The Innocent Traitor: Dying for the Alpha's Sin

After waking up from a five-year coma, I expected a warm embrace from my Fated Mate, Alpha Caleb.

Instead, I was greeted with disgust.

Standing beside a woman named Hailie, Caleb accused me of being a traitor. He claimed I had sold pack secrets and faked my coma to escape punishment.

My own brother, Fitz-the boy I had sacrificed my wolf spirit to save-stood by and let them condemn me to protect his own stolen power.

My life became a living hell.

Caleb locked me in a sauna filled with toxic Wolfsbane vapor.

He burned my skin with silver-laced water while Hailie laughed.

And finally, he watched me fall from a roof, leaving me to die broken and alone on the concrete.

It was only after my death that he discovered the truth: Hailie was the real spy, and I was innocent.

Consumed by guilt, Caleb burned to death beside my coffin, praying for a second chance.

The Moon Goddess heard him.

Time rewound. Caleb woke up back to the day I opened my eyes.

This time, he banished Hailie instantly.

He treated me like a fragile treasure, filling my room with roses and vowing to protect me from the world.

He thinks he has been given a miracle to fix his mistakes. He thinks he can make me fall in love with him again.

But there is one thing my "perfect" mate doesn't realize.

I didn't lose my memory in the reset.

I remember every single way he killed me.

Chapter 1

Ericka POV:

Darkness had been my only companion for five years. But when I finally opened my eyes, the first thing that hit me wasn't the blinding white light of the hospital room.

It was the scent.

It slammed into me-a physical blow to the chest carrying the rich, intoxicating aroma of storm clouds, fresh pine, and ozone. My heart, which had been beating sluggishly for years, suddenly hammered against my ribs like a trapped bird. Every nerve ending in my body ignited with electric sparks.

Mate.

The word echoed in the empty cavern of my soul. I didn't have a wolf anymore-I had given her away years ago-but the biological instinct was undeniable. My soul felt a sudden, desperate pull toward the door.

The door handle turned.

A tall, broad-shouldered man walked in. He radiated power, an aura so dense it made the air heavy. His eyes were the color of steel, and his jaw was set in a hard line.

Caleb Skinner. The Alpha of the Blood Moon Pack.

My breath hitched. "Caleb..." I whispered, my voice raspy from disuse. Tears pricked my eyes. The Moon Goddess hadn't abandoned me. She had given me the strongest Alpha as my fated mate.

But he didn't rush to me. He didn't bury his face in my neck to inhale my scent. He didn't claim me.

He stood at the foot of the bed, looking at me with eyes devoid of warmth. Behind him, a petite woman with perfectly curled blonde hair stepped in. She clung to his arm, looking at me with feigned pity.

Hailie Silva.

"You're awake," Caleb said. His voice wasn't a caress; it was a judgment. "Finally done with your act?"

I blinked, confused. "Act? Caleb, I was in a coma... I can feel the bond. You're my-"

"Do not speak of the bond!" His voice boomed, vibrating through the walls. He used the Alpha Tone.

Even without a wolf, my human side was forced to submit. My head snapped down, baring my neck against my will. It was humiliating.

"You are a Wolfless disgrace, Ericka," Caleb spat, stepping closer. The delicious scent of him was now mixed with the bitter tang of his anger. "And worse, you are a traitor."

"Traitor?" I choked out, fighting the pressure of his command to lift my head. "I don't understand."

Hailie stepped forward, resting her head on Caleb's shoulder. "Oh, Ericka. Don't pretend. We found the letters. The ones you wrote to the Rogue King before your 'accident.'"

She pulled a stack of papers from her designer bag and tossed them onto my bed. They scattered over my legs.

"I didn't write these," I said, my hands trembling as I reached for one. "I would never betray the pack."

"Save it," Caleb growled. "Hailie told us everything. How you planned to sell our patrol routes because you were jealous of those with wolves. How you faked this coma to avoid punishment."

"No!" I looked toward the door, hoping to see my parents, or my brother, Fitz. "Fitz! Fitz, tell him!"

My brother stepped into the room. He looked strong, healthy. His eyes flashed gold-the sign of a powerful wolf.

My wolf. The spirit I had ripped from my own soul to save him when we were teenagers.

Fitz wouldn't meet my gaze. He stared intently at the linoleum tiles, jaw tight, a bead of sweat tracing his temple. He looked like a man trying to swallow a scream.

"The evidence is irrefutable, Ericka," he said, his voice hollow. "Just admit it."

My heart shattered. He knew. He knew I gave up everything for him. And now he was letting them crucify me to protect his own stolen power.

"I reject the accusation," I sobbed. "Caleb, please. The bond... you must feel it."

Caleb grabbed my chin, forcing me to look at him. His touch sent jolts of electricity through me, but his grip was bruising.

"I feel it," he sneered, his face inches from mine. "And it sickens me. The Moon Goddess must be punishing me, tethering me to a soulless traitor."

He released me with a shove.

"Lock her up," Caleb commanded the guards waiting outside. "She stays in the Old Pack House until I decide her execution."

As they dragged me out of the bed, weak and screaming, I saw Hailie smile. It was a small, cold curve of her lips that promised this was only the beginning of my hell.

Ericka POV:

The Old Pack House was a crumbling relic on the edge of the territory, used only for storage and prisoners. They threw me into the attic. It smelled of mold and abandonment-much like how I felt.

My body was screaming. Not just from the rough handling, but from something deeper. Without my wolf spirit to heal me, my immune system was failing. And there was a burning ache in my bones that never went away.

"Comfortable, princess?"

I looked up from the dusty mattress. Hailie stood in the doorway, the door unlocked. She didn't need locks; I was too weak to run.

"Why are you doing this?" I wheezed.

"Because I deserve to be Luna," she said simply, inspecting her manicured nails. "And you? You're just a vessel that served its purpose. A Wolfless waste of space."

"Caleb will find out," I said, though my voice lacked conviction.

"Caleb sees what I want him to see," she laughed. "Get up. The Alpha requires your presence."

"My presence?"

"Tonight is the victory banquet for the recent border skirmish. Caleb thinks it's fitting that the traitor serves the heroes."

The banquet hall was filled with laughter and the clinking of glasses. The smell of roasted meat made my empty stomach cramp. I was dressed in a ragged gray uniform, forced to carry trays of champagne.

Every time I walked past a table, someone would trip me or spill a drink on me.

"Watch it, traitor," a warrior sneered.

I kept my head down, biting my lip to keep from crying. Then, the room went silent.

Caleb stood at the head table. He looked magnificent in his black suit, a king among wolves. My heart ached with a longing I couldn't control.

"Tonight," Caleb announced, his voice carrying effortlessly, "we celebrate not just our safety, but our future."

He reached out and pulled Hailie to his side. She beamed, radiating smug satisfaction.

"Though the Moon Goddess plays cruel jokes," Caleb said, his eyes flicking briefly, coldly, to where I stood in the shadows, "we make our own destiny. I have chosen my mate. Hailie Silva will be your Luna."

The pack erupted in cheers.

My tray slipped from my fingers. Crash.

The sound of shattering glass cut through the applause. The bond in my chest gave a violent lurch, like a physical string being yanked.

"Clean it up!" Caleb barked, not even looking at me.

I fell to my knees, picking up the shards. A sharp piece of glass cut my palm. I didn't feel the pain of the cut. I felt a rising tide of nausea.

My chest convulsed. I couldn't breathe.

Cough.

I covered my mouth, but the force of it bent me double. When I pulled my hand away, it was covered in black blood.

The room went quiet again.

Dr. Evans, the pack doctor, rushed over. He grabbed my wrist, his face paling as he looked at the black substance.

"Alpha," Evans called out, his voice trembling. "This isn't normal. This is... this looks like Silver Poisoning. Her essence is fading rapidly."

Silver poisoning was rare, usually reserved for wolves exposed to massive amounts of the metal. For a Wolfless human, it meant my body was rejecting its own magical heritage because it lacked the spirit to sustain it.

Caleb walked over, looking down at me with disgust.

"Silver poisoning?" He scoffed. "She's been in a coma for five years. Who would poison her? This is just another trick. She's trying to gain sympathy."

"But Alpha, her pulse-"

"Enough!" Caleb silenced the doctor. He kicked a bottle of painkillers toward me. It skidded across the floor and hit my knee.

"Take those and get out of my sight," Caleb ordered. "Stop bleeding on my floor, Ericka. You're ruining the celebration."

I clutched the bottle, looking up at him through a haze of tears. There was no concern in his eyes. Only contempt.

He really wanted me dead.

Ericka POV:

I was dragged back to the attic, but they didn't leave me there. Two omega maids, loyal to Hailie, hauled me toward the communal bathrooms.

"Hailie says you smell like a Rogue," one of them sneered. "Says we need to disinfect you before you're locked up again."

"Please," I begged, my legs dragging on the floor. "I'm sick. I need a doctor."

"Shut up, traitor."

They shoved me into the tiled room. A tub was filled with ice-cold water. But it wasn't just water. The liquid had a shimmering, metallic sheen to it.

My blood ran cold. Liquid Silver.

Silver is fatal to wolves. It burns our skin like acid. Even though I had lost my wolf spirit, my biology was still that of a werewolf. My DNA reacted to silver just the same.

"Get in," the maid ordered.

"No! It will kill me!" I screamed, trying to scramble backward.

They didn't listen. They grabbed my arms and forced me into the tub.

"AHHHH!"

The scream tore from my throat as the water touched my skin. It felt like a thousand hot irons branding me at once. The silver seeped into my pores, attacking the already crumbling remnants of my vitality.

I thrashed, splashing the toxic water everywhere, but they held me down.

"Stop! Please! It burns!"

The door opened. Through the steam and my tears, I saw Caleb standing there.

For a second-just a split second-I saw horror in his eyes as he took in my blistering red skin. He took a step forward, his hand reaching out as if to pull me from the torture.

"Alpha," Fitz's voice came from behind him. My brother stepped into view. "Don't fall for it. It's theatrical makeup. She put dye in the water to make it look like silver, and now she's screaming to make you feel guilty. It's classic Rogue manipulation."

Caleb stopped. He flared his nostrils, but the heavy metallic scent of the silver was masked by the lavender bath salts the maids had dumped in. His expression hardened instantly. The mask of the ruthless Alpha slid back into place.

"She is filthy," Caleb said, his voice void of emotion, refusing to look closely at the burns forming on my arms. "Make sure she is scrubbed clean. I don't want the scent of betrayal lingering in my pack house."

He turned on his heel and walked away.

"Caleb!" I screamed his name, but it turned into a gurgle as one of the maids pushed my head under the water.

Darkness swarmed my vision. The burning sensation went from my skin to my bones. He saw me suffering. He saw me dying. And he walked away.

They pulled me up just before I drowned, gasping and retching. My skin was red and blistering, steam rising from my body not from heat, but from the chemical reaction.

"Clean enough," the maid spat.

They dragged me back to my room and threw me onto the mattress. I lay there, shivering uncontrollably, the silver poison working its way deeper into my heart.

I realized then that the bond I felt, the love I had held onto for five years, was a lie. To him, I wasn't a mate. I wasn't even a person. I was just dirt that needed to be washed away.