The Alpha's Betrayed Mate

Chapter 4

Damian's POV

I watch her walk away and bite my lips, wondering what this is. She’s Amelia—my sister. No, my step-sister, but that hardly makes it less complicated. It is really odd because apparently she has been kept away for so long, locked in for years, only let out occasionally. I am not always home, which is probably why I've never met her.

Still, she is so beautiful and looks nothing like our father. She doesn’t share any similarity to him, and the way she looked at me... it was as if she was hiding something, something deep and painful. Then that sudden cry of pain... there’s more to her than meets the eye.

She’s definitely hiding something.

“I told you to stay away from her,” Mom’s voice cuts through my thoughts, sharp and bitter.

I turn to her, frowning. “I get it, Mom. You’re still furious that Dad cheated on you, but it’s been years. Move on. She isn't the cause of Dad’s infidelity.”

“So now you’re defending HER?” Mom’s voice rises to a roar, but I can only sigh in response.

“Goodnight, Mom. It’s been nearly twenty years. You need to let this go and find your peace,” I reply, my tone gentle but firm, before heading to my room.

“Damian.” She calls back, and I turn to look at her.

“I saw Amelia when she was young, and I could have sworn she had blue eyes. But I might have seen something else, because Amelia now, she has unmistakably green eyes. Goodnight.”

I watched Mom walk away with a frown, wondering what that must have been. Does she think there is something up with Amelia?

____

“How are you this morning?” Dad asks, and I nod my head at him.

“I should be asking you that. What made you decide to bring Amelia out from the shadows? It seems rather abrupt.”

“How would you know? You’re rarely home,” he responds with a forced chuckle, which I recognize as a diverting technique, so I remain silent and wait for him to speak further.

“Guilt,” he finally admits, the weight of the word hanging in the air. “I kept her hidden because of my own shame. She shouldn’t have had to bear the burden of my pain. She’s such a beautiful girl, deserving of the world,” he adds softly, and I nod, but then I remember Mom’s words.

“Did you ever see her when she was a kid?” I ask, and he shakes his head in shame.

“No,” he confesses. “But she seems to have grown rather amazingly.”

“There’s something in her eyes though.” I say, and he looks at me, moments pass before he agrees.

“Yes, there’s something in her eyes... like she’s been through hell.”

“Something in whose eyes?” a voice interrupts, and I freeze.

“Amelia,” Dad greets her with a warm smile.

“Alpha,” she replies, offering a slight bow.

“Brother,” she acknowledges me with a nod.

“How are you feeling this morning? Has the pain subsided?” I ask, but she shoots me a sharp look.

“What pain? Are you hurt?” Dad’s tone sharpens with concern.

“No, I’m fine,” she responds quickly. “My brother was just being considerate. You called me, Alpha? Something about breakfast?” she smoothly redirects the conversation, displaying a poise that reminds me she might truly be his daughter after all.

“Come, let’s have breakfast together,” he says, gently leading her away.

____

“Amelia,” Mother calls, and I curse under my breath.

“Yes, Luna,” she says it so sweetly my Mom falters. She is good.

“Why have you been hidden all these while, you should have come outside, let the Pack see you.”

“I was following the orders of the Alpha, I listen to him.” She calmly replies, and Dad nods in agreement.

“You are eighteen, aren’t you? Do you not care about life itself? You have no friends, do you not want to be mated?” Mom persists, and I grip the table, glancing at Amelia, only to find her looking at me. The thought of someone being with her makes me murderous.

“Everything is as it should be,” Amelia simply says.

“But –” Mom starts but Dad cuts her off.

“Enough. We are all going to the Redmoon Pack for the Annual Mating Ceremony in two days. Everyone should get ready, prepare themselves for everything. Let’s not forget our position; we are Royalty, you are all related to me, you are a representative of me, so let’s be on our best behavior. It is possible to find your Mates there, including you, Amelia.”

When I look at her, she is pale.

*****

Emery's POV

“Amelia?”

We’re heading to the Redmoon Pack—back to Sebastian and Celeste, to the very people who destroyed me, who murdered me. The Redmoon Pack.

“Amelia?”

I’m jolted out of my thoughts by a gentle tap on the shoulder. It’s Damian. His brow is furrowed with concern as he looks at me.

“I’m fine, just didn’t get much sleep,” I murmur, quickly averting my gaze.

The rest of the day, I do my best to avoid Damian. I ignore the giggles of the palace girls who marvel at my appearance. Apparently, the real Amelia always hid her face behind a scarf, leading everyone to assume she was ugly. Now, they call me beautiful.

Damian looks at me too, and his eyes speak what his lips don’t—they call me beautiful as well.

I stare at my reflection in the mirror, raising my hand as I whisper to myself, “The entire world falls apart.” I step into the room, and there they are—Sebastian, Celeste, my father, and his wife. How easy it will be to kill them. With just a flick of my finger, I could end their miserable lives. But no, I want them to suffer.

I want them to feel the same pain, the same agony. I want them to beg, to plead to every god they know, to crawl on their knees and kiss my feet. They'll curse the day they ever met me.

However, just because I want them to feel the pain doesn’t mean I can’t start now. So I walk up to Celeste, lean in close, and whisper against her cheek. Her beauty will slowly fade, wither away.

Then I move to Sebastian, barely brushing the tip of his hair. His mind will unravel—he’ll go mad, unhinged, driven insane. I watch them laughing, celebrating, completely oblivious that these are their final days. I walk back to my room, feeling all the power in me. Nothing and no one can stand between me and my revenge. But as I revel in that thought, a face emerges in my mind.

Damian.