Betrayal

EVERETT

~A FEW HOURS EARLIER~

“Alpha Everett, what a pleasant surprise,” Alpha Nickolas greets us, leading us into the pack house where his Luna, Beta, and Gamma are waiting—informed, probably, just as we arrived.

“I’m wondering about the purpose of your visit though.” He offers us a seat graciously and formally in his pack meeting hall, which almost makes this feel like an interrogation.

They’re lined up on one side like I’m sitting for a fucking interview, clearly curious and wary as to why I’m here. They know their pack power is inferior to mine, which makes them all the more on guard.

“Your pack is the closest pack to my territory. There’s the annual conference coming up, and I feel that I need to gauge some of the views of my neighboring packs.

“I rarely attend those meetings because my views are heard but not implemented. Instead of going there completely outnumbered, I’d like to share ideas with other packs one on one.”

This gets him talking, sharing with me his own laws he’s implemented within his pack since he took over, and the ideas and issues he’s planning to bring up.

And of course, I play out this excuse, maneuvering into the human issues he has.

“What are your views on humans?” Alpha Nickolas asks, narrowing his eyes. “I know your pack has been about coexistence with humans and all that shit. I wonder if you’ve changed your mind.”

“No, I haven’t. I follow my parents’ teachings whilst adapting to the modern era,” I reply nonchalantly.

“But coexistence doesn’t necessarily mean integrating them with our communities?” Luna Victoria questions, her arm wrapped around Alpha Nick and confidence oozing off her.

“These two tried to kill our mate,” Chaos screams, his growls rumbling throughout me.

“Stay calm,” I respond silently. “Aurora doesn’t even want us here, so we can’t make anything obvious. They can’t know she’s alive, not just yet. She wouldn’t like that.”

“Technically, no. I don’t believe in integration. As long as we’re living different lives, we should get along. You feel differently?”

“No,” Alpha Nick declares with an agreeing smile. “Exactly. Humans shouldn’t be part of a pack.”

“You have a human in your pack?” I ask.

Alpha Nick and Luna Victoria look between each other before sighing.

“We did,” Luna Victoria answers.

“You did?” Lucius questions with a fake confused look. “What happened?”

“We tossed the little bitch out,” she replies, grimacing at the thought of my mate.

“Our pack raised her and she was fucking useless. I don’t know why she was even allowed to stay. Humans shouldn’t be in a pack, they don’t belong in one.”

“If she grew up here, doesn’t that make her a pack member? She was integrated. Did she have any family? Why was she even here?” I question.

“An Omega brought her back after finding her in rogue territory. She was a weak little clumsy shit.”

I had to keep my anger from exploding all over her for talking about my mate like dirt on her shoe.

I guess that’s what she thinks happened to my mate: she became dirt, savaged by rogues and decomposed into the mud.

That Omega, Aurora’s mom, I know Aurora misses her. She sometimes whimpers about her in her sleep, and about her old pack, the trauma they put her through.

They did that. Alpha Nickolas and Luna Victoria. They tried to kill my mate. They created her nightmares.

“Although that fucking Omega left. Went missing, just like that. She was on an errand in rogue territory and she didn’t officially break ties, either. But that bitch probably went to find her daughter, not that she will.”

“Why not?” I question, although I already know the answer.

“She’s out in the human world. Probably making a buck on a street corner or something.”

~That’s my fucking mate, you asshole.~

I take my leave, knowing I won’t even be able to meet Aurora’s mom and deciding to pick up my little mate instead.

***

^NOW^

Maybe that was a fucking mistake, because now, my mate seems incredibly suspicious and paranoid.

“Aurora, why am I on trial?”

She doesn’t trust me. But why? I did visit her old pack without her knowing, but I’ve given her no reason not to trust me, have I?

“I want to know where you went. You don’t want to tell me?” she questions, backing away from me. Why is she being like this?

“No, I don’t, not right out here,” I declare, scoffing and stepping closer to her.

But she takes another step back from me. I reach out to grab her and someone gets between us, a scent I’ve smelled before. I could fucking kill him right now.

“Don’t grab her, you abusive asshole,” fucking Eddie threatens, and the rest of her friends march over, protecting her like she needs protection from me.

She needs my protection. Abusive? What the fuck? Has she been telling them something?

“Aurora,” I call out in a dangerous, low voice—my Alpha voice—to make her understand my frustration.

What the fuck is happening? Her friends are glaring at me like I’m the fucking devil, and she’s gone all paranoid. Perhaps rightly so.

Through her friends, I watch her: those pleading green eyes that are asking me.

“I went to talk to Nick and Victoria,” I blurt out, making her completely freeze altogether.

“You didn’t…,” she whispers, barely audible to the regular human ears around her, but caught by mine. “Did Ace tell you?”

“Ace shouldn’t have had to. You should have trusted me enough to tell me,” I lecture.

She barges through her friends, who are now confused. “Trusted you? You didn’t even tell me you were going there. Did you tell them? Do they know?”

“No, they don’t fucking know. But it wouldn’t matter.” I reach out and grab her waist, wrapping my arms around her to feel the contact and soothe myself. “You don’t need to be scared, little one. I’m here for you.”

“You went behind my back. You told me you were running errands,” she persists, her eyes watering.

They’re telling me that she’s really hurt. Really fucking hurt. And I did that. That’s why I didn’t want to tell her.

“I’m sorry, little one. I just… I needed to know.”

“Know what? You didn’t trust me? You didn’t believe me?” she questions loudly.

“Of course I fucking believe you. I wanted to know how anyone could fucking hurt you.”

“Really, you do it all the time,” she blurts out.

And all I can do is stare at her in stunned silence. Did she really just say that?

“We’ve fucked up. Really bad,” Chaos mutters.

“I think you should leave,” Jax declares like an asshole. “I’ll take her home. She clearly doesn’t want to be around you.”

“You should mind your fucking business!” I growl out, my entire body filling with an uncontrollable rage. And Aurora notices.

“No! I’m driving her home so you can go,” he argues, although previously taken aback by my tone. “Let go of her!”

“She’s our fucking mate,” Chaos growls.

I’m about to go full-on wolf rage with this guy, but Aurora places her hand on my cheek, snapping my attention back to her.

“I’m sorry, little one. I am. I didn’t mean to…”

“You did mean to. You think about every decision you make, right? You overthink most of the time. And I liked that about you. But you can’t make the ‘I wasn’t thinking’ excuse.”

“Can’t we just go home? Aurora…we’ll talk about it at home?”

“No, I don’t want to. I don’t want… I need space. I’ll walk.”

“You’ll walk? It’s an hour and a half walk. I’m not letting you walk, you fucking know that, little one.”

Fuck. She’ll pass through rogue territory if she walks. And there is no fucking way I’m allowing her to.

“She can do whatever she wants,” Eddie declares, touching her shoulder.

What is with this Jax and Eddie? They want my mate. My fucking mate.

“You’ve brainwashed her enough,” Jax exclaims. “She doesn’t need you. Take your hands off of her.”

“I’m fine,” she says, glancing over her shoulder to her friends—Jax, Eddie, Freya, Bethany, Skye, and Oliver.

I’m trying. I’m really trying. Because I care. I care about her life, and everything about her. I just wanted to know her. I love her.

“No, you’re not. He’s convinced you that you’re meant to be together, that he loves you, all so he can get into your pants,” Jax counters. “Don’t go with him. I’ll drive you to your house.”

“It’s a bit difficult since she lives with me,” I sneer, holding her tighter to me.

His eyes widen and I just squeeze tighter, never wanting to let her go. I know I hurt her. I just wanted… I don’t even know. I have to tell her about her mom. But at home. Not here.

“Please…come home with me. I can’t force you, I won’t. I’ve done enough shit. But there’s something I need to tell you.”

“What?”

“I should tell you at home.”

“Is that just some way to get me home? I don’t—”

“Please. It’s important.”

“Just tell me now,” she demands, looking pained.

“Fine,” I give in. “I… Fuck, I’m sorry, little one. Your mom, she’s…missing.”

“What does that mean?” she questions, now panicked.

“I’m sure she’s fine. She left, but she wasn’t forced to go. She went out into the woods, and she never came back. She’ll be fine.”

“You don’t even know her.”

“She raised you,” I say, cupping her cheeks in my hands. “I’m sorry. Please let me take you home.”