Chapter 1 Betrayal

Avril’s POV

I was born the Beta’s daughter, Avril Alexandria West. I was to be their greatest pride and joy, but instead I was born blind. I know my parents love me, but I can’t help the nagging feeling that I’m actually their greatest burden. Afterall, my parents defied the Alpha’s suggestion that I be raised by an Omega couple instead. That put a strain in the Alpha’s relationship with my dad. Apparently they were best friends. In the end, the Alpha ordered that they not bring me around “mixed company” like when other Alphas visit. He did not want ranked families to appear weak and my eyes convey just that, weakness. 

My parents are especially protective of me. I had to beg and plead with them to let me go to regular high school, instead of being homeschooled like I had been my entire life up till then. In the end, my older brother, Aaron,  was finally able to convince them, by saying he’d keep an eye out for me. While grateful, being followed by my older brother was hardly ideal. Don’t get me wrong, Aaron is the only person in my life to treat me like a normal person. While my parents treat me like a delicate glass figurine, he makes sure that I’m trained to fight, just like everyone else. I’m pretty good at it, if I do say so myself. 

I’ve learned to take my enhanced hearing to a whole new level. I don’t have to see, to anticipate my opponents moves. In a fight, I will not be useless. Of course this all had to be done secretly or my parents would totally freak. It’s finally my Senior year and my first year without my brother. Thankfully, I have an established group of friends with the other ranked students. Victoria or Tori, as I like to call her, has been my best friend for years. She’s the Alpha’s daughter and the sweetest person I’ve ever known. She is born to be a Luna. She’d take anyone under her wing and make sure they’re taken care of. And despite being an oddball myself, I defended the weak as well. The Gamma’s daughter, Elya, is also in our friend group. She doesn’t stand up for the weaker wolves like Tori and I do, but she doesn’t pick on them either. I think it’s because she is afraid of conflict. I’ve always noticed that she’s just likely to go along with whatever Tori says. Sometimes there’s a tone in her voice that doesn’t seem right to me, but she was hardly the person I would worry about. 

Turns out, I was right to worry about Wesely. It was subtle at first. A few passive aggressive comments here and there, a couple of unnecessary shoves to get past me in the hallway, and eventually an all out sneer in his voice when he bothered to acknowledge me. Tori always calls him out, but I mostly shrug it off. He’s the Alpha’s son afterall, what could I do without facing certain punishment? He seemed to become even more vicious towards me after he turned 18. I guess Alphas get moody after they get their wolves or something. Whatever. Unfortunately, once the Alpha’s son starts a trend, everyone else seems to follow. Although none would dare in front of Tori, thank Goddess. She continues to have my back, and I’m forever grateful. At least I’ll have my wolf tomorrow, then no one can cross me anymore. I wonder if my wolf will be blind too. I suppose if she is, she can just use her hearing and sense of smell like I do. 

I sigh as I walk in through the front door of the school and am immediately greeted by Tori’s scent. I’m about to wave to her when I feel a hand grabbing me roughly on my arm. As he touches me, I feel myself seem to suspend in time. I’m suddenly finding myself in the packhouse right outside of Wesely’s room.

He sneers angrily at me. “You are weak, and have no place in this pack much less as my Luna. I, Wesley Steel, future Alpha of the Jade Pack, reject you, Avril West as my mate and Luna.” He shoves me to the ground, stunned. How could this be happening? Wasn’t my mate supposed to love and cherish me? I then see a pair of brown eyes looking at me lovingly. I feel warm. How do I know this color? I can see?

I hear a voice. I can help you see. She says. I am Emerald, your wolf. You are special. I gasp in surprise.

“Wesely, let go of her!” I hear Tori protest. She sounds a million miles away. I detect her feet shuffling backwards suddenly and guessing that he shoved her with his other hand. She growls at her brother. I guess if anyone was going to get away with growling at the future alpha, it would be his twin sister. I start to lose consciousness and fall.

***

I wake up to the sharp scent of antiseptics and the beeping of a monitor. I’m lying in a rather uncomfortable bed. I must be at the pack hospital. I lay there wordlessly. What was all that? What did I just see? More importantly… Did I just see? And how? 

Because of me. I hear a voice in my head.

I sit up straight. It was real? I venture a guess. Emerald? My wolf? I’m not 18 yet.

I hear her chuckle. So you do remember. Your mate recognizing you must have woken me early.

My mate. Wesley. He plans to reject me, doesn’t he? That’s what I saw?

My wolf wimpers a bit. It appears that way.

I feel a pain in my chest. At first I think it’s because of the realization, but the pain continues. It feels as though someone is stabbing me over and over. What is happening?

That asshole! Emerald cries out. He knows we’re in the hospital, yet he’s with someone else? This is what betrayal is like? The monitor is going crazy. I can hear doctors and nurses entering the room.

“Avril!” I hear a concerned voice. My mother is here. I feel her hand in mine, before she is pushed aside by a doctor. “What’s going on?” She shouts frantically at them. As overprotective as always, I suppose. The pain is still jabbing at me and I can hardly. I wished I could tell them, but the pain was too excruciating for me to talk.

“Please let us do our job, Beta.” Said a doctor. I could hear them talking amongst themselves. “It seems like betrayal, but her chart says she’s not 18 yet. What could be wrong with her?” 

Were it not for the agonizing pain in my chest, I might have laughed at their confusion. Blood spurts out of my mouth as I cough. “I did find my mate.” I spit out weakly. “My wolf is here early.” 

I hear the doctor gasp. I have a feeling that if I wasn’t showing the signs of mate betrayal they wouldn’t have believed me. But here I am. My chest pains are increasing and I’m coughing up blood. 

“Who is your mate?” The doctor asks me calmly. Apparently they want to stop the pain the easy way. I’ve heard from nurses that the pain of betrayal can only be numbed by a cocktail of pain medications that can be dangerous to the recipient. Not that betrayal isn’t dangerous in and of itself. 

“Wesely.” I cough into a sheet. The metallic flavor of blood is in my mouth again. The doctors murmur amongst themselves. Wesley is past 18 and they know his reputation. He’s slept with half the nurses in the pack hospital by now, and rumors spread quickly around the pack. I have a feeling they’re mindlinking the Alpha at this moment. I sigh. That man hates me. Especially since my visual impairment in one of his ranked member’s children makes the pack look weak.

As soon as we shift. You’ll be able to see through my eyes. Says Emerald excitedly. Maybe then our mate will want us. I remember the vision I had from before. Emerald can help me see. But do I really want a mate who doesn’t love me because of something I can’t control? Wesley has continuously either ignored me or let me know how useless I am to the pack. He won’t make me his Luna. And perhaps I’ll have to feel betrayal for the rest of my life. I think back to my vision. No he’ll reject me. I think bitterly. So much better. Emerald whimpers in my head. I wonder who the brown eyed person is though. Does Wesely have brown eyes? I’ve never seen them. When can we shift, Emerald? I ask her.

Not until you turn 18, I’m afraid. She replies. 

Guess I’ll have to wait a week before I find out if it’s him in the vision then. Perhaps the vision shows him changing his mind and loving me afterall. Though something in me doubts it. It’s not Emerald though. She’s still hoping that her mate will fall for her. Mate! She cries out. I smell fresh rain and cedar. I guess Wesely is in the room.

“Everyone leave.” He orders. I hear shuffling as the doctors and my mother exit the room. I feel a rough grasp on my shoulder. Though not rough enough to bruise me, just rough enough for me to sense his anger. Regardless, I can feel electricity from his hands. He gasps and pulls back. “How dare you tell the doctors that we’re mates!” He hisses angrily.

I sigh. “Was I lying?” I inquire sarcastically. “It certainly doesn’t help that you decided to fuck someone else while I’m in the hospital.”

Wesley growls. “It’s not as if I knew you would feel it. You’re not 18 yet, you’re not supposed to feel it.” I feel his fingers brush against my arm. The more he does it, the more he seems to calm down. He starts to rub my arm more and his wolf starts to purr. Emerald is just elated.

“You must be special if you have an early wolf.” His wolf rasps out as he continues to run his hands along my arm. Wesley wrestles control back from his wolf. “My wolf needs you.” He starts to put his arms underneath me and lift me up.