CHAPTER 2: DOUBLE BETRAYAL

ELI'S POV

Elric was on the couch, his hands gripping Liam’s hips. My best friend. The Beta I’d grown up with, who’d once licked honey off my skin after Mom taught us how to make beehive. Liam straddled Elric, their bodies slick with sweat, their tongues locked in a rhythm that made my throat burn.

Elric’s cock, hard and glistening, was buried deep in Liam’s body.

I stepped inside.

They didn’t stop.

Liam gasped around Elric’s cock, riding him like a warrior on a battlefield. “Does Eli ride you like this?” he panted. “Do you make him scream like that?”

His voice, breathless and high, slithered through the room. “Answer me. Does Eli let you take him like he’s yours?” His nails scraped down Elric’s chest. “Or does he make you wait? Does he stay so tight you have to—”

Elric’s growl rumbled deep. “He’s boring, Liam. Doesn’t even let me touch him. Says he’s saving himself for the wedding night.”

Liam laughed, a wet, slurred sound. “Such a shame. You’re wasted on him, alpha.”

Elric’s hands tightened on Liam’s ass. “He’s weak. Look at him—no scent, no strength. Useless. All pure and perfect. Doesn’t even let me touch him.” A snarl. “Like he’s better than me.”

The words hit like a punch. I’d spent months preserving myself for our wedding night, for the first time our scents would truly mesh, binding us forever. I’d thought it was sweet.

Elric was on his back, his broad chest heaving, a naked Liam straddling him. He froze mid-motion. Liam’s gray eyes locked onto mine, wide with something like shock. Then recognition. Then glee. For a heartbeat, we were eight years old again, hiding in the closet while our fathers argued about the pack’s future. Then he flinched.

“Is that—” Liam stuttered, his fingers still gripping Ryan’s shoulders. “—Eli?”

Elric’s hands shot to his face. A second later, he slammed them on the Liam’s hips and shoved him off, sending him slumping to the side. Liam gasping as he collapsed, breathless, his thighs glistening. Elric scrambled up, completely bare, his cock still hard, still slick with the Liam’s come. His eyes locked on me, and for the first time, I saw something like fear there.

“You shouldn’t be here,” Elric rasped.

“Shouldn’t I?” I stepped forward. My voice was flat, but my whole body trembled. “Room 301 was empty. But I guess you preferred Room 302. Since it’s one number closer to your real Omega?”

Liam tried to sit up but bobbled, his face red. “Eli, I—”

“Don’t.” My hand curled into a fist. “You’re a Beta, Liam. You can’t even—”

“I’m not a Beta!” His voice cracked. “I just hide it… I have a scent. A real one. Not like yours. Elric can feel me. He can claim me—”

Elric moved suddenly, standing to block him. “Shut up, Liam.” His eyes flicked to me. “This doesn’t mean anything.”

“Doesn’t it?” My laugh was raw. I stepped between them. “Or should I ask if I mean anything?”

Elric’s breath hitched. For a moment, I thought he’d say something else, reach for me like he used to. But all he did was grip the edge of the couch, his knuckles white.

“You don’t understand,” he said. “The pack... your dad’s been in the hospital for months. I can’t afford to fail as Alpha. I need a mating that’s strong. That’ll hold the pack together. You...” He swallowed. “You’re… fragile. I don’t want to be unfair to you.”

Fragile.

The word curled around my spine like a knife. I thought of Dad, wasting away in his bed. I thought of Elion, carved up by rogues. I thought of how easy it had been for the pack to take everything from us. But not Elric. Elric was supposed to stay.

“Is that why you didn’t even come see me today?” I whispered. “Because I was boring?”

“Eli—” Elric reached for me, but I stepped back.

“Don’t.” I hissed.

“Liam,” I whispered.

My best friend. My brother in everything but blood. The Omega who concealed as Beta who’d held my hand after Elion died, who’d wept at my brother’s funeral. Liam, whose scent I’d always known to have none. Not this. Not floral.

Elric ran a hand through his hair, avoiding my gaze. “Eli, I—” Elric began, but I cut him off.

“Congratulations, Alpha,” I said, my voice cold and flat. “You’ve created a masterpiece. Liam as your artist.”

“Eli, it’s not what you think—” Elric tried to explain.

“Is this your idea of a joke?” I stepped closer, my tears hot and silent. “Is Liam your idea of a joke?”

Liam opened his mouth, then closed it. His cheeks flushed with shame... or maybe guilt.

Elric’s hands curled into fists. “You don’t understand. Liam’s my fated omega.”

I let out a broken laugh. “You’ve got to be kidding me. Why do you even choose me as your chosen mate? Was it all to get the position?”

“No!” Elric’s alpha aura flared, “You were meant for me. The bond—”

“LIES!” I spat. “The bond chose you a year ago! But maybe that’s inconvenient for your precious image, right? The Alpha who seduces a defenseless Omega and makes him thankful.”

Elric lunged, grabbing my wrist. “You don’t get to do this. You think I’d betray the pack? That I’d hurt you?”

I yanked free. “Your pack... our pack... is dying, Elric. You took power while my dad drowns in pain, while my brother’s ghost screams in the wind. And you… you’re screwing my best friend!”

Liam suddenly chuckled, pushing himself up on his elbows. “You should see your face, Eli,” he purred, licking a line of come from his lips. “Does Elric’s cock feel this good inside you? Oh my bad he didn't sleep with you yet. Unlike us, we've been doing it everyday for months.”

“Don’t.” Elric’s growl was low, dangerous. “Don’t say another word.”

I took a step forward. “Why?” My voice cracked. “Is it because I don’t smell like one? Is that it? You couldn’t wait for your boring Omega, so you got your real mate out of the way first?”

Elric’s eyes finally met mine. His mouth was a thin line. “You’re right. You are boring, Eli. You’d still be waiting for me to touch you, saving yourself for the wedding night like a good Omega.” He turned to Liam. “Compared to Liam, you're nothing.”

My breath caught. “You… you don’t mean that.”

“Oh, I do,” Elric said, his Alpha’s scent rolling over me like a blade. “You think your Ashcroft blood makes you special? You’re weak. Your scent is a joke. You never belonged here.”

Liam scrambled off the bed, his hand on my forearm. “Eli, listen—”

I slapped him. Hard. His face turned toward me, stunned. It was the first time I’d ever hit him.

“I trusted you,” I whispered.

“I was his fated mate!” Liam boast, his Omega voice cracking. “For the sake of our past friendship, I'm willing to share him with you. You can be his concubine.”

Elric’s laugh was bitter. “ Don't compromise. He’s just another Omega who thought he could win me.” He stepped closer, tilting my chin up. His touch was rough. “You were never mine, Eli. You were just the pack’s way of keeping the Ashcroft name relevant.”

I wrenched free. “Enjoy while you can. Both of you. I’m taking this to the council tomorrow.”

Elric’s smirk faded. “Do you think they’ll believe you? An Omega with no scent, accusing the future Alpha of betrayal? They’ll say you’re jealous. That you’ve always been jealous of Liam’s strength, his smell.”

I stared at Liam. He looked back, his gray eyes full of something that wasn’t quite guilt.

“Go ahead,” Elric said softly. “Try to ruin me. We’ll see how long your precious pack protects its ghost.”

I kicked him on his balls which left him kneeling in pain.

I left the room without another word. In the corridor, I leaned against the wall, my hands trembling. The scent of Liam’s lies and Elric’s cruelty clung to my skin. Somewhere behind me, I heard one of Elric’s enforcers... Derek, maybe... calling my name. But I didn’t run.

The corridor blurred as I fled, my tears smearing the marble. My Omega body screamed, the bond between me and Elric a fiery thread of betrayal. Behind me, Elric’s roar of fury shook the club’s foundations.

I didn’t stop running until I hit the street. Until the scent of Liam and Elric and that godforsaken room faded into the stink of human smoke and rot.

Dad’s words echoed in my head... ”Eli, marry Elric. You’ll be safe with him.”

Safe. I laughed bitterly into the night. I’d find another way to save my dad. Without them. Without my chosen mate.