Someone who had taken her place long before she even knew it. The room spun around her, the voices of her family nothing but distant echoes. Betrayal cut into her deeper than any blade could. Her whole world had collapsed. he pain coursing through Elaine’s chest was unbearable-raw, searing, a torment she would not wish upon even her worst enemy. It hollowed her out from the inside, leaving her gasping, as though every breath might shatter her further. Her eyes, glossy with unshed tears, clung desperately to Michael’s face, silently pleading with him to take it back, to change his mind, to see her as she truly was-his fated mate, chosen by the Goddess herself. But the hardness in his eyes told her everything. His decision was made, resolute and cruel.
He had chosen Kathy, her own sister. Elaine’s voice broke as she turned to her family, her last thread of hope dangling by a fragile thread. “How about you?” she asked, her gaze moving from her father to her mother, searching, begging. “Do you agree to this?”
Her father’s shoulders sagged under the weight of her gaze. His tone was steady, but his words cut deeper than any blade. “We have to think of the pack, Elaine. Not just our family, but all of the wolves who depend on us. This… is bigger than us.” Her mother’s eyes brimmed with sorrow, but her words struck like a hammer. “Your sister is pregnant, Elaine. There is a baby to think of as well.” Elaine’s heart clenched so tightly she thought it might stop altogether.
She turned to Kathy, desperate for her sister to deny it, to cling to sisterhood, to stand with her. But Kathy’s eyes were shimmering pools of regret. “I am so sorry this happened, sister,” Kathy whispered, her voice trembling. “I love you. I didn’t know Michael was your mate.
If it weren’t for my pup, I would step aside… I truly would. But I can’t-not now.” Each word was another knife driven deep into Elaine’s chest. The betrayal was unbearable.
Her family-the ones who were supposed to protect her, to shield her from pain were now the very ones destroying her. And the worst part? They spoke as if their cruelty was duty, as if sacrificing her happiness was noble. Something inside Elaine hardened. She felt her heart begin to freeze, as though her soul itself was retreating behind icy walls.
She realized then, with bone-deep certainty, that she could never look at them the same way again. They weren’t her family anymore. They were the Beta family, loyal to the pack above all else. The Alpha couple were just that-the Alpha and Luna, leaders, not protectors. And Michael… he was no longer her mate. He was simply the future Alpha, nothing more. Drawing in a shaky, deliberate breath, Elaine forced herself to stillness. She would not let them see her pain. They did not deserve it.
None of them deserved her tears, her love, or her trust. “So,” she said at last, her voice calm, almost detached, “what do you propose, Alpha?” The entire room fell into a stunned silence. No shouting, no tears, no desperate begging, just an icy calmness none of them had ever heard from Elaine. It unsettled them deeply, because Elaine had never been cold.
She had always been warmth and light, the spark that lifted others. Now, that spark was gone, buried beneath her broken heart. Alpha Efrein cleared his throat, his expression grim. “Michael and Kathy will have their mating ceremony next month,” he said slowly. “The pack already knows you are Michael’s fated mate.
We need you to be present, Elaine. We need you to show support for their union. The pack must remain united.” Elaine’s heart cracked again, each word another fracture. Not only did they want her to sacrifice her mate, her Goddess-given destiny-they wanted her to stand beside them, smiling, pretending to celebrate.
They wanted her humiliation to become her duty. “So,” she said softly, but with sharpness in her tone, “you want me to give up my mate, my Goddess-given mate… and be thankful for it?” “That is not what I said!” Alpha Efrein shot back, frustration flickering in his eyes.
“It doesn’t matter,” Elaine replied, her voice sharp and unyielding now. “You can do whatever you want. I don’t matter in this pack anyway.” “Don’t say that, sister,” Kathy pleaded, tears spilling freely down her cheeks. “That isn’t true.”
Elaine laughed bitterly, a hollow sound that chilled the room. “Sister, please,” Kathy tried again, stepping forward. “We love you. We know you’re hurting, but we all must do what is right for the pack. I never wanted to be the cause of your pain.
I never wanted this, Elaine. But please, please understand.” She reached out, trying to hold Elaine’s hand, her voice breaking as she whispered, “Please.” But Elaine recoiled, jerking her hand away as though her sister’s touch was fire. The very sister she had once idolized, cherished, loved beyond measure-was now the source of her deepest agony.
And Elaine could not bear it. Her voice was steady, final. “I need to think. I need to be away from all of you.” She turned on her heel, ignoring the chorus of voices calling her name, the desperate cries of her family trying to reach her.
Their words, their apologies, their pleas. None of it mattered anymore. She shut them out, sealed her heart, and with one final act of defiance, she slammed the door to her mind. The moment they tried to reach her through the mind-link, she blocked them all. For the first time in her life, Elaine was truly alone.
Elaine ran-ran as though the very air around her was suffocating, as though the walls of her world were caving in. She didn’t care where her feet carried her. She only knew she had to escape. Away from their voices, away from their justifications, away from the betrayal that had shattered everything she believed in. Her lungs burned, her chest heaved, but she didn’t stop until the familiar sound of rushing water reached her ears.
Her sanctuary. The waterfall stood tall and untamed near the border of the territory, its steady roar drowning out the noise of the world. It was her safe place, the one corner of the packlands where no one followed, no one demanded, no one judged. She stumbled toward it, her knees finally giving out beneath her as she collapsed onto the damp earth. Her hands dug into the soil, her body shaking violently, and at last, she let it out.
A raw, broken scream tore from her throat, echoing across the rocks and mingling with the thunder of the falls. She screamed again, louder, until her voice cracked, until it felt like the sound itself might rip her apart. Tears she had held back in that suffocating room now poured freely, unstoppable, spilling down her cheeks as relentlessly as the waterfall before her. The rushing water became the only witness to her pain, its endless cascade mirroring the endless ache in her heart. She wept for everything she had lost.
She wept for her family. The bond that had always defined her, the protectiveness of her father who once promised to keep her safe, the warmth of her mother who used to be her comfort, and the unconditional love of her sister who had always been her best friend. That bond was gone, severed cleanly and without mercy. What remained was only betrayal, duty spoken in cold voices, and the realization that her family had chosen the pack over her. She wept for Michael-her mate.
The man who was supposed to be her forever, her partner, her other half given by the Goddess herself. She wept for the stolen future she had once dared to dream of: the companionship, the partnership, the nights of laughter, and the pups she imagined they would raise together. All of it, ripped away before it could even begin. Her wolf howled inside her, keening with agony, mourning their mate in a voice that resonated deep into her bones. The sound was so piercing it nearly brought Elaine to her knees all over again.
‘He did not abandon us,’ her wolf whispered desperately. ‘His wolf still wants us. It was Michael who chose this, not his wolf.’ But the words brought no comfort. They only deepened the wound.
If it was Michael, the man, the leader, who made the choice, then it meant he had looked at her and decided she was not enough. Not even worth fighting for. She remembered last night. The fire in his eyes when they had discovered they were mates, the heat of his touch, the way their bodies had fit together like they were meant to. For a moment, she had believed in it, in them.
But now she understood the truth. That was why he had not marked her. That was why he had held back, why something had felt restrained even in their passion. He had already chosen Kathy. He had already decided to betray her.
A sob shook her shoulders. He hadn’t just rejected her. He had used her. Used her body, her heart, her trust, knowing full well he had no intention of staying. She had given him everything, and still it wasn’t enough.
And worst of all, everyone in that room had agreed. Her father. Her mother. Her sister. The Alpha.
The Luna. All of them had stood by silently, justifying it, as though her pain was a fair price for the sake of the pack. Her chest heaved, her breath coming in shallow, uneven gasps. She curled forward, clutching her stomach as though she could physically hold herself together, as though her body might unravel completely if she let go. But slowly-so slowly-the tears began to dry.
The waterfall still roared, steady and indifferent, as if reminding her that the world would not stop for her pain. The night deepened around her, stars beginning to glimmer faintly above the trees. She forced herself to sit straighter, though her body still trembled. She could not stay here, drowning in grief. If she remained in the pack house, surrounded by their lies and betrayal, she would wither.
She would break beyond repair. No, she needed a plan. Her mind began to turn, shaky at first, but with growing determination. She could not live another day under the same roof as the Beta family. Every glance, every whispered word would suffocate her further.
She could not watch Michael parade around with her sister, pretending nothing had happened. She would not survive it. But she could not leave the pack entirely. Not yet. Not until after the mating ceremony.
They would force her to attend. She knew it, and if she vanished before, they would hunt her down. But afterward… afterward she could leave, and she would never return. There was no one here worth staying for anymore.
Her mind drifted to a place she had once heard about, a half-forgotten structure at the far edge of the border. A house where wolves awaiting punishment used to be kept, abandoned now, its walls left to the wild. No one went there anymore. That was where she would go. A month.
That was all she had to endure. A month hidden away, alone, far from the eyes of those who betrayed her. There, she wouldn’t have to plaster a smile, wouldn’t have to choke down her grief. She could be herself. Broken.
Angry. Free. The only time she would need to pretend was when the Alpha summoned her presence. She would make those appearances minimal, bear them in silence, and then vanish again. But that would require preparation.
She would have to resign her position as the Beta’s secretary. The thought stung. It was the only role that had once made her feel useful, important. But she could no longer serve them, not after what they had done. Hours slipped by as she sat at her sanctuary, the waterfall’s endless rhythm anchoring her as she pieced together the fragments of her plan.
Only when the moon stood high and the night was thick around her did she notice how much time had passed. The world was quiet now, save for the water and the faint whisper of wind in the trees. Through the bond, she felt the faint pressure of her family’s voices. Beta Richard, her mother Lucille, even Kathy, all trying to reach her, asking if she was safe. But her mind was locked down, sealed.
She would not let them in. Not tonight. Tonight was for mourning. Tonight was for her grief. Tomorrow… tomorrow she would be stronger.
The following morning, as dawn stretched its pale light over the pack lands, Elaine made her way slowly back toward the pack house. Every step felt heavier than the last, as though the earth itself tried to keep her from returning to the very people who had betrayed her. Her mind, however, was firm and clear. She had made her decision. Through the mind link, she reached out to the Alpha, Luna, the Beta family, and Michael.
Her voice was steady, calm, but carried a weight that made them all pause. “I am ready to talk to all of you. We can meet at the Alpha’s office.” Almost immediately, replies echoed back. “We will be there,” came the unified response.
As Elaine walked closer to the pack house, she began to notice the whispers. At first faint, like a breeze, but then sharper, cutting at her with every word. “Rejected mate…” “Unqualified to be the Luna…” “To think I congratulated her… she is not even worthy…” Each word dug into her chest like claws. She lifted her head, trying to meet the eyes of her packmates, but what she saw made her stomach twist. Judgment. Disdain.
Pity. As if every pair of eyes said the same thing without speaking: She is not enough. She will never be enough. Elaine’s throat burned, her chest tightening, but she refused to let the tears fall. Why? she asked herself again and again. What did I do to deserve this? She had given her life to this pack. Her time, her strength, her love. She had been a good daughter, a good sister, always stepping in to help when others needed her.
She had been reliable, loyal, and selfless. And yet… here she was, abandoned, cast aside as though she meant nothing. The betrayal burned hotter than any flame. She thought she knew pain before.
But this, this hollowing rejection from the people she trusted most, carved deeper than any wound could. By the time she reached the Alpha’s office, her resolve had hardened. She paused for a moment outside the heavy wooden door. Just yesterday, she had knocked on it with hope in her heart, hope for a future beside her fated mate, hope for the acceptance and love of her family. But today?
Today, she carried nothing but the weight of betrayal and the ice that now shielded her heart. She raised her hand and knocked. “Come in,” Alpha Efrein’s voice called from inside. Elaine pushed open the door. All of them were there.
The Alpha and Luna are seated in authority, the Beta and his wife are standing nearby, their daughter is beside Michael, her so-called replacement as the future Luna. Michael himself, the man who was supposed to have been her mate, stood with his arms crossed, avoiding her eyes. Elaine’s steps were calm, measured. Her face betrayed nothing, her voice controlled as she spoke. “Alpha, I came here to discuss what you said yesterday.
About me staying and supporting the mating ceremony of the future Alpha and Luna of this pack.” Her tone was detached, as though she were speaking of someone else’s fate, a report she had no personal ties to. “Elaine?” Her mother’s voice broke through, soft and trembling. Lucille’s eyes shone with concern.
This… this was not her daughter. The warmth, the joy, the life that always radiated from Elaine was gone. What stood before her was a stranger-cold, distant, hollow. Elaine caught the look of concern from each face in the room.
But she didn’t waver. Their concern no longer reached her. It was too late. “Please,” she said firmly, her words sharp as a blade. “Stop pretending.
Stop with your false concern and your empty care. I am here to discuss your precious pack unity, not my feelings.” Her sister stepped forward, her voice pleading. “Sister, how can you say that? How can you speak to Mom like that?
We love you. You know we love you. How can you think that our love is fake?” Elaine’s lips curved into the faintest, bitter smile. She met her sister’s eyes, but her words were colder than ice.
“I just spoke the truth, future Luna.” The title cut like a knife. She did not call her sister or by her name, nor by the bond of family. No. Those ties had been severed in Elaine’s heart.
To call them by name meant they were still hers, that she still belonged. But she did not belong here-not anymore. Her sister flinched, her face twisting with pain at the distance in Elaine’s words. Michael finally spoke, stepping closer, his jaw tight. “Elaine, stop this.
I know you’re hurting, but you cannot use that pain as an excuse to wound others.” Elaine turned her gaze on him, her expression unreadable. “I only speak the truth, future Alpha.” The room fell into stunned silence. They all stared at her, unable to comprehend the change.
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