Crowned By Betrayal

Chapter 3

Something shifted the moment the moon turned a deep, blood-red color.

A thick tension blanketed the air, heavy with ancient magic. It slithered across my skin like a warning and a promise all at once. My heart pounded as I stood at the edge of the clearing, barely breathing.

All around me, male wolves began to stir. Their eyes glowed brighter, and their breaths came faster, driven by instinct and fate. One by one, they began to claim their mates, drawn by the pull of destiny, the call of the Blood Moon.

But for me, the world slowed.

I stood still in the chaos, unnoticed. Unclaimed.

Unwanted.

It was in that exact moment that my world went still.

The scent hit me first — warm, rich, and chocolaty, with a creamy undertone that enveloped my senses like silk. My breath caught in my throat. My knees nearly buckled.

Then I saw him.

Kael burst through the ballroom entrance, his eyes wide with something wild and unspoken. “Mate!” he shouted — just as the same word tore from my lips.

Time froze.

And in that frozen second, I saw it — the horror in his eyes, mirroring the one blooming across my face.

But behind mine was pain. Behind his… was disgust.

I could see the shock ripple through the room — eyes wide, mouths slightly open. The Alpha's face twisted in disappointment, his jaw clenched tight. Liora stood frozen, her mate gripping her hand so hard his knuckles turned white. Fear flickered in her eyes as they darted between Kael and me.

Then came Lisa Maton — one of Kael’s many girlfriends, and one of my most ruthless tormentors. She strutted forward, lips curled into a cruel smile, and slid herself against his side like she belonged there. Without hesitation, she wrapped her arms around him and pressed her face to his chest.

But it wasn’t that that shattered me.

It was when Kael kissed her — in front of everyone — his lips pressed firmly against hers as if I wasn’t even there.

As if the mate bond didn’t exist.

It was then that Kael and Lisa ascended the stage.

My breath caught in my throat as I watched him take long, confident strides toward the platform, Lisa clinging to his arm like a trophy.

The crowd parted without resistance, their murmurs growing into a low hum of confusion and curiosity. I stood frozen, my pulse thundering in my ears, unable to look away.

Kael reached his father, the Alpha, and without hesitation, took the microphone from his hands. The Alpha looked momentarily stunned, but said nothing — just stepped back, his expression unreadable.

Kael turned to face the entire room, his face cold, distant, his eyes avoiding mine like I was nothing but a shadow. The ballroom fell silent, the only sound was the faint rustle of decorations and the soft thudding of my heart breaking.

His voice echoed across the hall, smooth and emotionless.

“I, Kael Woods, reject Aria Night as my mate.”

A collective gasp spread through the crowd like wildfire. My heart dropped.

“I choose Lisa Maton,” he continued, pulling her closer with a proud smirk, “as my chosen mate, and future Luna of the Crescent Stone Pack.”

Lisa stood tall beside him, beaming with triumph, her eyes glittering with mockery as they flicked to me.

A sharp, invisible force sliced through my chest.

I could feel it.

The mate bond… snapping.

My wolf let out a heart-wrenching whimper from deep within me — a sound only I could hear — raw, broken, and filled with agony.

The pain that followed felt like my soul being ripped from my body, leaving behind a hollow, trembling shell.

Tears stung my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. Not here. Not now.

I stood there, surrounded by whispers and pitying stares, as every part of me shattered. And still, somehow, I found the strength to speak.

“I, Aria Night,” I whispered, my voice shaking but firm, “accept your rejection.”

The finality of those words slammed into me like a wave. I could feel the severance of our bond fully now — the warmth we once shared, the invisible pull between us… gone.

Only silence remained.

Silence and pain.

As the final thread of the bond between us snapped, a pain unlike anything I’d ever felt surged through my chest, raw and consuming. My legs moved before my mind could catch up — I ran. I bolted out of the ballroom, away from the stage, away from the whispers and the stares and the cruel smirks.

The air outside was cold, but not colder than the ache in my heart. My feet pounded against the earth, one step after another, as tears began to fall — slow at first, then faster, until I was sobbing.

I couldn't hold it in anymore.

Why was it always me?

What did I ever do to deserve this?

Was I cursed? Had I unknowingly sinned against the Moon Goddess so badly that she felt the need to punish me… again and again?

All these years… I had been clinging to a fragile hope that maybe, just maybe, my mate would come from another pack. Someone who would love me, see me, and choose me. Someone who’d give me the kind of happiness I’d only ever dreamed of.

But no.

Of course not.

Because I’m Aria Night — delusional Aria. Foolish Aria. The orphaned omega who always dares to hope in a world that’s given her nothing but pain.

And the Goddess, in her divine wisdom, gave me Kael — my tormentor. My abuser. The boy who haunted my every waking moment… and my mate.

Only for him to publicly humiliate and reject me for Lisa Maton — the she-b***h he parades like some prize. Forgive my language… but it hurts. It burns.

I ran until I reached the edge of the forest and collapsed against a tree, breathless and shaking. The trees offered no comfort, just a place to cry freely without eyes watching. The night was quiet — too quiet — like it knew I had been broken, again.

I don’t know how long I sat there.

Minutes? Hours?

The pain dulled, but it didn’t fade. It just changed — from something sharp to something heavy, something permanent. A grief buried deep in my bones.

What was I supposed to do now?

There was nothing left for me in this pack. Nothing worth holding onto.

Kael made sure of that.

And tomorrow… Liora would be leaving too, to join her mate’s pack. The only person who ever stood by me, even when it was dangerous to do so, was leaving.

Which meant I had no one left.

So I made a decision.

Later tomorrow, after everyone is distracted by the pack member’s departure, I’ll slip away quietly. No goodbyes. No explanations.

Just… gone.

Because staying would mean choosing pain, and for once in my life, I wanted to choose myself.

Even if I had no idea where I’d go next, I just knew it had to be anywhere but here.