Her Revenge, His Regret

"Kali, it's not what it looks like, I swear." Callum did not even bother to try to hide the fact that the beta's daughter was on her knees in front of him whilst he was butt naked. I did not say a word. Time seemed to stand still, as if everything had stopped. The only sound I could hear was my heart pounding in my chest. I clenched my fists so hard that my nails dug into my skin, but I did not care. My body was numb. Callum was supposed to be mine. The man who swore the Moon Goddess had chosen me. The man who promised forever. Everyone believed that we would be this great, powerful couple. "That's right, Kali, it's not what you think." Helena stood up and wiped her mouth, but the smirk was undeniable. He was lying, she was lying. They were going to make me out to be deluded, I just knew it. "Not what it looks like, huh?" I burst out laughing. Callum and Helena exchanged glances; the confusion between them only made me laugh harder. I pushed my blonde curls out of my face and smoothed down my silk dress. "Kali, are you alright?" Helena stepped forward, she reached for my hand and tried to act like a caring friend, except she wasn't. She was a fake, a fraud, a slut. I raised my tightly clenched hand before I realised what I was doing, and in the next instant, she screamed as blood spurted from her nose all over her. “Kali, please calm down,” Helena fake sobbed, blood dripping over her lips. She clung to Callum as if her life depended on it. He should have stuck up for me, told me it was a mistake and that he was sorry, but instead he grabbed hold of my wrist and pushed me down in front of Helena. “You struck the beta’s daughter,” Callum growled. “You’ll kneel and apologise at once." My knees hit the polished wooden floor with a force that sent pain shooting through my legs. A sharp gasp echoed from the doorway. I had not even realised people had gathered outside the room. Pack members stood frozen in the entrance, drawn by Helena’s scream and the sound of raised voices. Warriors, servants, omegas, even elders. Their eyes moved between me on the floor, Helena wrapped around Callum’s side, and the future Alpha glaring down at me as if I were the disgrace here. Heat crawled up my neck. Not from shame. From rage. I lifted my head slowly and stared at him from where he had forced me down. This male. This coward. This liar. This was the man I had loved since we were children. The boy who used to chase me through the training fields. The teenager who kissed me beneath the moonlight and swore I would be his Luna one day. The male who had just shoved me to my knees for another woman. “Kali,” Callum said through gritted teeth, clearly aware of the audience now. “Apologise and end this scene.” A scene. I almost laughed again. Helena sniffed dramatically beside him, pressing one delicate hand beneath her bleeding nose. “I was only trying to help her,” she whispered loudly enough for everyone to hear. “She attacked me for no reason.” Murmurs rippled through the crowd. I knew what they were thinking, what they would be saying about me. The oprhan girl who was pitied by the future Alpha is jealous of the bond he has with the Beta's daughter. Liars always loved an audience. I pushed myself upright but remained kneeling. Not because he ordered me to. Because I wanted to look him dead in the eye from below and remember exactly what kind of male he truly was. “You want an apology?” My voice came out calm, which surprised even me. Callum’s jaw flexed. “Now.” I nodded once. Then I turned my head toward Helena. “I’m sorry,” I said softly. Her smirk returned instantly. Big mistake. “I’m sorry,” I continued, louder this time, “that I did not break your nose properly.” A shocked silence hit the room. Then several gasps followed. Helena shrieked. “You insane b***h!” I surged to my feet before either of them could react. Callum reached for me, but I stepped back fast enough that his hand caught nothing but air. For the first time since I had walked in, uncertainty flickered across his face. Good. “You embarrassed yourself enough,” he snapped. “Go to your room.” My laugh was colder this time. “You still think you can command me.” “I am the future Alpha.” “And I was the future Luna,” I shot back. “Until I realised the title came attached to a pathetic, faithless bastard.” The room erupted in whispers. Callum’s face darkened with fury. No one spoke to him like that. No one challenged him publicly. No one except me. “Kali,” one of the elders warned. I ignored him. My eyes stayed locked on Callum’s. “You promised forever,” I said, my voice shaking now despite every effort to steady it. “You involved the Moon Goddess. You marked our future with sacred words.” His expression hardened. “Do not make this bigger than it is.” Bigger than it is. Something inside me went still. There it was. No guilt. No remorse. Just annoyance that I had interrupted him. Helena slid her arm around his waist again and rested her head against his shoulder. “She is being dramatic. She is just jealous that me and you have a better bond as Alpha and Beta blood. She is just the ungrateful orphan, she should be grateful that your family gave her a roof over her head." Callum did not move her away, nor did he disagree with her words. That hurt more than anything. I inhaled once, slowly. Then I straightened my spine. “No,” I said quietly. “I am finally seeing clearly.” I reached to the chain around my neck and unclasped the silver pendant he had given me on my eighteenth birthday. A crescent moon with our initials carved into the back. The symbol of promises made. I looked at it for one final second. Then I dropped it to the floor between us. The tiny clink sounded louder than thunder. Callum’s eyes flickered downward. “Kali,” he said sharply. I stepped back toward the doorway. “No more orders,” I said. “No more lies.” “You are overreacting.” I smiled, though it felt like my heart was bleeding out inside my chest. “And you are about to learn what happens when you break the wrong woman.” Callum’s eyes darkened and he growled. “Take this ungrateful b***h to her room and lock the door until I say otherwise.” He ordered.