Betrayed By Her Fated Mate

Chapter 3: Justice

Kaida’s POV







I opened my eyes to a room that looked familiar yet transformed, renovated, modern, almost unrecognizable. The silver door I remembered was now golden, adorned with gleaming knobs. For a moment, I wondered if I’d been moved somewhere else, but then my gaze landed on the picture of my wolf, still hanging exactly where it had before the war that had knocked me unconscious.





Sitting up, memories of Ryker’s betrayal flooded back as if it had happened moments ago. His whispered promises echoed in my mind: “I will never leave you, Kaida. I love you to the moon and back.” I smirked bitterly, scanning the unfamiliar mattress beneath me. On the bedside table, pills and syringes caught my eye. What happened to me? I wondered, unease creeping in.





The door burst open, and there she was; Rose. “Ahhh! Kaida is awake!” she screamed a mix of joy and trauma in her voice, before rushing out.





Minutes later, guards and pack chiefs flooded the room. Then Beta Andrew entered, his presence commanding, radiating Alpha energy. “Why is everything different? Rose looks older. My room has changed. Did you all do this overnight to please me?” I asked, bewildered. Silence fell.





Rose approached and helped me sit up properly. “How do we even tell you this, Kaida? You’ve been asleep for six years,” she said softly.





My breath caught. Six years? That couldn’t be right. I looked around, trying to grasp the meaning of her words.





“This is a blessing, Kaida. It calls for a celebration,” one of the chiefs said.





“I want everyone out of my room now,” I ordered, struggling to process everything. After they left, I glanced at the clock. It was 9:30 a.m.





Six years had passed. To me, it felt like yesterday. I was just eighteen then. Now, I was twenty-four.





I stared at my fingers, realizing I was single at twenty-four. My parents’ dream was for me to be married by eighteen.





I swung my legs off the bed and stood, testing my strength. I could walk. Shocked, I rushed to the mirror and took in my reflection. I looked different, more beautiful, my curves pronounced, my hair longer, and my skin glowing like fresh milk. “Wow,” I whispered.





I chose a green gown that matched my hair and stepped out. The chamber I entered looked like it had been ruled for years, yet no one dared sit on the throne.





I spotted a calendar and confirmed it: six years had truly passed since the war. I reached out to my chest to mind link Beta Andrew, and to my surprise, the link connected instantly. “I need your attention,” I demanded. He then hurried to the chamber.





When he entered, tension prickled my skin. I rose and moved to the window, avoiding his gaze. “I remember the torture, the m******e, the blows to my head and shoulders. I remember losing myself before blacking out,” I said, every memory vivid and raw. Then, for the first time in six years, I looked him in the eyes. “Why am I only waking now?” I asked, turning my back to him again.





“I’m sorry, Kaida. We never expected you to survive. We tried to revive you but failed. Ryker even suggested burying you to ease the pack’s grief,” he said, spitting the words out. My heart shattered as if struck by axes.





What did I just hear? I thought, turning back to face him. “Where… where is Ryker?” I asked, voice trembling.





“He no longer cares,” Beta Andrew replied and I recalled how Ryker had abandoned me in a life-threatening situation because another woman mattered more. Worse, he wanted me buried alive. For what gain?





“If you remember, I warned you about him. Only you can free yourself from his betrayal. After the war, I discovered he was never truly with us, he stood firmly with the Fireflies. Their goal was to claim this pack and everything that belonged to you. He tempted me with promises and ordered me to end you to earn them. But I refused, honoring the promise I made to your father. Ryker never loved you, Kaida. He loved the power that came with being with you.” Andrew spat and bowed deeply. “I took over this pack because I couldn’t watch it be stolen from you. Now that you’re awake, I return your rightful position to you. I will be loyal to you always, even if it costs me my life.”





Tears streamed down my cheeks as I smiled. His loyalty was unwavering. I was behind impressed. “Beta Andrew, you have no idea how blessed I feel. Your loyalty and submission bring me immense joy. I will never trade your place in my life for anything. You will always be my eyes and ears.” I told him and nodded for him to rise.





“How about an awakening celebration?” he asked.





“I don’t need one. I want a victory celebration, Beta Andrew. And before that, a quick coronation, because at twenty-four, I should already be on that throne.” I paced the chamber slowly, voice sharp. “Until minutes ago, I thought the Fireflies were the root of my pain. Now I see I was wrong. I loved Ryker more than myself, and he not only planned my parents’ deaths, he stole their bodies and plotted to kill me. How can I forgive that?” I fought back tears.





The image of him leaving when I needed him most haunted me, the heartbreak fresh and raw. Tears fell as I wondered where I’d gone wrong to deserve such betrayal and disappointment.





“What will you do? Forgive and move on, or seek justice?” Beta Andrew asked quietly. “Kaida, I will follow your lead. All you have to do is decide.”





Forgive?





That monster stole my parents forever. He murdered them. He shattered my pack’s peace and tried to kill me, the woman he claimed to love and intended to mate. The truth hit me hard. I’d been the fool all along.





“Forgiveness exists, Beta Andrew, but so does justice. If I must choose, I choose JUSTICE. I need revenge!” My voice turned cold and my eyes darker than the night. “Darkwood Pack’s treachery ends now. Beta Andrew, assemble our fiercest warriors. By moonlight, we strike. Leave no scent of them untouched, no pup spared. I want their Alpha’s head on a stake, and their Pack’s destruction etched in our history.”