Claimed by the Alpha, Betrayed by His Lies

The moon hung full in the sky. Its light was barely cutting through the dense, towering pines that surrounded our pack house. I stood in the back, hoping to disappear into the shadows during the monthly wolf meeting. It was mandatory, even for me—the werewolf without a mate.

At 23, I was the only one left unbonded. Everyone else had found their other half. And their lives were celebrated with grand ceremonies. I was the odd one out. And I was labeled as the pack’s spinster. The jokes and whispers stopped trying to be subtle long ago.

“Ysabel, waiting for a unicorn instead of a mate?” Kara’s voice pierced the air, followed by laughter from her circle.

I clenched my fists. The sting of their words was like an old wound. But I refused to react. By now, I’d accepted my place. Living on the edge of the forest kept me away from their cruelty. But sometimes, like tonight, the loneliness crept in too deeply.

A gentle hand touched my arm. “Ignore them, Ysabel. They’re idiots,” said Emma. She and Maria were my only real friends who always defended me.

“They only pick on someone they think is weaker,” Maria added. Her fiery temper was barely contained.

“I’m fine,” I murmured, offering a weak smile. “Thank you.”

“Let’s get out of here,” Emma suggested. “How about some coffee?”

I hesitated, but then nodded. We left the suffocating atmosphere of the meeting and headed to the café in town. The warmth inside was contrary to the chill of the pack house. Emma and Maria chatted, trying to cheer me up. But my mind kept drifting back.

“I don’t know how you deal with them,” Maria muttered. “If I were you, I’d tell Kara exactly where to shove it.”

I forced a laugh. “It’s easier to ignore them. Besides, I’ve accepted it. Without you two, I would’ve cut ties with the pack by now.”

“You could leave,” Emma suggested, cautiously. “Start fresh somewhere else.”

I shook my head. “No. Leaving would prove them right. I’m fine.”

After an hour, I excused myself. The walk back to my isolated cabin at the forest’s edge was long but peaceful. As I reached my home, the silence comforted me. The life I had here was mine. However, it could be lonely.

I opened the door and stepped inside, greeted by the warmth of the fire. I was about to settle into the couch when a strange feeling washed over me, like something was about to change. I shook it off and closed my eyes, letting the silence wrap around me.

***

Sebastian POV

The storm outside the mansion battered the windows. The wind was screaming through the trees. I adjusted the collar of my jacket. My reflection stared back at me from the dark glass. The chaos outside felt like an extension of the storm inside me—volatile, barely contained.

“Where are you going?” Summer’s voice cut through the room. She stood in the doorway. Her eyes narrowed with suspicion.

I didn’t bother to turn. “It’s none of your concern.”

“You’re going after her, aren’t you?” Her voice grew shrill. She knew. She had always known.

Her. Ysabel. The one I’d searched for tirelessly. The one I was destined to find.

I finally turned to face her. My patience wore thin. “Stay in your lane, Summer,” I retorted coldly. “You knew what this was from the start. You are my fake Luna, nothing more.”

Summer’s eyes flared with anger. But beneath it was the fear she could never hide. “You can’t just toss me aside, Sebastian.”

I stepped closer. “It’s over.”

I turned away. Her angry protests fell on deaf ears. My mind was already elsewhere. In my pocket, I felt the slip of paper with the name I had hunted for years.

Ysabel Newman.

I had met her once. Briefly. But that moment had been enough to seal her fate. She was mine. And this time, there would be no escape. I had scoured every pack, every corner of the world, searching for her. She had vanished like smoke, slipping through my grasp, but no longer.

This time, I would bring her back.

I clenched the paper in my fist, feeling the surge of power and anticipation course through me. Ysabel had no idea what was coming, no idea that her life was about to change forever. She was mine, and nothing would keep her from me.

The storm outside roared louder. But it was nothing compared to the hunger gnawing inside me. Soon, I would stand before her again. And by that time, she would have no choice but to accept the bond between us.

The game was over.

I was coming for her.