All Chapters of THE ALPHA'S BETRAYAL: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

I found Rowan in the main room, crushing leaves with a stone mortar. The smell was sharp and bitter, like medicine. "Rowan," I said quietly. "Can I talk to you?" He looked up from his work. "Of course. What's troubling you?" I sat down across from him, wrapping my arms around myself. "The dreams. They keep reoccurring. She told me not to trust anyone this time." Rowan set down his mortar and gave me his full attention. "What exactly did she say?" "She said people lie, even good people. That they lie to protect you." I looked toward the kitchen where Carlos was washing dishes. "She made it sound like Carlos might be hiding something from me." "I see." Rowan leaned back in his chair. "And that worries you." "Yes. No. I don't know." I pressed my hands to my temples. "What if she's right?" Rowan was quiet for a moment, studying my face. "Amelia, everyone has secrets. I have secrets. Carlos has secrets. You probably had secrets before you lost your memory." "But…" "Having secrets

That night, I couldn't sleep. The memory of my father's words kept spinning through my mind like a wheel that wouldn't stop turning. “When she's old enough, she'll marry your son.” Was it important? Did it mean something about who I was supposed to be? Or was it just the ramblings of a father trying to make a good match for his daughter? Did it ever happen? I sat on the edge of my bed, staring out the window. My memories felt like scattered pieces of glass, sharp and broken, with too many gaps between them. I was so frustrated I wanted to scream. The next morning, I was getting ready to meet Austin again when someone knocked on my door. "Come in," I called, thinking it might be Rowan. But it was Carlos who stepped inside. His face was serious. "We need to talk," he said. "About what?" "About Austin." He closed the door behind him and leaned against it. "I don't trust him, Amelia." My hands stilled on the buttons of my dress. "What do you mean? You just met him." "Something

"Amelia!" The voice cut through the quiet night. I looked up from where I knelt by the riverbank, my cheeks still wet with tears. "Amelia!" The voice came again, closer now. I wiped my face quickly and stood up. Through the darkness, I could see someone running toward me. As he got closer, I realized it was Austin. He was breathing hard, like he had been running for a long time. "Austin?" I called out. "What are you doing here?" He reached me and bent over, trying to catch his breath. His face was pale in the moonlight, and his eyes were wide with panic. "Thank goodness I found you," he gasped. "Amelia, you have to come with me. Right now." "What's wrong?" "It's Carlos," Austin said, straightening up. "He's in danger. Some men are attacking him, and he needs help. You have to come quickly." My heart stopped. All the anger I had felt toward Carlos melted away in an instant. Nothing else mattered except that he was in trouble. "Where is he?" I asked, already starting to move.

The knife pressed against my throat for what felt like forever. I could feel Austin's hand shaking, the blade trembling against my skin. Then suddenly, the pressure was gone. I opened my eyes just in time to see Austin slice through the ropes that bound my hands. The rough hemp fell away, and I gasped with relief. Austin stepped back and turned to face his father. The knife was still in his hand, but now it was pointed at the scarred man instead of at me. "No," Austin said, his voice stronger than I'd heard it all night. "I won't do it." His father's face twisted with rage. "You fool! You don't know what you've done!" I struggled to pull the loosened ropes completely free from my wrists. My hands were numb and clumsy, but I could feel the circulation starting to return. Austin's father took a step toward me, his good eye blazing with fury. "If you won't finish this, then I will." But Austin moved between us, raising the knife higher. "Stay away from her." "Get out of my way, b

The priestess lived in a small house at the edge of town, surrounded by herb gardens that filled the air with sweet and bitter scents. Wind chimes made of bones and stones hung from the porch, singing softly in the morning breeze. When the door opened, I caught my breath. The woman who stood before us was beautiful in a way that seemed almost otherworldly. Her skin was dark like fine clay, smooth and rich, and it seemed to shine with its own light. Beads of different colors decorated her waist, ankles, and wrists, clicking softly when she moved. Around her neck hung a silver crescent moon that caught the sunlight. But it was her eyes that made me stare. They were gray, like storm clouds, and they seemed to see everything. I found myself wondering how beautiful her wolf form must be. Those gray eyes fixed on me, and I felt a chill run down my spine. There was something disturbing in her look, like she could see things about me that I couldn't see myself. "Come in," she said, her v