Betrayed by my Mate, Accepted by his Father

Chapter 1 Reina’s POV My heart was practically doing a happy dance. Like, a full-on Broadway musical number. Mateo, my mate, my Alpha-in-training. Our mating ceremony was next week. I'd been dreaming of it forever. Turns out, "forever" was a pretty short timeline for us. Who knew? I was skipping to his room, a basket of his favorite berry tarts in my hand. Thought I'd surprise him. Oh, I got a surprise alright. Just not the kind you put a bow on. The door cracked open. My gut did a little flip. Not the good kind. More like, "Uh oh, something's burning" kind of flip. Then I heard it. Giggles. Not Mateo's deep, rumbling laugh. This was higher. Sweeter. Like a sugar-coated knife. Amelia's. My sister. My stomach dropped faster than my last paycheck. "Mateo?" I called out, my voice suddenly thin, like a cheap string about to snap. The giggles stopped. Like someone hit the mute button on a bad reality show. I pushed the door open. Slowly. Like I was expecting a jump scare. And boom. There they were. Mateo. Amelia. All tangled up. Like two octopuses in a blender. On his bed. My mate. My sister. My brain just... short-circuited. For a second. Then I screamed. Loud enough to wake the dead. Or at least, make them wish they were still dead. Mateo jumped. Like a startled cat. A very naked, very startled cat. He fumbled for a sheet, his eyes wide with something that looked like panic. Or maybe just, "Oh crap, I'm busted." Hard to tell when your world is imploding. "Reina! It's not what it looks like!" he blurted out, his voice cracking. Oh, really? Because it looks exactly like what it looks like, Mateo. Two naked people. My mate. My sister. Pretty clear picture, actually. My wolf inside me let out a low, guttural growl. It sounded like a garbage disposal eating a brick. Amelia just smirked. Pulled the sheet higher, like she was suddenly shy. "Oops. Did we interrupt something?" She sounded so sweet. Like a venomous snake whispering compliments. My wolf wanted to rip her throat out. And honestly? My human side was right there with her. "What is this?" I whispered, my voice shaking so hard I barely recognized it. The berry tarts slipped from my hand, hitting the floor with a soft splat. I didn't even care. Let them eat floor tarts. Mateo finally looked at me, really looked. His eyes were full of... what? Guilt? Regret? Too little, too late, pal. "Reina, I can explain. Amelia... she just came on to me. I was weak." Weak? My mate? The future Alpha? Yeah, that's a great excuse. "You're pathetic," I said, the words tasting like old pennies. "And you're a liar." Then the pain hit. Not just my heart. My whole body. Like someone ripped my soul in half and then stomped on both pieces. A fire. An ice storm. All at once. It started in my chest, where the mate bond used to hum, and spread like wildfire through every nerve, every bone. It was agony. Pure, raw, blinding agony. Worse than stubbing your toe on a concrete block. Much, much worse. My wolf inside me? It didn't whimper. It tore. A primal, gut-wrenching scream that echoed in my head, louder than any sound I'd ever heard. The mate bond. It was breaking. Right there. In front of them. The connection, the very essence of my being, was being ripped away. Like a bad band-aid. But from my soul. I fell. I couldn't stand. Couldn't breathe. My knees hit the floor hard. The pain was so intense, I thought I might actually die. My vision blurred, tears streaming down my face, mixing with the sweat that suddenly coated my skin. Mateo stared, his face pale now, finally understanding the depth of what he'd done. Amelia looked a little less smug, a flicker of actual fear in her eyes. Good. Let them see. Let them feel a fraction of this. Maybe they'd get a paper cut later. That'd be nice. My wolf roared. Mateo and Amelia just stared. Like two deer caught in headlights. Or maybe just two idiots who finally realized they'd messed with the wrong wolf. Good. Let them stew in it. My wolf was still a raging inferno, but now it had a direction. A very specific, very painful direction for them. Mateo, finally shaking off his shock, took a hesitant step towards me. "Reina? Are you... are you okay?" He actually sounded worried. Too little, too late, buddy. My wolf just snarled. He knelt down, reaching out a hand. "Let me help you up." Amelia scoffed from the bed. "Oh, please, Mateo. She's just being dramatic. Trying to make you feel bad. It's what she does." My head snapped up, my eyes burning into Amelia's. "Dramatic?" I hissed, my voice raw. "You think this is an act?" Just then, a warm, sticky liquid started to trickle down my face. My nose. It was bleeding. A thin, red flow, a physical sign of the bond tearing, running down my lip. It tasted like iron and betrayal. Mateo's eyes widened. "Reina, your nose!" He reached out again, his hand coming towards my face, probably to wipe the blood. But I saw red. Literally. The sight of his hand, the hand that had just been on “her”, coming towards me, was too much. My wolf screamed. With a surge of unexpected strength, I shoved his hand away. Hard. "Don't you dare touch me with your gutter hand!" I snarled, my voice laced with pure venom. "Don't you ever touch me again!" I pushed myself up, wobbling, but refusing to let him help. My legs were shaky, my head spinning, but I stood. I glared at Mateo, then at Amelia, who finally looked genuinely scared. Good. Let them be scared. I turned, stumbling towards the door, leaving them in their messy, pathetic little betrayal. The blood dripped onto the floor, a trail of my broken heart. My wolf was still screaming, but now, a new thought, cold and sharp, cut through the pain. Mateo wanted to be Alpha. He wanted power. He wanted respect. And who held all that power? Who commanded all that respect? His father. The Alpha. Justin Williams. The thought was insane. Forbidden. Dangerous. But as I walked out of that room, leaving Mateo and Amelia behind, a wicked, vengeful smile touched my blood-stained lips. Justin Williams. The Alpha. The man no one dared to cross. He was the key. He was my weapon. And I was going to use him to burn Mateo's world to the ground. I just had to make him fall for me first. And as the image of Justin's intense, golden-brown eyes suddenly popped into my head, a terrifying, exhilarating spark ignited deep within me.