The Alpha’s Forsaken Vengeance

Aurora POV With a champagne glass in hand, I made my way through the sea of wolves celebrating under crystal chandeliers. The ballroom vibrated with life, but my purpose was unique: locate Ethan before his ascension ceremony. “Nice turnout for our new Alpha,” one of the elder she-wolves said as I walked by. I offered a tight smile. "As it should be." The hem of my crimson gown — chosen deliberately for tonight — grazed marble as I disregarded further conversation. Three nights ago Ethan had placed his forehead against mine beneath the full moon. “I’ll not be ruled by the moon goddess, Aurora,” he’d sworn. "You do." A lie. But I didn't know that yet. The noises filed away as I passed into the private wing. As I approached Ethan’s chambers, my heels clicked like metronomes on the hardwood floor. I raised my hand to knock when a sound froze me in place — a deep, rumbling growl followed by a girlish giggle I knew better than my own. My blood turned to ice in my veins. I gazed at my disjointed reflection in the polished brass doorknob, already knowing what was waiting for me. One heartbeat. Two. My hand opened the door though it was not my intention. Time shattered. Ethan — my Ethan — loomed over my sister’s thrashing body, their limbs tangled in sweat-soaked sheets. Neither noticed me at first. “My Luna,” he rasped, crumbling atop Isadora. "My true mate." The champagne flute fell from my fingers, shattering on the floor, exploding like my heart. They snapped on me in unison, predators caught middeath. “Aurora,” Isadora didn’t even bother covering herself, just arched out below Ethan the way a cat would in the sun. “There was always terrible timing with you.” Ethan leaned back, his eyes no longer warm honey but frozen amber. “This isn’t — ” he began, then laughed bitterly. "No, I won't insult you. That is precisely what it is.” "When?" The word ripped my throat to shreds. "Does it matter?" Isadora raised and let the sheet fall. My sister — the golden child, always calculating — showed sharp teeth in something too vicious to be a smile. “The mate bond was awoken last night. One touch, and we both knew." “You asked three days ago,” I whispered to Ethan. "You told me the mate bond didn’t matter." His jaw tightened. "I hadn't felt it yet." "And now that he has?" Isadora’s voice was dripping with venom. “Nothing else matters. You most of all, little sister.” Ethan rose, the nudity lost in his hubris. “The pack is in need of this bond, Aurora. My wolf acknowledges her as a peer.” "And me?" The question spilled out before I could swallow it. His expression softened — a greater cruelty than indifference. "You were... comfort. Safe." “But never enough,” Isadora said, gliding off the bed to his side. They snuggled like angel and devil, alpha wolves in beauty and evil. I backed toward the door, all I had left was my dignity. “Your guests are awaiting you, Alpha.” The title burned like acid. “Aurora—” Ethan took a step, but Isadora reached out, and possessively pressed her palm to his chest. "Let her go, my love. Soon enough, the pack will know.” His gaze locked with mine one last time. Something flinched there — regret? Fear? It disappeared before I could name it. “You’re coming to the ceremony,” he ordered, his Alpha voice weaving the words with a supernatural compulsion. "Standing with the pack. Showing support." The audacity stole my breath. "You expect—" "It wasn't a request." His voice took on a dangerously dark tone. "Remember your place." "My place?" I laughed, and the sound was brittle as breaking bone. “And where is that now, Ethan?” Isadora's grin widened. “Whatever big hole, we’ll put you in, sister.” As I walked away, heat pulsed up my spine like wildfire. My vision zoomed in unreasonably, the room awakening now to this new vibration. Ethan’s face transformed in an instant — shock, then unmistakable fear. "Aurora—" I barked there, slamming it shut behind me, something crashing against the wall on the other side, and Isadora gasping. At the grand staircase, I stopped, clutching the banister, as violent quakes coursed through me. Below, the celebratory music carried on, unmindful of my cratering world. One treasonous tear slipped out, then I wiped it away in disgust. Maybe the moon goddess hadn’t given me a mate bond with Ethan for a reason—maybe she’d already been protecting me. Or perhaps... The hair on my nape rose. On the darkened landing above, a stranger watched me — tall, dangerous, wearing eyes the color of unnatural silver. "Aurora Aldrich?" His voice was brocade at midnight. I straightened, a sign of weakness I refused to show. "Who's asking?" His smile was teeth too sharp to be comfortable. “Someone who knows exactly what your sister and ex-boyfriend are hiding.” He reached toward me with long, elegant fingers. “And why they’re so intent on cementing power before midnight.” There was a flicker of action in his arm, a tattoo on his inner wrist, revealed as he adjusted his sleeve. Overlay of two interlocking circles surrounding a crescent moon The seal of the Shadow Council—the most feared assassins in the wolf world. My breath caught. The Shadow Council never showed up unless— Footsteps crashed behind me — fast, frantic. Ethan’s voice crackled, laced with unvarnished terror. "Aurora! Get away from him!" His gaze slid over my shoulder, and the look on his face turned from one of amusement to something colder and sharper. “Time’s running out, little wolf. His whisper was like smoke. “Tonight is not only a birthday celebration or an ascension. A growl tore through the hallway—Ethan in his partial shift, coming up to us with molten gold eyes. The stranger moved with unprecedented speed, dragging me behind him. “Tell her the truth, false Alpha,” he growled. “Tell her what you and your so-called mate are actually celebrating tonight.” Isadora materialized at the top of the stairs, clad in Ethan’s robe, her face twisted in fury. "Kill him!" she screamed. The fingers of the stranger clamped on to my wrist, electric streams rising up my arm at his touch. “Your sister isn’t just stealing your boyfriend, Aurora,” he said urgently. “And they plan to steal something much more valuable tonight in this ritual — your birthright.” The grand clock started tolling midnight. I figured eight years between them—the lover who’d betrayed me, the sister who’d deceived me, and this dangerous stranger holding out terrible truths. "What birthright?" I said in a whisper as the world shrank to his silver eyes. It was the most horrible, beautiful smile. "The true Alpha bloodline. The one they have to kill you to take.” As the last chime rang out, an animalistic roar reverberated through the very fabric of the mansion and the ballroom below erupted with screams.