Betrayed

Scarlett's pov

"Oh, man," I gasped, trying to contain the fresh feelings and emotions. I was forfeiting to the sinful desires burning in my heart. 

He lifted one leg on his shoulder and ran his tongue over the slit. 

"Baby girl, you taste so good," he growled. 

I grabbed his shoulder, my nails digging into his skin. 

I woke up, startled and looked around. When I saw the familiar surroundings, I breathed out in relief. It was just a dream. But it seemed to be so real and for a moment I thought I was cheating on my mate and enjoying it. 

And that too with Gavin who was long gone. 

I pushed my thoughts to the side and gathered the papers on Michael's desk. He must have left for the meeting without me when I fell asleep on the couch. I was about to put them away when something peculiar caught my eye

My lips parted. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Right in front of me lay the papers that proved that Michael, my mate, had sent out the orders to kill me. 

But why? I couldn't understand…

I should have listened to Gavin when he warned me about him. He was one of the personal security guards my father appointed to me back in the Crimson Crescent pack. He accompanied me when I arrived at the Sapphire Moon pack after I met my mate. Gavin was a trustworthy friend and a protective brother who looked out for me, but I chose to doubt him. I screamed at him, accused him of being jealous, and pushed him away. Well, Michael was my mate after all and I thought I could trust him. 

Months after that incident, Gavin was found guilty of treason. Though my heart told me that he would never betray the pack, the proof told us otherwise. Nonetheless, even after his execution, my conscience kept ringing like a bell. It kept telling me that he was framed.

Blinking away the tears that stung my eyes, I frantically browsed through the papers he had hidden in a drawer of his office desk. After seeing proof of Michael's betrayal, I had a feeling that my conscience was right. Gavin was innocent. 

My heart raced in my chest as I rummaged through the drawer, trying to find anything that might tell me the truth. I knew that time was limited and that I should flee if I didn't want his assassins to find me. Yet, I needed proof. I needed to see with my own eyes. As I scoured through the drawers, one particular heading written in fat black letters caught my attention. 

Torch Crimson Crescent pack….

My eyes widened. Torch Crimson Crescent? Did he really have a hand in the destruction of my original pack? 

I forgot to breathe. How could I forget the worst day of my life? The day I thought my life was perfect turned out to be the most disastrous day I could ever think of. My parents returned to their pack after the Luna ceremony and the next day, news of great devastation reached our ears. 

The Crimson Crescent was destroyed in a massive fire. No one survived. Not even the young pups. For the past one and a half years, I was positive that it was a natural forest fire that went out of control, but now…

A sudden bang startled me. I knew what that meant. The assassins were here. Gasping, I jerked up, dropping the papers on the floor,r and dashed towards the window. I looked outside. The entire place was deserted. 

Perfect. 

I opened the sliding door and without any hesitation, I jumped outside. I was a fully trained warrior before I became a luna of the Sapphire Moon pack, after all. I stumbled onto the soft earth, yet, was soon able to compose my posture. 

"Scarlett!" I heard my best friend's voice. Feeling relieved, I turned around to see her staring at me with widened eyes. She and Gavin were the only ones who survived the Crimson Crescent fire because they were with me in Sapphire Moon. Though Gavin was no longer with us, Georgette was and I knew that I couldn't leave her in this place full of traitors. I rushed towards her. I wanted to drag her away from the Sapphire Moon territory. I wanted to save her from them. If Michael could kill me, I knew that he wouldn't hesitate to end her life too

"You…" 

"Shhh," I hushed her and covered her mouth. "No time to explain. We need to leave! Now!"

She yanked my hand. "Wait! Scarlett, I need to tell you something!" 

"Not now, Georgette!"

"But strange people wearing black masks are lurking in the woods! If we go in there, they might catch us!" 

I froze, wondering if they could be Michael's assassins. 

"What?" I breathed out. 

Nodding her head, she pulled me towards the back door of the pack house. "This way. If we must leave, we must escape through the secret exit in the pantry."

I believed her and followed her to the pantry. We ran hand in hand until we reached the little opening in front of the pack house. There was an exit that the pack members seldom used. 

That's it. We were leaving. 

At least that was what I thought until two muscular hands grabbed me. 

"Hey!" I screamed, struggling against them with all my might. "Let me go!" 

A male voice interrupted me. "You talk too much." 

My heart skipped a beat. I knew that voice. That was him. Michael. My wolf howled in agony when the betrayal of our mate became more factual. I looked around, hoping to catch a glimpse of my best friend. Did they catch her too? 

What I saw shocked me beyond words could convey. I saw her… in his arms… smiling deviously at me as I helplessly struggled against the assassins. I cast a glance at my mate. His face was cold and hard to read. The grey eyes which I lovingly gazed into numerous times held nothing but hatred as he glared at me. 

Mate… he was my mate… but why was he holding her in his arms?

Rendered speechless by what I was witnessing, I stared blankly as Georgette stood on her tippy toes to place a soft kiss, square on his lips. 

Mine! He was supposed to be mine!

"Surprised? Well, I think it is only fair that you know before you die. Michael and I have been in love way before he met you and as you know, three people in a relationship is too crowded," she smirked, as though she was taunting me. 

A massive lump in my throat made it hard for me to speak, yet, I gulped it down. I wanted to know why they were doing this to me. He could have simply rejected me and we could have lived our lives. But he chose to have me and everyone who I cared about slaughtered. 

"Wh… why?" I croaked. 

He snickered. "I hate you and your pathetic pack. Why? That's for me to know."

He shifted his gaze towards the assassins who were standing right behind me. He despised me for reasons I most probably would never find out. He was plotting against me the whole time and I thought he loved me unconditionally. I was wrong. He massacred my pack. He took everything away from me.

I looked at the two traitors despite my vision continuing to blur as realisation hit me like a ton of bricks. They did it together. They took advantage of my love and trust. They backstabbed me while I did nothing except love and care for them. 

Oh, how I wished that I hadn't ignored the signs. The signs told me that my mate was cheating on me. But I was stupid and naive. I didn't expect that the two people who I trusted the most would stab me in the back. And I believed Georgette when she told me that I was most probably over working. I had once complained about a sharp pain that affected my entire body. 

Trembling as my rage reached its peak, I looked at him. 

"I hate you," I whispered as angry tears rolled down my cheeks. "I hate you both and I wish that you will never get what you desire in life!" 

They laughed, mocking me. The desire to avenge them for everything that they had done burned in my heart, yet, I guess it was too late. I didn't have anything. No parents, family, not even a friend who would help me. Moreover, I was at their mercy. With three assassins holding me down and two other holding guns to my temples, I was barely able to move. 

Michael threw a weary look at me. The hatred in his eyes didn't dissipate as he signalled to his men to end my life. 

"Kill her," he said. 

They dragged me outside and tied me to a pole, where the rest of the pack members had gathered. From their faces, I could see that they were enraged. 

"Kill the traitor!" 

"Kill her!" 

"End her life!" 

I didn't know what they were told, but from the sounds of it, they were lied to. Most probably, I was framed for something I wasn't aware of… just like Gavin…

Tears of remorse gathered in my eyes. Oh, how I wished I could turn back time. I would certainly make smarter choices. How I wished I trusted Gavin, my true friend when I had the time. How I wished that I hadn't pushed him away. All five assassins pointed their guns at me, just as I looked up at the sky.

"I'm sorry, Gavin…" I managed to whisper right before the gunshots rang through the air. 

I squeezed my eyes shut, anticipating the burning agony that would result from pure silver bullets. I expected to undergo excruciating pain right before my soul left my body. I didn't cry. I kept myself poised, wishing for a day that my innocence would be uncovered.

All of a sudden everything ceased. Time seemed to come to a standstill. I felt no pain and the furious shrieks of the pack members vanished. Everything was too peaceful. And the smell… it almost smelled like… home… 

I winced. Perhaps I was dead. Maybe this was what being dead felt like. I slowly opened my eyes and looked around. Too scared to make a sudden movement, I remained still on my bed… wait… my bed? 

My lips parted as I scanned the place. 

Pretty maroon pillows…. the books on the shelves… the carefully arranged shoes and even the posters on the walls… Why did heaven look so much like my old room in the Crimson Crescent pack? 

Bewildered, I sat up and looked around. Was this truly heaven? Or perhaps, I was in hell. But wasn't hell supposed to be nothing but fire?

The door opened. I felt as though my heart stopped beating when I saw my mother's ever-smiling face. 

Wait… perhaps this really was heaven… 

"M…mom…" I croaked, trying hard not to cry. 

"There she is! Are you excited about today?" 

I frowned, unsure of what she was talking about. 

"Huh?"

Clicking her tongue and chuckling to herself, she waved her hand and shook her head. "Silly girl. It's your twentieth birthday! And all the alphas from the neighbouring packs are arriving this evening to attend a special event…" 

I went numb. My mother continued to speak, yet I could no longer hear a word she said. 

Twentieth birthday? Alphas? Event? 

I knew what was coming next. It was the evening I found my 'mate'. The evening I thought my life was finally complete. The evening that I foolishly embarked on the journey that marked the destruction of my life and my pack. 

I scanned my mother's face. But how was that possible? We all died. Could we have really gone back in time?

"Mom," I cut her off. 

"Yes, sweety." 

"What year is it?" 

She chuckled. "Why, it's 2020. You are asking silly questions, honey. Now hurry and freshen up. We have a lot of work." 

I stared at her retreating back, stupefied. She closed the door behind her. 

2020? I wondered in disbelief.

The sound of my phone beeping took me out of my thoughts. It was the alarm. After turning it off, I reluctantly checked the time and date. 

6:00 am, 23rd July 2020 

So it was true…

I covered my face and dropped onto the mattress, groaning out loud. 

"Not again!"