Entangled Heart

Rachel's Betrayal

With a sluggish pace, I gradually lifted my eyelids and observed the dimly lit hotel room, noticing the musty smell of stagnant air and worn carpet. I heard the bed make noise under me and saw the dim city skyline through the window.

This room doesn't belong to me, and it also wasn't Rachel's room. How in the world did I end up in this place?

I couldn't recall the events of the night before clearly, but I recalled going to the club with Rachel, dancing, and then... blank.

As I lifted myself, a feeling of sickness came over me. I had a throbbing headache and felt weighed down in my body. I scanned the room, yet I found out that I was the only one in the room. I recalled that there was a person in the room with me, but I couldn't locate him. Thane!

Where was Thane, the man who had...who had been intimate with me?

Memories from the previous night started flooding back, causing a rush of panic within me. I had been given drugs, and Thane had...he had "assisted" me. Why did he disappear? Why was I experiencing such a strong sense of vulnerability?

I pushed back the blankets and stood up from the bed, feeling unsteady on my legs.

I made my way to the bathroom, splashing water on my face in an attempt to clear my mind. As I looked in the mirror, I saw a stranger staring back at me. My eyes were puffy, my skin pale, and my hair was a tangled mess, a reminder of what happened last night.

A wave of shame washed over me as memories of what happened last night flooded in. What had I done? I had always been so careful, so cautious. But last night...last night I let my guard down, and looked at what had happened. I gave my virginity to a stranger - the same virginity that I had kept for over twenty years, hoping to give my mate on the night of our mating ceremony. How could I be so careless?

I walked back into the room, searching for any sign of Thane. But he was gone, leaving behind only a note and a complimentary card.

The note read. "I'm sorry for what happened. Please take care of yourself. I hope we meet again in the future”

I felt a pang of disappointment within me. Right now, I was no different from my mother. I quickly shook that thought away from my head. I am better than her in so many ways.

I looked at the complimentary card, feeling a surge of anger. He had paid for the room, but he had left me to deal with the consequences.

Alone.

I thought about calling Rachel, but something held me back. I wasn't ready to face her yet, not until I had processed what had happened.

I gathered my things and left the hotel room, feeling a mix of emotions: shame, anger, confusion, and a deep sense of disappointment within me. My mind was racing with thoughts of the previous night, and I couldn't shake the feeling of disgust that lingered inside me, no matter how much I tried to shake it away.

I gave my virginity to a stranger. Someone I'm not so sure I would meet in the future. What was wrong with me? What if he released inside me? As it stands now, I have a high chance of being infected or getting pregnant.

I willed myself to stop thinking about it before making my way outside the hotel room.

As I sat at the back of the cab, I heard a buzzing sound coming from my bag. I rummaged through it and found Rachel's phone. Why was it in my bag? I wondered. Curiosity got the better of me, and I scrolled through her phone, trying to know what the message was about. My heart sank as I saw her conversation with Jackson, our Alpha's son. They had planned everything - drugging me, with the intention of leaving me for Jackson.

I continued reading, my anger and hurt boiling over. Rachel had been manipulating me, using me for her own twisted desires. She wanted Jackson, and I was the term she had to fulfill before he made her his girlfriend. I felt tears prick at the corners of my eyes as I thought about her betrayal.

I felt a deep sense of betrayal, as if I'd been punched in the gut. How could my best friend do this to me? We had shared our deepest secrets, our laughter, and our tears. I thought we had a bond that couldn't be broken. I had even told her about my need to remain a virgin until I found my mate, but…. She f*****g betrayed me.

“If you want me to accept you as my girlfriend, you will have to help me so I can have my way with your friend,” This was Jackson's message to her when she confessed her feelings to him.

And she agreed. She dragged me to this bar yesterday all in the name of wanting us to have “our last night” before I travel to meet my mother and her fiance. So this was what she had in mind?

I felt tears prick at the corners of my eyes as I thought about all the times we had spent together. I had trusted her with my life, and she had repaid that trust by betraying me in the worst possible way.

I was already heading to my house, but I quickly asked the driver to make a U-turn to her house.

As the cab pulled up to Rachel's house, I got out, the crunch of gravel beneath my feet echoed through the silence.

Jackson's car was parked outside, its sleek design gleaming in the sunlight. The front door, once a warm and welcoming entrance, now seemed cold and foreboding.

I stormed into the house, my anger and hurt boiling over. Rachel and Jackson looked up, surprised, as I entered.

Rachel stood up, not even a guilty look on her face. "What's going on?" she asked, but I could see the fear lurking behind her eyes.

"You know exactly what's going on," I spat, my anger and hurt boiling over at the sight of her. "You drugged me, didn't you? You wanted Jackson to...to...I don't even want to think about it."

Jackson stood up, a smug look on his face, but I glared daggers at him before turning my attention back to Rachel. "How could you do this to me?" I demanded. "We're supposed to be friends."

Rachel shrugged, a careless gesture that made my blood boil. "You were always so uptight, so boring. I just wanted to help you loosen up."

A bitter taste coated my tongue as disgust churned in my stomach, making my skin crawl with revulsion.

"You call this helping me? You betrayed me, you violated me and you called it helping?” I scoffed in annoyance, but she just shrugged.

I shook my head, feeling a deep sadness wash over me. "Our friendship is over," I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

“You should even be happy that I didn't kill you the first time I found out that Jackson loves you and not me. I met him before you. I have been in this school before you came. You just came out of nowhere and stole the spotlight. I was the one every guy wanted, but as soon as you showed up, boom, everything changed.”

“So this was it. You have always been jealous of me?”

She scoffed. “Why shouldn't I be? You are more beautiful than I am. Your grades are better than mine and worst of all, every guy wanted you, not me, so I have to finish you off, so everything would go back to the way it used to be,”

“I'll tell everyone about you. I'll let them know the kind of person that you are and trust me, they'll stay away from you,” I threatened, but she rolled her eyes.

“And do you think I would sit back and watch you tarnish my image, huh?”

She was the Beta's daughter, so I know for sure that her image matters a lot to her. I can't begin to imagine how the news of her betrayal would come off if I let everyone know about it.

Before I could respond, Rachel grabbed a nearby vase and hurled it at me. I tried to dodge, but it hit me on the side of the head, sending me crashing to the floor and everything went dark.

>>>

When I regained consciousness, I was disoriented and groggy. Jackson was hovering over me, his eyes filled with lust. I tried to struggle, but my body felt heavy and unresponsive. Jackson's hands were roaming over me. I had to get away, before he succeeded, but how? How do I get away from his body when I feel so weak and faint?

I tried to push him away from the bed, but he smirked.

“I injected you with a drug that's going to make you immobile while I do what I want with you. Therefore, you won't be able to move. Don't even stress yourself too much, you will only end up getting hurt,” He said as he tore my shirt.

Just as Jackson was about to have his way with me, a loud crash echoed through the room.

Cedric, the Delta's son, burst in, his eyes blazing with anger. He grabbed Jackson and threw him across the room.

“What has come over you, Jackson?” He hissed angrily as he began to hit Jackson. Jackson didn't even try to fight back. He just sat there, chuckling like a maniac.

After what felt forever, Cedric let go of him before coming towards my direction. Sensing that I couldn't move a finger, he scooped me up in his arms and carried me out of the house, away from Jackson's presence. I felt a sense of relief wash over me as I looked up at him, grateful for his timely intervention even though we have not been very close.

"Thank you," I whispered, my voice barely audible.

Cedric nodded, his expression softening. "You're safe now," he said, his voice filled with warmth. "I won't let Jackson hurt you.”