The Alpha's Deathless Mate

Chapter 5: THE BETRAYAL

Elara’s POV

The forest was bright and alive with the sounds of midday. Birds chirped from tall branches, and sunlight pierced through the leaves, casting golden patches on the damp earth. Yet, beneath that peaceful glow, chaos simmered.

The moment the pack warriors fled, the air changed, heavy, tense, trembling with the scent of blood and betrayal.

Riven’s growl echoed through the trees. His eyes burned red with fury as he lunged straight at me, his teeth bared, his claws slicing through the air.

Instinct took over before my mind could catch up. I met his attack head-on, twisting my body to the side. His momentum threw him off balance, and I caught him midair, my hands gripping his arm with inhuman strength. He tried to push back, but I was faster. My claws slashed through the flesh of his leg.

His scream shattered the calm forest.

“Both of you, stop that… now!” Kaelen’s roar rolled like thunder, shaking the still air.

In a blink, everything went silent. The claws disappeared, the heat faded, and I stood trembling, gasping for breath. My arms, human again. My legs steady, bare. I blinked hard, my heart hammering as I looked at Riven on the ground.

He clutched his leg, blood staining his trousers, his face pale with disbelief.

“You’ve been pretending all along,” he rasped, panting. “You’re not even human, are you? What are you?”

I stood frozen, my mind blank.

“Watch your mouth before I shut it for you,” Kaelen snapped, his tone sharp, commanding, and deadly calm.

Riven flinched. He knew that tone, it was the voice of an Alpha at his breaking point.

Kaelen’s eyes darted between us, confusion and suspicion clouding them. “I left both of you back where we set camp. Why are you here, Riven? And where exactly were you taking her?”

Riven stuttered, his voice weak. “We were only trying to find you, my Alpha… to make sure you were safe…”

“Shut up!” I cut in sharply, my voice trembling with anger. “Stop lying! You were leading me back to the pack, weren’t you? You betrayed him, Riven! You thought I was still that timid slave you bullied years ago.. the one who couldn’t even look you in the eye. You thought wrong.”

Kaelen’s gaze turned to me, his expression unreadable. “You knew this?”

“Knew what? I swear I didn’t!” I said quickly, shaking my head. “I can’t even explain what’s happening to me. One minute, I was human, weak… then suddenly, this.” I glanced down at my hands again, still trembling. “I don’t know what I am anymore.”

Kaelen’s eyes hardened. He turned slowly to Riven, whose fear was now almost tangible.

Without warning, Kaelen grabbed him by the throat and lifted him off the ground with one hand. The sunlight caught his eyes, they were glowing gold with power.

“Now talk,” Kaelen ordered, his voice low and controlled, but his anger was visible in every strained muscle. “Who sent you?”

Riven struggled to breathe, clawing at Kaelen’s grip. “M… my Alpha,” he gasped. “The King. It was the King who sent me!”

Kaelen’s hold tightened. “How?” he thundered.

“He… he knew you wouldn’t stay silent in that cell!” Riven choked. “He knew you’d find a way out. He ordered me to stay close, to pretend to be loyal, to watch every step you take and report back to him. I was never truly yours.”

Kaelen’s jaw clenched, his nostrils flaring.

“I’m sorry!” Riven blurted. “He pays me well. I couldn’t say no. Even the day those rogue wolves attacked you… it wasn’t random. The King sent them. He wanted you weakened, humiliated. But you survived, as always. That’s why he fears you. That’s why he wants you destroyed.”

Kaelen let go suddenly, and Riven collapsed onto the ground, coughing.

“So,” Kaelen said coldly, “you’ve been deceiving me all this time. My second-in-command, my most trusted man. You stood beside me in every battle, fought with me, dined with me… and all the while, you were the King’s snake.”

Riven stayed silent, his eyes glistening with tears and shame.

Kaelen let out a dry laugh, the sound more bitter than amused. “You’ve perfected betrayal, Riven. You even earned my trust enough for me to leave my mate in your care. You’re good… too good.”

Riven’s lips trembled. “I didn’t want this. If I refused him, he’d have killed me. You know what he’s capable of…”

“Silence,” Kaelen commanded.

The power in his voice made the very air still. Even the wind seemed to pause.

I stepped forward, fury burning in me. “So that’s it? You sold loyalty for money? You’d rather live as a coward than die with honor? You betrayed your Alpha, your own pack!”

Riven turned his face away, unable to meet my eyes. “You wouldn’t understand. The King owns everything. Everyone. He said if I didn’t obey, he’d come for my family. I…”

“Enough!” Kaelen’s voice boomed through the forest, cutting him off.

Then, to everyone’s surprise, Kaelen’s tone softened slightly. “Run.”

Riven blinked in disbelief. “W–what?”

Kaelen’s voice was steady now, cold but calm. “Run, Riven. Far and fast. I’m not the same Kaelen you once feared. My mate changed that part of me, the part that would have ripped you apart without a second thought.”

He took a step closer, his shadow falling over Riven. “If not for her, you’d already be meat for the beasts. But today, I’ll spare you. Not for your sake… but for hers.”

Riven stared at him in disbelief, then scrambled to his feet. He hesitated for a moment, as if expecting it to be a trick. But Kaelen didn’t move.

And then Riven ran, limping, staggering, but running with every ounce of fear left in him.

Kaelen watched him go, his chest heaving, his fists clenched. As Riven ran, Kaelen spoke again, his voice low and deadly calm.

“Tell your King,” he said, his tone like a vow written in stone, “that Kaelen still breathes. Tell him his crown will soon rest in blood.”

The forest was silent again.

I stepped closer, touching Kaelen’s arm gently. His muscles were still tense, his jaw locked tight.

“You spared him,” I said softly.

“I did,” he muttered. “But mercy doesn’t erase betrayal. It only delays justice.”

He turned to me then, his gaze softening slightly. “Elara… what happened back there, your strength, your transformation… that wasn’t normal. The Moon Goddess is awakening something in you. Something powerful.”

“You don’t know what it means to be a white wolf,” he continued quietly. “It means you’re a loyal wolf. The trace must be in your bloodline, and we need to find out as soon as possible.”

I swallowed hard, still shaken. “I don’t understand it. I felt like someone else was inside me, guiding my every move. It wasn’t me.”

For a moment, neither of us spoke. The forest swayed gently in the breeze, the light warm against our faces. Yet beneath that peace, one truth burned bright, the King now knew Kaelen had escaped, and war was coming.

And this time, the hunted were ready to become the hunters.