The Alpha's Betrayed Mate

Chapter 3

Emery’s POV

I jolt awake, only to fall deeper into the abyss. It is endless, and there is no one there. It is darkness, and the only voice is mine which echoes back.

“Ralie, you have been given a chance to live,” I hear, and it is a familiar voice. But before I can identify it, I am thrown back into the abyss, the endless abyss, with nothing but me and darkness.

“Ralie.” I hear again. It has become my lifeline in this darkness, this unending, unwavering darkness.

“RALIE!”

Louder this time, and I finally know whose voice it is – Raven.

“Rav –” I try to call out, but the words fade from the tip of my tongue.

This is not darkness, I am trapped in a nightmare.

“Ralie,” Raven says, I can’t see her but I can hear her.

“You have been given a second chance, I have given up my body for you to live.”

She fades, and I am awakening. Everything rushes through me, the memories, the pain, the agony. Sebastian leaving me for Celeste, My Mother’s clan being wiped out, Celeste killing me, breaking every part of my body, cutting through me, my tongue, my throat, every part of me.

What does Raven mean she has given up her body for me? How am I seeing Raven? Am I hallucinating? How am I alive?

I hear a knock on the door, and freeze, only then do I realize I am in a strange room.

How am I in a room? How did I get here? Why am I here? I get up, feeling the distant aching of the cuts and damage on my body. But when I look at the mirror, I see myself, with no injuries, no scars, no bleeding. I check my tongue, and it is good as new.

How am I here? Why am I here? Where exactly is this?

I hear the knock again, and I walk to the door. I reach for my magic, and thankfully, it is there, alive and ready. I don’t know where I am, but I know I won’t go down without a fight. I open the door, and see a young girl.

“Alpha wants to see you,” she says, and I am in shock.

“Where are we, who am I?” I ask, hoping she doesn’t think of me as insane.

“You are Amelia, the illegitimate daughter of Alpha of the Bloodmoon Pack. He keeps you hidden, in the room, always. You have a brother, Damian, and a stepmother – who despises you for being a proof of the Alpha’s infidelity. You have always been locked in a room, and no one has seen your face.”

I nod, realizing that I have been reborn as Amelia, the daughter of the most powerful Pack in the country. I do not understand why I was reborn as Amelia, we had no connection, and we lived on opposite sides of the world. Briefly, I wonder where Amelia is.

Raven did help, she helped me get reborn. How can she do that when she is dead? Is she dead? Does this mean I can get them back?

******

I walk with the girl and we walk to the Alpha’s Palace, a special place decorated in gold. This is a big difference from the Redmoon Pack.

“Sit, child.” Alpha Xavier, my supposed Father says, and I do, not before bowing in greeting. I greet the Luna too, but she ignores me. I realize the Luna is the step-mother who hates me.

“The Annual Mating Ceremony is approaching, the ceremony where everyone from the entire country will meet at a place, to pay respect to us, and find their mates. I will introduce you as my daughter, as my legitimate daughter to the entire country. I also believe it is time you meet your Mate.” He explains, and I am stunned.

What do I do now?

I pay my respect and act as his dutiful daughter, then leave. I am unable to sleep, reeling from everything that has happened.

“Ralie.” I hear and glance up.

“Raven,” I say, welcoming her.

“You were reborn, but there’s a price to pay for the second chance,” she reveals, and I nod.

“You need to avenge us, avenge everyone. Everyone involved must pay, including your Father. This second chance is for vengeance, you have been bestowed with enough magical powers, you are the only person of the Coven alive, you will avenge us, then you will re-build the Pack.”

“Now, the priority is to avenge us,” Raven continues. “Kill all of them, you have the power. You will need to be deceitful, manipulative and wicked, exactly the way they were to you, to us. There is a catch, for the time you are in this for vengeance, you will be haunted by nightmares, and pain, it will stop when we are avenged.”

She disappears before I can speak.

I sit on the bed, everything sinking in. The path is clear, I will make Redmoon Pack pay, and then I will rebuild the Coven from the ground up. I walk out of my room to get a clear view of the place, but I suddenly collide with someone, a man, and for a moment, I forget how to breathe.

He is breathtakingly divine. Sebastian doesn’t hold a candle to him.

“Hi, I’m Damian,” he introduces himself, his voice smooth and warm. My heart stutters in my chest, and I freeze because falling in love with my supposed ‘brother’ will ruin this plan.

“I’m Rali—” I start, but my eyes widen as I catch my mistake.

“I’m Amelia,” I quickly correct myself, forcing calm into my voice. He nods, unaware of the internal chaos I've just barely concealed.

“Nice to meet you, Amelia. I believe I’m your step-brother,” he says with a smile, and I force one in return. If only I can tell him.

“Yes,” I respond, the word feeling like a hollow echo of what I really want to say.

“You—uh—I mean—” he stammers, clearly as flustered as I am.

I narrow my eyes at him, confused by his hesitation, when a sudden, searing and really agonizing pain rips through me. I groan, doubling over, but he catches me before I can hit the ground.

“Are you okay?” he asks, his voice filled with genuine concern as he peers into my face. In that moment, I see it—the unmistakable spark of attraction in his eyes; and I realize he is attracted to me too.

Fuck!

The pain—Raven had warned me it would come as part of the rebirth.

“Yes,” I manage to say, quickly disentangling myself from his grasp. I can't afford to let this happen—I can't be attracted to my ‘brother.’