2. Betrayed

Caterina

I turned to look at Sergio, but he had an impassive look on his face.

“What is this? What’s going on?” I whisper to him and feel the hot tears slipping down my cheeks. This was not what I expected, not at all! I knew my sister hated me, but this was… this was disgusting!

“Someone turn this off immediately!” He roars, and the screen goes dead, then he looks at me with a stony expression and sighs.

“This is not how I intended for you to find out,” he says, but before he could continue, a scream pierces the air, and we turn our heads to the entryway where the sound had come from.

My eyes widened at the sight before me; my sister was in tattered clothes with her makeup running and what looked like a rope around her wrists.

“Sergio! That’s not me; it’s my devious sister!” she hollers and stomps towards us. The crowd in the church had now gone deathly quiet. I take a step toward her.

“Carlotta, what-”

“She tied me up because she was jealous! She wanted you to marry her instead of me, your betrothed who is pregnant with your heir!” Her words send a sliver of ice straight into my heart.

I look at Sergio, whose stunned expression met mine, but then he levels his gaze towards my sister, and I see nothing but love there… He was looking at her the way I had always wanted him to look at me.

I hear voices to my right and see my mother walk up the podium and rip off my veil, feigning shock as she gasps. Then she slaps me hard across my face and turns towards the crowd.

“I do apologise for this despicable behaviour from my eldest child. She’s a mentally ill Omega and has always been jealous of her younger sister’s path and beauty. Please excuse us while we sort this out.” My mother tells the guests, the congregation of the most powerful and revered packs in our Italian circles, before pulling me violently by the arm to the back of the church.

I was too speechless at this moment to react to what she said or what she was doing, but I knew what was about to happen.

Carlotta would marry Sergio instead and live the life I dreamt about for years.

The bruises and hickeys on her neck, the devious glint in her eyes, whispering to my mother in church - it now made sense. It all made so much sense. I looked back at Sergio, but he had his arms wrapped protectively around Carlotta, guiding her through the room and whispering in her ear.

His red eyes flashed with pride when he looked up before kissing my sister’s hair and following our path towards the dressing rooms. Right now, I am too shocked to do anything but allow my mother to lead me out of the church.

“Strip.” My mother orders me when we are inside, and yet again, I do as I am told. She takes the dress and my shoes, leaving me standing there half-naked and shattered. My family had just lied about me and made me out to be a jealous Omega when I was nothing of the sort. I touch my cheek, still stinging from my mother’s hit, and I feel the tears slip down.

What would happen now? Who would marry an Omega? I've always been the good daughter, and now look what has become of me. Being good got me nowhere!

“Caterina,” the one voice I did not wish to hear right now, reverberated behind me in a growl and I turn to look at the man to who I would have submitted my everything to.

I pull the silk nightgown from next to the mirror and slip it on, before crossing my arms in front of me and levelling my gaze to his. The pity in his eyes made the anger blazing hot in my chest.

“Why? You could have just called off the engagement!” I exclaim and see the surprise in his eyes as the blue glints to red.

“Because I am an Alpha and can do whatever I want. Carlotta came to me; wet and wanting and more beautiful than you could ever be as she submitted to me willingly. We mated, bonded and now she is with child. My child. You could never compare to her, not now, not ever.” He spits out his venom, cracking my surface even more, but I only scoff at this.

“You would choose someone who betrays her own flesh and blood to fulfil her own selfish desires, instead of someone who loved you with her entire being. You two truly deserve one another; beasts of the same blood.” I spit out and Sergio clears the distance between us with two strides.

He clamps a hand at my throat.

“Careful, Omega. You would dare speak to an Alpha like that?”

I laugh at his reaction; a sad whimpering laugh but it did enough to piss him off. “You’re not my Alpha,” I say, uncertain of where this bravery was coming from, but every word I spit out seems to anger him more.

“Run along to your betrothed, Andretti. We have nothing left to say to one another.” I say and pull his hand from my throat before turning and walking towards the dress that hung there; the maid of honour dress Carlotta wore.

“Maybe if you weren’t so cold and opened your legs to me you would be in your sister’s position, Omega.” He spits out before striding out of the room, but I stop him with one last line.

"I am sure you're not the only one who has sampled my sister, Sergio. But good luck believing she's as pure as she acts." I say with a sweet smile and see the anger in his eyes before he storms out of the room.

I slid to the floor, heartache throbbing painfully in my chest as I just realised that I had no place in the werewolf world now.

Even Sergio believed that I was an Omega now, even though my scent says different.

I pull on the dress and stare at myself in the mirror; a lost wolf with no one to love her. This is where I made a promise to myself, that I will not allow this family to control me anymore, screw loyalty. Where exactly did it get me?! I would rather die with my pride intact than be treated like this ever again!

Sending up a final prayer of strength to the Moon Goddess, I put on the dress meant for my traitorous sister and prepare myself for one hell of a day.