Chapter 4 Betrayal and a broken heart

"Ashley!" She screamed again covering her mouth in shock.

Ashley was walking behind Jackson and the other girl, who looked unfamiliar. She should probably be Ella.

The last time she saw Ashley was at the house.

"How come she was here?" she asked herself, looking at Ashley. Ashley delivered a cold stare and acted like she didn't see her.

"Jackson" Rosetta called out, walking towards him and hugging him.

He disentangled from the hug and pushed her away immediately.

"Jackson, it's me, Rosetta," she said, surprised by his actions.

"And I have two functioning eyes to see that it's your sorry self that's standing in front of me." "What do you want?" He spat in disgust.

Rosetta recollected herself, comforting herself once again that he was just in one of his angry fits. Although, she didn't still understand what Ashley and the other girl were doing by his side.

"The moon goddess has blessed us" Rosetta squealed in delight.

"What?"

"We're mates now." "Don't you feel the bond?" Rosetta asked, somewhat confused at Jackson's behavior.

"Mates?"

"Yes" she replied, her wolf still aching to touch Jackson.

"He's our mate, why is that other girl so close to him? It's us that should be there, not her" her wolf snapped within her.

"If you've passed your information, then excuse us. I have a proposal to continue." Jackson replied nonchalantly.

"Proposal, what?!" Rosetta asked her mouth wide open in disbelief.

She was still trying to register everything that was happening, when Jackson pulled Ella closer to himself and kissed her.

The entire audience elicited an applause. She felt embarrassed and wished the ground could open up and swallow her.

Her eyes looked at Ashley deeply, seeking an explanation to what was happening.

"Ashley what is happening?" She asked, almost breaking down in tears.

"You can see it for yourself" Ashley scoffed at her with no hint of emotion.

"Ashley, what do you mean? I'm getting confused here. What's happening here?" Rosetta panicked, unable to fully understand what was happening.

"Since your dull brain can't register, as you can see Jackson is getting married to my distant cousin who just came back recently. Today is their proposal ceremony and the wedding should commence later" Ashley snapped at her.

"When? why? how?.." She had a lot of questions to ask but she didn't know how to start.

"Your cousin, she's getting married to my mate" Rosetta screamed. "Ashley, why are you doing this to me? I thought we were friends."

"It's not my fault" she responded nonchalantly. "My distant cousin that you see here is the best person for Jackson."

Rosetta couldn't seem to put the pieces together. She stood in one spot like one that had been struck by lightning, then realization hit her. She had been betrayed by the one person who she thought was her best friend.

Today that the moon goddess had decided to bless her with her heart desire, which she thought was going to be the best day of her life. She was oblivious of the fact that it will actually be worse than the days in prison.

"Why would you do a thing like this? I trusted you." She asked, her eyes welling up with tears.

"You just have to let go, he's better off without someone like you"

"You don't mean it. Tell me that all this is a joke. It's a prank right?" Rosetta still refused to believe the event unfolding before her eyes.

During the times she was in prison, Ashley had always come to visit her and stood by her side. "Why is she behaving like she doesn't know me now?" Rosetta asked herself.

While at prison, she had sensed that something was off. Owing to the fact that Jackson didn't drop by to see her for months. She had comforted herself during that period, but right now all comfort was drained from her.

"Ahhhhh" she screamed, her eyes red and welled with tears.

"This can't happen, I won't let this happen. Jackson is mine." she screamed at the top of her voice.

Walking towards Jackson and his soon to be bride, she pushed Ella away from Jackson's side causing her to fall on the ground, then held Jackson's hand pleadingly.

"Please tell me this isn't true. You still love me, don't you? We are mates, you're feeling the bond right? You still love m..."

Her words were completed with a dirty slap from Jackson. She held her hurting cheek with her palm, her face covered with beads of sweat and fresh tears flowed down her face.

"How dare you push my Luna on the ground" he shouted at Rosetta and helped Ella up from the ground.

"I'm wounded" Ella sobbed as she started crying.

"You wounded her," Jackson thundered, striking her on the cheek once more.

"Why are you causing a scene here , wasn't jail enough to tame your bad character?" he bellowed.

"What are you even saying, I went to jail for your sake." Rosetta said, her voice cracking amidst tears.

"Looks like you've gone mad. How dare you come here, trying to scatter my ceremony and still bear false news. You truly are a danger to the entire pack."

"But I took the blame for you" Rosetta replied shocked.

"Everyone, are you hearing this delusional girl" he said addressing the crowd and they all erupted in laughter.

Rosetta had never felt so humiliated in her life.

"I'm going to tell everyone the truth then" she stammered, tears cluttering her announcement.

She loved Jackson and even in jail, she never wanted to do anything that would implicate him. But this time around, the line had been crossed. If telling everyone will bring him back to his senses to accept her as his mate. Then she would do it.

"You're the one that killed Lilian that day"

Jackson released a very loud laughter.

"Looks like what you needed was an asylum not a prison" he said.

"Prison has made you run mad"

"How dare you lie against the alpha, you will be punished," Alexander, who was Jackson's beta, shouted at Rosetta.

"I'm not lying, it's the truth. Tell everyone the truth, Jackson. You killed her that day."

"Let me take care of this, Sir," Alexander said to Jackson.

Jackson raised his hand signaling him that he would take care of it by himself.

"Rosetta Sanders" he bellowed.

"Since you have decided to cause more trouble upon getting out of jail and you even had the guts to lay a grave accusation on the alpha. I would have preferred to cast you out of the pack for being a problem to us but I'll go easier on you."

The hall was in a state of silence and everyone stood alert to hear the verdict to be passed on her.

He cleared his throat and continued, "I stand with my alpha authority and I hereby demote your status to that of an omega" he finished his statement leaving her broken.

She felt everything inside her shatter. She felt her wolf curl up in a corner dejectedly. This was too much for her to take. He hadn't recited the usual rejection mantra, but she knew he had rejected her.

Under the shining gleam of the full moon, she had lost three things today, her best friend, her status and the love which she had sacrificed so much for.