Chapter 2: The Betrayal
1902 Words
---
The dungeon was a cold, unforgiving place — damp stone walls slick with moisture, the faint smell of mildew hanging heavy in the air. A single flickering torch cast long, dancing shadows across the rough floor, where Luna sat chained like a prisoner of fate. The cold iron bit into her wrists, but her mind was sharper than ever.
The heavy door creaked open, and Luna’s eyes snapped toward the intrusion.
Serah stepped inside, her smile sweet and serene, almost angelic — if only it didn’t sting like venom.
“Well, Luna,” Serah purred, voice smooth as silk, “How’s the royal treatment? Must be hard, being so… forgotten.”
Luna tilted her head, a sardonic smile tugging at her lips. “Oh, it’s absolutely delightful. Nothing like a dungeon to remind you what real friendship feels like.”
Serah’s eyes flickered with a hint of irritation, but she masked it perfectly. “You always did have a sharp tongue. But it won’t save you here.”
Luna’s gaze never wavered. “No, but it makes these chains a bit more entertaining.”
Serah took a step closer, lowering her voice. “You think you’re so clever, but everyone believes the scent you ‘stole’. Even Kaelen. Even the pack.”
Luna let out a soft, dry laugh. “Well, if scent was all it took to prove loyalty, then I suppose I’m just a misunderstood scent thief.”
Serah’s jaw tightened, but she forced a saccharine smile. “You always did think the world revolved around you.”
Luna shrugged, eyes cold but composed. “Maybe it did. But unlike you, I don’t need to steal what isn’t mine to get attention.”
Serah’s façade cracked for a heartbeat — barely noticeable, but enough.
Luna caught it and leaned in slightly. “You can play the innocent all you want, but we both know the truth. Without that scent of mine you stole, you're just a ghost in the background, always asking for attention from everyone."
Serah’s jaw clenched, but she hid it behind a calm mask. “Careful, Luna. You’re walking on thin ice.”
Luna’s smile was icy. “I prefer the cold. Warms me up inside.”
Serah’s gaze hardened. “One day, you’ll realize how deep you’ve fallen.”
Luna leaned forward, voice low and steady. “And one day, you’ll see how high you’ll fall when the truth comes out.”
Serah’s smile disappeared, replaced by a flash of fury. She turned on her heel and strode out.
“Enjoy your stay, Luna. It’s going to be a long one.”
The door slammed shut, leaving Luna alone with the damp cold and a simmering fire of defiance burning in her chest.
---
The cold was relentless, wrapping itself around Luna like a suffocating shroud. The damp stone floor pressed hard against her back, the silver chains around her wrists cold enough to burn. Flickering torchlight cast uneasy shadows that stretched and twisted across the cell walls, but the darkness in her heart was far deeper.
Sleep was a stranger tonight.
Instead, her mind was a relentless storm of memories — flashes of light and warmth that now felt painfully distant.
She remembered the first time Kaelen looked at her with something more than duty in his amber eyes — a tenderness she had mistaken for promise. The way his hand had brushed her hair back from her face, gentle and careful, like she was fragile glass. The nights they spent under the silver moon, sharing stolen secrets and dreams no one else understood.
Back then, she had believed in their bond. Not just in the scent or the bloodline, but in the man beneath the crown — the Alpha who would fight for her, protect her, claim her fully.
But those memories felt like a cruel lie now.
If Kaelen was so easily deceived — if the scent of another woman could blind him so completely — then what was their love?
Was it nothing but a fragile illusion, easily shattered by whispered lies and stolen scents?
The weight of betrayal pressed down on Luna’s chest, making it hard to breathe. She swallowed the bitter taste of tears unshed, anger and sorrow swirling in a fierce storm.
A fire ignited deep within her — fierce, unyielding, wild.
If the man who was supposed to be my mate could be so quick to turn away, so eager to believe the false over the truth, then I dont’t need him.
I didn’t need someone who abandoned our bond at the first sign of doubt.
Kaelen didn’t deserve her trust, her heart, or the power she carried.
With trembling hands, Luna lifted her chin, eyes burning brighter than the torchlight that flickered across the cold stones.
She would not break in this darkness.
She would rise.
Not for Kaelen.
Not for the pack that condemned her.
But for herself.
For the Luna who still burned beneath the chains.
For the Luna who would reclaim her scent, her power, and her destiny.
A single tear escaped, tracing a cold path down her cheek — not of weakness, but of a promise whispered into the night.
This is not the end.
The dungeon had fallen into its usual silence—thick, cold, and oppressive. Luna sat in her corner, the weight of the chains as heavy as the doubts trying to claw their way into her thoughts. Her stomach twisted in hunger, but she’d long stopped looking at the untouched bowls the guards pushed in like she was nothing more than a stray.
Then, soft footsteps—too light for a guard, too deliberate for a patrol.
The heavy door creaked open, but only a sliver of torchlight entered. A man slipped in, cloaked in dark fabric, his features hidden by the flicker of the flame he carried.
Luna stiffened, every sense alert.
He knelt beside her without a word and set down a small bundle: a fresh piece of bread, a flask of water, and—gods above—a blanket.
“You’re not supposed to be here,” she said hoarsely, unsure if she was angry, wary, or something else entirely.
He finally looked at her.
His eyes were sharp, steel-gray, filled with quiet resolve. “Neither are you.”
She blinked.
He carefully unwrapped the blanket and placed it around her shoulders. The warmth hit her like a memory—so unexpected it brought tears to her eyes.
“Eat,” he said softly. “You’ll need your strength.”
“For what?” she asked, trying to read him through the shadows.
His lips curved—not quite a smile, but close. “Get ready. You won’t be here for much longer.”
Luna’s breath caught. “You’re going to get me out?”
His voice was barely a whisper. “On my signal. Not tonight. But soon.”
“Why?” she asked, her voice cracking under the weight of too much betrayal. “Why are you helping me?”
He stood slowly, already backing toward the door.
“Some people dont easily get deceived,” he said, “and because your scent was never wrong.”
And then he was gone.
Leaving only the warmth of the blanket, the soft bread in her hand… and the first flicker of real hope since the day she was chained.
While Luna finished eating and tried to sleep. She remembered the night it happened.
The night was alive with music and laughter, the pack’s celebration bathed in the soft glow of the full moon. Luna remembered the warmth of the bonfire, the scent of pine and earth mingling with the crisp night air. Her heart had felt lighter than it had in months, and for a moment, she allowed herself to be at peace.
Serah had been unusually close that evening—clingy, almost. Luna had noticed subtle things, little hints that something was off. The way Serah’s smile lingered too long, eyes flickering nervously whenever Kaelen’s name came up. How she kept brushing past Luna, just a touch too firmly, a whisper too close.
Luna remembered feeling tired but refusing to admit it. The small headaches that prickled at her temples. The strange sensation of heaviness around her neck, as if something unseen was tugging at her very essence.
She recalled a moment when Serah had insisted on walking her home through the quiet woods, her hand brushing against Luna’s arm a little longer than usual.
“I’m here for you,” Serah had said softly, voice almost too sweet.
Luna had smiled, trusting her friend, but somewhere deep inside, a sliver of doubt had pricked at her—a cold whisper she pushed away.
That night, Serah hugged her tightly. It had felt comforting, like a lifeline. But now, Luna realized the embrace had been different—too long, too calculated. A silent theft hidden beneath the warmth.
She never knew how her scent had been stolen—no flash of magic, no whispered incantation—but the signs were there all along.
Serah’s strange glances, the way she avoided Luna’s eyes afterward, the subtle changes in her own scent that now clung to Kaelen.
And when Kaelen’s gaze shifted to Serah with that confused longing, Luna had felt the first crack in their world—a fracture she hadn’t been able to mend.
Luna’s mind refused to rest. She replayed that night over and over, searching for fragments of a truth she needed—not just for herself, but for her name.
Sitting on the cold stone floor, chains clinking softly, her eyes were distant yet sharp. The memory of Serah’s smile flickered in her mind—too perfect, too calculated, like a mask slipping for just a moment.
She was never the friend I believed her to be.
The small details once overlooked now screamed betrayal. How Serah hovered around Kaelen during the feast, lingering a little too long. How she deftly changed the subject whenever Luna’s name came up. How the scent around the Alpha grew stronger—too strong—following Serah, not Luna.
Her breath caught remembering that hug in the woods—the warmth that had felt like comfort but was really a calculated move. A silent theft Luna hadn’t sensed until it was far too late.
Betrayal isn't always loud. But I've been deaf and haven't been trusting my instincts.
Sometimes it whispered through a touch, a stolen scent, a smile that hid a knife.
Pressing her forehead against the cold wall, Luna felt tears sting—not from weakness, but from the fierce determination rising inside her.
She would uncover the truth.
Not for a bond stolen or a mate lost, but for her name—to clear the shadow of lies cast over her honor.
Even if the pack turned its back.
Even if Kaelen refused to believe her.
Because her name, her scent was hers.
And she would reclaim it.
---
The heavy door groaned open, and a sliver of torchlight cut through the shadows. Kaelen stepped inside, his presence filling the small, cold cell. His amber eyes searched Luna’s face, searching for a trace of the woman he once thought he knew.
“Luna,” he began hesitantly, his voice thick with confusion.
- Writer
