My Mate Destroyed My Pack for His Mistress

The revelation hit me like a physical blow. Thaddeus hadn't just betrayed me—he had deliberately destroyed my wolf bond with wolfsbane. The mate who was supposed to protect me had poisoned me instead.

I stumbled back to my tiny omega quarters, my legs barely supporting me. The walls seemed to close in as I collapsed onto the threadbare mattress, my body shaking with silent sobs.

"He enjoyed it," I whispered to the empty room, Virginia's words echoing in my mind. "He enjoyed watching me scream."

Something dark and primal stirred within me—not my wolf, who was gone forever, but something deeper. Something that had survived even the destruction of my bond.

Vengeance.

I waited until the pack house fell silent, counting the minutes as guards changed shifts. My hands trembled as I slipped from my room, the silver chains around my torso clinking softly. I'd learned to move with them, to make them part of my silence.

The storage rooms were located in the east wing, where Thaddeus kept his family's belongings. I'd seen him enter the combination countless times when I was still his supposed mate-in-waiting. 04-17-22—Derek's birthday.

The door clicked open under my touch.

Moonlight filtered through dusty windows, illuminating boxes stacked against the walls. I moved carefully, my breath shallow. Derek's belongings were in the back—the youngest King brother who had always been kind to me.

"I'm sorry," I whispered as I lifted a small wooden box carved with his initials. Inside lay a collection of his favorite things—a silver pendant, a leather-bound journal, a vial of his favorite liquor.

My fingers closed around a small crystal figurine—a wolf that he'd shown me once, saying it reminded him of my own. "You have the same fierce eyes," he'd said.

Now I would use his treasures to end his brother's tyranny.

I worked through the night, grinding herbs I'd stolen from the pack healer's supplies with the silver from my chains. The wolfsbane was old but potent—enough to coat the crystal wolf without detection.

"No one will suspect," I murmured as I wrapped the poisoned gift in silk and tied it with a ribbon bearing the King family crest. "Not until it's too late."

---

The pack family gathering was held in the main hall three days later. I stood in the shadows, watching as Thaddeus played the part of the benevolent Alpha, his arm around Virginia's waist.

"Today we celebrate family," he announced, his voice carrying across the room. "The strength of the Shadowfang Pack comes from our bonds—our loyalty to each other."

The irony made bile rise in my throat.

I moved forward with my head bowed, the poisoned gift clutched in my hands. "Alpha," I said, my voice deliberately submissive. "I've made something for you and Luna Virginia to honor your union."

Thaddeus's eyes narrowed with suspicion, but greed won out. He extended his hand.

Before he could take it, Derek appeared beside him. "What's this?" he asked, curiosity bright in his eyes as he reached for the crystal wolf.

"NO!" I lunged forward, but it was too late.

Derek had already lifted the figurine to examine it more closely. His finger brushed against the poisoned surface, then absently touched his lips.

Time seemed to slow.

Derek's smile faltered. He licked his lips, then frowned. "It tastes... bitter."

The color drained from his face as the wolfsbane took effect. He stumbled backward, clutching his throat.

"What have you done?" Thaddeus roared, catching his brother as he collapsed.

I backed away, horror washing over me. "It wasn't supposed to be him—"

Derek's body convulsed in Thaddeus's arms. Foam flecked his lips as he gasped for air that wouldn't come. His eyes found mine, wide with confusion and betrayal.

"Scarlett..." he wheezed before going still.

Chaos erupted. Guards seized me, dragging me to my knees as Thaddeus howled in rage. Through the commotion, I caught Virginia's satisfied smirk.

---

"Bring her to the dungeons," Thaddeus snarled, his face contorted with grief and fury. "She will pay for this."

The guards dragged me down flights of stairs I'd never known existed beneath the pack house. The air grew damp and cold as we descended deeper.

"Strap her up," ordered a rough voice I didn't recognize.

Rogue mercenaries—Thaddeus had brought outsiders to handle his punishment.

They stripped me of my clothes and bound me to a wooden frame, my arms stretched wide. Silver hooks pierced my flesh, sending waves of agony through my body.

"She killed my brother," Thaddeus said, his voice eerily calm as he approached with a heavy whip. The leather was black with age and stained dark brown at the tips. "She will understand what true pain is."

The first lash came without warning. Wolfsbane soaked into my wounds, burning like acid in my veins.

"Please," I gasped as he raised the whip again.

"Please what?" he whispered, leaning close. "Please stop? Or please kill you?"

His smile was terrible to behold.

"Both," he said, and brought the whip down again.