Betrayed

Calista's POV

"Hold still, Dad."

I adjusted my father's collar as he stood in front of the mirror looking like a man being marched toward execution.

"I don't care about the collar," he muttered. "I care about surviving this meeting."

A laugh escaped me.

My father was one of the elders of our pack. Normally calm and respected, he always became nervous whenever the Alpha Council gathered, but today seemed worse.

"You'll be fine,” I said, trying to ease his fears, but it wasn’t working.

"That's easy for you to say."

Before I could tease him further, my mother walked into the room carrying a silver pin.

She attached it neatly to his jacket before stepping back to inspect him.

"You do look nervous," she admitted.

Father groaned.

"Every important Alpha will be there," Mother continued. "Even the Alpha King."

The color immediately drained from his face as I burst out laughing.

He sat heavily on the edge of the bed.

"Our Alpha will already be there. I don't even know why elders have to attend these things."

"You know exactly why," Mother said.

Father rubbed a hand over his face. "And somehow I'm expected to stand up and give a speech while the Alpha King watches."

I rolled my eyes. "You act like he's going to eat you."

Father gave me a look. "Nobody knows what he's capable of."

Here we go again.

Stories about the Alpha King had circulated for years. Some claimed he could control wolves with a glance. Others said even powerful witches feared him. The most ridiculous rumor was that nobody had ever seen him shift.

I had never believed any of it. People always exaggerated what they didn’t understand. The alpha king had lived for hundreds of years slaying enemies. For someone who didn’t have a wolf he was pretty powerful and had defended the lands without being a wolf. 

I knew arguing with my father was pointless as he eventually stood and picked up his phone from the bed.

"Go get Jake. Tell him I'll be waiting at the edge of the pack. If he keeps delaying, I'll leave without him."

I frowned.

"Shouldn't the Alpha already know that?"

Father smiled, "You know Jake."

Unfortunately, I did. He was always late for his meetings.

A few minutes later, my parents left for the council gathering, leaving me alone in the house.

I grabbed my coat and headed for the Alpha's mansion.

The walk wasn't long. Normally, seeing Jake always improved my mood.

He was my mate. The man chosen for me by the Moon Goddess. The future Alpha of our pack. My future husband.

As I crossed the pack grounds, wolves greeted me warmly.

Many already referred to me as the future Luna seeing as I had been dating Jake for three years now and we were practically seen as a couple.

I smiled and returned every greeting, completely unaware that my life was about to change.

The guards opened the mansion gates the moment they saw me.

"Future Luna,” the guard there smiled as I laughed.

"Keep saying that and you'll make it sound official."

The guards grinned as I entered.

Everything looked normal.

Servants moved through the halls carrying out their duties. The mansion was as spotless as ever.

I headed for the staircase but before I reached it, someone hurried toward me. It was the head maid Helga.

"Miss Calista,” she called. Something in her voice made me stop.

"Yes?"

She looked uncomfortable. "The Alpha is busy right now."

I smiled. "That's okay. I'll only be a minute."

But her expression tightened. "No. I mean... very busy."

The smile slowly disappeared from my face.

"I just need to tell him my father is waiting."

"Perhaps you should come back later."

My stomach twisted. Why was she trying to push me away?

She wasn't meeting my eyes and that alone told me something was wrong.

"Move."

"Miss Calista, please."

"I said move."

She nodded and stopped aside as without another word, I brushed past her and climbed the stairs.

The moment I reached the second floor, I heard it. A moan as everything inside me froze.

For one second, my mind refused to understand what I'd heard.

Then another sound followed coming from Jake's room.

My heart dropped. I walked faster but the closer I got, the louder the sounds became.

By the time I reached the door, my body was already restless.

I shoved the door open as the world stopped.

Jake stood in the middle of the room naked with one man on his knees before him, sucking him while another stood against his side with his hands on his bare chest.

For a moment, nobody moved. Nobody breathed.

Then rage exploded inside me.

"Jake!"

The men jumped apart as Jake spun around, horror flooding his face.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, the question hitting me harder than the scene itself.

Not an apology. Not an explanation. That.

As if I was the one who had done something wrong.

Jake quickly grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around himself.

"You two, leave,” he commanded the men as they rushed out of the room without hesitation.

The door closed behind us as silence settled between us.

I stared at the man I had loved for years. My mate. The future I had planned my entire life around and suddenly I couldn't recognize him.

Jake took a cautious step forward.

"Calista, I can explain."

A bitter laugh escaped my lips. Of course he could. Cheaters always had explanations.

I looked him directly in the eyes and for the first time since meeting him, I wondered what kind of lie was about to come out of his mouth.

I remembered all the pain I had gone through to protect him from what people had to say about him. I remembered all the tears I had endured as I thought he was my mate and would never cheat on me. But here I was. I was a joke and this man before me was about to lie in my face about what I had just seen.