Tempted by the Beta

Zacharias Goldman's second-in-command was a young and beautiful Beta. His friends, thinking he had never done anything to the Beta, often laughed at his incompetence.

"She's a cute female. Are you sure you can hold it back?"

Zacharias leaned into the back of the couch lazily. His voice was oozing with nonchalance. "I can't. She's… delicious."

That shocked the crowd. Mikhail Crosswing, his best friend, whistled. "And I thought you were loyal to the end. Loyal to Lucilla. She's going to raise hell if she finds out."

Zacharias chortled. "Ah, yes, she can be a headache when she does that. That's why you boys need to cover for me. The bonding ceremony is in three days. I don't want anything to go wrong."

The boys cackled and promised they would keep their mouths sealed.

I was standing right outside the door. I heard everything, but all I did was leave in silence. The mate ring was still in my hand, but the bonding ceremony was not going to happen.

The Mistress

On my way back, every single pack member who saw me had nothing but envy for my 'luck'. I could hear them talking about me nonstop.

"That's the luckiest she-wolf in Dawn Pack. The heir to the Alpha throne has wanted her ever since five years ago."

"Yeah, and now he's marrying her right after he takes the top spot. Their bonding ceremony is going to be the biggest event of the pack!"

The old me would've felt wrapped in bliss if she had heard the praises. Now they were nothing but mockery to my ears.

Five years ago, Zacharias, then heir to the throne, confessed to me during the coming-of-age ceremony.

"My wolf can't contain his excitement since he saw you. Your scent is… intoxicating. Will you accept my hand, my dear lady?"

Then we dated for five years. He loved me, spoiled me, and remembered every single detail about me. What I liked, what I didn't, and more.

Every year, he would throw a lavish party just for my birthday. All the females in the pack were jealous of me. They called me the luckiest she-wolf around. The old me shared their sentiment.

And then the man who claimed he loved me with all his heart cheated on me. His words kept ringing in my mind. They were breaking me down, pushing me deeper into the darkness.

My legs took me back to the villa, though I had no idea how. The first thing I felt was something tripping me. When I saw the thing lying on the ground, I gasped. "My moonveil! I picked this out myself! What's it doing down here?"

I spent six months collecting moonveil. It was rare. I even hired a seamstress to make it into a curtain, but now it was lying on the ground like common trash.

The sight hurt my heart. I was going to ask the butler what was going on, but then a beautiful woman came out of the kitchen holding a cleaning cloth.

Her hair was maroon and curled up. Her eyes were a shade of light blue that could suck anyone's attention. She folded the cloth up and gave me a glance. When she spoke, she was haughty.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Windsor. The Alpha's been losing sleep these past few days. I changed the curtains out for something that could block the sunlight better. I just want him to sleep better. And also, the room's a bit too messy for my liking, so I tidied it up."

I stared at the woman. She was Zacharias' Beta, Yvonne Wood. She helped Zacharias handle the whole territory. I seldom saw her. To be honest, this was technically our first meeting.

The villa was not the one I remembered. All the adorable decors I got from the werewolf bazaar were stuffed in a cabinet unceremoniously. They were replaced with the emblem of the pack.

The photos of me and Zacharias that were supposed to be hanging from the walls were replaced with expensive paintings.

This used to be a warm home, but now it was cold and uninviting. This woman erased all traces of me.

She saw the look on my face, and a mocking smile curled her lips. "The Alpha's territory is supposed to be sacred and solemn. You're but a noble who knows nothing about decorum. Perhaps you should leave this to the professionals."

The humiliation made me scarlet, but I could not even say a word.

Then Zacharias hurried into the scene. "What are you doing here, Yvonne?" I could hear the panic rolling off his voice.

Yvonne nodded at Zacharias and started telling him about her work progress. She was professional. "I changed your curtains to something that can keep the sunlight out better, but Ms. Windsor isn't too thrilled about it."

Coolly, Zacharias dismissed her. "This villa belongs to me and Lucilla. Never come here again. She calls the shots in this house."

Yvonne bit her lip. She was staring at Zacharias with tearful eyes. A frown creased his forehead.

With a colder voice, Zacharias said, "Leave. Do not make me repeat myself."

I thought this whole show was ironic. If I hadn't overheard that conversation, they might've fooled me. Five years. Five years I spent thinking I was in passionate love. In the end, it was but a den of lies.