Betrayed By My Alpha: The Ghost Luna's Revenge

Debra's POV:

I stood in a corner, looking at the grand wedding in front of me, the crowd coming and going. However, instead of feeling festive, my heart was full of unwillingness and grievance.

Today was my father's second wedding, and the Silver Ridge Pack was holding a grand wedding ceremony for him since he was the Alpha.

Although this wasn't his first marriage, my father still attached great importance to it. He made sure that the wedding venue was decorated lavishly, and I overheard some people saying that it was even more beautiful than that of his wedding with my mother. My father had also invited many Alphas here, which showed how much he loved and respected his new bride.

But what he failed to realize was that today was also the death anniversary of my mother.

The wedding progressed smoothly, and everyone looked so happy. My mother's grave, on the other hand, was desolate and lonesome, without anyone there to visit her.

I didn't want to be at this stupid wedding. I just wanted to accompany my mother now.

"Debra, where are you going?"

A sharp female voice sounded from not far away, interrupting my conversation with Vicky Todd, my maid.

I turned to look in the direction of the voice and saw my stepmother, Marley Clarkson, and her servant walking to us.

Marley was much younger than my father. In fact, she was only four years older than me. She was the daughter of the Alpha of the Frosty River Pack and exceedingly beautiful. Marley's white wedding dress billowed in the breeze. Her wavy blonde hair framed her face perfectly. She looked as pretty as a porcelain doll.

Not wanting to talk to her, I turned my head away.

"Are you planning to miss an occasion as important as this and embarrass your father's Luna?" Marley demanded.

"Of course not!" Vicky hurriedly stepped in to mediate. "Debra's tired and wants to have a rest, that's all."

"Is that so?" Marley narrowed her eyes at me and suddenly cracked a smile. "Good. I want to talk to you about something."

"Why?" I asked, staring at her vigilantly.

I never got along with Marley, but for the sake of my father's happiness, I tried to stay out of her way as much as possible. And Marley never came to me on her own accord.

Now, she wanted to speak with me. My intuition told me that something bad was about to happen.

"Relax." Marley's grin widened. "I just want to borrow the necklace you're wearing. It'll go perfectly with my wedding dress."

"Sorry, but no." I refused without hesitation. "This was my mother's."

The necklace I was wearing was the only thing my mother had left me, and I treasured it dearly. It was my only connection to my mother. Whenever I was wearing it, I felt that my mother was close and had never left me.

Of course, I would never lend it to anyone, let alone my stepmother.

Marley seemed to read my mind. She softened her tone and said gently, "Why are you so cold to me? It's our first day together as a family."

If Marley treated me as a family like she claimed, she wouldn't have tried to take away my mother's last belonging.

"Sorry, but I can't lend it to you." I narrowed my eyes at her coldly.

"Then don't blame me. I need that necklace." Marley's gentle smile was instantly replaced by a sneer. She then signaled to her servants.

The two servants immediately sprang into action. One grabbed my left arm, while the other grabbed my right. They forced me to kneel, my knees hitting the ground hard.

Wincing in pain, I raised my head and saw Marley standing before me.

Her beautiful face was tainted with mockery. She stretched out her slender hand and yanked the necklace off my neck.

The next second, the clasp came undone and the necklace was taken away from me.

"What the hell are you doing?" I never thought this woman would be so shameless. "Marley, give me back my necklace!"

Even Vicky was aghast. "You can't do this! That necklace was given to Debra by her mother!"

As she spoke, Vicky hurried forward to block Marley from leaving.

One of the servants who were holding me kicked her away.

Vicky stumbled and fell, her forehead slamming into the stone pillar. Blood trickled down from the wound, staining her pale face.

Vicky was my mother's best friend. After my mother passed away, she stayed in the pack for my sake and remained single all her life. She practically raised me.

How dare Marley hurt her like this!

My wolf, Ivy, became restless. I, too, was driven mad with anger.

Ivy growled in my mind, "Rip them to shreds, Debra!"

But before I could do anything reckless, Vicky struggled to stand on her feet. Leaning on the stone pillar for support, she managed to cry out, "Debra, don't do anything rash!"

I knew she was right. Because Marley was now married to my father, she was officially the Luna of our pack. If I laid a finger on her, my father and all the members of our pack would sense it immediately.

As Vicky spoke, the blood trickled down from her eyebrow to her chin.

Seeing her like this made my heart ache so much. I rushed over to help her.

"Eww, this necklace is so cheap." A playful smile appeared on Marley's face as she took a closer look at my mother's necklace. "How could your mother leave you such a cheap thing? Pathetic!"

As she spoke, she fiddled with my necklace casually.

"Don't worry. I'll give it back to you. It's just a necklace. I'll have countless better necklaces now that I'm the Luna."

Click!

Marley threw my necklace to the ground as hard as she could. The chain instantly broke, and the gems clattered to the ground one by one.

The only thing my mother had left to me was ruined.

For a split second, I felt as though my heart was being squeezed by an invisible, oppressive force.

Ears buzzing, I knelt down to pick up the stray gems in a daze.

Suddenly, a sharp pain shot up from the back of my hand.

Marley had stepped on my hand.

She dug her high-heeled shoe into the back of my hand deeply.

"You are the daughter of a noble Alpha. How dare you touch dirty trash? Let go, my dear stepdaughter."

I slowly raised my head to look up at her, my eyes filled with hatred and anger.

"Fuck this bitch!" Ivy was so angry that she wanted to rip Marley to shreds. "Bitch, move your stinky foot away!"

Of course, Marley didn't budge. She had nothing to fear after all.

She smiled at me scornfully and warned, "Debra, you'd better learn how to respect your new Luna."

Just then, the wedding music started to play. Marley slowly removed her foot, straightened her dress, and walked away haughtily, followed by her servants.

Ignoring the pain in my hand, I continued to pick up the stray gems on the ground.

Now I understood why Marley wanted the necklace in the first place. It turned out she just wanted to send a message to me-loud and clear.

Up until this point, Marley had only avoided me because she hadn't married my father yet and wasn't officially the Luna. Today was her wedding. Now that she had the power, she wanted to teach her rebellious stepdaughter a lesson. She wanted to show me who the pack's real matriarch was.

"Oh, you poor thing..." Vicky sighed and helped me up. "Don't worry. I'll fix the necklace. I promise it'll look exactly like it used to."

"Thanks, Vicky." I forced a smile at her, trying my best to swallow my sadness.

The wedding of my father and Marley officially began.

Under the dazzling lights, my father and Marley celebrated their love, whereas the werewolves celebrated and welcomed their new Luna. No one noticed me, the pitiful, disheveled she-wolf in the corner, and no one remembered my dead mother.

Depressed and angry, I grabbed a whole bottle of wine and downed its contents in an effort to numb the pain.

I wasn't good at holding my alcohol. It didn't take long before my vision started to blur and my mind began to whirl.

But no matter how much I drank, I couldn't forget that fucking smile on Marley's face, which made me want to puke.

I couldn't stand it. I needed to get out of here.

Just as I turned around to leave, I inadvertently ran into the person standing behind me.

A hard chest met my back, solid as a rock wall.

Strong hands gripped my arms, steadying me before I could fall. An intoxicating scent of pine and winter frost filled my senses, cutting through the haze of alcohol and grief. It was clean, powerful, and utterly unfamiliar.

My head swam, but a strange jolt, like lightning, shot through me at his touch.

I looked up, and up, into the most striking pair of silver eyes I had ever seen. They were the color of a storm brewing over a frozen lake, and they were fixed on me with an unnerving intensity. The man was huge, towering over me, his presence radiating an aura of raw power that made the Alpha in my own father seem like a flickering candle.

He said nothing, just watched me, his expression unreadable.

I tried to pull away, suddenly aware of how pathetic I must look-drunk, disheveled, my eyes probably red from unshed tears. "Excuse me," I mumbled, my voice thick.

"Are you alright?" His voice was a deep, rumbling baritone that seemed to vibrate right through my bones.

Before I could answer, another voice cut through the air, sharp and furious.

"Debra! What in the Goddess's name do you think you're doing?"

I flinched. It was my father, Alpha Logan. He was striding towards us, his face a mask of thunder. Marley was at his side, her hand on his arm, a look of faux concern on her beautiful face.

"Making a scene with our guests? Have you no shame?" he growled, his eyes flashing with anger.

The man holding me didn't release his grip. He turned his head slightly to face my father. "My apologies, Alpha Logan. The fault is mine. I was in her way."

His calm defense of me only seemed to infuriate my father more. He looked from the powerful Alpha back to me, his gaze filled with disgust.

"Go to your room. Now," he commanded, his voice low and dangerous.

The last thread of my composure snapped. He hadn't asked if I was okay. He hadn't noticed the blood on Vicky's head or the agony in my heart. He only saw an embarrassment.

With a choked sob, I finally wrenched myself free from the stranger's grasp and fled. I didn't look back. Tears of shame and fury streamed down my face as I ran, leaving the music, the laughter, and my father's cold fury behind me.

Debra's POV:

I burst into my room, slamming the door shut behind me, the sound echoing the turmoil in my chest. I collapsed onto my bed, the sobs I'd been holding back finally breaking free. Vicky followed me in moments later, her face pale, a makeshift bandage pressed to her forehead.

"Oh, my sweet girl," she whispered, sitting beside me and pulling me into a gentle hug.

I cried into her shoulder, my body shaking with a toxic mix of grief, rage, and humiliation. "He didn't even care, Vicky. He didn't even ask."

"I know, dear. I know." She stroked my hair, her touch the only comfort I had in the world.

After a few minutes, my sobs subsided into shuddering breaths. I pulled away and opened my clenched fist. The broken gems and the snapped chain lay in my palm, the sharp edges digging into my skin, leaving angry red marks. My mother's last gift. Destroyed.

"She did it on purpose," I whispered, my voice raw. "She wanted to hurt me. She wanted to erase Mom."

Vicky's eyes filled with a grim understanding. "Marley is not just a pretty face, Debra. She's ambitious and cruel. You must be careful."

Just as she spoke, the door was slammed open, making us both jump.

My father stood in the doorway, his face still dark with rage. He wasn't alone. Marley was behind him, peering into the room with a triumphant glint in her eyes.

"How dare you," my father began, his voice dangerously low. "How dare you cause such a spectacle and disrespect my Luna in front of our most important guest, Alpha Ezekiel of the Black Moon Pack."

So that was his name. Ezekiel. The name felt as powerful as his presence.

"She destroyed Mom's necklace!" I shot back, scrambling to my feet. "She had her servants attack us! Look at Vicky's head!"

My father's gaze flickered to Vicky for a fraction of a second, but there was no sympathy in it. His eyes landed on the broken pieces in my hand, and he scoffed. "For a worthless piece of jewelry? You would embarrass this family for a trinket?"

The word "worthless" was a slap in the face. My breath hitched.

"It wasn't worthless to me," I whispered, my heart shattering into a million more pieces.

"Enough," he snapped. "Marley is your Luna now. You will show her the respect she is due, or you will face the consequences. I will not have my daughter acting like a spoiled, unruly pup."

Marley stepped forward, placing a gentle hand on my father's arm. "Logan, dear, don't be so harsh," she said, her voice dripping with false sympathy. "She's just emotional. It's a big day for all of us."

Her feigned kindness was more sickening than her open cruelty.

My father's expression softened as he looked at her. He turned back to me, his face hard as stone. "You are confined to your rooms until I decide otherwise. Vicky will bring you your meals. Do not leave this wing. Is that understood?"

I stared at him, my own father, looking at me as if I were a stranger, a problem to be managed. Ivy was snarling in my head, a desperate, caged animal.

I said nothing. I just nodded, my throat too tight to speak.

He gave one last, disappointed look, then turned and left, pulling the door closed behind him. He hadn't once asked about my side of the story. He hadn't cared.

He had chosen her. And in doing so, he had abandoned me.

Debra's POV:

Two days passed in a blur of suffocating silence. I was a prisoner in my own home, the four walls of my room closing in on me. Vicky brought my meals, her face etched with worry, but we barely spoke. There was nothing to say. The truth of my situation was a heavy, unspoken weight between us.

On the third morning, there was a light knock on my door before it swung open. It wasn't Vicky.

It was Marley.

She glided in as if she owned the place, which, I supposed, she now did. She was dressed in a simple but elegant silk robe, her blonde hair falling in perfect waves over her shoulders. She looked rested, happy, and radiant. She looked like everything I wasn't.

"Good morning, stepdaughter," she said, her voice bright and cheerful. "I thought I'd come and see how you were settling in."

I remained silent, sitting on the edge of my bed and staring out the window.

"Still pouting?" she sighed dramatically, wandering around my room, her fingers trailing over my belongings. "You know, your father is very disappointed in you. He had such high hopes for us to be a real family."

Her words were laced with poison. Ivy growled low in my mind. *Lying bitch.*

Marley stopped in front of my mother's old vanity. "This whole wing is so... dated," she mused, picking up a silver-backed brush that had belonged to my mother. "Your mother's taste was rather plain, wasn't it? I'm thinking of redecorating. Something more modern. More... me."

My hands clenched into fists at my sides. "Get out," I said, my voice barely a whisper.

She turned to face me, a slow, malicious smile spreading across her lips. "Oh, I will. But I wanted to give you something to think about while you're cooped up in here."

She walked closer, her porcelain doll face turning ugly with her sneer. "Your father and I were talking last night. We agree that it's time you were mated. A girl your age, with your... temperament, needs a firm hand."

A cold dread washed over me.

"Perhaps to someone... older," she continued, her eyes gleaming. "More established. Alpha Gareth of the Stone Creek Pack, for example. He's a widower, looking for a new Luna to bear him some heirs. He's a bit rough around the edges, of course, but he would certainly teach a rebellious she-wolf some manners."

Alpha Gareth was sixty years old, notorious for his cruelty and for the mysterious deaths of his first two wives.

My blood ran cold. This wasn't just about humiliation anymore. This was a threat. She wanted to get rid of me, permanently.

"You wouldn't," I breathed, my voice trembling. "My father would never-"

"Your father," she interrupted, "wants peace. He wants a happy wife. And right now, you are the biggest obstacle to my happiness. Do you understand?"

*Let me out, Debra!* Ivy shrieked in my mind. *Let me tear that smug look off her face!*

But I was frozen, trapped by her words and the terrifying realization of my powerlessness.

She smiled, satisfied with my horrified reaction. "I'm so glad we had this little chat. You think about it."

With a final, triumphant glance, she turned and swept out of the room, leaving the door ajar. I was left shaking, the world tilting on its axis. She wasn't just trying to replace my mother. She was trying to destroy me.

Later that evening, Vicky snuck in with my dinner tray. She closed the door quietly behind her and rushed to my side.

"I heard her," Vicky whispered, her eyes wide with fear. "I heard her talking to her servant about Alpha Gareth. Debra, this is serious."

"I know," I choked out.

"We have to do something," she said, her voice urgent. She looked around nervously before leaning in closer.

"There might be... one small bit of good news," she said, her voice barely audible. "One of the kitchen staff who served the Alphas the other night... she said Alpha Ezekiel of the Black Moon Pack asked about you. He asked your name."

The memory of him-the storm-gray eyes, the scent of pine, the steadying grip of his hands-flashed in my mind. It was a tiny, flickering spark in an overwhelming darkness. But right now, it was all I had.