Chapter 9: Betrayal

The past few days were excruciating. Knox hasn't contacted me or bothered to check in. He still hasn’t given me the result of his so-called promise. And that silence, it’s driving me mad. The more time passes, the angrier I get. Even my wolf has grown restless.

There were moments when I wanted to storm into the pack and confront Emerald myself. I wanted to scream the fact at her that I was Knox’s true mate and she had no place there anymore. But I knew Knox wouldn’t appreciate that kind of move, so I kept my distance. I waited. And now the truth has been exposed, she seemed not bothered at all. How could she sleep with a man next to her when she knew that someone was hurting and on the brink of death due to her and Knox’s doing?

Still, I couldn’t help wondering, did Emerald have a conscience? I think she didn’t have even an ounce of it. Figured. 

But in all of this, someone has been looking out for me.

Zeus. Knox might have banned him from coming in our pack but Zeus was a relentless bastard. He wanted me, a broken woman and had nothing to offer for someone like him. Knox made a point that Zeus was unwelcome in our pack. 

Maybe Knox didn’t trust me, maybe that’s why he sent Marcus to keep tabs on me.

Zeus knew that. That’s why we kept things to just messages and calls. He understood me, and I appreciated that more than I could say.

“Nov,” I heard Diane call as she stepped out of the locker room. Her shift would replace mine in about thirty minutes.

After that accident, I chose to leave my brother’s house to find a job. Something would divert my mind from everything and learn to heal bit by bit. I started to work as a part time waitress in a local restaurant. 

“Hey, what’s up?” I greeted her.

“I think this is yours,” she said, smiling as she handed me a brown envelope. “It’s addressed to you.”

“Oh, thank you,” I said, taking the envelope.

“You’re welcome,” she replied with another smile before heading back inside.

I glanced at the back of the envelope. My name was indeed written on it.  

“Excuse me, miss. More coffee, please.”

The sharp, impatient voice at table five snapped me from my thoughts. The man glared as he tapped his empty mug like it would magically refill itself faster. If anything, it made me move slower. I had no respect for people like that, but I still forced a polite smile. I couldn’t afford any complaints on my record.

I set the envelope aside.

Grabbing the coffee pot, I walked slowly to the dark wood table across the diner.

“Here you go, sir.”

He raised a hand to stop me before I poured.

“Is that decaf? I only drink decaf. If it’s not, take it away and bring me what I actually ordered,” he grumbled.

I bit my tongue hard. I was already on edge, and this man was testing every inch of my patience.

“It is,” I replied as evenly as possible.

“Fine.”

He lowered his hand, and I poured the coffee. Not another word was exchanged as I walked away.

Thirty minutes later, Diane stepped out to begin her shift. I gave her a tired smile, grabbed the envelope, and went to the locker room to change. After slipping into my casual clothes, I ordered a drink and sat outside the diner.

With trembling fingers, I opened the envelope.

Inside was a stack of photos. My heart pounded in my chest as I pulled them out. The moment my eyes landed on the first picture, I froze.

“W-what is this?” I whispered.

The first image showed Knox and an older woman smiling at a cafe or something. I flipped the photo and something was written on it. “He met a witch. He asked for an opinion on how to break a bond without rejection.”

Picture 2: The older woman was gesturing her hand, must be explaining Knox everything. 

And the next was not a picture. It was a small recorder with a paper attached to it with a message saying. 

“Listen to it and decide what to do next.”

An invisible force punched my gut. 

And then come Knox and Emerald laughing at one place and another.

Pain punched through me like a dagger. My hand went numb. My heart felt like it was being squeezed until it could no longer beat.

Breathing became a chore. My body trembled as I flipped through the rest of the photos. My wolf had been anxiously waiting for him and she had believed that maybe Knox would change his mind, but with a witch? My wolf started to doubt.

Frantic, my fingers searched the envelope again, hoping, and for some explanation.

“Care to share what you’re looking for?”

I didn’t even look up.

ZEUS. 

I didn’t care if Marcus saw us. I needed this.

“What happened?” Zeus asked gently.

“It’s nothing,” I said, sliding the envelope in my apron’s pocket but I caught Zeus curious’ look.

“That’s a nothing to me,” he said as he brushed some strands of his long hair away from his face. 

“It's none of your business Zeus. What the hell are you doing here?” I asked, irritated. 

Zeus didn’t speak. He just started at the apron where I kept the envelope. 

“Can’t a guy come to a restaurant and maybe check on his girl?’ He said playfully flashing me his white perfect teeth. 

I rolled my eyes and stormed out.  And went to my staff only before taking out the envelope. I took the recorder and played it. 

At first I heard noises from the restaurants and then Knox’s voice. 

“Is there any way to cut a bond without rejection?” He asked. 

“Yes,” A woman's voice come in after he spoke. 

“What is it? Tell me.”

There was a long pause. 

“Tell me, are you planning to break the bond between you and your mate?”

Knox cleared his throat. 

“Well, she and I never really had this bond thing,” he said which made my stomach churned. “And I have chosen a mate for myself. I love her and I wanted to end everything with my mate.”

There was a long pause again.

“I see,” the woman said. “But have you ever considered the effect of what you have done or planned? Your Goddess had a reason why you wolves had a mate.”

“I know. You don’t have to lecture me. I’ll pay you the amount you asked. Just tell me how to undo it.”

I heard the woman sighed. 

“Death. Death can erase the bond completely without any pain but comes with a huge price.”

“Thanks,” Knox said and scribbled something. “Here’s the payment.”

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you, young man.”  The old woman replied. 

My hand became numb after listening to the recorder. Whoever recorded this, they might have known that I was Knox’s real mate and they sent me this. It was clear as day that Knox reverted to a permanent bond erasure. MY DEATH. How far will he go to erase me just for the sake of his and Emerald's happiness?” 

My knees barely buckled up to support my weight as I stepped out of the staff room. My wolf wasn’t having it even after she heard the conversation that both shattered us. 

I spotted the one person I wanted to see at that moment. He was eating dessert when I stepped closer to him. 

He raised his head to me with a questioning look. 

“Am I also banned from eating dessert?” he asked innocently. 

I smiled at him, feeling defeated. 

“Is your proposal still on?” I asked. 

Despite being shocked and not expecting what I said, Zeus smiled at me. 

“Yeah. Are you on with that now?” 

I nodded.

“Why change now?”

“I felt like I’d be safe with you instead,” I replied, not telling him about the conversation I learned. 

Zeus stood up and hugged me, which I desperately needed at that moment. 

“What are you doing here, Zues? And why are you hugging November?”

That voice. That Alpha tone.

My whole body shivered.

“This is neutral ground, Knox,” Zeus said coolly. “Don’t go all Alpha on me. And if you’re wondering why I’m hugging her—it’s because she decided to be my mate.”

“What are you talking about?” Knox demanded.

I turned to face him, not bothering to wipe away my tears.

“I decided to be Zeus’ mate,” I said bitterly after learning of his plan to erase me for good. 

His expression didn’t shift much but the anger in his eyes told me everything.

“Nov, I—”

“How cruel of you, Knox,” Zeus cut in sharply. “You can’t even be honest with your mate. You betrayed her. And you betrayed me, too. I couldn’t hurt November like you did. You already stole my mate. What more do you want, Knox?”

“She rejected you!”

“Yes and you made sure of that!”

Even through my own pain, I could feel the fury rolling off Zeus. It wasn’t just resentment anymore—it was raw, bitter rage aimed straight at my mate.

“She rejected you and severed the bond. I had nothing to do with that. She didn’t even tell me until after it was done!”

“She did it because of you. You couldn’t wait for your mate, so you took mine,” Zeus spat.

The pieces clicked. The fog in my mind cleared just enough to grasp what they were talking about.

It was Emerald.

She was Zeus’s mate.