The Alpha who watched me

The night I discovered my mate had betrayed me, I was wearing the dress I had bought to celebrate our future. I had spent hours preparing for the Moonlight Celebration at the Blackwood estate. My midnight-blue gown fell gracefully to my ankles, and the silver necklace around my neck sparkled beneath the bedroom lights. Ahmed had given it to me three years ago, on the night our mate bond awakened. I touched the necklace and smiled at my reflection. Tonight, everything would change. At least, that was what I believed. My name is Elena Rivers. I was twenty-four years old, a werewolf from a family that had once been respected throughout the Northern Moon Pack. For three years, I had loved Ahmed Blackwood, the son of the most powerful Alpha in our region. He had promised to make me his Luna. He had promised to love me forever. And I had believed him. “Elena,” my wolf, Luna, whispered inside my mind. “Something isn't right.” I stopped adjusting my hair. “What do you mean?” “I don't know. I can feel something coming.” I frowned at my reflection. “Maybe you're just nervous. Tonight is important.” Luna remained silent, and her silence troubled me more than her warning. I picked up my handbag and hurried downstairs. My mother was sitting in the living room, staring at her phone. When she noticed me, she quickly locked the screen and placed it facedown on the table. “You look beautiful,” she said. “Thank you, Mom.” She studied me for a moment. Her eyes moved from my face to the necklace around my neck, and something resembling sadness crossed her expression. “Have you spoken to Vanessa today?” I frowned. “My sister? No. Why?” “Nothing. I was just asking.” “Mom, is there something you're not telling me?” She opened her mouth, but before she could answer, my phone vibrated. Ahmed had sent me a message. Where are you, sweetheart? I'm waiting for you. My face brightened immediately. “I have to go. Ahmed is waiting.” I kissed my mother's cheek and hurried outside. Behind me, she whispered something I couldn't hear. If I had stayed for another five minutes, perhaps I would have discovered the truth before it destroyed me. But I didn't know that yet. The Blackwood estate stood on a hill overlooking the city. Tall iron gates surrounded the property, and guards watched every vehicle that approached. Beyond the gates, the mansion rose above carefully maintained gardens and ancient trees. The Blackwoods were wealthy, influential, and feared. Their family controlled several businesses and maintained alliances with powerful werewolf packs. At the head of the family was Alpha Darius Blackwood, Ahmed's father. I had met him only a few times. He was a tall, commanding man with dark hair, sharp features, and cold gray eyes. At forty-two, he possessed an authority that made even experienced Alphas choose their words carefully around him. He rarely smiled. He rarely explained himself. And whenever he looked at me, I had the unsettling feeling that he knew something about me that I didn't know myself. Once, during a family dinner, I had caught him staring at the silver necklace around my neck. When I asked whether something was wrong, he had looked away and told me to keep it safe. I had assumed it was an ordinary piece of jewelry. Now, as I stepped out of the car and approached the mansion, I touched it instinctively. For some reason, my skin tingled beneath the silver. I pushed the thought aside and entered the ballroom. Music filled the enormous room. Guests wore expensive clothes and glittering jewelry, while servants moved between the tables carrying trays of drinks. Crystal chandeliers illuminated the polished floor, and the scent of roses filled the air. Several people greeted me. “Elena! You look wonderful.” “Have you seen Ahmed?” “Congratulations in advance!” I stopped at the last comment. “Congratulations for what?” The woman smiled mysteriously. “I'm sure Ahmed will tell you himself.” My heart fluttered. Perhaps tonight was the night Ahmed would announce our engagement. We had discussed it for months, and he had recently become secretive about his plans. I imagined standing beside him while he announced that I would become his Luna. For the first time that evening, I felt completely happy. Then I saw my younger sister. Vanessa stood near the staircase in a beautiful white gown. Her dark hair fell over her shoulders, and a diamond bracelet glittered around her wrist. I didn't recognize the bracelet. When she noticed me, her smile disappeared. For a moment, we stared at each other. Then she hurried toward me. “Elena! You're here.” She hugged me, but her arms felt stiff. “Of course I'm here. Where's Ahmed?” “I don't know.” “Have you seen him?” “No.” Her answer came too quickly. I studied her face. “Vanessa, what's wrong?” “Nothing. Why would anything be wrong?” “You look frightened.” She glanced toward the eastern corridor. “Maybe you should get something to drink.” Before I could question her further, she walked away. I watched her disappear into the crowd. A strange feeling settled in my stomach. Then I smelled Ahmed. His scent was unmistakable: cedarwood, winter air, and the cologne I had bought him for his birthday. My wolf immediately lifted her head. “Mate!” I followed the scent toward the eastern corridor, imagining that Ahmed had gone somewhere private to prepare his surprise. The corridor was quiet. The music faded behind me as I approached a closed door at the far end. His scent was strongest there. I raised my hand to knock. Then I heard Vanessa laugh. My heart skipped. Ahmed spoke next. “Stop worrying. Elena won't find out.” I froze. Find out what? Vanessa whispered something I couldn't hear. Then Ahmed laughed. “She trusts me too much.” For several seconds, I couldn't move. My mind searched desperately for another explanation. Perhaps they were discussing something unrelated. Perhaps I had misunderstood. I pushed the door open. And my world collapsed. Ahmed stood beside the bed, his shirt unbuttoned at the collar. Vanessa sat on the edge of the mattress, wearing a silk robe. Neither of them spoke. I stared at Ahmed, waiting for him to explain. He didn't. I turned toward my sister. “Vanessa?” She grabbed a blanket and lowered her eyes. Something inside me broke. “Tell me this isn't what it looks like,” I whispered. Ahmed rubbed his face. “Elena, calm down.” “Calm down?” My voice trembled. “I'm standing here looking at my mate and my sister, and you're telling me to calm down?” He took a step toward me. I stepped back. “Don't touch me.” Vanessa began crying. “Elena, please. I never wanted you to find out this way.” I looked at her. “You never wanted me to find out?” She said nothing. “How long?” I asked. Ahmed looked away. Vanessa's voice was barely audible. “Six months.” Six months. For half a year, my sister had smiled at me while hiding her betrayal. For half a year, Ahmed had kissed me, held my hand, and promised me a future while secretly choosing someone else. I pressed a hand against my chest. “Did you ever love me?” Ahmed's expression hardened. “Things have changed.” “What does that mean?” “It means I don't want you anymore.” I stared at him in disbelief. He continued speaking as if he were discussing a business arrangement. “Vanessa is the woman I want beside me. She's the one I intend to choose.” My wolf whimpered inside me. “You can't just throw away our bond,” I whispered. “Watch me.” Ahmed straightened his shoulders. Then he spoke the words that would haunt me for the rest of my life. “Elena Rivers, I reject you as my mate.” The bond shattered. Pain tore through my chest, forcing me to grip the doorframe. My wolf cried out inside my mind, and for a moment, I thought I would collapse. But something strange happened. Beneath the pain, a wave of unfamiliar warmth stirred inside me. Silver light flickered beneath my skin. The room fell silent. Ahmed stared at me. “What was that?” Vanessa stepped away from him. “I don't know.” Neither of them looked at me with pity. They looked afraid. I forced myself to stand straight. “You will regret this,” I told Ahmed. He scoffed. “Is that a threat?” “No. It's a promise.” I turned and walked out. Neither of them followed. The ballroom remained full of music and laughter, completely unaware that my life had just fallen apart. I crossed the room without looking at anyone, fighting the tears threatening to spill from my eyes. I was almost at the entrance when a deep voice stopped me. “Elena.” I turned. Alpha Darius Blackwood stood beside the grand staircase. His gray eyes moved over my face, taking in my tears and trembling hands. He didn't ask what had happened. He seemed to know something was terribly wrong. “Come with me,” he said. “Please, Alpha. I just want to go home.” His jaw tightened. “Your home isn't safe tonight.” I stared at him. “What are you talking about?” He glanced toward the eastern corridor. “The moment Ahmed rejected you, someone in this house received a message saying you were finally unprotected.” My blood ran cold. “Who sent it?” “I don't know yet.” He removed his black coat and placed it around my shoulders. “Stay close to me.” Before I could ask another question, his phone rang. He answered immediately. “Speak.” Silence. Then his expression changed. “Where did you find it?” Another pause. “Don't touch anything. I'm coming.” He ended the call and looked at me. “Elena, I need you to listen carefully. Twenty-four years ago, your mother made a promise to my family.” I frowned. “What promise?” Before he could answer, every light in the mansion went out. Screams erupted from the ballroom. Somewhere outside, a wolf howled. Then a gunshot shattered the darkness. Darius caught my hand and pulled me behind him. “Stay close.” Footsteps thundered through the corridor. A voice whispered nearby. “She's here.” Another voice answered. “Take her before the Alpha discovers what she really is.” Darius went completely still. I stared at him, my heart pounding. “What do they want from me?” He didn't answer. Instead, he looked at me with an expression I had never seen on his face before. Fear. Then he whispered something that changed everything. “Because, Elena, you were never supposed to survive your first transformation.” My blood turned cold. Before I could demand an explanation, a shadow moved at the end of the corridor. And someone called my name. Not Elena. Not Miss Rivers. But a name I had never heard before. A name that made Darius release my hand and step in front of me. A name that made my wolf bow her head in terror. “Silverblood.”