung up and started plating the food.

The moon was bright, the night air cool and fresh. Anna’s father carried the table out into the yard, and I set out the plates and glasses. On a clear night like this, eating under the stars felt absurdly nice.

Everything was already on the table. Anna’s mother was just about to tell Anna to call Daniel again when two beams of light cut through the gate.

The truck rolled to a stop. Anna headed out to meet him, and I followed right behind her.

Daniel got out of the truck. Before Anna could even ask where he’d been all afternoon, the passenger door swung open.

The second I saw who climbed out, I froze in shock.

Dominic Voss was here!

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