Married to my Dead Mate’s Alpha Brother

2

Rachel

I am not supposed to be here!

The thought kept screaming inside my head as I tried to stay hidden. I sat at the very back of the gathering, my head covered with a thick black veil. I had sprayed strong perfume all over myself to mask my scent. If anyone from the Dark Moon Pack discovered who I was, I would be dead in a minute. No questions asked.

From where I sat, I could see the entire royal family of the Dark Moon Pack clearly. They stood around the fresh grave as Chase was being buried. The sky was gray and heavy, like it wanted to cry with them.

O Chase!

I couldn’t help it. Tears rolled down my cheeks before I could stop them. My beloved mate. Life is so cruel. So very cruel to take him away from me like this.

And the worst part? He was killed by my own family.

My heart twisted painfully in my chest. I pressed a hand to my mouth to keep from making any sound. Three months ago, at a mutual party between a few neutral packs, Chase and I had locked eyes across the room. The mate bond hit us both like lightning. One look and we knew. We felt the pull so strong it took our breath away.

We were mates.

But we could not tell anyone. Not yet. Our packs were enemies. The Silverton Pack and the Dark Moon Pack had been fighting over border lands for years. Imagine the daughter of Alpha Trent of the Silverton Pack being mated to the younger brother of Alpha Kylian. It would cause disaster. War. Bloodshed. So we decided to keep it a secret. Just between us. We met in hidden places, spoke in whispers, and dreamed about the day we could finally be together openly.

We never got the chance to complete our mating ritual. We never even marked each other. Now he was gone forever, and I was left with this empty hole in my soul.

I sat there with tears blurring my vision and stared at his family. Chase had always talked about them with so much love in his voice. His mother looked completely broken. She leaned heavily on her mate, Chase’s father, her shoulders shaking as she cried. His other siblings stood close together, holding one another, their faces wet with tears.

But Alpha Kylian… he stood apart from everyone. Tall and straight like a stone statue. His face was cold, completely emotionless. Yet I could feel the anger radiating from him even from where I sat at the back. It was like a dark storm cloud hanging over the whole burial ground. His eyes were hard, and his jaw was tight. I knew that look. He was planning something. Something terrible.

My stomach turned. If he ever found out the truth about me and Chase, or if he discovered that my pack was behind the ambush, there would be no mercy.

When the burial was finally over and the last prayers had been said, I quickly slipped away. I kept my head down and moved through the trees at the edge of the gathering before anyone could notice me. My heart was beating so fast I thought it might burst out of my chest. Every step away from Chase’s grave felt like I was tearing a piece of my soul behind.

I made it back to my own pack lands without anyone stopping me. The moment I reached Janet’s house, I let out a long, shaky breath. Janet had been my alibi. I told my father I was spending the whole day with her, shopping and talking like normal girls. She didn’t know the real reason, but she covered for me anyway. She was a good friend.

I changed quickly out of my black clothes and into something bright and normal. I washed my face, trying to hide the redness in my eyes. Then I headed home.

The moment I stepped through the front door of our big pack house, I felt the heavy air. Something was wrong. The usual noise and laughter were missing. I walked down the hallway and stopped when I saw him.

My father, Alpha Trent, was sitting in his favorite chair in the main living room. He sat straight, his arms resting on the sides of the chair, staring directly at me. His eyes were sharp and cold. He didn’t smile. He didn’t even greet me.

My steps slowed. A nervous feeling crawled up my spine.

“Where are you coming from?” he asked.

His voice was low and steady, but I could hear the suspicion underneath it. He was watching me closely, like he was trying to read every small movement on my face.

I froze for a second. My mind raced for the right words. I had practiced what I would say on the way back, but now, standing in front of him, the lies felt heavy on my tongue.

I swallowed hard and tried to keep my voice calm.

“I… I was with Janet, Dad. Like I told you this morning. We went to the little market on the east side and then we just talked for a long time. You know how she is when she starts gossiping.”

I forced a small smile, hoping it looked real. But inside, my heart was pounding so loud I was scared he could hear it. I thought about Chase’s face under that white sheet. I thought about the way his blue eyes used to light up when he saw me. I thought about how I would never hear his laugh again.

And here I was, lying to my own father because his pack had killed my mate.

Alpha Trent didn’t move. He just kept looking at me. The silence stretched between us like a tight rope. I could feel sweat starting to form on my palms. Did he know something? Had someone seen me at the burial? Had my scent somehow slipped through the perfume?

He leaned forward slightly, his eyes never leaving mine.

“Is that so?” he said slowly.

I nodded, trying to look relaxed. “Yes, Dad. Why? Is everything okay?”

He didn’t answer right away. Instead, he stood up from his chair and walked closer to me. He was tall and strong, the kind of Alpha who made people nervous just by being in the same room. Right now, that nervousness was crawling all over my skin.

I stayed still and waited, my hands clasped tightly in front of me.

My father stopped just a few steps away. His voice dropped even lower.

“Rachel… you know we had a meeting with the Dark Moon Pack today. A very important one.”

My breath caught in my throat. I tried not to show it.

He continued, “Things did not go as planned. There was… an incident.”

I blinked, pretending I didn’t already know every painful detail.

“What kind of incident?” I asked softly, keeping my voice innocent.

Alpha Trent studied my face for a long moment. Then he said the words that made my blood run cold.

“We lost some men. But more importantly… the brother of Alpha Kylian is dead. Chase is dead.”

He watched me carefully as he said the name.

I felt the floor tilt under my feet. Even though I already knew, hearing my father say it so plainly made fresh tears burn behind my eyes. I forced them back. I could not cry in front of him. Not now.

“Oh…” I whispered. “That’s… that’s terrible.”

My father tilted his head. “Yes. It is. And now Alpha Kylian will be coming for blood. The question is… where exactly were you today, Rachel?”

The way he asked it sent a chill down my back. It wasn’t just a simple question. It felt like a test.

I lifted my chin a little and met his eyes.

“I told you, Dad. I was with Janet. You can ask her if you don’t believe me.”

He stared at me for what felt like forever. The air in the room felt thick and heavy. Finally, he gave a small nod, but his eyes still looked doubtful.

“Alright. Go and rest. We will talk more later.”

I turned around quickly before he could see the tears starting to form again. As I walked up the stairs to my room, my legs felt weak. Every step took me farther from the lie I had just told, but closer to the truth I could never share.

Chase was gone.

My mate was gone.

And my own pack—my own father—had killed him.

I closed the door to my room and leaned against it, letting the tears fall freely now. The pain in my chest was so sharp it hurt to breathe.

Outside, the evening wind blew softly through the trees, but inside my heart, everything was dark and broken.

And the worst part was still coming.

Because Alpha Kylian was not going to stay quiet.

He would come for revenge.

And I was caught right in the middle.