Betrayal, Love and Revenge

ASPEN VESPER

"Kai..." Aspen breathed while she continued to push her failing legs past the thick forest. "Kai... Please..." Her eyes filled with tears but she quickly blinked them away. She would cry all she wanted once she's safe in her mate's arms.

Besides, if her calculation was right, that day was their official mating ceremony. So, more reason to ignore the pain in her soul and get to the venue before her mate, Kailin Blackwood, could think otherwise of the love she had for him.

So, Aspen ran until the wedding setup they planned came into view. With a limp in her soul and legs, she made for the exquisite decor which was already filled with people who came to wish the newlyweds well. As she moved, Aspen wondered if her parents were anywhere nearby. She was certain that with a quick wash and simple makeup, she would be ready in no time to-

"Lycan Kailin Blackwood, do you accept Raven Vesper to be your mate?"

The loud words of the officiating priest halted Aspen's motion.

Her heart thudded while her forehead wore a deep crease of confusion.

In a corner of her mind, she was probably imagining things, so she decided to adopt easy steps and slowly walk towards the ceremony.

Once she was at a spot that hid her and gave a good view of the ceremony, Kai's unmistakable voice responded with, "Yes, I do. I take Raven Vesper to be my mate. From now on, I will love and cherish her. And with the guidance of the moon goddess, she will rule by my side as the Luna of our great pack."

Aspen fell to the ground. Her widened eyes slowly panned to the right to see the woman Kai was publicly professing his love to. It was indeed her younger sister, Raven Vesper.

Her world shattered, fear gripped her and the weight of the kidnap she suffered a week to that day started to press on her soul. Her throat started to feel scratchy, her face felt heated, her heart raced as though it was going to burst within seconds and her body blatantly refused to move.

With that massive ache in her soul, she watched as her sister accepted Lycan Kai's vows with a wide smile. She watched as they shared their official mate marks and kissed in front of the cheering crowd.

But it soon made no sense to her that she was cowering in a corner as though she was Kai's forbidden lover. No, she was his mate, the one he confessed love to way before they decided to proceed with the official ceremony.

That thought made her ignore the suffering she was experiencing. And she got up. Without minding anything around her, she began to walk down the aisle she was meant to happily thread. With the kissing duo in sight, she moved until someone blocked her way.

She looked up and saw that it was one of the guards.

"Who are you?" he demanded. And she ignored him.

Somehow, she walked past him and with tears in her eyes, she focused on Kailin who was now looking in her direction.

"Kailin..." she called, her voice hoarse and not as loud as she wished for it to be. So, she screamed with all her might. "Kailin!"

That caused a lot of shocked gasps from the crowd and soon, more guards arrived and blocked her path.

Lycan Kailin, on the other hand, distanced himself from Raven Vesper and with a frown on his face, he approached Aspen. When he ended up in front of her, though she could hardly feel the intensity of their mate bond, hope filled her eyes, a breath of expectation filled her lungs and her lips were ready to confess that she was disappointed in him.

But he beat her to it. With a barely excited expression on his face, he gave her a once-over and asked, "How dare you interrupt the royal wedding? Who do you think you are?"

That question shocked Aspen, it further plunged a knife into her heart.

"Kailin..." Her hands began to shake, she tried hard to hide it, but the tears in her eyes distracted her.

"Do you have anything to say, woman?" he asked calmly. "If not, I implore you to stop mentioning my name. If you can't show any respect, walk away now, and don't make this moment worse for yourself."

"Kailin..." She was beyond shocked that he was speaking so coldly to her as though she was some stranger who wanted to steal his shine. "Kailin..." The lack of confidence in her voice disoriented her. "I-it's me, K-Kailin. Asp..."

"Escort her out of this place before I lose my cool." His face hardened while he glanced at one of the guards.

"Wait, no. No. Kailin. Wait."

"Get her out this instant!" he roared and Aspen lost all the fire in her soul.

Nothing was in her mate's eyes. He didn't seem bothered that she was in front of him looking roughed up. He seemed more concerned with walking back to the altar to hold her sister's hand.

And when he did, with a certain reverberance that shut up the noise around them, he announced, "Let it be known that Raven Vesper, the woman whom the goddess mated me with, is now my wife. She will rule beside me as the Luna Queen of the Nyx Pack and we will bear pups that will enrich the value of our pack."

As the crowd cheered, Aspen felt the knife in her heart go in deeper. She grabbed the chest of her tattered shirt and tried to remain sane. Only, she couldn't.

And worse, when she looked to her right, her eyes met her father's who wore a frown one minute and looked away the next.

That became the breaking point for Aspen who went berserk and decided to at least pull the hair of the fools that were getting married after pretending that they didn't know who she was in front of an influential crowd.

But the moment she moved her right foot, someone gripped her from behind and with their strength and a hand over her mouth, they inconspicuously carried her out of that space and till they were considerably far from the venue, the person didn't stop.

"Stay still," the raspiness of the person's voice tried to put a stop to Aspen's struggle. But she kept fighting till they reached a safe distance and he put her down. "You shouldn't be stubborn about going back," the man said, his powerful presence forcing her to give him her full attention. "You will be killed if you do."

Aspen frowned and wondered if her family had something to do with her kidnapping. After all, she was forcibly taken while she was in her father's house and given the amount of security their family had, it sure was weird that no one noticed a thing while she was screaming for help.

"Ah..." Aspen's frown deepened. She was trying to respond to the man's statements, but all that came out was a breath. "Ah..." She tried to speak again, the same thing. "Ah. Ah. Ah. Ah... Ahhhh." The more she tried, the more words failed to fill her mouth. She could not hear herself speaking the words she tried to utter. With fear now growing more within her, she touched her throat, rubbed it frantically and tried to speak once more.

"You were probably poisoned." She looked up at the man with tears now in her eyes. "That's the main problem you have to worry about." The man sighed, reached into his bag, brought out a small mirror and after another heavy breath, he brought the mirror to her face.

The image she saw scared her so much that a vicious scream filled her mind while she hurriedly buried her face in her hands. It was then she felt the burning on her face.

"If you ask me who did it, I won't be able to answer. The full details of your kidnapping are still unknown. But your loss of voice and the scarring on your face is evidence that whoever kidnapped you fed you wolfsbane."

Aspen closed her eyes and the image of the hideous red patches plastered on her face filled her mind in a way that made her wonder where she went wrong in her life. She was so certain that her life was almost perfect before the kidnap. Her plans to become a renowned doctor were on track, she was mates with a man she loved and it was a plus that he was the Lycan King of the most prestigious pack in the country- The Nyx Pack.

So, how? How did it all go wrong?

Why was she now mateless, voiceless and looking like a monster that would always be tossed to the depths of dirt?

"Aspen," the man squatted in front of her and despite the state of her face, he looked at her with certain care in his eyes, "come with me. Not only will we find the ones who did this to you, but I will use all means to cure the effect of the poison, and as you desire, you will start life on a fresh slate. What do you say? Will you join me?"

Who the fuck was he anyway? Aspen wondered while her heavy and teary eyes started to desire deep slumber to numb the raging pain in her soul.

"I am Ezra of the Rebel Pack." Aspen had breezily heard about them. They were actively involved in getting the Lycan King dethroned. The man continued, "It sounds wrong to tell you this, but my people have been following the Lycan King for a while. You fell under our radar, so we suspected kidnapping when you went missing days ago. Anyway, let's leave that aside for now, if you nod and agree to my help, I promise you that you will never regret it."

Aspen wasn't stupid. She knew it was wise to say yes because there was nowhere else to go.

But how foolish she was to have trusted Kailin. How foolish of her to hope and believe in the love they shared for years.

Aspen ducked her head, let some tears roll out, said a few prayers for her soul, and swore to get back at those who abandoned and betrayed her and minutes later, she got to her feet.

"Which is it?" Ezra asked as he stood up as well.

Aspen stretched her right hand, he accepted her offer and as she shook his hand, her head nodded in affirmative.

And with relief, he said, "It's a deal. As of today, you Aspen Vesper have become an official member of The Rebel Pack. I look forward to our collaboration."

ASPEN VESPER

THREE YEARS LATER

"Doctor Vesper," the man seated in front of Aspen called and she knew he was about to ask another one of his intriguing questions. "Did you zone out?"

"Uh..." Aspen drew a breath and looked away from the muted TV. "I did not. I uh..."

The man looked behind him and saw what held her attention for so long.

"I see," he said and directed his focus to her. "Lycan Kailin seem to be doing well."

She sighed. "My sister looks sick."

"And pregnant."

Her brows lifted. "She does look pregnant."

Ezra adjusted the query in his brows and said, "Do you still want a chance to go back? You have built quite a life here. You are now one of the best doctors and-"

"My life is certainly blissful," Aspen sighed. "But underneath the bliss, I still remember that day. I still remember how Kailin Blackwood refused to recognise me, I remember the look my father gave me while my so-called mate got married to my sister. Watching them just now reminded me that I still need answers and that I still need to make them pay for what they did to me."

Subconsciously, as she spoke, Aspen reached to touch the little patch of her scar which was right beside her right eye.

Ever since she chose to walk with Ezra, things went fairly for her. The new life was rough for the first few months, but once she regained her voice, she decided to pull her focus into studying to become a doctor pending the day she would decide it was time to avenge the anger and sorrow that refused to leave her soul. Simultaneously, she watched her scar heal though her heart never did.

It was crazy how since two weeks ago, she had been having the feeling that it was time to go back to the Nyx Pack and surely was crazier that Kai and Raven appeared on her TV the very day she decided to set it up after weeks of leaving it in her storage.

Ezra nodded. "Okay then. What if I told you that-?"

"Are you seriously going to have her go?" one of the friends she made in The Rebel Pack, Beta Lance walked in, the majesty of his wolf apparent in his strides which soon halted when he sat next to Ezra. "I am still of the opinion that she should stay back."

Aspen frowned. "What are you two talking about?"

The men shared a glance.

Then, after pushing his bangs to the side, Ezra responded, "Your sister is sick. The Nyx Pack has been searching for a doctor who will get her healed because nobody has gotten to the root of her illness so far. Someone heard about how good you are so the Lycan King sent for you, but-"

"Why am I hearing this now?" Aspen almost jumped out of her seat.

"Because we want to use this opportunity to infiltrate the Nyx Palace." Lance's response reduced her excitement. "This might be the only chance we get to infiltrate the innards of the palace so we have to do it well."

"Right," Aspen sighed. Ever since she started joining their Rebel meetings a year ago, Lance expressed displeasure. Not because he hated her, but because he was concerned that she would get too immersed and lose herself.

"I am of the opinion that Aspen will do just fine," Ezra voiced his solid opinion. "She won't be reckless. Once we give her the instructions, she'll approach the palace with the intention to heal the Luna."

"And what happens when she meets the people that betrayed her? Can you vouch that Aspen won't spark with anger and act on her own?" Lance locked eyes with Aspen who was gradually picturing how that bloody reunion would be. "Aspen, I am not hating on you, but-"

"I will do it," Aspen responded with a breath.

"Aspen," Lance did not hide his concern.

"I understand you, Lance. But if there's a chance for the organisation to penetrate the palace, we should grab it. This is no time to be concerned about whether or not I will crash when I see those people. Besides, I think it will be fun. Seeing the look on their faces after they thought I was long dead will be fun. And-"

"Is that why you are gripping that book so hard?" Lance pointed out.

Aspen looked down and saw that she had imprinted nail marks onto her dairy into which she wrote details about her patients to better analyse them. After a deep exhale, she let the book go and stared right at Lance. "No matter what happens, I will not mess up. So you need to stop being very concerned. Besides, I am the only one that can do this job. After all, I am the renowned doctor that the Lycan King of our country wishes to heal his wife."

Lance chuckled. "How cocky of you."

Aspen shot out her tongue in response and Ezra slapped the arms of his chair as he got to his feet.

After seconds of standing upright, he said, "That settles it. Aspen, the details of the mission will be sent to you by nine pm, so don't sleep off."

"I never sleep, you know that."

Lance nodded, some sort of pity in his eyes. "You are a doctor, yet you deprive yourself of one of the best medicine ever."

"Come on, Lance. I just find a few hours of sleep enough for an entire week," Aspen responded.

"You sleep for only two hours in a week, Aspen," Lance returned strongly. "How is that normal? You just-"

"I will let the Alpha King know about your response, Aspen. I am sure he will be pleased," Ezra added and soon, he walked out of that room.

Aspen then wondered if she would ever get to see their Alpha. They often made mention of him during their secret meetings, but a face was yet to be put to the name.

"Please, Aspen," Lance dragged her out of her thoughts. "Be careful out there."

"I will." Aspen smiled softly. She chose to not start imagining how devious the reunion with those betrayers would be, but just a little glimpse into her imagination had her expectant of the day she would come face to face with Kailin Blackwood and his gracious fake mate. And also, her family.

KAILIN BLACKWOOD

"I heard something strange," Raven Vesper's soft voice pulled him out of his simple slumber.

Lycan Kailin cleared his throat, sat up and watched with coldness in his eyes as the woman carrying his heir walked towards him.

"Did you send for a doctor from that Rebel Pack?"

Kailin's brows lifted a bit. "What if I did?"

"Kai," the Lycan almost winced at that form of his name, "the Rebel Pack is our enemy. Sending for one of them is as good as telling them to take over our palace."

Raven sat next to him, but he barely looked in her direction when he said, "You have no place or right to tell me what to do,"

She gasped. "I am your Luna, Kai."

"Kailin," he breathed through his gritted teeth. Then, with ferociousness in his eyes, he faced her. "My name is Kailin. You do not want to know how terrible I'll treat you the next time you use that stupid nickname for me."

"Kai...lin," Raven let out a shuddering breath, "are you still...?" The man narrowed his gaze, he knew what she was about to say. "Surely, you have forgotten about her, right?"

"What's it to you?"

"Kailin, she might be dead for all we know." The Lycan's hands pulled into the fist the moment she said that. "And if she is still alive by some sheer luck, don't forget that she left you without any note. She did not say bye, she did not apologise and she hasn't shown up since then."

"I don't need you to remind me, Raven. I know what your insane sister did to me."

"You chose to get married to me, Kailin," the softness in her voice quickly disappeared. "You could have decided to call off the entire ceremony, but you took one good look at me and decided to get married to me instead." She reached for his collar. "I am your wife. I am your Luna and I am pregnant with your heir. If you refuse to give me attention, I will-"

"You will what?" Kailin dared her to complete that statement, his stony eyes yet to yield to her reaction. "What can a little cunt like you do?"

"Don't fucking call me names!"

Kailin was never comfortable with spewing insulting words at people, but ever since he got married to Raven Vesper, she got on his nerves so much that it took a lot to bring himself to have sex with her not to talk of being in the same room as her for more than five minutes.

Just looking at her face which bore so much semblance to her sister was enough reason to ignore her.

But Raven Vesper was a woman who refused to take no for an answer.

Since that was the case, Kailin found ways to steer clear of her. Well, that was until she got pregnant. Since he desired to have at least one heir before death, Kailin decided to get rid of his ill feelings towards his wife and treat her like a human. The only downside to doing that was having to cope with the immense hatred his wolf had for the woman.

"Kailin, listen to me when I speak."

"No," he dusted her hands off his shirt, "you listen to me. Calling a doctor from the Rebel pack is for your sake. You are ill and if care is not taken, you may die before you have a chance to deliver my child." Raven scoffed. "I will handle the consequences of having an enemy within our walls. Just focus on getting better. Is that clear?"

"I don't-"

"Just fucking answer yes or fucking no!" The woman jumped at his question.

And with haste, she said, "Yes. That's fine."

"Get out if that's all," Kailin said as he got to his feet. "I have a lot to take care of."

Without a word more, a more tamed Raven walked out of the room. Once he was left to his thoughts, Kailin chose to finally think about Aspen Vesper, the woman he once called mate.

But the more he thought about her and the betrayal she extended towards him by running away days before their mating ceremony, the more he realised that it was best to never think of her any longer.

It would truly be best to assure himself that she was dead.

And that was exactly what he did.

~~

FOUR DAYS LATER

ASPEN VESPER

The moment the driver of her comfortable ride announced that they were almost at the gates of the Nyx Palace, Aspen let go of the breath she had been holding, loosened her grip on the blackish mask lying on her lap and after seconds of staring at the mask, she covered her scarred face with it and waited for the vehicle to halt.

Within those minutes of waiting, she went over the rebellious mission she was there to carry out. It was planned that she would complete her mission before heading to do her doctor duties.

So, when the car stopped, she found herself facing one of the undocumented secret entrances of the palace that only she and Kailin knew about. She was mainly sure that nobody would be guarding that area, and she was certain Kai wouldn't be there since he always found the secret path spooky. So she wore confidence on her sleeves and approached the huge, hollow entrance which would lead her to the file storage room.

"I will be waiting at the main entrance as planned," her driver whispered.

And through the netted view of her mask, she glanced at Lance and said, "Alright. Be careful."

"And you too."

Apparently, Lance found a way to convince their Alpha King to allow him to accompany Aspen in case anything goes wrong. Aspen didn't hate that move, in fact, it added to her confidence.

So, after seconds of prepping herself, she walked into the space and started to follow the path, her footsteps silent in a way that surprised her.

Once she reached the door that would lead to the entrance of the storage room, Aspen let out a quiet exhale. She assured herself that things would go fine and seconds later, she pressed the handle.

"I want this place to be sealed and documented. We also-"

"Who are you?"

Unfortunately, three people were approaching that door. And since that place was closed, there was no chance for escape for Aspen. So, while trying to keep calm, she started to retrace her steps. If she could get behind the door and prevent them access for a while, she would be able to escape.

But before she could do anything meaningful, the men caught up to her and with a query on their faces, they questioned her presence.

"Can you not speak?" One of the men asked, his finger poking her for answers.

"Is there something there? If not, seal it up now."

Aspen's eyes widened the moment she heard that statement. Without a question, she knew who that voice belonged to.

"Lycan Kailin, we can't seal it. We have an intruder."

Soon, Kailin appeared in the dark light of that corridor and Aspen heard her heart pound.

Without much expression, the man stared at her for some seconds, and then he said, "Get that hideous mask off her face."

His instruction kicked up Aspen's survival instinct. But she still could not get a chance to escape. Two of the men reached for her arms and with strength, they pinned her such that she could not fight to get loose. Then, while Kailin watched, the third man reached for her mask.

"What is taking so long?" Kailin asked when the third man started to grunt.

"The mask is not coming off, Lycan Kailin," the man responded, his attempts now looking comical, his butt shooting out at some point.

'Hmm,' Aspen thought to herself. Lance was right about the mask. It would only come off once the nutritious glue attached to it fully evaporates and that would take days. Experiencing that made her confident about that moment. So, with a smile that could not be seen, she focused on Kailin who was carrying a little moustache on his face.

It really was nice to see him look puzzled. But when Kailin pushed away the man trying hard to get rid of her mask, Aspen felt a little spark of anger in her soul. But then, as he focused on getting her mask off, his fingers happened to graze her skin for some seconds. Thankfully, he could not see her eyes or else, he would have seen how they narrowed while her soul churned due to the memory that little contact conjured.

"Is there a problem here?" Lance's voice filled the space.

Aspen guessed that he used his shifter ability which he tossed for a long time because it was the reason his real family tossed him away.

Kailin looked back. "And who are you?"

Lance smirked, his hands pocketed while he strutted to them. "I am Lance, the Alpha King of The Rebel pack." The guards quickly reached for their weapons. "I came with my mate, Doctor Sabrina. I believe you called for her expertise. And now that she is here, please show her some respect. Get your hands off her while I am being nice."