All Chapters of The Alpha’s Betrayed Mate: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Aria's pov.The brush in my hand scraped against the marble floor, my knuckles turning red from how hard I scrubbed. The scent of soap mixed with wolf musk and polished stone filled the wide lobby, almost choking me as my shoulders burned from bending for so long. The bucket beside me sloshed every time I dipped the rag, the water already gray from dirt.The Alpha's lobby was always spotless. At least, it was supposed to be. It didn't matter that most of the pack never noticed. To me, it was my job, my role, my shame. Omegas didn't get choices. We were given tasks and expected to carry them out without a sound.I kept my head bowed, my hair falling forward like a curtain as I rubbed harder at a stain that wasn't even there. It was easier to look busy, to pretend I was invisible, to pretend no one saw me at all. Because when they did see me, it was never good.The sound of sharp heels clicked across the marble, and my stomach tightened. I didn't need to lift my eyes to know who it was.

Aria's pov.My knees... gods, I couldn't even feel them anymore. It was like they had stopped being part of my body. Just stone pressing into bone, over and over, six long hours of it. My legs had gone numb, then the burning sensation came, then back to numb again. My whole body felt like it wasn't mine.Six hours of silence, Six hours of laughter, Six hours of her voice in my ear, it was tormenting.Vanessa.She came out every chance she got, like she had been waiting for this moment her whole life. Her voice sang, high and fake sweet, but every word was dipped in poison."Don't you look pathetic, omega? You should thank me for even looking at you.""Don't slouch. Do you want the Alpha to see you like this? Oh wait....he already did."Her friends laughed like trained pets. Every time, like a chorus made just for her.I sat there, back straight, because if I bent for even a second, she would notice. My chin were down because that's what omegas did, my hands pressed into the dirt until

Aria's POV.The voices from the ceremony were still ringing in my head, blending with the steady pounding of my heartbeat. Every step I took down the corridor felt heavy, like my feet were made of stone. The noise of the pack celebrating Zac's choice for Luna echoed far behind me, but it clung to me all the same, like sharp claws digging into my back.Vanessa's laughter lingered most of all. That smug, triumphant sound. She had won. At least, that's how it looked to everyone in the hall.I didn't understand. I couldn't. Just a week ago, Zac's hands had been on me, his lips whispering promises only I could hear. His voice had been soft then, his touch gentle. We were in love, we had plans. Tonight was supposed to be the night everything changed for us. For me.And it did. Just not the way I thought.I found him standing in the torch-lit hallway, his back against the stone wall, his posture relaxed as if nothing had happened. My chest tightened so hard it hurt. How could he look so calm

Aria's pov.The room was silent except for the sound of my hands fumbling through my drawer, clothes were being stuffed into the old brown bag I had dragged out from under my bed. My heart felt heavy, almost like every fold of fabric was weighing me down more and more. I didn't even know why I was packing slowly when everything in me screamed to run. Maybe because part of me was still numb, still trying to understand how my world had changed in a matter of hours.Alpha Zac had looked me in the eye and told me I was nothing. Just a toy, just a body to warm his bed. Then, like it was not enough, he said I was being sold to another Alpha like a piece of property like my life was not mine anymore. My future was being signed away in an alliance, wasn't that pathetic?My hands shook as I folded one of my dresses, the fabric blurred as tears filled my eyes, and I pressed my lips together hard so I wouldn't sob. If I started crying now, I might never stop.The door made noise as it opened, I

Aria's POVWinchester pack house was not at all the Silvermoon grounds I was growing up in. It was bigger losing walls of marble, high windows which flung the moonlight back like mirrors, and guards at every turn. Yet behind the beauty, I was experiencing the same feeling that I had always felt in my old home. Alone.I remained because I had no other places to go. Not because I wanted to.Damon had already seen to that on the very first day I was here, he did not chain me, did not take me and keep me in a cell. He just told me that I would be safe under my roof. Safe. The term was no longer real. It was not the first lie, but a man had said it to me and vowed that he would love me all my life.I felt my pulse now deceitful whenever Damon got into a room with his rich voice. My skin was tingling, my wolf aroused. I said to myself, it must be fear because I must know it must be?Wherever I went, there was quiet tension in the pack house. Wolves were lurking around me, and murmuring wher