Mated to the Alpha I Killed

Silver chains bit into my wrists, a cold, unyielding grip that sent waves of pain through my body. My breath hitched as I glanced at the crowd, a sea of faces, all watching, waiting. Their jeers blurred together, a dull roar that echoed in my ears, mixing with the thudding of my heart. I could feel my pulse racing, but my mind refused to accept what was happening.

Above me, a voice, sharp and final, broke through the chaos. “For the murder of Duke Alpha Lucian of the Southern Territories, you are sentenced to death.”

My heart stuttered. Lucian? The name struck me like a punch to the gut. I didn’t even know him. I barely knew him. And yet, I was accused of his murder. The crowd's shouts grew louder, but they faded into the background, and all I could hear was the deafening ring of betrayal.

Darius stood beside Selene. His face was emotionless, cold—like a mask of stone. Selene, my cousin, standing by his side, wore that smug, knowing smile. Betrayal twisted like a knife in my chest. It was as if everything had been ripped away in an instant. I had loved Darius—had chased after him for years, despite everything. The promises, the vows we shared when we finally married—it all felt so meaningless now. He had chosen her. He had always chosen her.

Why, Darius? Why am I the one you threw to the wolves? The thought clawed at my insides, burning with an anger that made my chest tight. I had trusted him, had believed in us.

But it was never enough.

And now, as I stood in front of them, accused of something I didn’t do, I finally understood. I was just a pawn in their game.

I never even had the chance to know Lucian. He was nothing to me, and yet they claimed I had killed him. How could they even believe that?

The blade above me glinted in the sunlight, its cold edge promising the end. I closed my eyes, bracing for the final blow. I didn’t kill him, I thought, desperately trying to hold on to some semblance of truth in a world that had turned upside down.

The moment the blade descended, my vision blurred, and everything went dark.

---

I gasped, my body jerking upright. My breath came in ragged gasps as I blinked into the harsh morning light. My fingers trembled as they pressed against the cool, unscarred skin of my wrists. I blinked again, disoriented. The air was thick with a familiar scent—the earthy, comforting smell of the Shadowhound pack.

No. This couldn’t be real.

I looked around, my pulse hammering in my ears. The bed beneath me was too soft, the room too familiar. The walls, the furniture—all of it was the same as the room I had once called mine. It felt like waking from a nightmare only to realize you were still trapped inside it.

Was I... dead?

But how could I be? The memories of my execution, of the cold steel blade about to end my life, were still fresh. My chest tightened as I fought to make sense of it. The past—my past—had been filled with darkness, betrayal, and loss. And now, this.

I couldn’t breathe.

I stumbled out of bed, clutching at my head. What was happening? Was this some cruel joke, some trick? I staggered to the window, pulling the heavy curtains aside to let the light spill in. My heart skipped a beat as I looked at the calendar on the wall—Year 39, Day 11.

It was five years ago. Five.

I blinked. No. This couldn’t be right. I looked at the calendar again, then checked the date on my phone—same thing. This was before everything had gone wrong. Before Darius had turned his back on me. Before I had been sentenced to death.

I had been given another chance. But why? How?

The air in the room felt too still, like everything was waiting for me to figure out what had happened. My breath caught in my throat. Could it be possible? Could this be a second chance?

I shook my head, trying to clear the confusion swirling in my mind. It felt like a dream—a cruel, twisted dream. But no. I wasn’t dead. I was alive. I was here.

Suddenly, a knock on the door pulled me from my thoughts.

“Aria, are you awake?”

The voice was smooth, soothing, deceptively gentle. Darius.

I froze. No. Not now. Not him.

I couldn’t face him right now. Not when my heart was still raw from the past, from the betrayal I had suffered.

The door creaked open, and there he was. Darius, standing in the doorway, a faint smile on his lips. He looked exactly the same—like nothing had changed, like the years hadn’t passed. Like we weren’t both carrying the weight of a broken bond.

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” he said, his voice soft, teasing.

I felt my chest tighten.

I met his eyes, my gaze sharp, my voice colder than I intended. “Maybe I have,” I replied, my words cutting through the silence like a knife.

I was back—before everything went wrong, before Darius and Selene had torn my life apart. But I couldn’t forget what had happened. I couldn’t forget the betrayal, the lies.

And now, I was here, again, in the same place, with the same people, with the same man who had shattered me.

But things would be different this time. I wouldn’t chase after him. Not again. Not when I knew the truth.