Chapter 1: I caught my boyfriend cheating
Sloane
I never thought I would cry for a man, but here I am—frozen, my ass exposed to the wind—as I bawl, watching my boyfriend go balls-deep into my best friend.
He'd told me he would be working late today, a line he'd been using too often. So I decided to surprise him, wearing nothing but sexy lingerie and carrying his birthday cake.
My hands shook as a hollow, punching feeling hit my chest. The cake slipped from the box, scattering across the tiled floor. I tried to control myself, to steady my fast, ragged breaths, but I couldn't. Barry turned, his eyes landed on the ruined cake and then moved up to meet mine.
I expected him to say something, to stop, to tell me this was all an act. Instead he smiled. A small, calculated grin as he held Kylie’s hip tighter and slapped her ass so hard she screamed.
“You ride me so good, baby. Just look at your wet p***y juicing out for me, you filthy whore.”
I trembled; bile rose in my throat and I could barely form a word. The tears came fast, running down my face and smearing my makeup.
“Oh my God, Barry. God, you feel so good. f**k!”
“That's it babe, take my cock.”
“Oh my god!”
It felt like my whole world was collapsing in front of my eyes. I gathered the last of my strength and screamed so loud, eyes shut, that Kylie flinched. When I opened my eyes, Barry sat on the bed, and Kylie clutched the sheets to her bare chest.
“Oh my God, Sloane, a little privacy?” she said, rolling her eyes as she swung her legs off the bed, her naked ass on display.
“You just had to ruin this. Typical, Sloane,” she hissed. I lunged toward her, breathing ragged, fists clenching and unclenching until my knuckles ached.
“How dare you? How dare you sleep with my boyfriend and talk to me like that?!” I screamed.
She glanced at Barry, and together they laughed in my face. Barry stood up and walked to where we stood.
“Boyfriend? I was never your boyfriend, Sloane. Yuck, it's so disgusting that you think I would end up with someone who can't even shift. Someone with no wolf!”
“You didn't expect me to marry you, did you?” he continued, and my heart shattered into a thousand pieces. Tears slipped down my cheeks, blurring my vision.
No. I can't cry in front of them. I…I won't.
I looked down and fidgeted with my fingers while the man I had loved my whole life, since before I could walk or even speak, insulted me.
Call me cursed just because I can barely shift.
“Barry… but you promised. You promised me forever, and now—” I choked on the last word.
He cackled, clutching his stomach as laughter tumbled out of him. I used to be mesmerized by his laugh; it was one of the things I loved most about him.
Now? Now I wanted to shove my fingers into those laughing eyes and watch him wince in pain. He needed to feel what I felt.
“You are a nobody, Sloane.”
“That's right, baby,” Kylie chimed in.
“You're no more than a mere human. You have no place in this pack!”
I reached for him and he shoved me away, letting me fall. I burst into full blown tears.
“No wonder she never found a mate, babe,” Kylie sneered. “Did you really think Barry would marry you?” She strolled to where I lay and flipped her hair up, revealing a fresh mark at the base of her throat.
Did he? No. Please, no.
“Y-you marked her?” My voice was thin with disbelief.
“Yes, he marked me. He was never going to end up with you.” Kylie crouched to my level, her eyes cold. “You're nothing but a useless thing, Sloane. You shouldn't even have existed.”
She smiled and flashed a ring on her middle finger. “Besides, we are engaged. Barry is Beta and I deserve a Beta. Not you.”
I had given him everything. Every year, every sacrifice, I cared for him. I made myself small so he could be happy. Was this how he repaid me? Like trash? Like I deserved to be humiliated?
I forced myself to stand, slow and steady, gathering what dignity I had left. I was about to speak when the door burst open and pack guards flooded the room. Kylie yanked the sheet around herself as they got closer.
I wiped my cheeks with the back of my hand and planted my feet. Let them answer for this. They both deserved to rot for what they'd done to me.
“What's going on?” Barry and Kylie asked in confusion.
“Guards—” I began, but they ignored me, turning to me instead.
Three of them were suddenly at my side, hands snapping onto my arms.
What the hell was happening?
“What's going on?” I demanded, but they didn’t say a word, and averted their eyes, treating me like I wasn't even there.
One of them stepped forward, taller than the rest, his nose crooked and his expression hard. “Sloane Moon, you are under arrest for fraud. You will remain silent.”
Wait…what?!
I tried to laugh it off and shake them loose, but their grip tightened. “You're making a mistake,” I said. “They're the ones who should be locked up!”
“Take her away!” the commander barked.
They shoved me toward the entrance and hauled me out. I fought, clawing at their hands, twisting my arms until breath burned my lungs.
Fraud? What were they talking about? My heart hammered against my ribs as we crossed the estate toward the pack center. I spotted my brother and wrenched free, running to him.
Alpha Kris, my brother, the leader of the Crimson Pack, would know what to do. If anyone could fix this, it would be him.
But as I drew near, his smile shifted into something unfamiliar.
“What's going on? They're accusing me of fraud,” I stammered, desperate for him to intervene.
Slowly, his bright smile collapsed into something else, like disgust. He looked at me as if I were a stain on his suit.
“Kris?” I whispered.
“Get your hands off me, you traitor!” he spat.
