Chapter 5
Chapter Five
Dimitri’s POV
The Alpha’s crest was heavier than I’d imagined, a wolf carved from pure silver, its eyes set with genuine diamonds that caught the light. My father had worn this crest. His father before him. It was one of Garnia’s most precious possessions, passed down through generations of Alphas.
It was supposed to make me feel powerful. In control. Triumphant.
Instead, it felt like a weight pressing down on my chest, making it harder to breathe.
My wolf, now fully aligned with the mantle of Alpha, prowled restlessly beneath my skin, its rage simmering, barely restrained, demanding I let him loose, let him take charge and undo the choice I had just made.
I turned to look at Selene Ashworth standing beside me.
She looked perfectly polished, flawlessly presented.
Her blonde hair cascaded down her shoulders in deliberate waves that had probably taken hours to achieve.
Her dress was an expensive ivory silk. She looked every inch the Luna.
Poised, regal, like she was born for the role.
Just like my mother had always been. Maia Ravencrest, with her perfect posture and cutting elegance, her ability to command a room with a single glance. Selene had that same quality—that innate understanding of power and how to wield it.
She was everything an Alpha’s Mate should be.
And I felt absolutely nothing when I looked at her.
Selene leaned forward, placing a kiss on my jaw. Her perfume was so strong it nearly choked me. I forced myself not to pull away, not to show the revulsion crawling under my skin.
Around me stood the other leaders—CEOs and pack Alphas alike—men whose influence and connections could elevate Ravencrest Global to unprecedented heights. Faces blurred together, all here to witness Dimitri Ravencrest claim his birthright.
This ceremony, these connections, these alliances, they would put Garnia back on the pedestal where it belonged. Would erase the shame my father had brought upon us when he’d abandoned his pack for a woman. Would prove that I was nothing like him.
This was the culmination of everything I’d worked for since I was thirteen years old. Since the day my father left and I’d had to grow up overnight. Since I’d taken on the mantle of Alpha heir at eighteen and spent every day since proving I was worthy of it.
I should have felt euphoric. Vindicated. Powerful.
But all I felt was empty.
Because when I looked ahead, past the congratulating crowds and the raised champagne glasses, I could still see the spot where she’d stood, where Isabella had looked up at me with desperate hope in her green eyes. Where her hope had died as I’d spoken the words that destroyed us both.
The image was seared into my brain, trumping every other emotion I was supposed to be feeling.
I’d felt it too. The excruciating pain of severing the one thing that had made me feel different. That had made me feel alive instead of like a boy playing at being a man, weighed down by impossible expectations and the constant pressure to be better than his father.
My wolf had howled inside me when I’d spoken those words. Had recoiled like I’d betrayed not just Isabella, but him. Us. Everything we were supposed to be.
He was still snarling now, pacing restlessly, demanding I go after her. Demanding I fix what I’d broken.
But I couldn’t leave my own Alpha ceremony. Not with every major Alpha in the state watching. Not with business deals worth hundreds of millions hanging in the balance. Not when I’d just spent the last hour proving I could be the Alpha Garnia needed.
Leaving now would show weakness. Would make them question my commitment. Would undo everything I’d just accomplished.
This was the right choice. This was the only way to protect her.
“Congratulations, Dimitri.”
Edmund’s voice pulled me from my spiraling thoughts. I blinked, focusing on my Beta standing before me. His weathered face was as neutral as always. Edmund had perfected the art of showing nothing. In all the years I’d known him, I could count on one hand the times I’d seen him smile.
But tonight, something was different.
His eyes were hollow. And beneath that neutrality, I saw it clearly: disapproval and disappointment.
“The major part of the ceremony is over,” Edmund continued, his voice professionally detached. “May I request your permission to leave? I promised my daughter we’d watch a movie together tonight. And I have some other matters that require my attention.”
By “other matters”, I knew exactly what he meant.
Isabella.
He wanted to check on Isabella.
My chest tightened. “Of course. You’re dismissed.”
Edmund nodded once, then turned and walked away without another word.
I stepped down from the raised platform where the ceremony had taken place, and almost immediately, I was intercepted.
“Congratulations, Dimitri!” Alpha Morrison of the Northern Territories said, extending his arm. His pack was one of the largest in the state, his business ventures tied intimately with Ravencrest Global. “Hell of a ceremony.”
“Thank you, Alpha Morrison.” I shook his hand, forcing a smile.
“This is Gary Linked, CEO of Linked Globally.” Morrison gestured to the man beside him.
“I was just telling Gary about that last deal we closed. Fetched me close to fifty million in the first quarter alone. And now with the Ashworth alliance, Ravencrest is positioned to become the biggest name in our market.”
“That’s kind of you to say.” I extended my hand to Gary, my business mask sliding effortlessly into place. Years of practice made it second nature. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Likewise.” Gary’s handshake was firm, assessing. “Morrison speaks highly of you. Says you’re a man who makes wise choices.” He paused meaningfully. “Strategic ones.”
The implication was clear. “Wise choices” meant choosing what benefited the pack over personal desires.
“We should schedule a meeting,” Gary continued, sipping his champagne while his eyes swept over the gardens. “Monday morning, perhaps? My company could greatly benefit from Garnia’s resources. And I prefer working with men who understand that business requires certain…sacrifices.”
He must have witnessed me publicly reject my Mate. And now he knew I was the kind of Alpha—the kind of man—who would put profit above everything else.
“Of course.” I kept my smile in place. “I’ll have a meeting scheduled for Monday.”
Gary smiled, satisfied. “Excellent. I look forward to doing business with you, Alpha Ravencrest.”
As I walked further down the hall, passing polite smiles to people as they congratulated me, the hollowness only deepened, followed by a restless ache I couldn’t shake. I needed to find Isabella.
But what was I going to do? Comfort her?
I wasn’t sure. I just needed to find her.
I set my champagne glass on the tray of a passing waiter and turned toward the exit, just as my mother appeared.
“Dimitri, darling.” Her smile was radiant, dazzling in a way I’d never seen before. She reached up and kissed my cheek.
“I’m so proud of you,” she said, her voice dripping with a warmth so alien it made my chest tighten. They were words every child longs to hear. But not me.
“You did the right thing tonight. The strong thing. You’ve restored dignity to this pack, to our family name.
” Her eyes gleamed with satisfaction, her smile widening.
“You’re nothing like your father. He was weak, ruled by sentiment.
But you—” her voice softened with pride—“you understand what it means to be Alpha.”
It was the first time she’d spoken about my father without bitterness. I stared at her, and something cold settled in my stomach.
Three weeks ago, this same woman had threatened to murder Isabella.
And now she stood here smiling like she’d won, like tonight was victory. I thought of the events of three weeks ago, my stomach turning.
I walked into my mother’s bedroom, ready to tell her all about Isabella.
I never came here. This was her sanctuary, the one place in the mansion that was entirely hers. She’d been shocked when I’d walked in, her teacup halfway to her lips, her expression shifting from surprise to suspicion in an instant.
“Dimitri. What are you doing here? Is…is everything okay?”
I’d closed the door behind me, moving toward her. “I need to talk to you about something important.”
“If this is about the Ashworth contracts, I already had the family lawyer draft—”
“It’s about Isabella.”
The temperature in the room dropped ten degrees. My mother set down her teacup with deliberate precision, her expression going cold.
“What about her?”
I’d rehearsed this conversation a dozen times. Thought about how to approach it, what words to use. In the end, I’d decided on honesty.
“She’s my Mate, Mother. My Fated Mate. I felt the bond when I kissed her.” I’d taken a breath. “I can’t go through with the engagement to Selene. I’m going to announce Isabella as my Mate at the ceremony.”
The silence that followed was deafening.
Then my mother laughed—a sharp, bitter sound that made my wolf bristle.
“No,” she’d said simply.
“It’s not a request. I’m telling you.”
“And I’m telling you no.” She’d stood abruptly, the teacup falling and smashing to pieces. “You will not disgrace this family by claiming that girl as your Mate.”
“She’s not ‘that girl’. She’s my Mate.” I shot up, too. “The Moon Goddess has chosen her for me.”
“Then the Moon Goddess has made a mistake.” Her voice had turned to ice. “I mean, look how your father turned out, look at what he did to his pack. Yet I was supposed to be his Fated Mate.” She scoffed. “That’s proof that the bond means nothing.”
“It doesn’t feel like nothing, Mother. I feel complete, I feel—”