Chapter 3. Betrayed

*  Zeina *

I woke up feeling the empty space beside me cold, silent, untouched. My hand instinctively reached across the bed, searching, hoping to find the familiar warmth of Alpha Robert still lingering beside me. All I could feel was the fading heat from where he'd once laid, and the subtle, masculine scent of him that clung to the pillow like a ghost refusing to leave. It was enough to make my heart ache.

With a heavy sigh, I pushed the soft sheets off of me and sat up. The antique wall clock ticked steadily above the headboard, its delicate golden hands pointing precisely at three thirty in the morning. Too early for him to be gone. Far too early. My brow furrowed as a ripple of unease settled over me.

"Honey?" I called out softly, my voice echoing eerily in the quiet room. It bounced back at me, unanswered. I tried again, a little louder this time, my eyes glancing toward the door of our en suite bathroom. Maybe he was just inside, freshening up. Maybe he'd had trouble sleeping. But again, silence.

A growing pit of worry curled in my stomach.

I stood and wrapped my robe around me, tying it at the waist with slow fingers. The floor felt cold beneath my bare feet as I made my way to the wide double doors that opened onto the balcony. I stepped outside, letting the crisp air bite into my skin, hoping to catch a glimpse of him anywhere, on the training grounds, perhaps pacing restlessly like he sometimes did. But my enhanced wolf sight revealed nothing. Only darkness and the peaceful stillness of the predawn morning.

I returned inside, feeling restless and unsettled. The only sound in the room was the rhythmic tick-tock of the antique clock, its steady beat now sounding strangely ominous in the silence. I sat on the edge of the bed, waiting, hoping he'd return before the sun rose. But he never did.

When the first golden rays of morning painted the sky, I decided to get ready for the day. A quick shower washed away the chill of the night but not the gnawing unease within me. The moment I stepped out, Donna was already there.

"Good morning, Your Majesty?" she said, standing by the vanity with a polite smile.

"Morning, Donna," I replied, forcing a smile that didn't quite reach my eyes. There was no point pretending with her, though. She'd been my attendant for years and could read me better than most. "Leave the room for now, Donna. There's somewhere I need us to go. And it can't wait."

Her brows lifted slightly, but she nodded without question. I quickly changed into fitted leggings, a breathable sports shirt, a hooded jacket, and my most comfortable walking shoes clothes meant for movement, for answers. As I dried my hair and pulled it into a high ponytail, Donna called in another servant to tidy the room.

"Where are we going, Your Majesty?" she asked once we stepped out of the Alpha House and toward the garage.

I tossed her the keys to my white BMW, catching the brief glimmer of excitement in her eyes. She loved driving my cars, and I let her whenever possible.

"To the prisoner's dungeons," I said, my voice low and firm. "There's something I need to check."

She nodded, slipping into the driver's seat with ease as I climbed in beside her. My mind was racing. I'd been thinking since the moment I woke, going over everything again and again, trying to make sense of the growing distance between me and Robert. He wasn't like this, not before. He was always there. Always warm. Always mine. What changed?

As we drove, the cold morning air rushed through the barely-cracked window. I inhaled deeply, hoping the fresh air might calm the storm inside me. Trees blurred past us, their leaves whispering secrets I couldn't quite hear. I prayed silently that my instincts were wrong. That what I feared wasn't true.

"The dungeons are just past the training center, Your Majesty," Donna said after a few minutes. "We'll be there in about ten minutes."

I nodded, too lost in thought to reply properly. As we passed the training grounds, a few warriors paused to bow their heads toward the car in respect. Others simply glanced our way with unreadable expressions. I tried not to overthink it.

When we finally arrived, Donna parked in front of the old stone building that loomed like a shadow against the brightening sky. The guards at the entrance stood at attention, their eyes following us.

"Is everything alright, Your Majesty?" Donna asked quietly, noticing my distracted expression.

"I'm fine," I lied softly. "Just... focused."

We stepped out, and the gravel crunched under our feet. I nodded to the guards who greeted me with respectful salutes.

"Luna Zeina!" one of them called out. "Good morning!"

"Morning," I replied, keeping my voice calm, though my chest felt tight. The air down here smelled of damp stone and old fear. I knew what lay within these walls.

One guard hesitated, then stepped forward. "Luna, may I assist you? The prisoners can be... volatile. Some might even try to speak to you. I can accompany you for safety. Is there someone specific you'd like to see?"

"Yes," I replied. "The prisoner rogue brought in by Alpha Robert yesterday. I want to see. I need to see what kind of wolves he got."

The guard hesitated. His eyes dropped from mine, and I saw the flicker of something behind them, uncertainty, maybe guilt. He knew something. And that only made my unease grow stronger.

"As you wish, Your Majesty," he said finally, bowing slightly. "Follow me."

The air grew colder as we walked deeper into the dungeon, passing cells where rogues hissed and growled behind iron bars. Their gazes lingered on me, hungry, curious, mocking.

"Damn savages," Donna muttered, glaring at them. "I'd rip their eyes out for the way they're looking at you."

I gently touched her shoulder. "They can look all they want, Donna. That's all they can do."

One of the guards murmured an apology. "Forgive them, Luna. They've never seen someone like you before, so powerful, so beautiful."

I waved his words away. I wasn't here for flattery. I was here for truth.

Finally, we stopped in front of a clean cell, far more maintained than the others. Inside sat a young woman no chains, no filth, just a single bed, a small table, a chair, and a bottle of water. She looked up the moment I stepped into view.

"That's one of the prisoners, Your Majesty," the guard said quietly. "The rest of the rogues from this area are the prisoners that Alpha Robert brought in yesterday."

Her eyes met mine, piercing, confident, aware. She stood slowly, walking forward with deliberate steps. I could see it clearly now, she was young, maybe twenty, with dark, raven hair and a figure that still held grace despite the rough prison garb. She was barefoot, but carried herself like a queen.

"Hello there, Luna Zeina," she said smoothly. "We meet at last."

The guard gave a respectful bow and retreated, leaving us alone.

"What is your name, rogue?" I asked, my voice sharp but controlled. Yet even as I stood tall, something inside me trembled. There was something about her presence... something unnerving.

She stepped closer to the bars, and as she did, a scent drifted toward me familiar. My blood turned to ice.

No. It couldn't be.

But it was.

Robert's scent. Intertwined with hers.

My breath caught in my throat. My heart cracked as the realization slammed into me. I turned to Donna, needing her support, her grounding presence. She looked at me, confused, sensing the shift in my aura but not yet understanding it.

"I am Celine, Luna Zeina," the woman said, voice soft but firm. "And from this day onward, I suggest we start becoming friends. Alpha Robert and I... something happened between us last night. Perhaps it's too soon to say, but he plans on making me one of his mates."

Her words struck like a dagger to my chest, sharp and merciless. I stared at her, disbelief and heartbreak crashing through me like waves. My hand flew to my chest as the pain overwhelmed me, and then....

"Your Majesty?!" Donna cried out in panic.

Everything faded into blackness. And I collapsed, consumed by the void.