1: Backstabbed
Elena
“For the last time, please respect my marriage, I’m not interested in messing around with you and I won’t ever be, Alpha Kade.” I forced the words out through clenched teeth, frowning in annoyance. Alpha Kade chuckled in my face before stepping closer to me, trapping me against the wall. I was leaving the restroom when he cornered me and tried to kiss me. For months now, he has been trying to get under my skirts and I’ve been refusing.
A bright light flashed, accompanied by the familiar sound of a camera clicking. I gasped in horror and shoved alpha kade away, hurrying down the hallway whoever it was that just took a picture, just disappeared into.
“Relax, Elena, no one saw us. Now, back to my offer-” Kade grabbed my arm as he spoke, but I shoved him hard and wrenched my arm away.
I was done being nice to him. I was done being careful with him, while being forced to swallow this much disrespect because he was my mate’s friend, and when I did complain to my mate about him, my mate had asked me to endure his flirtings. But this was my breakpoint, knowing that if the press that got a hold of that picture, my entire reputation would be ruined.
For the first time, I gave alpha kade a piece of my mind and asked him to go fuck himself before returning back into the party— a party which was thrown by me, to celebrate the four years anniversary of I and my husband’s marriage.
“I pray I one day find a love as sweet and pure as that of you and your mate.” An elderly woman as she reached out to hold my hands and behind her, a few people nodded in agreement. Meanwhile, my stomach instantly turned at those words because that was far from the truth.
I managed a strained smile at her and quickly moved away from her, but almost immediately, I was cornered by a few women who were congratulating. Music blared around us and I forced myself to thank them again before successfully escaping them. As I walked, I had to plaster a warm smile on, even though it hurts to smile since my cheeks and eyes were still swollen from the beating my mate gave me this morning before he stormed out.
I hadn’t wanted to host this anniversary party anymore, because there was nothing worth celebrating about my marriage anymore, but since I had begun to plan it before Elijah, my childhood love, suddenly changed into a monster overnight five months ago, I had to see it to the end. If I had chosen to cancel it, months after I had sent out invites far and wide, it would undoubtedly cause a lot of speculation and gossip, and that’s something I’ve never been avoiding. My marriage might no longer be perfect, but no one needed to know that, to avoid us losing face in the country.
As alpha and luna, we were role models of the pack we ruled over, and it was our duty to uphold a good image for those who looked up to us.
That’s the only reason why I still remained with Elijah instead of divorcing him since the moment he changed. It all started when he asked me to sleep with his best friend and alpha king of our neighboring pack, Alpha Jason. In exchange, Alpha Jason would then agree to help my husband out by merging the two packs together and helping my husband with all the problems his pack was currently in.
I outrightly refused to do that, and it greatly angered my mate. Since then, he worsened. The mate I knew before would have flipped had I informed him alpha kade was flirting with me relentlessly, but now, my mate literally even asked me to sleep with him as well, so alpha Kade could help our pack in return. Of course, I refused to do that.
Which was definitely why he began to beat me almost everyday. And even though I always feel like I was on my breaking point, I always reminded myself to endure it all because he was all I had, while hoping he’d one day change back into the sweet man I fell in love with many years ago.
The crowd suddenly screamed excitedly, pulling me out of my thoughts and on looking, I saw it was husband approaching. I forced myself to smile at him, even though I actually didn’t want to be here. I expected him to come over and grab my waist and then smile for the cameras like all was completely well between us, like we’ve always done in the last five months.
However, he walked past me to the stage and picked up the mic there, and as he greeted the crowd, everyone screamed loudly. Our pack— Nyx pack, wasn’t the biggest out there, but it was quite populated, and it ranked #18 in the top 100 ranking of largest packs in the country.
“I have something to reveal everyone, so listen attentively!” He announced and everyone went silent, cameras raised high in anticipation. I frowned, wondering what he wanted to say.
He pointed at me and everyone instantly faced me, completely catching me off guard just as he began to speak.
“My lovely wife over there… has been a green snake under the grass this whole time.” He began and my mouth fell open as I blinked in confusion.
“She has been cheating on me this whole time, and I even have proof!”
Instantly, the screen behind the stage lit up with a picture of me trapped against a wall, by Alpha Kade. Alpha Kade’s face wasn’t showing, and the angle of the picture made it seem like we were making out. I gasped in horror as my heart exploded; this was the picture that was just taken of alpha Kade and I back in the restroom!
The whole crowd focused on me as everyone began to speak at once, and I wished I could sink into the ground.
That picture, who took it? And how did it quickly get in the hands of Elijah?! I thought it was the press or just someone messing around!
So it was Elijah who probably paid someone to take that picture? Which means he set Alpha Kade to corner me in that compromising position…?
I feel so lost, I didn’t know what to think.
“And that’s not all, she has always been selling classified info of our pack to other men after she sleeps with them. To outsiders! Someone like her isn’t fit to carry on as our Luna, which is why I’ll be taking her off the Luna throne this very instant!” He announced and I gasped in disbelief just as the whole crowd scattered.
I was in a shocked state till I got home that night. That was harder than usual, because everywhere was blocked off by people shoving cameras and mics in my face. I was in a trance throughout, while trying to wonder why Elijah would do this. This was the last thing I expected him to do. Why would he choose to punish me this way? Especially when I’ve never done anything bad to him before.
When I got into our home, I was shocked to see Elijah, his parents, and an unknown woman in there. The woman was blond, skinny and very pretty. She was seated across my husband’s laps, and I blinked, but the image before me didn’t change.
At the side of the door were my luggages as well.
“What’s happening?” I demanded slowly while my husband got to his feet. As I stared at his face, my heart clenched tight with pain from his betrayal and anger burned through my lungs as I pointed at him.
“How could you do that? Why did you claim I cheated on you? And that picture?? And also saying I leaked classified information? That’s all a big lie!” I was breathing hard but my mate rolled his eyes as he closed the distance between us.
“But no one would believe it’s a lie if you try to claim it is… so, you’re welcome to try.” He crackled and I frowned as I glanced around the sitting room again, still very confused.
“I don’t understand, Elijah. Why did you ask Alpha Kade to corner me in the restroom? It was you, wasn’t it?”
“And if it was, what can you do about it? Nothing. For months, I’ve needed physical proof of you ‘cheating’ on me, to use in turning the public against you, and as the genius I was, it didn’t take me long to figure out a plan. I asked my dear friend Kade to start flirting with you. You can figure out the rest.”
My mouth fell open even more and my head reeled from utter shock as my eyes panned around the room again.
“Why are my luggages out here and who is that woman?”
Elijah pointed at said woman. “That’s the new woman I’d be getting mated to as soon as I reject you.”
I gasped this time, staggering back. “You’re rejecting me?!”
He scoffed. “Not just that, after I reject you, I’m handing you off to Alpha Jason.” He continued and I gaped at him as he continued.
“You’ve been very useless to me, and selfish: because If you had agreed to sleep with Jason—, everything would have been fine, but you selfishly didn’t! Now, I’ve found help elsewhere. This woman is from an influential family that has connections with multiple packs, so I have everything I might ever need.”
As he spoke, the woman came forward to stand beside him. He pulled her into his side and kissed her hard while I gaped at them, unable to believe my eyes or wrap my head around this sheer level of betrayal.
“But… giving me off to alpha Jason after rejecting me? On what grounds?! You don’t own me, Elijah. And besides, I refuse to accept the rejection!” I was breathing hard while my hands shook. My head was a mess. If news of this rejection gets out, no one would want me in their circle, I won’t belong anywhere because this would damage my reputation beyond repair. I don’t have anywhere else to go since I wasn’t on speaking terms with my parents, and I’ve also been logged out of the joint bank account I share with Elijah, ten minutes ago.
“Silly girl, you must accept the rejection. And Jason’s guards are coming to collect you in a bit. Before you ask why, it’s because we’ve agreed that you’ll replace Jason’s sister who’s supposed to wed the blackbird because of a contract decades ago. Jason’s sister was betrothed to the blackbird by her father, but Jason doesn’t want to give off his sister to a monster like the blackbird. So, you’ll wed him in her place.”
“W- wait, the blackbird as in…”
“That’s the one.” He affirmed before I could finish and it was like I got doused with cold water.
“What? Are you crazy? Why would you do such a c- cruel thing? You want to reject me after tainting my image tonight, and you still want to hand me o- over to the blackbird?” I whispered shakily.
“You know who the blackbird is, don’t you?!” He snapped and I flinched, fear slamming through my lungs. The blackbird was a popular nickname of the alpha of alphas, and that man has a very terrifying reputation and is also rumored to be cursed from birth. His pack— Evylon pack, ranks number one on the rankings of packs, and he was the most powerful and ruthless alpha of the whole country. Every other pack’s alpha kings have to answer to him at the end of day and he has the final say. We’ve never been in the same location before, even Elijah hasn’t either. Only pack leaders in the top ten rankings are opportuned and worthy enough to be in his presence.
“I refuse! I refuse to replace Alpha Jason’s sister! Never! I also refuse this rejection, you know I’ll be a laughing stock if I accept it.” My voice cracked at the last part.
“You’ll do just that, you ingrate with a dormant wolf! I took you out of pity and because I thought your parents’ connection would help my pack, but your parents threw you out, which automatically made you useless. I should have deserted you by then but I kept hoping they’d one day make up with you.” He snarled as he stalked forward and I was too shocked to speak after that revelation.
His parents instantly agreed with him while regarding me with anger. I once thought they loved me as a daughter.
After that, Elijah roughly grabbed my throat and brutally rejected me, then he held on till I accepted the rejection. As I felt the bond get severed, all that kept ringing through my head like a bell was that the man I married was only a facade, and that this was his actual face.
