Torn Between Alpha and Beta

Chapter 1: Invisible

Ruby's POV

The icy stream’s surface shimmered under the moonlight as I crouched beside it, my hands raw from scrubbing a warrior’s bloodstained tunic. The cold water numbed my fingers, but I didn’t stop. I’d done this a thousand times before. Being an Omega in the MoonShade Pack was nothing if not predictable: invisible, insignificant, and utterly necessary in all the ways no one cared to notice.

“Ruby,” Riley, my wolf, whispered in my mind, her voice calm but restless. They don’t see us. They never have. But that doesn’t mean we’re weak.

I didn’t answer her. There was no point. I had long ago accepted my place in the Moonshade Pack. Invisible. Replaceable.

But not to him.

I glanced toward the packhouse in the distance, its windows glowing like fireflies against the dark. Somewhere in there, Carter was probably holding court with the other Alphas-in-training, his silver eyes sharp and unyielding.

Carter.

Even the thought of him made my chest tighten. He was the first person who had ever looked at me and seen something more than my title. When we were younger, he had been my protector, my anchor in a world that constantly reminded me of my insignificance.

But that was before.

Before he started his training. Before the weight of the Alpha mantle settled on his shoulders. Before he stopped talking to me like we were friends and started looking through me like I wasn’t even there.

I shoved the thought aside and continued wringing out the tunic before spreading it over a low-hanging branch to dry. The forest around me was still, save for the occasional rustle of leaves in the winter wind. It was peaceful, in a way the packhouse never was. Out here, I wasn’t just the quiet girl cleaning up after everyone.

“Ruby.”

The low, familiar voice froze me in place. My chest tightened before I even turned around. I didn’t need to look to know it was him.

“Carter,” I said, glancing over my shoulder. He was standing just beyond the trees, his dark silhouette framed by moonlight.

Carter. The Alpha-in-training. My protector once, my secret crush always. His black hair was messy, like he’d just come from a fight, and his silver eyes gleamed even in the shadows. Broad-shouldered, scarred knuckles, a presence that always seemed bigger than the space around him, he was everything the pack admired and everything I had no right to want.

“You shouldn’t be out here,” he said, stepping closer. His voice was low, steady. He didn’t need to raise it to make me listen.

I straightened, brushing the dirt from my hands. “I’m fine.”

“You’re alone.”

“I’m always alone,” I shot back, sharper than I intended.

He didn’t flinch, but his gaze lingered on me, searching for something I didn’t want him to find. “Not always.”

I laughed softly, but there was no humor in it. “That’s funny coming from you.”

He frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing,” I said quickly, turning away. I didn’t want to fight. Not with him.

“Ruby.” His tone was sharper now, the kind that demanded an answer.

I sighed, refusing to meet his eyes. “Forget it, Carter. Just go back to whatever Alpha thing you were doing.”

“Alpha thing?” he repeated, stepping closer. “You mean training to make sure everyone, including you,doesn’t end up dead?”

I glared at him then, finally turning to face him. “Really? I didn't know I was so important, that you'd care."

Silence stretched between us, thick and suffocating. I wanted him to say something, to tell me I was wrong. But he didn’t. He just stood there, his presence as steady and unyielding as the forest around us.

“You should go back,” he said finally, his voice tight. “It’s not safe out here.”

I looked up at him, my chest tight with everything I couldn’t say. “And if I don’t?”

His eyes darkened, a flicker of something primal passing over his face. “Then I’ll stay with you.”

The tension between us crackled like static, and for a second, neither of us spoke. His presence was overwhelming, and I hated how easily he unsettled me. How easily he always had.

“I don’t need your protection, Carter,” I said quietly.

He tilted his head, his expression unreadable. “That’s not up to you.”

“Of course it isn’t,” I said bitterly. “Nothing ever is.”

His jaw tightened, and I knew I’d hit a nerve. But he didn’t argue. Instead, he looked past me, his body suddenly tensing.

“Get behind me,” he said abruptly, his voice dropping to a growl.

I blinked, startled. “What?”

“Now, Ruby,” he said, his silver eyes scanning the dark forest behind me.

My heart leapt into my throat, and Riley stirred in the back of my mind, on high alert. I stepped closer to him without thinking, my body reacting to the shift in his tone.

“Carter, what’s going on?” I whispered.

“Rogues,” he muttered, his voice clipped. “I can smell them.”

I froze, my pulse hammering. Rogues. Lone wolves who’d abandoned their packs, feral and unpredictable. My mind raced, but Carter’s hand shot out, gripping my wrist.

“Go back to the packhouse,” he ordered, his voice low and urgent.

“Carter, I—”

“Now, Ruby.”

The command in his voice made my stomach twist, but before I could respond, he let out a low growl that sent chills down my spine. My feet moved before my mind could catch up, and I started toward the packhouse.

But as I reached the clearing, something didn’t feel right. I slowed, turning back to where Carter stood, his broad shoulders tense, his head tilted as if he were listening for something.

“Carter?” I called, my voice hesitant.

He turned, and the faintest smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.

“There aren’t any rogues, are there?” I said, crossing my arms.

His silence was answer enough.

“Unbelievable,” I muttered, stomping back toward him. “You lied?”

He shrugged, leaning casually against a tree now, as if the tension from a moment ago had never existed. “You weren’t listening.”

My mouth fell open. “You scared the hell out of me!”

“You weren’t going to come back otherwise,” he said, his tone maddeningly calm.

“I was fine out here,” I snapped, stopping just a few feet away from him.

He straightened, his silver eyes locking onto mine, and just like that, the teasing edge in his voice disappeared. “You shouldn’t have to be fine out here, Ruby. You shouldn’t have to hide in the forest just to get a break from the pack.”

My breath froze, but I forced myself to keep my gaze steady. “That’s easy for you to say. You don’t know what it’s like to be invisible.”

His brows furrowed, and for a moment, he looked like he wanted to argue. But instead, he closed the distance between us, his expression softening.

“You’re not invisible,” he said quietly, his voice low and steady.

I blinked, my throat tightening at the raw honesty in his tone. “It feels that way.”

He sighed, running a hand through his messy hair. “I know it does. And I hate that. But you’re not, Ruby. Not to me.”

My heart stumbled, and I looked away, afraid he’d see too much in my eyes.

“Why do you care, Carter?” I whispered.

He hesitated, and for a moment, the air between us felt impossibly still. When he finally spoke, his voice was barely above a whisper.

“Because I just do.”

It wasn’t the answer I wanted, but it was the only one he was willing to give. And maybe, for now, it was enough.

I shook my head, stepping back. “You’re impossible.”

A faint smile tugged at his lips, the tension between us easing just slightly. “And you’re stubborn.”

The corner of my mouth twitched despite myself, but I quickly turned away before he could see it. “Goodnight, Carter.”

“Goodnight,Ruby.”

I walked back toward the packhouse, the cold air nipping at my skin. But as I reached the edge of the clearing, I glanced back, my heart skipping when I saw him still standing there, watching me.