BETRAYED
1362 Words
I woke up as I always did. Alone.
The sheets were cool beside me, his scent already fading from the pillow.
I stretched my hand across the empty space where his body had been hours ago, my fingers curling into the linen as though I could hold on to the warmth he never left behind. But of course, there was nothing.
He never stayed.
I shifted slightly and a sharp ache bloomed between my thighs. I sucked in a slow breath, willing my body to adjust, but the reminder was there, lingering. A ghost of last night…
And every night before for the past year.
Stefan was not a gentle lover.
He did not worship, or caress, and neither did he linger... not since that first night.
What he did was take. And goddess, how he took!
And I always let him.
My wolf stirred at the memory—not with regret, but something far more… dangerous.
Longing.
I wanted him, still.
And I hated it.
Even now, sore as I was, I could hardly get him out of my mind.
I hated how despite knowing I was just another woman in his bed another body to his count.. I still craved his touch. The way his hands held me as though I belonged to him. And in those moments, I'm sure a part of me did.
I told myself all of it meant nothing. And truly, it would be foolish to fall for him.
People reminded me how lucky I was everyday. To have held his attention for this long. They told me I should be grateful for whatever attention he spared me like it'd be preposterous to want for more…
Because surviving for a year already was no small feat with Stefan.
No one had ever done it before or lasted... like I have, for more than a day.
And Stefan didn't even seem to tire of me yet. If anything, he wanted me more and more. It was a pure miracle at this point, and yet...
A familiar ache tugged at my chest.
I pushed it away.
There was no point dwelling on it.
If I started thinking about the things I wanted from him, I'd only make it worse.
This ache…
But the truth was... try as hard as I might to pretend, I wanted to mean something to him. And that was the biggest mistake to make with a man like Renard.
He never committed or got… tied down. Least of all with someone like me…
An orphan.
Sure, I wasn't treated much differently from the others in the pack, but that didn't change the fact that my mother had been a captive—a slave, taken as spoils of war by the previous Alpha, who'd led a successful raid against my home pack, ages ago.
My mother had grown up here, in Bloodthorn, and made a life for herself. She hadn't been lucky enough to regain her freedom, but she'd made the best out of her situation. Till she'd died, birthing me into the same life of servitude she'd led.
And now, I and others like me lived to serve the pack… and it's Alpha. And we did so with honour.
It was… tradition.
So why then did I want… more?
Shaking my head, I forced myself up. I wrapped the silk sheet around my bare body as I stepped onto the cold floor—my muscles protesting the movement, but I didn't mind.
It only reminded me of the night before and the nights before that, that stretched back for a whole year.
A year of being Stefan’s.
A year of lying beneath him, surrendering to his touch and demands, to the fire in his eyes that made me feel like I was the only woman in existence. Even though I wasn't.
A year of hoping.
Even though I shouldn't. Not for anything more than this. But still…
The others were never kept this long.
Surely that meant… something?
Maybe I was different. Maybe I meant more to him than just another passing indulgence. I’d let myself believe it for just a little longer… even as an uneasy feeling stirred my stomach.
‘Ignore it,’ my wolf suggested.
Today was a big day.
The entire pack had been preparing for it. The day Stefan got crowned as our new Alpha—officially.
Now was the wrong time to be feeling sick.
But as I stepped forward, a sudden wave of dizziness overtook me.
The room tilted and my vision blurred at the edges.
The churning in my stomach increased and I dashed to the washroom before I could stop myself.
Retching into the basin, my body trembled as more waves of nausea took me. My wolf stirred uneasily as I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand.
Something was definitely wrong. Or different at least, and I squeezed my eyes shut pinching the bridge of my nose to steady my breathing and ignore it.
Whatever it was.
Which was hopefully just exhaustion.
Everyone had been on edge lately, working tirelessly to make this coronation a smashing success and I was no exception.
Yeah, that was it.
It had to be.
But when I returned to my chambers, I’d barely made it through the door before my stomach lurched again.
This time, when I heaved, a cold realization settled in my bones.
I pressed a hand to my abdomen, my pulse hammering as my wolf whining with uncertainty at the back of my mind.
This couldn’t be happening.
~~~~~
Night fell and the festivities began.
Naturally, the entire pack had gathered in the great hall to witness their Alpha’s ascension.
The decorations were impeccable and music swelled around us.
Laughter rose, people danced and beneath it all, my pulse hammered quietly with desperation.
I had to find him.
I'd spent most of the evening in the kitchens, working alongside the other ‘helps’ like I should—but I'd taken a break briefly, because this… this might be the only chance I got to speak to him.
Before he called me to his bed again and I ultimately lost the nerve to tell him.
I wove through the crowd, my wolf restlessly pacing within me, urging me forward. I knew what she wanted—I wanted it too—to go to him, to seek his warmth and protection.
To tell him the news.
And I would. Soon.
I just had to reach him first.
Like this, he looked every bit the Alpha he was born to be, and my heart clenched as I watched him—a quiet yearning stirring in my chest.
I squashed the feeling down and had just started to approach when he raised a hand that silenced the room.
ord.
It made me swoon!
And like everyone else present, I awaited his next words.
Then before the entire pack, he made his shocking announcement.
“I shall be taking a wife.” He stated, his gaze scanning the crowd, then landing on me… briefly. Then–
“And she is here tonight.”
I froze, my breath catching in my throat.
That was… certainly unexpected.
But did I dare hope?
As I thought this, the worst thing imaginable happened and he gave a name.
But it wasn't mine!
“Lira, will you join me up here, please?” He asked, and those words struck me like a whip.
What?
My heart caved in on itself, dread taking root in my belly as I stared up at him, and then at them because shortly after, Lira stepped forward, her smile radiant as she accepted his outstretched hand and joined him on the dias.
Of course.
Lira was my best friend!!! The girl I had known all my life! She knew how much I wanted to be his mate… How could she do this to me??
Oh, but it hurt!
Stefan’s unreadable expression didn't change and his voice remained steady as he declared, twisting the knife deeper…
“With her at my side as my Luna, our pack will thrive. Our bloodlines will strengthen, and our future will be secure!”
- Writer
