Chapter 4 BETRAYED & HUMILIATED

Lyra's POV

I ran out of the Alpha's chambers in tears, hurt, and frustration. This was the third time I had tried to visit him since our last encounter on the full moon night and yet again, his guards had refused to let me in. I was being treated like a slave once again... like I had no right to see the man who was my fated mate.

Everything I feared was slowly becoming a reality...

He promised to have everyone who treats me like a slave, face his wrath but then how can they be punished when he remained the orchestrator and backbone of these defaulters?

He promised to love me unconditionally but the only time I had felt that love was on the night we shared.

I wiped my tears away, deciding to put the moment behind me as I was met with a surprise while emerging from the Alpha's chambers. A ceremony, again, was about to take place and the entire pack members were gathered around the clearing. My interest piqued instantly as I wondered what was happening.

And then I saw him, Alpha Colin, walking towards the center of the clearing with a confident stride.

That was when it hit me– this was the ceremony where the alpha would choose his mate and Luna. The choosing ceremony.

I felt hurt and betrayed as I recall it was history repeating itself. Why hadn't he told me about this? Didn't he think I had the right to know?

I looked down at myself, realizing I wasn't properly dressed for the occasion. My clothes were ragged and worn, and I knew I would stick out like a sore thumb among the pack's finest, Kaida. But I brushed it off, telling myself that it wasn't my fault that they hadn't given me the news.

I stuck around, with my hopes high, ready to take on the position of the Luna of Ember Pack as well as have my status changed from being a slave omega to the alpha's Luna.

"Distinguished she-wolves, It is of great pleasure to see you all gathered in your best fits today to take part in the alpha's choosing ceremony," the speaker said enthusiastically. "Now, let us welcome Alpha Colin Dregmor to the stage where he would carefully choose his mate and Luna,"

The crowd cooed and chanted the alpha's hailing song as he made his way to the female werewolves who had already sampled themselves for him. He ran his gaze through all of them, putting his hand in the air to have them dismissed.

I smiled at the scene which had just unfolded before me, getting ready to be acknowledged and invited to the clearing. I mean, if he dismissed every one of them, it meant that he had someone in mind which was me right? But then, my heart sank.

Alpha Colin walked up to my cousin, Kaida, who was seated in a corner, dressed in the most attractive dress I had ever seen. He took her hand and smiled at her.

"I, Alpha Colin Dregmor, choose you, Kaida, as my mate and Luna," he declared.

A sharp air escaped my lungs instantly. I was dumbfounded. My breathing came in short and I felt like I had been punched in the gut.

How could he do this to me? Hadn't I accepted him as my mate? Was this the love he promised me? He had betrayed me and played me for a fool. How could I not have seen that this was his plan from the onset? All he was after was to have a taste of me and now that he did.. He had tossed me away without a second thought...

"No!" I shouted, running towards the clearing. "You can't choose her!' I gestured at Kaida who was smirking at me. "You are supposed to choose me!"

Alpha Colin turned to face me with a sneer on his face. "Oh, Lyra," he said with contempt. "You really are naive, aren't you?"

I stopped in my tracks, my chest thumping heavily as I let the tears grow in my eyes to fall. "What do you mean?" I demanded

He chuckled. "Everything I said to you was a lie, Lyra. I never loved you. I never intended to choose you as my Luna,"

"Why?' I whispered in tears, unable to control my emotions

Alpha Colin shrugged. "You are a wolf-less omega, a slave, and a daughter of traitors. You are not worthy of being my Luna. I'm sure the moon goddess made a mistake mating me with you,"

I was shocked. He knew we were fated mates all along but didn't say a word about it. He knew so well and used the situation to his advantage...

"You are a monster, Colin," I spat angrily and in tears

He chuckled evilly. "I need someone with power, with status. And Kaida here has both. Don't beat yourself up much, Lyra. I enjoyed the moment," he mocked. "I'm a pragmatist and I won't let sentiment get in the way of what's best for the pack,"

He turned to the guards. "Take her away," he ordered. "She's no longer welcome here,"

Just as the guards grabbed my arms, ready to take me away. I suddenly felt adrenaline coursing through my veins. I had never felt this way before. Something inside me snapped and I felt my body began to shift, with my limbs shortening and my senses heightening. My skin itched as fur sprouted, I fell to the ground, my body gradually forming into something I could not comprehend.

The excruciating pain I felt from it was out of the world. I looked up to see the shocked faces of the pack members and Alpha Colin's jaw dropped in disbelief. I had shifted into a beautiful white wolf, my fur glistening in the sunlight.

Without hesitation, I took off, running as fast as I could.

And then the only thing I heard was Alpha Colin's voice. "Bring her back!" he shouted. "She's a threat to pack!"