Blood Moon Betrayal: A Forbidden Werewolf Romance

LAILA

What would you do if you were rejected by your mate and asked by another Alpha to leave your pack to his?

The Harvest Festival was the biggest celebration of the year for our pack.

Wolves came from all over to trade, make alliances and celebrate the full moon together.

This year, five different Alphas had come with their packs.I put on my nicest dress - a simple blue one that my friend Sarah had given me for my birthday.

I braided my hair carefully and tried to cover my fading bruises with makeup.

I am still hurt and angry about what I heard yesterday, but I held my head high.

If Damien was going to trash our relationship in front of everyone, I wasn't going to make it easy for him by crying or at least I'll try not to cry.

The festival was held in the big clearing in the center of our territory close to the pack house.

There were colorful banners hanging from the trees, tables full of delicious food, and a stage where the pack leaders would make speeches.

I walked through the crowd, looking for Damien.

People stared at me strangely, like they knew something I didn't. Some of them whispered when I walked by.

Finally, I saw Damien standing near the stage with Vivian. They weren't trying to hide anymore, that's when I realized everyone had already accepted her over me.

His arm was around her waist, and she was wearing a beautiful red dress that probably cost more than everything I owned.

I walked up to them, my heart beating very fast.

"Hello, Damien," I said quietly.

He turned around and looked at me with cold eyes. There was no warmth there at all. No love. Maybe there never had been.

"Laila," he said. "Perfect timing."

"We need to talk," I said, trying to keep my voice steady.

"Actually, we do." Damien smiled, but it wasn't a nice smile. "In fact, I think everyone needs to hear what I have to say."

He walked up onto the stage and took the microphone. The whole festival got quiet as everyone looked up at him.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Damien said in a loud, clear voice.

"I have an important announcement to make."

I felt sick to my stomach. This was it. This was when my whole world was going to fall apart.

"As you know, two years ago I claimed Laila Ashwood as my mate," Damien continued.

"But today, I must correct a terrible mistake."

Everyone turned to look at me. I felt like I was going to throw up, but I stood up straight and didn't look away.

"You see," Damien said, "I have discovered some very disturbing information about Laila's true parentage. Information that changes everything."

"What are you talking about?" I called out, even though my voice was shaking.

"Tell them, Uncle Theodore," Damien said, looking at my uncle who was standing with the other pack leaders.

My uncle stepped forward. He looked sad, but I could see something else in his eyes. Guilt.

"Laila," Uncle Theodore said quietly, "your father was not a werewolf."

The whole crowd gasped. I felt the ground spin under my feet.

"What?" I whispered."Your mother, she was raped by a human," Uncle Theodore continued.

"You are half-human, Laila. That's why you can't shift. That's why you're so weak."

"No," I said, shaking my head. "That's not true. My parents were both werewolves. You told me they died in a car accident when I was little."

"I lied to protect you," Uncle Theodore said. "But now that you're mated, the truth must come out. You are an abomination. A half-breed who has no place in our world."

And to make sure everyone knows what she really is," Vivian said, stepping up onto the stage.

"let me tell you what else we discovered. Laila's mother wasn't just raped by her lover, she was raped by a gang of drunk human men and they were her lovers friends. Her mother died of shame. Luna is nothing but the unwanted child of a whore and a coward."

The crowd started talking loudly. I heard words like "disgusting" and "unnatural" and "freak."

Damien smiled wider. "Now you understand why I cannot remain mated to such a creature. I Damien Holden, Beta of Silver Creek Pack under the rule of Alpha Theodore reject you Laila Ashwood, as my mate. You are not worthy of any true werewolf."

The rejection hit me like a physical blow. I felt something tear inside my chest, like my heart was being ripped in half.

The pain was so bad I couldn't breathe. I fell to my knees in the dirt, clutching my chest.

The crowd laughed and pointed at me. I felt like I was dying from the pain and humiliation.

"Get out of our territory," Uncle Theodore said coldly. "Half-breeds are not welcome here."

I tried to stand up, but the rejection pain was too strong. Everything hurt. My chest felt like it was on fire, and my head was spinning.

"Please," I whispered, but no one would help me.

Then, suddenly, the crowd got very quiet. Everyone was looking at something behind me.

A deep voice spoke, and I recognized it immediately.

"That's enough."I turned around, still on my knees, and saw him.

Alpha Kieran Blackthorne stood at the edge of the crowd, his silver eyes blazing with anger.

He looked terrifying and magnificent at the same time. He walked through the crowd, and everyone moved out of his way quickly.

When he reached me, he knelt down beside me."Are you hurt, little wolf?" he asked softly, his voice gentle despite the fury in his eyes.

I nodded, unable to speak through the pain. Kieran stood up and faced the stage. When he looked at Damien, his expression was deadly.

"You call yourself an Alpha? You are not even worthy to be called a werewolf" Kieran said, his voice carrying across the whole festival.

"You are nothing but a coward who hurts defenseless females."

"She's not defenseless," Damien said, but he sounded scared now. "She's an abomination. A half-breed."

"And you are a disgrace," Kieran replied coldly. "A true Alpha protects the weak, not destroys them."

He turned to look at the other Alphas who were watching. "Is this how your packs treat rejected mates? Like garbage to be thrown away?"

Some of the Alphas looked ashamed. Others nodded in agreement with Kieran.

Kieran knelt down beside me again. "Laila," he said quietly. "Come with me to my pack. I want you by my side Laila"

I looked up at him through my wide teary eyes. His silver eyes were kind, just like they had been by the river. Everyone gasped.

"Why would you want someone like me?" I whispered. "I'm broken. I'm a half-breed. I'm nothing."

"You are not nothing," Kieran said firmly.

"You are a wolf who deserves respect and safety. Both of which I can give you."I looked around at all the faces staring at me.

Some looked disgusted. Some looked sad. But none of them looked like they cared what happened to me.

Then I looked back at Kieran. He was offering me a chance to leave this horrible place. To start over somewhere new.

I thought about staying here, where everyone now knew my shameful secret.

Where Damien and Vivian would always remind me of how worthless I was.

Where my uncle had lied to me my whole life.

Or I could go with this powerful Alpha who had already saved me once.

"Laila, I give you my word as an Alpha to protect and honour you as mine. You don't need to be here anymore." Kieran said solemnly.

My legs were shaky from the rejection pain, but Kieran reached out and held me steady.

As he steadied me I heard people talking behind us.

"Can you believe she's half-human?"

"No wonder she couldn't shift."

"She must have bewitched Alpha Kieran for him to take her in."

"How can the Alpha of the largest territory want someone like her?"

"She surely bewitched him"

Each word hurt, but not as much as the rejection. That pain was still burning in my chest like fire.

Even if Alpha Kieran decides to sell me off or do any of the other horrible things people said about him, it didn't matter anymore.

Alpha Kieran heard the nasty words they said as his eyes flashed dangerously.

"You have said enough for one day. I suggest you keep quiet before I decide to teach you all some manners." He said as power rolled out in waves from him.

I could see most pack members face went pale, and they stepped back a bit.

"Laila come with me" Alpha Kieran said again looking straight into my eyes.

More tears streamed down my face.

I didn't have anything to live for anymore.

Going with him wouldn't matter right?

LAILA

My name is Laila Ashwood. I am a dark blonde headed, blue eyed twenty two year old.

Few days ago I met Alpha Kieran when my pack held a meeting with regards to the festival of harvest.

-Flashback-

I sat on a big rock by the river behind the pack house.

My eyes were red from crying. My cheek hurt where Damien had hit me.

I touched it gently and winced. It was going to leave a purple mark.

"You're so stupid, Laila," I said to myself. 'Why can't you do anything right?'

That's what Damien always told me.

Every day he found new ways to make me feel small and worthless.

I am twenty-two years old. I am supposed to be happy because three months ago, I found my mate.

In the werewolf world, finding your mate was like finding your best friend forever.

It was supposed to be the most wonderful thing that could happen but Damien wasn't wonderful at all.

"You can't even shift into a wolf," Damien had yelled at me today.

"What kind of werewolf can't turn into a wolf? You're broken, Laila. Maybe I should find a better mate." He yelled and hit my face.

I pulled my knees up to my chest. I am the only wolf in my pack who can't change into my wolf form yet.

All the other women my age and younger can run through the forest as beautiful wolves. I could only watch and feel sad.

"Maybe he's right," I whispered. "Maybe I am broken."

The moon was getting bigger in the sky. It was almost full. I always felt strange when the moon was full, like something was trying to wake up inside me but nothing ever happened.

I don't know how long I sat here till I heard footsteps behind me. I quickly wiped my tears. I didn't want anyone to see me crying.

"There you are." It was Damien's voice and he sounded angry.

"I've been looking everywhere for you."I stood up and turned around.

Damien was walking toward me. He is tall and has brown hair. Most girls think he is handsome but I only see the mean look in his eyes now.

"I'm sorry," I said quickly. "I just needed some air."

"Don't lie to me," Damien said. His voice was getting louder. "You ran away because you're a coward. Just like always."

"I wasn't running away," I said softly. "I just-"

"Shut up!" Damien grabbed my arm hard. I gasped. His fingers dug into my skin as he growled at me.

I should have been used to his aggressive abuse by now but every single time he hit or abuses me, it hurts worse than before.

"You embarrassed me today in front of the whole pack. When Alpha Theodore asked why you still can't shift, what did you do? You just stood there like an idiot."

"I didn't know what to say," I whispered.

"Of course you didn't. Because you're useless." Damien's grip got tighter. I tried to pull away, but he was too strong.

"My friends all laugh at me because I got stuck with a broken mate. Do you know how that makes me feel?" He shouted.

Tears started falling down my face again. "I'm trying my best-"

"Your best isn't good enough!" Damien shook me. "Maybe if I scare you enough, your wolf will finally come out."

He raised his other hand. I closed my eyes and waited for the hit but it never came.

"Let her go." The voice that stopped him from slapping me was deep and authoritative. It made my whole body tingle in a strange way. I opened my eyes and gasped.

A man stepped out of the shadows between the trees. He was the biggest person I have ever seen. His hair, as black as the night sky. His eyes, silver like the moon.

When he looked at Damien, his face was very angry.

"Alpha Kieran, what are you doing here? Your lodge is the other way" Damien asked but I could hear that he was scared and his hand loosened on my arm.

"I know," His deep voice echoed.

Alpha of the Shadow Ridge Pack. I felt my heart jump. Everyone knew about Kieran Blackthorne.

He was the scariest Alpha in all the lands. People said he never smiled, that he could kill with just a look and that his heart was made of ice.

But why wasn't I scared of him now, why did it feel like I wanted him to be here with me? Why did I feel pulled to him? I already have a mate so what is wrong with me? I think it's just because Damien is hurting me.

"This is a family affair," Damien said, trying to sound brave. "It has nothing to do with you."

Kieran took a step closer. His silver eyes moved to my red cheek and the finger marks on my arm. Something dangerous flashed in his eyes.

"When I see a male hurting a female, it becomes my business," Kieran said. His voice was like thunder. "Let. Her. Go." he growled and it was the lowest growl I'd ever heard.

Damien's hand dropped away from my arm immediately. I rubbed the sore spot where his fingers had been.

"She's my mate," Damien said quickly. "I can discipline her however I want."

"Discipline?" Kieran's voice got even scarier. "Is that what you call hitting someone smaller than you?"

I watched as Kieran walked closer to Damien. The scary Alpha was so much bigger than my mate and Damien was big but right now, he looked like a little boy next to him.

"I wasn't hitting her," Damien lied. "We were just talking."

Kieran looked at me. His silver eyes were softer when they looked at me.

"Is that true, little wolf?" he asked.

I opened my mouth, then closed it. I was supposed to protect Damien. Mates were supposed to stick together. But my cheek still hurt. My arm still hurt.

"I... I fell," I whispered, looking down at my feet. I heard Kieran growl again.

When I peeked up, his eyes were angry again, but not at me, at Damien.

"You fell," Kieran repeated. His voice said he didn't believe me. "On your face. While leaving finger marks on your arm."

Damien stepped forward. "Look, Alpha Blackthorne, I respect you and the fact that we're alliances, but this really isn't your concern. Laila is my mate. She belongs to me."

"Belongs to you?" Kieran's eyes flashed with silver light. I felt power rolling off him like waves. It made my skin tingle again.

"She's not a toy, boy. She's a person."

"She's a weak person," Damien said meanly. "She can't even shift. What good is a mate who can't be a proper wolf?"

I felt my face get hot with shame. Even in front of this stranger, Damien was telling everyone how broken I was.

Then something I'd never seen happened. Kieran looked at Damien like he was something disgusting on his shoe.

"A male who has to hurt his mate to feel strong is not a proper wolf," Kieran said coldly. "He's just a coward with fangs."

Damien's face turned red with anger. "How dare you-"

"I dare because I am an Alpha," Kieran said. His voice was quiet, but it felt like a roar. "And you are nothing but a coward"

I watched as Damien's face went from red to white. Everyone knew you didn't argue with Alpha Kieran Blackthorne. Not if you wanted to live.

"Come," Kieran said, looking at me again. "I'll walk you home."

"She doesn't need-" Damien started but Kieran turned his scary silver eyes on Damien.

"I wasn't talking to you."

Damien shut his mouth fast. I looked between the two men. I was confused and scared, but I also felt... something else.

For the first time in months, someone had stood up for me. Someone had told Damien he was wrong and it felt nice.

"Thank you," I whispered to Kieran. "But I should go with Damien. He's my mate."

Kieran studied my face with those strange silver eyes. It felt like he could see right into my heart.

"A true mate would never hurt you, little wolf," Kieran said softly. "Remember that."

Then he turned and walked back into the shadows of the trees. In seconds, he was gone, like he had never been there at all.

Damien and I stood by the river in silence. I digesting the shock, Damien fuming.

Eventually, Damien roughly grabbed my hand.

"Don't ever embarrass me like that again," he hissed in my ear as we walked home. "And don't you dare tell anyone what happened tonight."

I nodded but as we walked away, I kept thinking about silver eyes and a deep voice that had called me 'little wolf' like it was something precious.

LAILA

I woke up with my face stuck to my pillow.

During the night, the cut on my cheek had bled a little.

When I sat up, it hurt really bad. I looked in the mirror above my dresser and the purple bruise was darker now.

It covered half of my face. My lip was swollen too but I didn't remember Damien hitting my lip or maybe he did when I wasn't paying attention.

"Laila!" Damien's voice came from downstairs. He sounded angry already, and it wasn't even breakfast time yet.

"Get down here now!" My stomach felt sick. I was scared of what he wanted but I had to go.

If I didn't come when he called, he would get even madder.

I put on a long-sleeved shirt to hide the finger marks on my arms. Then I tried to brush my hair over my face to hide the bruise although it didn't work very well.

I walked downstairs slowly. Each step made me more scared.

Damien was sitting at the kitchen table. He had a cup of coffee and was reading something on his phone. When he saw me, his face got mean.

"You look terrible," he spat. "How am I supposed to take you anywhere looking like that?"

"I'm sorry," I whispered.

"Sorry doesn't fix your ugly face." Damien stood up and walked over to me. He grabbed my chin hard and turned my head to look at the bruise.

"This is your fault, you know. If you weren't so stupid, I wouldn't have to teach you lessons." His fingers pressed into the bruise. I tried not to cry out, but a small sob escaped.

"Does it hurt?" Damien asked. He sounded happy about it.

"A little," I admitted.

"Good. Maybe now you'll remember to behave better." He let go of my face and pushed me backward.

I stumbled and hit the counter with my hip.

"Make me breakfast and don't burn it this time, or you'll get worse than a bruised face."

I nodded quickly and went to the stove. My hands were shaking as I got out eggs and bacon.

I was always nervous when I cooked for Damien because he got angry about everything.

"The pack meeting is today," Damien said, sitting back down. "Hou're not coming."

I looked at him in surprise. "But all the mates come to pack meetings."

"All the mates who can actually shift into wolves," Damien growled. "You're just going to embarrass me again. Like you did yesterday."

My heart felt heavy. I loved pack meetings. They were the only time I got to see other people and feel like I belonged somewhere.

"Please," I said softly. "I promise I won't embarrass you."

Damien laughed. "You embarrass me just by breathing, so you're staying home. Maybe if you're alone all day, you'll figure out how to finally shift into your wolf form."

I turned back to the eggs so he wouldn't see the tears in my eyes. I had tried so hard to shift.

Every night, I went into the woods and concentrated until my head hurt but nothing ever happened.

"And another thing," Damien said. "If anyone asks about your face, you tell them you fell down the stairs. Do you understand?"

"Yes," I whispered.

"What was that? I can't hear you."

"Yes, I understand," I said louder.

"Good. And Laila?" Damien's said calmly. "If you ever tell anyone what really happened, especially about Alpha Blackthorne showing up, I will make sure you regret it for the rest of your very short life."

I felt cold all over. I knew Damien meant it. He had hurt me before, but the way he said it made me think he might do something much worse.

"I won't tell anyone," I promised.

"You better not." Damien came up behind me while I was cooking. He put his hands on my shoulders and pressed down hard.

"You belong to me, Laila. No one else will ever want a broken wolf like you. I'm the only one who puts up with your uselessness."

I wanted to say that I deserved to be treated nice especially by my mate, I was supposed to be special to my mate but I couldn't tell Damien that.

"I know," I said instead.

"Do you? because last night, you seemed pretty interested in that Alpha." Damien's hands moved to my neck. Not squeezing, but I could feel how strong his hands were.

"Were you thinking about running away with him?"

"No!" I said quickly. "I would never-"

"Because if you ever try to leave me," Damien whispered in my ear, "I will find you and I will make you sorry you were ever born."

My hands trembled. The eggs in the pan began to burn because I couldn't focus on cooking anymore.

"Look what you did!" Damien yelled and spun me around. "You ruined breakfast!"

"I can make more-"

"No!" Damien pushed me hard. I fell backward and hit the floor. My head hit the cabinet with a loud thud.

"You can't do anything right!" He yelled as I lay on the floor, scared to move.

My head was pounding where it hit the cabinet. Damien stood over me, and for a second, I thought he might kick me.

Instead, he grabbed his coffee cup and threw the hot coffee at me. It splashed on my arms and chest. I screamed.

"Clean up this mess," Damien said. "And don't you dare leave this house today. If I find out you went anywhere, you'll regret it."

Then he walked out of the kitchen. I heard the front door slam a few minutes later.

I lay on the floor for a long time, crying. My arms hurt from the hot coffee. My head hurt from hitting the cabinet. My heart hurt from everything else.

Finally, I got up and cleaned the kitchen. I threw away the burned eggs and wiped up the coffee.

I changed into a different shirt because the coffee had stained the one I was wearing then I sat at the kitchen table and cried some more.

I thought about what Alpha Kieran had said last night. "A true mate would never hurt you, little wolf." but he was wrong. Maybe this was what mates did. Maybe I really was broken, and this was the only kind of love I deserved.

I touched the bruise on my face gently. It was getting more purple and swollen.

"You're so stupid, Laila," I said to myself again. "This is all your fault." but deep inside, a tiny voice said something different.

It said that the Alpha with the silver eyes had been right. It said that maybe I didn't deserve to be hurt. I tried to make that voice go away. It was dangerous to think like that.

If I started believing I deserved better, I might do something that would make Damien even angrier but the voice wouldn't go away completely.

It stayed there, tiny but strong, like a small light in a very dark room and even though I was scared, part of me was glad it was there.

I spent the rest of the morning alone in the house, thinking about silver eyes and wondering what it would be like to have someone call me "little wolf" in a kind voice every day.

Then I remembered Damien's threat and I pushed those thoughts away. I had to be more careful. I had to be a better mate. If I was a better mate, Damien would treat me better for sure.

What if he still wouldn't? The tiny voice in my head was back.

"A true mate would never hurt you, little wolf" the voice echoed Alpha Kieran's words.

I wonder how Alpha Kieran would treat his own mate. I'm sure he'd never hit her or yell at her or..

I have to stop thinking about Alpha Kieran. I have a mate and he probably has one too.

I shouldn't be dreaming about things that aren't mine, things I can't have.

What if you could? The tiny voice whispered.