Bound by the Alpha's Betrayal

CHAPTER 4

Raven's POV

The journey back to my Pack, Lunarstrike, was long and exhausting. Each bus I boarded was more suffocating than the last, a quiet reminder of my failure, of my shame. Three days ago, If anyone told me I would return back home so soon and under such disgraceful circumstances, I would have laughed in their face. But here I was.

Fear and uncertainty clawed at my heart, yet a foolish part of me still hoped that father would understand me and stand by me. But the hope shattered the moment, I stepped into the grand palace.

Heads turned towards me, filled with scorn and disgust. Conversation ceased, replaced by hushed whispers and mocking sneers. The weight of their judgement hung around.

Did they know? Of course, they did.

But how? How had it spread so fast when it happened just yesterday?

Then I remembered— the human surveillance camera I have. Ava. She must have announced it. She's kane's mate afterall. His words burned through my mind again.

"Ava is strong, powerful. She's the kind of Luna, I need to stand by my side and rule a kingdom."

But....I thought Kane loved me? In the past one year, I thought he cares? But it's crystal clear, I was nothing more than his w***e.

A tear escaped from my eyes as I walked through the hallway, but I quickly wiped it with the back of my hand. This is no time nor place for weakness. I needed to see my father.

Beta Darius cross stood at the center of the grand hall. His powerful stance and unreadable expression sent a chill down my spine, but it was his eyes—cold, calculating, and filled with disappointment —that drove a dagger into my heart. Beside him jasmine, my stepmother, her lips curled in a satisfactory smirk.

"So, it's true," my father's was cold, devoid of any warmth. "I heard everything. You have disgraced this family, Raven."

I dropped Weally Tommy knees, my stomach knitting. "Father, I'm sorry —"

"Enough!" His voice thundered through the hall. "You allowed yourself to be used and discarded like a common w***e. And now you dare crawl back here, expecting mercy?"

My throat tightened. I opened my mouth to talk but no words came out as tears streamed down my face. I turned to jasmine desperate for any sign of compassion, but she only shook her head feigning pity.

"Ava did what you couldn't," she said, her voice laced with mockery and satisfaction. "She secured a powerful mate. You? You were nothing but his plaything. How pathetic."

My heart sank as laughter rippled through the room, each cruel chuckle stripping away my dignity.

Then father cleared his throat, and spoke the words that shattered what remained of my soul. "From this moment on, you are no longer my daughter. You're no longer a Beta. You are an Omega, the lowest of the low. You will never set foot in this house again. But you can and become one of the Pack's slave."

My breath caught in my throat. My father disowned his biological daughter. For moon goddess sake, I'm his one and only daughter while Ava was adopted. How could he turn me away, strip me of my tank and cast me out like filth.

"Father......" I stammered, tears blurring my vision.

Jasmine's smirk deepened. "Consider yourself lucky we're allowing you to stay in the pack at all. Someone had to clean up after the real warriors afterall."

Hell no! I can't stay here and remain a slave. I'd rather die than do that.

"Get lost, Raven," father added casting a final glare, before walking out of the room with Jasmine.

A cold numbness spread through me as I staggered to my feet. I managed to compose myself, and walked away leaving behind the only home I had ever known. The murmurs and laughter followed me into the night.

*****

With no one else to go, no one else to turn to I returned to the dormitory. It was a better option than staying back to be enslaved in my home. At least here, I had Valerie, and I could still attend classes.

Valerie was waiting for me, her worried eyes scanning my face the moment I stepped in. The moment she saw the pain in my expression, she pulled me into her arms.

"You're not alone," she whispered. "I've got you."

And just like that, I let the tears fall, letting my grief consume me.

******

I couldn't sleep through the night, the reality of my situation weighing down on me. I'm truly alone. But when morning arrived, it came with a new determination.

I refused to be broken.

I refused to allow them take everything away from me.

I will prove to them that I can get through this.

As I walked through the academy halls, the sneers and whispers followed me like ghosts. Valerie stood by my side, her presence a silent shield against their cruelty. Valerie was an Alpha daughter from a powerful ancient family in the North provinces, so no one dare crosses her except....

Ava. She appeared with her sidekicks, Lyra and Beth. Ava stood in front of me, a smirk curling up in her lips. I halted, rolling my eyes and preparing myself for whatever she had planned.

"Ava what are you doing?" Valerie asked, her voice sharp and authoritative.

Ava didn't answer, instead with a sickeningly sweet smile, she tipped a bottle of water over my head. The cold liquid dropped down my face, soaking into my clothes as laughter rippled around us.

"Oops," she said, feigning innocence. "I thought Omegas were supposed to be good at cleaning up messes.

"Are you crazy?" Valerie seethed , ready to lunge at her, but I grabbed her hand, shaking my head in disapproval. Fighting is prohibited in the academy, and I don't want anyone getting into trouble because of me.

My hands trembled, rage simmering beneath my skin. But I refused to give her the satisfaction of a reaction.

Instead, I met her gaze, my voice steady. "Ensure your moment, Ava. Because it won't last."

For a brief second, uncertainty flickered across her face before she scoffed and walked away. The crowd slowly dispersed , but the whispers remained.

"That b***h," Valerie seethed, handing me a napkin. With a grateul smile, I took it and wiped myself dry.

****

Later, in the lecture hall, I heard it—an announcement spreading like wildfire through the academy.

The date for the yearly tournament had been set.

My pulse quickened. This was a competition meant for the strongest warriors, the elite. I had never been deemed worthy before, but now...

Now, I have something to prove.

Everyone including my father thought I was weak, and my wolf is useless, but the truth was I had never dreamed of being a warrior. Just like Kane said, I was a foolish girl who believed in fairy tales. I had never cared about titles, power or control. In fact, father had forced me to attend Crescent Moon Academy. I just wanted to love, be loved and live happily ever after. And was that wrong?

But not anymore.

It's isn't fair, but this is how my world is created. Only the fittest could survive.

And I would show them that I could do it. I haven't just tried.

But....oh no!

Kane was the chief organiser.