When My Alpha Chose Her Over Our Matebond

I went with my best friend Amina Lawrence, a Gamma warrior in our pack, to the clinic when she had an abortion. She clung to me, sobbing uncontrollably, her usually strong and composed demeanor shattered. My heart ached for her naivety and suffering, and I took care of her diligently for a week, cooking various light soups and stews. This continued until a week before my engagement to Joshua Bell, the high-ranking Alpha of our pack. That's when I found out the baby she had aborted was fathered by my fiancé.

A week before our engagement, a bunch of us were at a karaoke bar playing truth or dare. The atmosphere was lively, and after several rounds, everyone was thoroughly excited. That's when the bottle landed on Joshua. He laughed, a bit exasperated, and said, "I'll go with truth."

Our friends exchanged knowing glances and, amidst giggles, asked, "You two are getting engaged next week, so here's a fitting question: what will you name your future child?"

Hearing the question, my face grew warm, and I instinctively looked at Joshua. When our eyes met, I noticed an unfathomable mix of emotions in his gaze. He looked down as if in deep thought, and after a few seconds, he snapped back to reality.

Joshua looked up and smiled wryly, "I haven't thought of a fancy name yet, but I was considering the nickname Charlie."

As soon as he said that, the room erupted with cheers. Someone pounded the table and teased, "How sweet! You've already picked a name for the kid."

Amina, sitting to my right, chimed in with laughter, "Charlie, like from the fairy tale. What a charming name."

Feeling shy, I glanced at Joshua, noticing his eyes lingered on Amina before shifting away. Amina hugged me, as she always did, sharing in my joy. But I felt her grip tighten slightly. I turned to look at her, thinking she was recalling her past, and quickly hugged her back, trying to steer the conversation back to the joyful banter.

After the party ended, Joshua and I headed home. I was secretly delighted by his thoughts on our future. Before bed, I couldn't help but ask again, "When did you think of that name? I didn't know."

Next to me, Joshua hesitated for a moment, then leaned over and pulled me into an embrace. His familiar scent—a mix of pine and something uniquely Alpha—brushed softly against my neck. "We're getting engaged, so thinking about a child's name isn't so bad, right?"

"But I really like it. How did you come up with it?" I asked, blushing as I snuggled into his arms.

Joshua didn’t answer right away but held me closer. "We'll talk about it later; let's get some sleep. We have the engagement photo shoot tomorrow."

Thinking he must be tired from the evening's festivities, I didn't press him further and gently closed my eyes.

But when I woke up drenched in cold sweat from a nightmare, I sat up