Crowned by Fate Chapter 85

Nadia's POV

I could never be what Adrian truly needed. I wasn't his mate, wasn't Luna material, wasn't soft or gentle or whole. My strengths were in fighting, in strategy, in loyalty forged in blood and sacrifice. I was the Beta, the second, the shadow.

Skye was something else entirely. Even before her wolf emerged, I sensed the power in her—not the brute strength of a warrior, but something more elemental. She had survived alone for years. She understood pain and loss as intimately as I did, yet hadn't allowed it to harden her completely.

I fought against it, of course. Tried to drive her away with suspicion and coldness. But the harder I pushed, the more she proved herself worthy—not just of Adrian's attention, but of my respect.

The others in the pack took to her quickly too. Marcus praised her natural talent for reconnaissance, while Lydia called her an exceptional student with keen intuition for herbs and remedies. Despite her small stature and limited physical strength, she approached every training session with unwavering determination.

She never complained when I pushed her harder than the others, never made excuses when she failed. Sometimes, watching her dogged persistence, I glimpsed reflections of my younger self—the same stubborn resolve, the same willingness to endure pain to prove her worth.

Perhaps that's why she irritated me so deeply; she reminded me of who I once was, before years of unrequited devotion hardened me.

When I discovered she wasn't Adrian's mate, I felt a selfish relief wash over me. It gave me justification—or so I thought—to warn her away from him, to remind her of boundaries that should exist between an Alpha and a pack member who wasn't destined to be his Luna.

I clung to this knowledge like a shield, using it to protect myself from the growing reality I refused to acknowledge. What I failed to anticipate was how Adrian's feelings for her would deepen day by day, mate bond or not.

He never admitted it aloud—not to me, not to anyone—but I could see it in the way his eyes followed her across a room, in how his voice softened when he spoke her name, in the decisions he made to keep her close. Love doesn't always need fate's blessing to flourish.

Even when Adrian and I were away on pack business, he remembered to buy her a birthday gift. A deep-sea pearl necklace that he spent hours selecting, scrutinizing each option with an attention to detail he rarely showed for anything besides pack security.

I watched his face as he imagined her wearing it, saw the softness in his eyes that had never been there for me.

Then came the mask hunting game at the canyon.

Did Skye really believe smearing a bit of mud on her clothes would hide what happened between them?

The scent of their intimacy was unmistakable to anyone with werewolf senses. They disappeared for nearly an hour, and I doubt they spent that time playing hide and seek. They were having sex while the rest of us searched the canyon in vain.

I maintained my composure throughout the remainder of that night. Directed the hunters, organized the evening activities, smiled and nodded at appropriate moments as we gathered around the campfire.

I cried that night.

For the first time since I was fourteen years old, I allowed myself to break down completely.

But with our tents pitched so close together in the canyon, I couldn't risk making a sound. I pressed my face into my pillow, shoulders shaking with silent sobs, swallowing the anguish that threatened to escape my throat.

Through the tent's thin fabric, moonlight cast moving shadows across my sleeping bag. Around midnight, one shadow grew distinct—Adrian's silhouette, moving stealthily between the tents.

I watched, frozen in my grief, as he slipped quietly into Skye's tent. He didn't emerge until just before dawn.

The pain was more excruciating than any humiliation I'd ever endured, more devastating than my father's most violent beatings. It felt like my chest was being torn open, my heart physically shredded.

I never imagined I could lose so thoroughly in a competition I had no chance of winning from the start.

Self-doubt, an old unwelcome companion I thought I'd banished years ago, crept back into my consciousness. The insecurities I'd buried beneath layers of strength and competence resurfaced with vengeance.

I’ve tried so many childish tactics to keep them apart .

I encouraged Ryder to pursue Skye, hoping his youth and charm might distract her. I created unnecessary tasks that kept Adrian busy and away from her. I even drafted a ridiculous "agreement" demanding Skye maintain her distance from Adrian, which she rightfully refused to sign.

All futile struggles, laughable in retrospect. You cannot fight what is meant to be, no matter how desperately you try.

In the end, I chose to drink the wolfsbane meant for her. Not because I had given up, but because I finally understood my purpose.

I had protected Adrian through our exile, through the founding of Oasisborn, through countless challenges. Protecting what he loved—even if it wasn't me—was the final service I could offer.

I regret nothing.

Not the mate I rejected, not the home I abandoned, not the life I sacrificed.

My only wish is that I could have seen Adrian achieve his destiny—to become the Alpha King he was born to be, with Skye standing beside him where I once stood.

This is my story.

These are the secrets I never told.