The Betrayed Ex-Alpha

Chapter 4

Bound by Vengeance

Lyn’s POV

I woke to the smell of smoke. My chest ached with every breath I took, a sharp reminder that I should have died.

Slowly, I forced myself up, the unfamiliar room coming into focus.

The room was dark and rugged, built entirely of rough wood and stone, with a fire casting shadows against the walls. The bed was covered in animal skins, and the air was warmer than I expected.

I pressed a hand to my bandaged chest, the pain sharp and unbearable. A memory flashed—Briony’s voice urging me to run, the dagger’s bite, and the cold that consumed me as I fell. I shouldn’t have survived.

The door creaked open, and a man stepped inside. He was tall, with broad shoulders and dark, piercing eyes that seemed to see straight through me.

“You’re awake,” he said, his voice calm and steady.

“Where am I?” My voice came out as a whisper, my throat dry. “Who are you?”

“Rowan,” he said simply. “You’re in my pack’s territory.”

“How am I alive?” I asked, my voice trembling.

“You’re lucky,” Rowan said, his tone unnervingly casual as though we were discussing something mundane. “Your heart is on the right side. The assassin missed.”

I stared at him, my hand still pressed to my chest. “Why would you save me?”

Before he could answer, a knock on the door broke the tension. A young man stepped inside, his face hard, his expression cold. His eyes flicked to me briefly before focusing on Rowan.

“It’s done,” the man said. “We sent the body back to Coral Pack.”

Body? My stomach dropped. “What body?” I asked, my voice trembling.

Rowan didn’t answer immediately. His silence was enough to tell me I wouldn’t like his response.

“Who?” I demanded, my voice rising.

“It was a man from your pack,” Rowan said at last. “His name was Briony. He came to take you back.”

The words hit me like the dagger that had pierced my chest.

“Briony?” I whispered, shaking my head. “No, that can’t be. He saved me—he got me out of that dungeon—”

“He made the mistake of trying to take you back to Coral Pack. I couldn’t let that happen.”

“You killed him?” My voice cracked, shaking with disbelief and rage.

Rowan’s expression remained cold and unreadable. His silence spoke volumes.

Tears streamed down my face as the weight of his words sank in. Briony was dead. The man who had risked everything for me, who had been my father’s most loyal friend, was gone—because of Rowan.

“You didn’t have to kill him,” I screamed, my voice trembling with grief. “He was just trying to protect me!”

“I make decisions based on what’s necessary,” Rowan replied coldly.

His words only deepened the ache in my chest. My fists clenched the animal skins beneath me as grief gave way to anger.

“You murdered him,” I spat, my voice venomous. “He had nothing to do with your plans, and you killed him anyway. You’re no better than Coral Pack.”

For a fleeting moment, Rowan’s expression shifted—was that regret? But it disappeared as quickly as it came.

“I’ll make you pay for this,” I vowed, my voice low and deadly. “I don’t care how long it takes. You’ll regret the day you took his life.”

Rowan’s dark eyes softened briefly before his lips curled into a mocking smile. “You want revenge?”

“Yes,” I shot back, my hands trembling with rage.

He stepped closer, his presence overwhelming. “I’ll give you your revenge,” he said, his voice low and deliberate. “But it comes with a price.”

I glared at him, my tears blurring his face. “What price?”

“Marry me,” Rowan said, his tone as sharp as a blade. “Be my mate. For three months.”

“What?”

“Three months,” he repeated, his voice calm but firm. “Agree to be my mate, and I’ll give you what you want most—to take your revenge on me.”

“You expect me to marry the man who killed Briony?” I snapped, my voice filled with disbelief.

“Yes,” he said without hesitation. “Because I can give you what no one else can: a chance to fight back. You don’t have to like me. You just have to accept the deal.”

His words were poison, yet they burrowed into the part of me still burning with anger and hate.

Briony was gone. My father was gone. I had nothing left but my fury—and here Rowan was, offering me a way to use it.

“Three months,” I said slowly, the words bitter on my tongue. “I’ll make sure you regret this. I’ll show you no mercy for what you did to Briony.”

“If that’s what you want,” Rowan said.

I stared at him, my instincts screaming at me to refuse. But the image of Briony’s lifeless body haunted me, fueling the flames of revenge.

“Fine,” I said, the word laced with venom. “But don’t think for a second that I’ll ever forgive you.”

Rowan’s lips curled into that same mocking, knowing smile. “I don’t expect you to.”

As he turned to leave, I clenched my fists, the pain in my chest momentarily forgotten. I didn’t trust Rowan, and I never would. But for now, I would play his game.

And when the time came, I would make him pay for what he had done.