He Claimed My Best Friend, I Claimed My Future Chapter 01
After the Pack Trial ended, the full moon celebration was approaching. Lucian Blackwood messaged me, saying he had to deal with family matters and couldn’t come with me.
He was the Alpha heir, so I understood.
I was about to head home alone when Serena Hart sent me a video of the celebration.
In the video, Silverpine Pack’s Hall was brightly lit. A group of young wolves gathered in the center, their laughter and howls nearly blowing the roof off.
And there stood Lucian in the middle of it all. Black shirt, sky blue eyes, drawing the gaze of every wolf in the room.
I didn’t know how I found myself walking to Pack Hall.
By the time I pushed open the heavy wooden door, the party was at its peak.
Someone shouted, “Lucian drew the dare! He has to kiss someone of the opposite sex here. No backing out, no half measures.”
The pack erupted.
My heart pounded.
In that moment, I was still naive enough to believe he was finally going to acknowledge us.
Even though I was just an Omega, worlds apart from Lucian in status, I was actually his mate. We’d agreed to keep our bond a secret.
But the next second, my best friend, Serena Hart, stepped right in front of me.
She spread her arms, shielding me like she’d done countless times before.
“Leave Nora out of this,” she said, frowning, her voice fierce. “She gets scared easily. You’re just trying to mess with her again.”
Someone laughed.
“Serena, you baby her too much.”
“She’s not a pup.”
“She looks like she’s about to cry, though.”
Serena glanced back at me, her eyes full of that familiar protectiveness.
I opened my mouth to explain, but Lucian just chuckled. “Alright,” he said. “How about you, then?”
Serena froze. Her cheeks flushed instantly, but she refused to back down. “Fine. Bring it on.”
The crowd started egging them on.
“Kiss!”
“The Alpha heir and the Hart family’s star. It was bound to happen.”
“They actually suit each other. An Alpha heir and a Beta candidate.”
“Move aside, Nora. You’re blocking the view.”
Someone bumped into my shoulder.
I stepped back half a pace, my spine meeting the cold wooden wall.
Then I watched Lucian lower his head and kiss Serena.
Serena pushed against his shoulder at first, like she was trying to win some kind of fight.
But Lucian gripped the back of her neck and pulled her closer.
Neither of them wanted to yield first, like two wolves fighting over territory.
Screams exploded around them. But I couldn’t hear anything anymore. Because I could smell it—Lucian’s scent, like cedarwood, slowly transferring onto Serena.
My wolf let out a low whine from deep within. The pain rose from the very core of my soul.
“See? They’re perfect together,” someone laughed. “Lucian and Serena look like a future Alpha and Luna.”
“Yeah, what’s Nora even doing over there?”
“She doesn’t really think Lucian would go for her, does she?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. She can’t even shift properly.”
“Just some random Omega. Why would the Alpha heir want her?”
I dropped my gaze, digging my nails into my palms. I couldn’t take the humiliation anymore. I turned and walked out of Pack Hall.
I walked for a long time before my phone buzzed.
It was Lucian.
[Nora, let’s not contact each other for a few days. Serena is too much. If she finds out about us, she’ll just start another fight with me.]
[When the Alpha Heir Trials are over, I’ll claim you.]
[Love you.]
Sweet words couldn’t ease the ache inside me.
For three years, I’d hidden our mate bond from everyone. Tradition said an Alpha couldn’t reveal his mate before the trials, to keep the future Luna safe.
But hiding had only brought me betrayal.
I hadn’t even told him yet.
Ironclaw Warrior Academy had already sent me the silver-sealed acceptance letter.
It was the most elite Wolf Guard academy in the entire North.
I was going to tell him I wouldn’t wait for him to finish the Alpha Heir Trials, that I wasn’t staying in Silverpine Pack as his secret lover anymore. I wanted to chase my own dreams.
Now, there was no point.
…
I stood there for a long time, deleting and retyping the message. In the end, I sent just one word.
[Okay.]
The moment I put my phone away, footsteps rushed up behind me.
“Nora.”
Serena had hurried after me. Her face was still flushed from all the excitement, her eyes bright, and she still carried Lucian’s scent on her.
When that smell hit me, I nearly stumbled backward.
But Serena didn’t notice. She grabbed my hand, her voice affectionate, like nothing had happened. “Why’d you leave? The stuff after was way funnier. Lucian had three drinks because of me. You missed it.”
I looked at her, my throat tight.
Serena shook my hand. “Are you mad?”
She sighed, like I was being difficult.
“Come on. Don’t listen to them. I’m not getting together with Lucian Blackwood. I just hate seeing them pick on you. I didn’t want you to get bullied.”
“You’re my best friend.”
She said it with such sincerity in her eyes.
Over the years, I’d been quiet and slow to warm up. When the other young wolves surrounded me and laughed, Serena was always the first to jump in.
I didn’t have many friends. Lucian was the one I loved. Serena was my best friend. I used to think at least those two would never hurt me.
But tonight, I wasn’t sure anymore.
She pulled me back into Pack Hall.
As soon as we walked in, someone called out.
“Serena, perfect timing. Lucian drew another dare.”
“Still a kiss.”
“One more.”
I froze.
Lucian leaned against the long table, swirling a glass in his hand. His blue eyes found Serena. “Depends if she’s brave enough.”
Serena shot back, “Who’s scared? Bring it.” She let go of my hand and strode toward him.
The young wolves around them laughed even louder.
Someone deliberately looked my way. “Nora, what’s that look for? Don’t tell me you actually like Lucian.”
Serena turned and glared at them. “Shut up. Nora doesn’t like him.”
Lucian just added flatly, “We’re not close.”
But he was the one who’d said he liked me first.
He was the one who’d grabbed my hand by the forbidden forest and said his wolf had chosen me. After the trials, after all the obstacles were gone, he’d walk me out in front of everyone.
And now, with one “we’re not close,” he shoved me back into the shadows.
In the center of the room, Lucian and Serena drew close again.
They kissed as the crowd roared.
In the middle of it all, Lucian raised his arm and pulled Serena against him, shielding her from everyone else.
I couldn’t lie to myself anymore. Lucian had chosen my best friend.
And I was just his secret mate, the one he wouldn’t admit to, the one he didn’t think was worth claiming.
Finally, the celebration ended. Serena had drunk too much. She slumped against Lucian’s shoulder, still mumbling, “I didn’t lose…let’s go again…who’s scared…”
Lucian held her up with one arm, his voice half annoyed, half fond. “Alright, you win.”
Serena pushed his hand away, grumbling, “Don’t act like we’re actually together. I’d never like you.”
Lucian snorted. “Who said I like you? If you weren’t drunk, I wouldn’t be here.”
Even as he said it, his hand stayed behind Serena’s head, keeping her from hitting the wooden doorframe.
The cold wind bit at me, and I realized my fingers were numb.
My phone buzzed again.
Lucian’s message: [Go home early. Text me when you get there.]
His words were a world away from the tenderness he showed Serena. How had I ever been blind enough not to see it?
When I got home, my mother, Marina, was still awake. She sat in the living room, mending my training jacket.
When she heard the door, she looked up immediately. “Nora? Why are you back so late?”
I stood in the doorway, looking at her gentle, worried face. The tears I’d been holding in all night finally spilled over.
“Mom,” I said. “Let’s leave Silverpine early.”
“I want to report to Ironclaw as soon as I can.”
“The sooner, the better.”
