Twilight of Betrayal: The Alpha’s Broken Promise

I woke up with a crick in my neck, my back pressed against the cold wooden door. My limbs were stiff, and my mind foggy. "How long have I been sitting here?" I muttered as I fixed my hair.

The sunlight streamed through the small windows, still bright but shifting, hinting that it wasn’t morning anymore. I rubbed my eyes, trying to shake the feeling of disorientation. The hours had blurred together, and I couldn’t remember the last time I felt truly awake.

Another knock echoed through the house, snapping me out of my daze. My heart sank instantly, irritation bubbling up inside me. I clenched my fists, bracing myself for the inevitable confrontation.

“Liam, I told you to get out of my sight!” I shouted, voice still rough from sleeping in. My words were sharp, cutting through the quiet of the house as I scrambled to my feet. It had to be him again. Only he and Leia kept dropping by my house, and Leia never knocked. She always swung the door open as if she lived here.

However, when I yanked the door open, it wasn’t Liam standing there.

It was his Nina.

I stared at her, completely thrown off guard. For a moment, neither of us said anything. My anger didn’t fade, but it twisted into something else, something more complicated. She stood there, looking uncomfortable, wringing her hands together as if she’d been dreading this as much as I had.

“What are you doing here?” I asked, my voice colder than I intended. I couldn’t fully hate her. She was just a bystander in Liam’s disaster, but seeing her here—on my doorstep, looking nervous and guilty—made my blood simmer. Still, I couldn’t bring myself to unleash all my fury on her. Not completely.

Nina cleared her throat, her voice small. “I—I came to talk. About Liam.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Liam? What about him?”

She hesitated, her eyes darting around as if she was searching for the right words. “He’s…he’s been trying to apologize. He regrets what happened. Everything. And he’s been hurting, Astrid. Because you keep rejecting him.”

A bitter laugh escaped my lips before I could stop it. “Hurting?” I repeated, feeling incredulous. “He’s hurting? You’re really here to tell me that after everything he’s done, 'I’m' the one hurting 'him'?”

Nina flinched at my tone but nodded earnestly. “He’s not handling it well. Every time he tries to apologize, you push him away, and it’s tearing him apart. I just thought maybe—”

“No,” I interrupted, shaking my head in disbelief. “You don’t get to do this. You don’t get to come here and make me feel guilty for not accepting his half-hearted apologies. This is 'his' fault. Not mine.”

Her face crumpled, and I could see her eyes watering. “I’m not saying it’s your fault, I just… I just wanted to help.”

“Help?” I scoffed. “Then you should tell your mate to stop knocking on my door. I don’t need his apologies, 'Nina.' I don’t need anything from him.”

The words hit her like a slap. Without another word, she turned and fled, crying. For a moment, I stood there watching her retreating figure, feeling a pang of something close to guilt. But it was fleeting. She shouldn’t have come here.

The next morning, I was summoned to the Alpha’s office. I didn’t think much of it at first, assuming it was something routine, but the moment I walked in, I knew something was off. The Alpha stood behind his desk, arms crossed, with a heavy look on his face. Liam was there, too, standing beside Nina, who was sobbing quietly in his arms. The Elders were present as well, their expressions a mix of confusion and concern.

“Astrid,” the Alpha began, his voice steady but grave. “There’s been an accusation made against you. Yesterday, after Nina came to see you, she claimed you… slapped her.”

My jaw dropped. “What?” I stammered, completely blindsided. “That’s not true! I never laid a hand on her!”

The Alpha’s frown deepened, but his eyes held a hint of doubt. “She came back in tears, and she’s shaken up. I know you're not the type to do something like that, but you’ve been… unstable since Elliot’s passing. It’s not unthinkable that in a moment of grief, you might have done something rash.”

“I didn’t,” I insisted, anger flaring inside me. “I would never.”

Liam was glaring at me, his eyes filled with disbelief and accusation. “How could you? She was trying to help. If you wanted to lash out at someone, you should have come after me, not her.”

I stared at him in utter disbelief. “You really think I’d do that? You, of all people, should know me better than that.”

Liam stepped forward, his eyes burning with frustration. “If you’re that angry at me, then fine, challenge me. Don’t take it out on her!”

A low growl rumbled from my chest, and before I could stop myself, my fangs and claws extended, sharp and ready. I was so done with their baseless accusations, and I wanted to mince that skank who fed them this lie.

"Is this the help you were talking about, two-faced bitch?" I snarled at Nina.

"Watch your mouth, Astrid!" Liam growled back, shielding her behind him.

Tension crackled between us like lightning. I was down for a round two of thrashing him around, but the Alpha's thundering voice humbled us to submission.

"Kneel!"