Betrayal

Chapter One 

Liana’s P.O.V

A bright smile that looked like it could illuminate the darkest corners of a room formed on my face as he slipped the ring through my fingers muttering ‘I Do’. An applause that enveloped the congregation echoed through the air and I couldn't contain the rate at which my heart thudded in my chest. 

The awkwardness wasn't the perfect word to describe how I felt at the moment but when his hands brushed through my skin, I felt sparks upon sparks litter my skin and it felt like he took my anxiety away. 

Everyone in the hall who saw my reaction at the moment would address me as a shy bride because as soon as his fingertips brushed through mine, I began laughing awkwardly while trying to cover my shyness by flashing my ring at my parents who held each other’s hands tightly. 

However, the smile on my face disappeared completely when I couldn't spot my sister in the crowd cheering for me. Matilda had always wanted to witness my wedding and it was so odd that she was so bubbly about my wedding this morning and at the most important moment in my life, she wasn't there! 

“Do you take Bruce Lawrence to be your lawfully wedded husband?” The priest jolted me out of my thoughts as I turned to look at him with my mouth slack open. 

Bruce, who noticed the confusion that I was thrown into all of a sudden, leaned forward and when he took my hands in his, it felt like my heart almost jumped out of my chest. 

At that rate, it felt as if my heart was about to explode and every part of me was about to crumble to the ground because what in the world was he to have an effect on me like that? Fascinatingly, I decided against marrying him when my parents brought up the proposal about the arranged marriage between me and Bruce. 

Bruce Lawrence was every lady's dream and they flooded around him. That was a total turn-off for me because even though I wouldn't deny the fact that he was charming and he had a good personality, I felt like I didn't want to get involved with someone as social as that. 

He was tall, well-built, and handsome and most importantly, he was the Alpha of the red moon pack! Ladies swooned over him, some to the extent of fighting each other because they wanted to have him to themselves. To top it all, I wasn't just feeling him at all then because my heart was with another even though he was resting among roses. 

My parents proposing the arranged marriage between me and Bruce wasn't because they hated me anyway but it was just that it was a duty that I needed to fulfill being the first daughter of my parents. 

The arranged marriage was to strengthen the bond between his family and mine and to end the long-time rival and the alleged attacks between our packs. However, falling for him wasn't the plan but somehow, he managed to tingle the right spots in me. 

I beamed with a smile and reached for his hands while staring into his emerald eyes that gleamed like the rarest of stars were gathered inside. As soon as I took his hands in mine, I felt my stomach tie a knot as I slipped the ring down his finger muttering,” I do.”

Applause was the order of the day and seeing the smile on his parents’ faces and mine as well brought nothing but warmth to my soul. However, my heart was still troubled because where in the world was Matilda at? 

“You can now kiss your bride” The priest said and the crowd cheered for us while I lowered my head, laughing awkwardly. He leaned forward and brushed his fingers through my lips, causing butterflies to fly in my stomach. 

I was shy, nervous, and scared but somehow, I couldn't wait to have his creamy pink lips in mine. 

I was about to squeeze my eyes shut when the lights went totally off. A murmur erupted in the room and in a flash, the pink drape that served as a decoration fell to the ground and the next thing was the light that emanated from a big screen. 

My eyebrows furrowed in confusion and Bruce being the darling that he was noticed the state that I was in as he took my hands in his and squeezed it gently. 

“Somebody find out what's wrong with the lights!” I heard someone scream and even though the person’s voice sounded familiar, I was in too much of a shock to decipher who the owner of the voice was because the image that popped on the screen, caused me to attempt to jerk my hands away from his but he tightened his grip around me and he was hurting me as his claws dug into my tender skin. 

“Please don't leave” I heard him whisper as my eyes widened, glancing back and forth at him and the image that popped on the screen as I glared at him in total disbelief.

Gasps filled the whole room and it was as if I was in a total trance like I was in a nightmare! Pictures of Bruce kissing and making out with a lady whose face was blurred surfaced on the screen. At first, I wanted to take it to be his ex’s but no! He was wearing the shirt that I bought for him! He was wearing the necklace that I had gifted him on his last birthday. 

Tears brimmed in my eyes as a scoff escaped my lips while trying to shove his hands totally away from mine but what annoyed me was that he had the temerity to hold on firmly to me.

“Remove your hands away from mine!” I yelled at him as I stared at him in utter and total disbelief! 

“Don't dare touch my daughter!” My father roared and he was about to charge toward him when another image popped on the screen but this time, it was my picture!

Nude pictures of me that were taken during moments that I thought were private with Bruce. He had secretly recorded me and a video was playing when he screamed for the screen to totally disconnected. 

He scuffled his hair, taking a flower vase as he hurled it against the screen and as soon as he did that, the lights that went off came back on. 

My mouth was agape, I was at a loss for words to say. Everything happened so fast and it felt like a dream but when I turned to the crowd and saw the shocked look on their faces and the light from the phone camera’s that flashed right on my face, I knew that it was real! Everything that happened right now was real!

Tears welled up in my eyes and it felt like everything and everyone was spinning and when I felt his grip around my arm, a sudden wave of anger rushed through me as I raised my hand and landed a slap across his cheeks.

My lower lip trembled with every syllable that fell out my mouth. “You are a total jerk and I hate you with passion! I should have never trusted you!” I yelled and he was about to grip me by the arm when a blow landed on his face.

“How dare you do this to my daughter and bring this shame upon my pack” My father screamed and with the look on his face, he was about to beat him to a pulp. 

I swiveled my gaze around the room and caught sight of my mother literally pulling Bruce's mother's hair and his father was about hitting mine.Everything was in total chaos!

Tears spurted from my eyes as I covered my mouth with my hands in a bid to suppress the gasps that were about escaping my lips. Everything was too much for me to handle and the only thing that I wanted was to disappear from this place.

I didn't know where I was going but I knew that I ran as far as my legs could carry until I found myself on the rooftop. I slammed the door to the rooftop behind me and leaned against the door, pursing my lips slightly as I cried my eyes out. 

I weakened to my knees, crumbling to the ground, raising my head and staring at the sky that rumbled. The weather was cold and it was raining.

A clap of thunder echoed through the sky and even though I hated the rain, the only thing I wanted was to wallow in my sorrows. All of a sudden, the rain plummeted to the ground while I screamed, cussing out at the moon goddess for my misfortune. 

“You took everyone and everything away from me and when I finally thought that I would be happy, this is what you did to me!” I screamed so hard that it was suffocating. 

I was still crying my eyes out when the door creaked open slowly. My eyesight was blurry, wondering who the person was but after seeing the brunette in the red dress, I knew that it was Matilda. 

The umbrella that she was holding onto fell from her hands as she fell to the ground and wrapped her hands around me. 

“What happened? What in the world happened? I saw you running toward this place and the hall is in a total wreck” She said, rubbing me slowly on the back.

The memories from earlier rushed in my head, causing tears to spurt from my eyes. “He cheated and was released…..” I was about to say it but the pain that lingered in my heart caused me to clamp my mouth shut. 

When she noticed my situation, she helped me to my feet and pulled me toward the bench at the edge of the rooftop. The rain was beginning to taper off slowly. She gestured for me to sit but I couldn't as I leaned against the railings. 

She let out a sigh and wrapped her hands around me tightly, whispering soothing words in my ear.”It is going to be fine! Please forget about that idiot”

“It isn't easy because I have loved him all my life and the only thing I want to do is tear the woman apart!” I cried as she tightened her grip around me. 

“Do you want to tear that woman apart badly?” She questioned. 

“If I could kill her, then I would!” I cried on her shoulder.

Slowly, she released her hands around me with a faint smile on her face as she tugged the wet hair behind my hair. “What if I tell you that the woman you want to kill so badly is me” 

I glanced at her, trying to wrap my head around her words but when I saw the coldness in her eyes, what she was trying to say dawned on me.

“You!...” I exclaimed.

However, before I could finish talking, she pulled me in her arms and I felt something sharp pierce through my stomach. The pain was excruciating and yet, she still held on tightly to me. 

“I have tried loving you but you should have remained dead because if you have remained dead, I would have become the Luna and I would have married my mate, Bruce” 

I gasped for breath as she pushed me away from her while I staggered backward as I caught sight of the knife in my stomach. She ran toward me and removed the knife and the next thing I knew was my body in the air. She pushed me down the rooftop.

“M-Matilda” I stuttered.

Boom! A soft thud was heard on the ground and I was covered in my own pool of blood.