Channing closed his eyes to smile and when he opened his eyes back he said, "There is no need for time, I had already found the perfect Beta during the Stage one itself." My eyes turned to meet his eyes, but he was addressing the members as he continued, "I have seen her since the beginning and maybe it was even before this competition began that I had chosen her to be worthy and be by my side and help our village and this pack be a better place. Help me be a better Alpha. Make this a beautiful journey that leads to a better future."

Channing's eyes softened as the words flowed unconsciously through his lips. It felt less like a description to a Beta and more like the language of his mind. My refusal disheartened him, but the way he spoke, I could tell who it was for, what those feelings were.

Channing turned to me and extended his hand ahead, palm up and open, for me to take. "Will you go on this journey with me, Selene?" There was sadness in his eyes when I placed my hand in his. He knew I only extended ahead my hand for this position of Beta and the journey that was only a short-lasting bliss to him, but he was wistfully accepting of it. He pulled me ahead beside him and we shared a look before his eyes went back to the members and he raised my hand up to announce, "Welcome, our new Beta of the Winterwells, Selene!"

There were cheers and clapping as most of the members accepted what the Alpha had decided for the village, though there was Oliver and his group still passing a distasteful look to me.

The decision of the Alpha did not feel right to them and one of them, Julianne, immediately ran to Diana while Channing was still busy congratulating me. I saw the girls whisper something, and here it was again, the scale of power tipping towards someone other than the Alpha.

Suzan and Arina ran ahead to hug me, distracting my thoughts from Diana. Sam, Donni and Connie joined in as well in a group hug as they squeezed me.

"CONGRATULATIONS SELENE!" they cheered in unison while I suffocated in their united hug.

Elaine joined ahead from behind and spoke in her soft voice, "Congratulations, I know you will do the best, Selene." She was clumsily standing there here, eyes looking everywhere, trying to decide how to go ahead for the hug with everyone.

Suzan saw her and quickly pulled her in to hug with everyone else, "Come here you shy bunny."

I giggled at all the love that was being showered on me. I did not mind suffocating in this feeling, "Thank you so much, everyone." This was the most I had received of care and affection from people.

It was an overwhelming feeling and Suzan almost lifted me up before I twisted out of her hold to get some distance. But she came ahead anyway and lifted me up in the air and put me down to take my hands in her and rumble, "I knew you would make it, Selene. How can you not, you were perfect with everything from the start," Suzan just couldn't hold back happiness and I barely got time to breathe between her hugs, "I will treat everyone a pizza today!"

The others chuckled at Suzan's words, and I patted her head, "Thank you, Suzan, you don't have to treat everyone a pizza every time for my small happy endings."

Even last time during the court case, Suzan had treated everyone a pizza for my release. During that time she was not even that close to me and yet she fitted with me perfectly like an extrovert part of the best friend couple. We had already treated everyone to a pizza when I was acting Beta, as I had made people work more than what they were used to; the paper work and using the brains and not just their muscles.

Amid the entire celebratory environment, there was a smell of burn that wafted only to my nose, and it was not tough to guess where it came from.

I turned around to see Channing explaining something to Diana while she almost bickered with him. Her strong and composed character, which she had held on to for such a long time, was breaking right now as this little dream of hers to have what John had was crushed in an instance.

If becoming a Beta like John Walter had been her dream, then it wouldn't have taken Diana long to come to same selfish ambitions of John about becoming the Alpha of this pack.

There was no saying about to what extent Diana might go because her personality was less patient and composed than what John used to be. It was his bad luck that I had joined the pack during his execution of plan or the entire pack was successfully led by him and that kind of trust or submission from the Omega members came with years of patient work.

The followers that Diana had right now were nothing but the ones that John had made puppets for himself, not something Diana worked hard to earn.

The way Diana was talking to Channing was not right, and now that I was declared the Beta this was going to change. In this friendly environment which Channing had built, letting everybody speak their mind freely was a different thing, but fighting against the Alpha and his decisions was different. This was a change even Channing would have to go through and why to wait for tomorrow when it can be done now.

I asked Suzan and others to wait as Suzan refused to part with me and Sam helped hold her back. He always knew how to control that bursting ball of energy.

I brisked to where Diana was disagreeing with Channing. While Channing had his back faced to me, Diana saw me approaching, and a scorn replaced her face, folding her hands. Her mask was totally broken. She was nothing but a sore loser at this moment.

"What is the matter, Channing?" I asked, and he immediately turned to see me.

Before he could speak Diana fumed, "This was an utterly biased, decision-"

I immediately stopped her words by raising my hand in front of her face, and it took both Diana and Channing by shock about how I handled the situation with the authority which "The question was for the Alpha, who are you to speak on his behalf." I turned to Channing and my tone went mild to show how I ranked below him, "What is the matter Alpha, is this pack member steering any problem?"

The way I was talking absolutely aggravated Diana. She stepped forward, standing tall and hissed, "You are not even branded yet, to talk like a Beta with me, Selene. Better apologise because Channing WILL have to change this biased decision of his..."

"Diana!" Channing's stern voice set me and Diana stiff.

I tried to place my hand on his broad frame to stop him from moving ahead and do something wrong out of anger, "Channing..." My words only left as a futile whisper. Not to stop him, but in shock on seeing his appearance slowly grow with muscles bulging uncontrollably.

His eyes went golden with fury as if his anger was not out of spite for Diana, but how she had replied to me because all this time they were bickering he was fine but when she replied that way to me, the surrounding aura around Channing changed. I could see his special ability go into action as his already buffed physique started straining and expand with his wolf trying to come out.

He stepped ahead, towering over Diana as he spoke, "are you saying my decision is wrong and going against the decision of the Alpha?" This was the first Channing was taking this stand, which, if he had taken before this day, would have never come.

Diana looked at how my hand rested on Channing's chest in resistance for him to not move ahead and take any unnecessary action on her. I was trying to hold him back and my strength was failing against him, but my voice turned his eyes back to the serene grey, "Channing, calm down. Let's sort it out more calmly."

A smirk raised on Diana's lips, looking at how this minor act of mine affected Channing to calm his nerves down.

Diana was not taking all this right. She turned to others and yelled to kill their commotion in absolute silence, "This is utter partiality. Channing must reevaluate his biased decisions towards his favourite Selene."

The members were baffled to see this side of Diana. Even Oliver creased his brows to see what had exactly caused this reaction because Diana always spoke in her professional voice and it was not here.

This girl looked like a little child refused of her favourite candy. I tried to calm her by placing my hand on her shoulder, "Diana-" but she jerked her shoulder to get my touch away from her.

Channing pulled me back by my wrist and I looked into his eyes, ready to say something to him. But he was calm now, and he held me by his side and slowly blinked, asking me to wait.

Diana went frantic looking at this, she wasn't given the reaction from Channing she demanded with her actions. He finger pointed towards me and Channing, and she screamed, "Does this look right? Did you guys really miss out on how Channing had described Selene before declaring her the Beta? I bet they are having an affair behind our backs and that is why Channing's decision came out this biased to someone who is new to the pack. The position is for someone experienced and just look at him holding her by her hand back."