His betrayal
Who would have thought the man I’ve loved for ten years would turn out to be the absolute worst thing that ever happened to me?
My name is Dina. I am the only surviving child of the late Alpha King of the Mooncrest pack. I was only seven years old when my entire life crumbled into ash. I still remember the freezing rain that night, the sharp scent of copper in the air, and the terrifying howls echoing through our pack house. My parents were slaughtered by an unknown creature, leaving me alone in a blood-soaked world I was far too young to understand.
I know you're going to ask me how Alpha Kaelen got into the picture.
"Are you OK, Dina?"
I remembered his voice so clearly from that dreadful night. He had stood tall in the doorframe, his broad shoulders blocking out the harsh moonlight behind him. I was huddled in the dark corner of my hiding cave—a tiny secret space beneath the floorboards where I ran because I couldn't process that my parents were truly gone.
Kaelen was only three years older than me, barely ten at the time, but he carried himself with the weight of a leader. He got down on his knees, crawled into the dark space, and lifted me gently into his arms.
"It's going to be OK," he had whispered into my hair, holding me while I sobbed into his shirt. "You're going to live with me from now on."
That's when it started. From that single moment of rescue, I began to love him. I grew up worshipping him as my savior, my protector, and the only anchor keeping me grounded in the Mooncrest pack. As the years passed, that childhood worship blossomed into something deeper. I saw him take over the Alpha title, saw his strength grow, and prayed every day that the Moon Goddess would bless us as true mates.
Only to walk in on him and Priya.
Today is my 23rd birthday. For months, I had been waiting for this exact day. I wanted to give myself to him entirely heart, body, and soul. I had spent hours getting ready, my heart fluttering nervously in my chest. I couldn't wait. Smiling like a fool, I practically jogged up the grand staircase toward his private quarters, holding my breath with excitement.
That's when I heard the voice echoing down the empty hallway.
"Yeah, Kaelen, you're so bad... Fuck, uhhhh..."
Those words froze the blood in my veins. My foot stopped mid-air. I couldn't believe my ears, so I tiptoed silently toward the cracked bedroom door, my heart hammering against my ribs like a trapped bird.
I peered through the small opening. There he was, pressed against the mattress, aggressively fucking Priya my best friend. My childhood best friend.
What?!
My eyes widened in absolute horror. The room spun around me as I jammed both hands over my mouth to stop myself from screaming out loud. The sheer heat of betrayal scorched through my chest.
"Kaelen," Priya panted, her voice dripping with artificial sweetness as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Between me and Dina, who do you actually love?"
Kaelen didn't even slow down. His face hardened with pure disgust. "Don't even talk about her. Hearing her name makes my skin crawl."
I sat down hard on the cold floor without meaning to, my knees completely giving out. What? My mind reeled in absolute shock. So why all this time? Why pretend to care? Why act like my savior for sixteen long years?
So he never really loved me all these years. It was all a lie. Every gentle touch, every soft word, every reassuring smile it had all been fake.
Inside the room, Priya continued, her tone laced with venom. "So when are you going to kick her out? I can't stand her getting close to you at all. It pisses me off."
"Don't worry, it's just a little more time," Kaelen replied smoothly, his voice cold enough to freeze fire. "When I get what I want from her, I will kick her out for rogue wolves to eat."
They both burst into cruel, mocking laughter.
That laughter shattered whatever was left of my heart. I forced myself to stand, wiping blindly at the tears blurring my vision as I turned and ran blindly off to my room. I slammed the heavy wooden door shut, buried my head deep into my pillow, and wept until my throat burned.
Moon Goddess, why me? I cried silently in the dark. You took away my parents, and now the only person I loved in this world turns out to be a monster...
I was just lifting my head to wipe my soaked face when I caught movement in the corner of the room. A tall shadow was casually leaning against the wall near the window.
"Oh my Moon Goddess!" I shouted, jumping back onto the mattress. "You scared the hell out of me!"
The shadow stepped out into the dim moonlight. It was Ben Kaelen's older brother. He had dark, intense eyes and a sharp jawline, carrying an aura that was far more dangerous and unpredictable than Kaelen’s ever was.
"Seems your little lover didn't quite love you like you think," Ben said smoothly, walking toward my bed with slow, deliberate steps.
Before I could move away, he reached out, lifting my chin up with his thumb and forefinger. He leaned down, placing his mouth agonizingly close to my ear.
"Why don't you date me instead to make him jealous?"
"Are you kidding me?" I said, trying to steady myself as I jumped out of my bed and put distance between us. "Ben, just leave my room now. I don't have time for your little games!"
"Come on, it's just fake dating," he gritted out, closing the space between us in a single flash of wolf speed.
He pulled me hard against his chest. It felt like standing against a solid wall of rock. I immediately pressed one hand against his chest, trying to keep some distance between us, my heart slamming against my ribs for a completely different reason now.
"Ben, what the hell are you doing? Let me go!" I said, struggling desperately to free myself from his tight grip.
Instead of releasing me, he wrapped an arm around my waist, lowered his head, and kissed me hard right on my lips.
I struggled against him for a second, pushing at his shoulders, but my hands slowly lost their strength and fell to my sides.
Goddess, what is happening to me? Why do I kind of like this?
He didn't just hold the kiss he deepened it, using his tongue to part my lips. Damn, I won't lie, it tasted so fucking good. The heat radiating off him threatened to consume the pain Kaelen had just left behind, even as my brain screamed at me to end it immediately.
Finally, he pulled back with a light, wet pop, looking down at my flushed face with a smirk playing on his lips.
"See that?" he whispered, his thumb trailing over my swollen lower lip. "I think you liked that too."
