The Alpha's Betrayed Mate.
img img The Alpha's Betrayed Mate. img Chapter 5 The Luna He Threw Away
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Chapter 6 The Alpha's Claim img
Chapter 7 Run, Omega img
Chapter 8 Freedom or Fear img
Chapter 9 What the Moon Decided img
Chapter 10 Denial img
Chapter 11 Whispers And Wounds img
Chapter 12 Secrets Beneath The Skin img
Chapter 13 Blood Moon Heat img
Chapter 14 The Rogue's Eyes img
Chapter 15 The Past That Hunts img
Chapter 16 Instincts and Chains img
Chapter 17 Tamed Fire img
Chapter 18 The Warning img
Chapter 19 The Night Hunt img
Chapter 20 The Blood Oath img
Chapter 21 The Storm Within img
Chapter 22 The Rescue img
Chapter 23 Bound by Blood img
Chapter 24 Fire and Silver img
Chapter 25 After the Fire img
Chapter 26 Scars img
Chapter 27 The Goodbye img
Chapter 28 The Pull img
Chapter 29 Whispers in the Dark img
Chapter 30 Truth in the Firelight img
Chapter 31 Ashes and Confessions img
Chapter 32 The Unseen War img
Chapter 33 The Fire That Changed Everything img
Chapter 34 What's Left Behind img
Chapter 35 Shattered img
Chapter 36 Shadows of Guilt img
Chapter 37 The Alpha's Choice img
Chapter 38 Shadows img
Chapter 39 The Moon's Warning img
Chapter 40 The Mark of the Enemy img
Chapter 41 Blood on the Border img
Chapter 42 Broken Sanctuary img
Chapter 43 THE PRISONER'S MOON img
Chapter 44 BLOOD IN THE SNOW img
Chapter 45 Broken Oaths img
Chapter 46 THE LUNA AWAKENS img
Chapter 47 THE EVE OF WAR img
Chapter 48 FIRE AND SILVER img
Chapter 49 ALPHA VS. ALPHA img
Chapter 50 The Heartbeat Fades img
Chapter 51 The Fall of RedMoon img
Chapter 52 The Heartbeat Fades img
Chapter 53 A New Roar img
Chapter 54 A FRAGILE PEACE img
Chapter 55 The Silent Road img
Chapter 56 Secrets of the Moon img
Chapter 57 The Luna Bloodline img
Chapter 58 The Alpha's Prayer img
Chapter 59 New Life img
Chapter 60 The Return img
Chapter 61 The Luna's Rise img
Chapter 62 The Goddess' Mark img
Chapter 63 THE TRIAL OF HEARTS img
Chapter 64 THE LUNA'S VISION img
Chapter 65 THE ALPHA'S FEAR img
Chapter 66 The Whispering Shadows img
Chapter 67 Echoes of the Dead img
Chapter 68 BLOOD AND PROPHECY img
Chapter 69 The Gathering Storm img
Chapter 70 TAKEN BY THE MOON img
Chapter 71 The Hollow Alpha img
Chapter 72 The Goddess's Game img
Chapter 73 The Moon's Bargain img
Chapter 74 The Silence Between Souls img
Chapter 75 A World Without Him img
Chapter 76 The Lost Alpha img
Chapter 77 Rebound of Fate img
Chapter 78 The New War img
Chapter 79 The Shadow of Zac img
Chapter 80 Spirits of the Past img
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Chapter 5 The Luna He Threw Away

Aria's POV.

The voices from the ceremony were still ringing in my head, blending with the steady pounding of my heartbeat. Every step I took down the corridor felt heavy, like my feet were made of stone. The noise of the pack celebrating Zac's choice for Luna echoed far behind me, but it clung to me all the same, like sharp claws digging into my back.

Vanessa's laughter lingered most of all. That smug, triumphant sound. She had won. At least, that's how it looked to everyone in the hall.

I didn't understand. I couldn't. Just a week ago, Zac's hands had been on me, his lips whispering promises only I could hear. His voice had been soft then, his touch gentle. We were in love, we had plans. Tonight was supposed to be the night everything changed for us. For me.

And it did. Just not the way I thought.

I found him standing in the torch-lit hallway, his back against the stone wall, his posture relaxed as if nothing had happened. My chest tightened so hard it hurt. How could he look so calm after destroying me in front of everyone?

"Zac," I whispered first, my voice breaking even though I wanted it to come out strong.

His eyes slid toward me, sharp and cold, like I was nothing but an interruption.

I swallowed, clutching the front of my dress to stop my hands from shaking.

"What just happened out there?" My words tumbled out too fast, too desperate. "You..you were supposed to pick me. We talked about this. You told me I was your Luna, that tonight..."

"Stop." His voice cut through mine like a blade.

I flinched, but I forced myself to keep going, tears pricking my eyes. "Tell me what this is, Zac. Tell me why you said her name instead of mine. Please I need..."

He pushed off the wall slowly, towering over me now, and the small smile curling his lips made my stomach twist. It wasn't kind. It wasn't loving. It was smug and it was cruel.

"What happened, Aria," he said with a sharpness that made my knees weak, "is that I chose what was best for me. For this pack. For my future. And it was never you."

The words slammed into me like someone had just punched me in the stomach.

I shook my head, tears blurring my vision. "No, no, that's not true. Don't say that. You loved me, Zac. I know you did. Everything we've been through, everything we shared..."

"Shared?" He laughed bitterly, the sound echoing down the hall. "Don't flatter yourself. You were never more than a distraction. A warm body in my bed when I needed it. Did you really think you were anything more than that?"

My chest felt tight, I couldn't breathe. His words burned through me, stripping away every memory I had of us, every touch, every whispered promise.

"You're lying," I whispered. "You're saying this to hurt me because you're scared. You don't mean it..."

"Oh, I mean every word." His voice was low, mocking now as he leaned closer, his eyes cold but glinting with satisfaction. "You were just convenient, Aria. Nothing more. I never loved you. I never wanted you. You were good enough to warm my bed, but never good enough to stand beside me, and how do you expect an orphan with only goddess knows her roots to become a Luna."

My world shattered at that moment.

I stumbled back, shaking my head, my tears spilling fast now. My hands clutched my stomach instinctively, a protective move he didn't even notice. He didn't know yet about the baby, our baby. The proof that what we had was real, wasn't just some twisted illusion.

But how could I tell him now? How could I place that fragile truth in the hands of a man who had just torn me apart?

My voice broke when I asked, "Then why? Why all these years? Why hold me, why whisper promises, why talk about our future if it was all a lie?"

"Because it was easy," he said flatly, his lips curling. "Because you were foolish enough to believe me. And because you were always there, waiting, desperate to be chosen. You made it too easy, Aria."

I felt my legs weakening under me, the weight of his cruelty crushing me. But I still couldn't stop. I still needed something, anything, that made sense because everything happening right now doesn't make a single sense.

How was I to accept it, just like that?

My voice was a broken whisper. "I gave you everything. I stood by you when your father died, when you became Alpha, when you said you couldn't do it alone. I was there for you. And this is what I get?"

His eyes flickered for just a second, almost like he remembered. But it was gone just as fast. His expression hardened again, sharper, colder than the last time as he pushed me against the wall. I felt a sharp sting of pain, burning where he gripped me tightly.

"You were useful then," he said, his tone final. "But I don't need you anymore, you've served your purpose."

My breath hitched, and for a moment, I thought it couldn't get worse than this. I thought I had reached the very bottom of heartbreak. But Zac wasn't done.

He straightened back as he smiled at me, his voice carrying a cruel pride now, like he was making some grand announcement.

"And since you're so desperate to know, Aria... this isn't just about Vanessa. It's just a first step to my path of greatness, I would be the greatest alpha the pack has ever had and you my lovely dear, has been sold."

The words froze me where I stood. "S-sold?" I stammered, my body trembling.

He nodded once, smugness dripping from him. "Yes. To the Winchester Alpha. As proof of our alliance. Consider it your final role, your last usefulness. You'll make a fine little offering to keep the peace."

                         

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