After My Mate Betrayed Me, I Lost Everything

A soft knock on my chamber door pulled me from my daze. I'd been staring at the same spot on the wall for hours, my mind replaying Alexander's cruel words over and over. *A substitute. Nothing more.*

I didn't answer, hoping whoever it was would leave me to my misery. The knock came again, more insistent this time.

"Charlotte? It's Victoria. May I come in?"

Lyra growled within me, hackles raised at the sound of that honey-sweet voice. I shared my wolf's instinctive distrust, but curiosity won out. What could she possibly want?

"Enter," I called, my voice hoarse from crying.

The door opened, and Victoria stepped inside, her perfect features arranged in an expression of concern. She wore a simple blue dress that complemented her honey-blonde hair, looking every bit the picture of innocence and compassion.

"I wanted to check on you," she said softly, closing the door behind her. "What Alexander is doing... it's not right."

I stared at her, searching for the gloating triumph I expected to see in her eyes. Instead, I found only carefully constructed sympathy that never quite reached her gaze.

"Why are you here, Victoria?" I asked bluntly. "To see your handiwork up close?"

She sighed, moving to sit beside me on the edge of the bed. I stiffened but didn't move away.

"I never wanted this," she whispered, her voice breaking perfectly on cue. "James is my mate. My true mate. But Alexander... since the attack, he's been different. Obsessive. He won't leave my side."

"And yet here you are, away from his side," I observed coldly.

Victoria's eyes filled with tears that looked remarkably genuine. "I needed to see you. To tell you I'm sorry. This isn't what I wanted."

Something about her performance rang false, but I couldn't pinpoint exactly what. She reached out, placing her hand over mine in a gesture of solidarity.

"We're both victims here," she continued. "Alexander's injury changed him. The healers say his wolf suffered trauma that altered something fundamental in him."

I pulled my hand away, unable to bear her touch. "And yet you walked into the gathering hall on his arm. You took my place at his side."

"What choice did I have?" she countered, her voice dropping to a whisper. "He's the Alpha. We both know what happens to those who defy him."

I turned away, unwilling to let her see the fresh tears threatening to spill. From the corner of my eye, I noticed her gaze drift to my nightstand, where my leather-bound journal lay. It contained everything—my private thoughts, details of sensitive pack negotiations I'd helped Alexander with, my deepest fears and hopes.

"Perhaps I can help," Victoria offered, standing to pour me a glass of water from the pitcher by the window. "There must be some way to make him see reason before the rejection ceremony."

"There's nothing to be done," I said flatly. "He's made his choice."

She handed me the water, her fingers brushing mine deliberately. "Drink. You need to keep your strength up."

I took a small sip to appease her, then set the glass aside. Victoria moved around my chamber with the easy confidence of someone who already considered herself the Luna. She paused by my bookshelf, examining the titles, then drifted to the window, her back to me.

"I should go," she said finally. "But please know, Charlotte, I truly am sorry for what you're going through."

I nodded stiffly, watching her glide to the door. Only after she left did I notice my journal was missing from the nightstand.

* * *

Three days later, I found myself in the imposing stone hall of the Moonridge Pack, surrounded by hostile faces. Alexander had ordered me to represent the Shadowmoon Pack at this tribunal in Victoria's place, claiming she was too distressed by James's condition to attend.

"The Shadowmoon Luna approaches," announced a stern-faced Beta as I entered.

"Former Luna," corrected Alpha Kane, the massive leader of the Moonridge Pack. His cold eyes assessed me with undisguised contempt. "We've heard the news of your... situation."

Heat rushed to my face. So word of my impending rejection had spread to other packs already. The humiliation burned like acid in my veins.

"I am here representing Alpha Alexander Sterling," I said, keeping my voice steady despite the trembling in my limbs. "He sends his regrets that he could not attend personally."

"How convenient," Alpha Kane sneered. "He sends his cast-off mate to face accusations of territory encroachment."

I froze. "Territory encroachment? There must be some mistake. The Shadowmoon Pack has respected all boundaries as established in the last Summit."

Kane's massive form towered over me as he approached, his aura pressing down with intimidating Alpha power. "That's not what our patrols report. They found Shadowmoon scent markers a full mile inside our hunting grounds."

My mind raced. This was impossible. Alexander was meticulous about territory lines. Unless...

Unless this was a trap.

I glanced around the room, suddenly aware of how isolated I was. No Shadowmoon warriors accompanied me. No Beta or Delta for support. I stood alone among wolves who owed me no loyalty.

"I assure you, Alpha Kane, this must be a misunderstanding," I began, but his growl cut me off.

"A misunderstanding that could lead to war between our packs," he snarled. "Unless, of course, the Shadowmoon Pack is willing to offer... compensation."

Before I could respond, three massive wolves moved to surround me, their eyes gleaming with malice. I recognized them as Kane's elite guards, warriors known for their brutality.

"What is this?" I demanded, my wolf rising to the surface in response to the threat.

"Justice," Kane replied simply, stepping back as his wolves closed in.

The first blow came from behind—claws raking across my back with enough force to send me sprawling to the stone floor. Pain exploded through my body as I tried to shift, to defend myself, but a second wolf was already on me, his massive paw pressing down on my throat.

"Stop!" I gasped, struggling against his weight. "I'm carrying a pup!"

The admission—my desperate last attempt to appeal to wolf law that protected pregnant females—only seemed to fuel their aggression. The third wolf's claws slashed across my abdomen, drawing a scream from my lips that echoed through the hall.

Blood. So much blood. The metallic scent filled my nostrils as agony tore through me.

*My pup. Moon Goddess, please, not my pup.*

As darkness closed in around the edges of my vision, I heard Kane's voice, distant and cold: "Send what's left of her back to the Shadowmoon Alpha. Let him see what happens when he sends a rejected mate to do an Alpha's job."

The last thing I felt before consciousness slipped away was a warm wetness spreading between my legs and the anguished howl of my wolf as we both realized what we had lost.