Alpha's betrayed mate

My feet pounded against the earth as I ran—ran from the place that had once been my home. My heart thudded violently in my chest, and the only sound I could hear was the wind rushing past my ears. Pain twisted deep within me as the events of the past hour replayed in my mind like a cruel echo. “Lyra, you will not mate outside this pack, and that’s final!” My father’s booming voice had shattered the heavy silence in the hall. He was livid, and so was I. He had no right to dictate my life—I was my own person, fully capable of making my own choices. “Please, my daughter,” my mother had pleaded, her voice choking with emotion. “Remember who you are—you’re the Luna heir." Do you want our enemies to laugh at us? Please, think it over. There are many good men in the pack. Lyra, I beg you…” Hearing her cry like that had torn my heart. I wish I could do as they wanted. I wish I could bury my mate's bond to please them, but I couldn't… this thing they were asking of me was impossible. I can't, I just can't leave my mate. “No, mum. I can't just choose a random stranger when my mate is alive and well. He is the one destined for me by the moon goddess. Don't you think she has a reason for such a pairing?” I tried to reason with them one last time. “Oh please cut the crap! You are well aware that no one is allowed to mate outside the pack, especially with the kind of position you hold. No pack is to be trusted except your own; that's the rule every pack follows, and you are well aware of it. "If you follow your so-called mate to his pack, what will become of our pack, you ungrateful child… why can't you think?” My father lashed out, making my anger flare up again. “So what about me, Dad? I love Darius and he loves me too. We burst up with mates and I couldn't see myself, or anybody else. No matter what you say, I won't change my mind. I'm getting mated to Alpha Darius, and no one finalizes. I countered with an equally sharp tone, inciting a threat from my father. I saw his eyes flash red, but I kept my head up with a determined gaze. “Aria, can you hear the words coming out of your daughter's mouth? She dares to defile me for the Alpha of Emerald pack. You had better tell her that if she ever steps foot out of this pack to see him then she should not bother to return. She will be banished from this pack and stripped of her position as the Luna heir. "She will also be disowned from the family, and we will have nothing to do with her henceforth”, he declared with a roar. His words gave me chills and my heart dropped. I knew he meant every word. My mother's weeping increased, her face was wet with tears, and she kept trying to plead with me. I shook my head and hardened my heart. I was too deep in love with Alpha Nero to leave him. Ever since I met him and discovered he was my mate, our bond has only got stronger and encompassed. He completed me and I didn't think I would be able to live without him. He couldn't live without me either. That was how strong our love was. I had seen this coming from the first time I met Nero. Our love was a forbidden one that everyone would frown against, but I had prepared my heart for the worst too. This was the worst. “I’m really going to leave, dad, are you really going to banish and disown your own daughter because she wants to be with her mate?” I asked. He scowled and said “Try me” My father was a very strong-willed and stubborn man. He knew that I had inherited that gene from him, I was like him… I never backed down from a fight. And so I stood up, with thinly pursed lips, I sent a goodbye look to my mother and began to step back. In the hall, only her wails could be heard. It was like she was mourning a loss, which was true in some way. I was leaving them for good. I stopped when I reached the entrance. My eyes roamed the hall that I grew up in all my life. I unconsciously sniffed in the air too. I would miss the place and everyone in it so much, I kept repeating in my head that it was worth it to stop myself from changing my mind. I turned, and immediately my legs stepped out the door. I heard my father say, “You are officially dead to us” . His words pierced my heart, but I didn't look back. I concealed the pain, shifted and took off straight out of the pack. It was still very early, the sun was still cuddling up in the corner and everyone was still in their beds. They would probably hear later this morning that they no longer had an heir. This brought me back to my current situation. I was eager and anxious to arrive at Emerald pack and see my mate. I needed him to hold me and comfort me for the great decision I had just made. I finally made it after an hour of running. It was brighter now and the sun was up. I couldn't follow the main entrance as that would cause some commotion. Instead, I followed a secret passage Darius had shown me and I have gone through quite a few times. I noticed that some people were beautifully dressed and hurrying up to the alpha's mansion. I frowned in confusion, was there a party going on? I bit my tongue to stop myself from asking anyone to avoid drawing attention to myself. I decided to go see what the commotion was all about myself, so I just the crowd and avoided any checkpoints. I successfully got to the mansion, and it was even costlier than outside. My curiosity was piqued. On what occasion could such a crowd gather? I maneuvered my way through them and, after a few struggles, I broke out of the crowd and the sight that was before me had me staggering weakly on my feet. In front of me was Alpha Darius, my supposed mate dressed in wedding equipment, and beside him was another woman that was definitely not me!