THE GREAT BETRAYALS.

CHAPTER 1: THE GREAT BETRAYALS.

RAYA'S POV.

"Silence!" 

The sound of the Priestess's staff echoing, amplified by magic, as it hit the ground, reverberated throughout the noisy crowd gathered in the great hall.

Fiona, the Priestess of our pack, got everyone's attention. Everyone's interest was piqued. 

I, on the other hand, had both a mixture of anxiety and eagerness.

The Festival of Spirits - an annual event that was peculiar to just the Greyhound pack, my pack the second most powerful pack in all of the domain of the king, had the whole city gathered. But this time, it doubled as the Nuptial Ceremony of Jamey, the newly appointed Alpha of our pack, and myself. 

"Worry not, child. It'll all be over soon," Ingrid, the oldest maid in my family's household, said to me as she stood beside her. I cracked a mild smile, but my anxiety was visible. I shouldn't be anxious, but I couldn't help it.

Turning to the side, I met the haughty smirk of Victoria, my childhood nemesis. Furrowing my brow, I looked away, wondering why Victoria had that smug look on her face.

I shrugged, casting off the thought. Tonight was my night. My status in the pack was about to change.

My father and two older siblings stood some meters away from where I stood, but they didn't spare her a look. I was hoping tonight would be different. 

Standing on the dais, the Priestess and the elders stood before the people, with the Priestess in front of them. 

"Tonight, we all stand here to bear witness as the oldest and most sacred duty that has ensured the perpetuity of our kind be fulfilled, in accordance with the will of the Moon goddess," Fiona began speaking.

"Raya, daughter of Lamdan, and Alpha Jamey, of house Koll, please step forward," she instructed. 

Sighing, I stepped forward, doing my best to suppress the bubbling happiness within me. Jamey walked forward, looking a bit cold with his handsome face. We both faced the Priestess.

"Do both of you accept each other as mates, according to the will of the Moon goddess?" Fiona asked.

The whole congregation of people got quiet at this point, such that only the flickering sound of the torches' fire was heard. In the past three centuries, no Nuptial Ceremony drew this level of curiosity from the members of the pack. 

Well, so I was told by Ingrid. And it was vividly observable. 

"Yes, I accept Jamey as my mate," I answered, smiling. Fiona nodded and faced Jamey. 

"Jamey?" Fiona called, checking to see why he delayed a bit with his response. 

"I, Jamey, of House Koll, reject you, Raya, as my mate!" 

The whole congregation gasped with wide eyes when they heard that. My smile began to wear off, and my heart raced as, stricken with true anxiety. 

With my eyes darting around briefly, I saw the people chattering amongst themselves, laughing as they looked at me. I looked at her father, but all he did was glare at me. 

What else was expecting from him?

Looking a bit perplexed, the priestess protested, "But, it is the will of the goddess."

"And I dare to defy her!" Jamey's voice thundered authoritatively, startling me. Scoffing, he turned to me.

"Is this who you expect me to accept as the progenitor of my bloodline - the wolfless runt of the pack?" he said, then chuckled disdainfully. He then walked into the congregation and took hold of Victoria, bringing her before the priestess and everyone. 

"This is who I shall make my Luna, and the progenitor of my bloodline," he announced. The pack exploded in cheers and jubilation. Squinting my eyes, I felt a sharp pain piercing through my heart. My eyes welled up in tears.

With a few steps, Jamey stood in front of me, looking me dead in the eye as I looked right back at him

"My father would roll in his grave if I went through with this," he said unremorsefully. 

Weakened in my bones, I could barely hold my fragile body at this point. I collapsed to the ground sobbing, as tears ran down my cheeks. Yes, I was wolfless and couldn't fully grasp the concept of mate bonds. But my heart was shattered. 

With tear-filled eyes, I looked at my father again, but he fumed. Irked at the sight of me, his own flesh and blood, my father made his way out of the great hall, passing through the crowd. 

"Victoria. So do you accept your Alpha, Jamey, as your mate?" the priestess asked.

"With all my heart," she answered, wearing a wide grin. Fiona went ahead and offered them the ceremonial wine in a chalice to seal the bond.

"As said before the members of the Greyhound pack, so shall it be." 

With that pronouncement, the crowd exploded once again in cheers. I got up and ran out of the great hall, crying. I couldn't bear to witness what was meant to be mine given to someone else.

I ran to her mother's grave and fell in front of the headstone, crying profusely, as the moon shone brightly. It was the only place I found succor, strangely. 

The bard invited from a distant town and his team began singing, and the crowd sang along in jubilation.

'So, they are mated? How could he do this to me?' I cried my heart out.

"How dare you desecrate your mother's grave?!" a firm voice yelled, startling me. Looking up, I saw it was my father. 

"I- I'm sorry, Father. I couldn't-" 

"Save your breath!" he retorted, cutting me off. "You are no daughter of mine. You never were to begin with. No child of mine would have deprived me of my happiness, my mate." 

With my mouth gaped in astonishment, my father walked away. I had never been loved and accepted by my father after my mother died giving birth to me. I truly hoped becoming Jamey's mate would help her earn my father's affection for the first time. 

His statement made me cry even more. 

After a while, I heard footsteps approaching. It was Victoria, accompanied by her clique of friends. 

"I thought I'd find you here," she said, smiling. Wiping my eyes, I got up and looked at Victoria, sulking. 

Victoria chuckled shaking her head. Then she slapped me across my face.

"You have a death wish, don't you, vermin?" Victoria asked. "Do you feel like fighting back, as you used to attempt to before? Hmm?"

I was more hurt internally than externally. And yes, I couldn't retaliate. Victoria was now the Luna.

"You thought Jamey would choose you? How delusional. Nobody wants you. No one wants a wolfless omega who killed her own mother," Victoria said, laughing with her friends.

Oh, that struck a nerve! I clenched her fists, suppressing my anger.

"For desiring what was never yours, I'm going to make your life miserable. Just you wait and see," Victoria assured. Then she headed back with her friends to join the celebration.

This was the last straw. I was finally done believing in pack loyalty, mate bonds, and family ties. I was done!

I would rather take her chances out there than remain where I no longer considered my home, despite the dangers that lurked without, beyond our borders.