The Alpha’s Temporary Mark

The massive screen behind the stage was playing a loop of my most intimate moments.

My unrestrained cries beneath Kade, images of me pinned to the bed, moaning helplessly.

It was so clear that even the marks Kade had left on my collarbone were visible to all.

In an instant, the blood in my veins turned to ice.

My limbs went numb and cold.

I wanted to rush over and smash the crystal, but my legs were as weak as if they were bound by silver, pinning me to the spot.

Whispers spread through the hall, and some people started pointing.

"I can't believe it... So that was Anya."

"How shameless..."

Every word was a knife stabbing into my heart.

I bit my lip hard, until the taste of blood filled my mouth, just to regain a sliver of my senses.

I managed two shaky steps forward before the humiliating sounds were abruptly cut short.

I looked up. Through my blurred vision, I saw the memory crystal being crushed into dust by a pair of long, slender hands.

Kade emerged from the crowd, his golden wolf eyes burning with rage.

The immense pressure of his Alpha authority instantly swept through the hall, suffocating the wolves present until they could barely breathe.

"Anyone who dares to look again will have me to answer to. I will gouge your eyes out myself."

He looked at me, and for a fleeting moment, I saw a trace of pity in his eyes.

It made sense.

In werewolf society, for a Beta she-wolf to be humiliated like this was basically a social death sentence.

I stood up, trembling, and walked towards the door amidst the scornful gazes of the crowd.

"Anya..." Kade started to follow.

I didn't look back. I stumbled back to my barracks and burrowed under the covers.

It was a grand banquet. The power of the Moon Goddess should have made every wolf feel warm, but I was shivering with cold.

My wolf was howling inside me, the pain of humiliation and betrayal nearly tearing it apart.

Only when I had cried all my tears did I come to my senses.

I took out my communication crystal and activated the emergency channel to the elders.

"I wish to file a formal complaint with the council. I accuse the person who leaked these private memories."

After sending the message, I shut off the crystal and fell onto the bed, drifting into a heavy, troubled sleep.

I didn't realize it was already after moonset until an angry pounding on my door woke me.

My head was spinning as I went to open it. The door had barely cracked open when it was violently shoved from the outside.

A sharp slap landed across my face.

"Are you trying to ruin your sister completely?!"

"What do you think you're doing?!" my mother shrieked. "Withdraw the complaint! Withdraw it now!"

A stinging pain spread across my right cheek. I covered my face and looked at her, my voice as cold as a frozen river.

"She was the one who defamed me and trampled my honor as a warrior first."

"You have no shame! Spreading your legs for the Alpha, doing those disgusting things, and now you want to drag your sister down with you?"

Hearing this, I suddenly let out a short, harsh laugh.

"I see nothing wrong with what happens between two marked mates. What is truly despicable is the theft and public broadcast of those memories with the intent to harm."

"Second, I do not have such a vile and shameless sister."

"And third, I will not withdraw the complaint."

Seeing my defiance, my mother's body trembled with rage.

"I once thought of bringing you back to the family to groom you into a fine Luna. Now I see you're just like your lowly Beta father, completely classless!"

"I suppose I shouldn't have expected any class to come from such inferior blood..."

"Shut up!" My wolf was thoroughly provoked. "I will not allow anyone to insult my father."

"He is a veteran who bled for this pack. He is a thousand times nobler than a hypocrite like you could ever hope to be."

"Now, please leave. Before this gets any uglier."

I slammed the door shut.

From outside, I could hear my mother's curses, along with the whispers of other warriors.

"I heard Anya got her elite warrior status by sleeping with the Alpha. Is that true?"

"Her sex tapes with the Alpha were playing for everyone to see. How could it be fake? Even though it was shut down fast, I heard a lot of wolves in the room saved it to their own memory crystals."

"The whole Pack Alliance is talking about it. They're saying Anya's just a slut who seduces Alphas, passed around by all sorts of wolves."

"No wonder the Alpha never made their relationship public. Who would want someone like that as their Luna..."

I leaned my back against the door, my body sliding to the floor.

The communication crystal flashed an insistent red light, but I ignored it.

I didn't turn on the lights, letting myself sink into the darkness.

My wolf howled in agony. The pain of a mate's betrayal was more lethal than any physical wound.

Until a forced message came through the crystal.

"Answer the link, or I'm coming up. Your choice."

Immediately after, a familiar and dominant Alpha's intent forcibly linked with my mental barriers.

It was Kade's channel.