Mounted

Tonya

Gasps, scoffs and giggles filled the air as humiliation and betrayal washed over me. 

I stared at Zeke on one knee, the velvet box open in his hand, the diamond ring glittering under the silver moonlight. One he had bought with me. But it wasn’t for me?

It was for Angie?

A strange ringing filled my ears. I blinked once. Twice. Maybe this was a dream. A cruel joke. I took a step forward. “Alpha Zeke?” I whispered.

He didn’t even glance at me.

“Alpha Zeke, what’s happening?” I asked again, louder this time. The crowd around us hushed, and yet his silence screamed louder. His eyes remained locked on Angie like she was the center of the moon and stars. Like I didn’t exist at all. 

Angie tilted her head and smirked at me. She had that cold, smug smile curling her lips like she had just won a prize, like she knew this was going to happen. 

“Will you be my mate and Luna, Angie Hill?” Alpha Zeke asked. 

“Oh, Zeke, yes! I had been waiting for this,” she exclaimed, and with a graceful flick of her fingers, she extended her hand toward him. 

What? My world shattered like a glass vase dropped from the sky. “No…” I tried to breathe, feeling suffocated. “No, please.”

Ignoring me completely, Alpha Zeke slipped the ring on her finger, his face soft, his expressions like that of a love-sick puppy as he looked at Angie. 

As the scenario unfolded in front of me, my heart cracked. It didn’t just ache. It splintered and bled, raw and exposed. The butterflies that once danced in my stomach had turned to knives. My lips trembled. “Alpha Zeke,” I called again, desperation thick in my throat. 

He stood up, cupped Angie’s face and kissed her on her lips as the entire crowd cheered for them. Disbelief blasted inside my chest, my entire world crumbling faster than a house of cards before my eyes. What was going on? I was confused. I thought Zeke loved me. I loved him with all I had. Tears welled in my eyes. Pain lanced in my chest. Was this how rejection felt? 

Once he removed himself, I swallowed the lump in my throat and summoned the courage to walk up to him. “Why did you do this?” My voice broke. “You said you were going to announce us. You said you loved me. Why did you ditch me like this?”

His lips curled, but it wasn’t a smile. “Announce us?” He let out a dry laugh. “Tonya, don’t be silly.”

The crowd whispered around us. I felt hundreds of eyes pinching my skin like thorns.

“I never planned to propose to you,” he said in a cold voice. “How could I accept a wolf-less girl as my Luna? That’s laughable. Angie is an Alpha’s daughter, and was always the right one for me.”

I flinched like he’d slapped me.

My eyes widened. “But she left you! She chose someone else over you. I was the one who stayed.”

He shrugged like my words meant nothing. “That was a misunderstanding. Angie and I… we’ve always been in touch. We were just waiting for the right time.”

The right time? This Moonshadow Gathering? My knees weakened. The man I had loved since forever had been lying all along? He used me? I couldn’t breathe. The night air suddenly felt thick, suffocating me. Tears filled my eyes as I backed away. My dress felt tight around my ribs, my cheeks burned with humiliation. Laughter and murmurs echoed behind me. My parents were too shocked to react. 

“Now don’t create a drama over here,” he growled. “We will talk tomorrow.” Saying this, he turned to Angie, who placed her hand on his chest possessively, staking her claim. 

I couldn’t take it anymore. I backed away a few steps. Then I turned and ran.

I didn’t care where I was going. I just wanted to escape the whispers, the stares, the betrayal. Myself. 

Alicia caught up behind me. “Tonya! Wait!” she yelled, panting. “Don’t go into the forest! They say Ezra, the rogue king, is lurking!”

But I didn’t stop. Not even the rogue king could stop me. They said that he killed first and talked later. Well, he could kill me if he wanted. At least, I’ll be relieved of this pain in my heart. 

My feet carried me deeper into the trees, my dress brushing against branches, leaves scratching at my arms. My heart was a bird trapped in a cage, thrashing wildly.

I reached the lake outside the pack borders. The moon shimmered on the water, and without thinking, I unzipped my dress. It pooled around my feet like a fallen crown. I stood in my bra and panties, the cool air brushing my skin. Stepping into the lake, I let the water wrap around me like a blanket of ice. It was the only thing that could numb the fire in my chest.

I swam to the center, dunked under the water, and let the tears flow freely. No one could see them here. No one could hear the sobs that escaped my lips.

Why did he do this? He made me believe that he loved me while he was in touch with Angie all this time. Why wasn’t I good enough?

After a while, my fingers pruned, and my legs grew tired. I swam back to the shore, water dripping down my skin. I reached for my gown, only to find nothing. Gone. Stolen. I blinked, panic creeping in. I looked around wildly. “Hello?” I called. “Is someone there?”

That’s when I heard it.

A howl. Low, deep, and terrifyingly spine-chilling. It wasn’t from a wolf I knew. It sounded  wild. Feral. Angry.

My blood ran cold. Was the Rogue King here?

Scared, heart hammering, I backed away. With no clothes to cover me but wet undergarments, I turned and sprinted through the trees, hugging myself. The forest seemed darker, ominous now. 

When I reached home, I burst through the door of my room and slammed it shut, gasping for air. My parents weren't home yet. I collapsed onto the floor of my room, the tears starting all over again.

I cried until the moon disappeared and the sun rose.

I didn’t sleep. I couldn’t.

My thoughts kept spinning like a broken wheel. Why did he lie to me? How long had he been planning this? Why didn’t I see it?

By morning, something inside me snapped into place. I needed answers. I had to see him.

I dressed quickly in jeans and a hoodie, tying my damp hair into a messy braid. The bite of last night still sat fresh on my skin, but I forced myself to walk to Zeke’s house. My legs felt like stone, but my heart beat with a mix of courage and fury.

When I reached, the gate was ajar. The place looked unusually quiet. As I walked in, I heard low and rhythmic sounds coming from the courtyard. My brows furrowed. A soft moan followed. And then a growl. Skin slapped against skin. Someone was panting, gasping, groaning. “Yes, Zeke, yes!” 

Confused, I tiptoed closer to the courtyard wall and peeked over it. And then I saw it. 

Angie was on her knees and palms, wearing my blue gown, her neck tilted in submission. She had presented herself to Zeke. 

And Zeke’s wolf was mounted on her. Pounding ferociously inside her pussy, his nose buried in my gown. 

Stunned, I froze. Angie turned her face toward me and smirked. A fierce pain blasted in my belly.