Ch. 7 - Then it Fell Apart

Kiera POV

For weeks, I tirelessly rallied support to clear more land in our territory. Jackson, often absent, had been negotiating with the Green Forest pack to join our alliance. Tonight, I planned a celebration for our territorial expansion, and Jackson had promised he'd be home for it.

I had enlisted the help of the Second Lunas, women we provided sanctuary to. Despite the brewing internal conflicts, I hoped the festivities would be a welcome distraction. At least, that was my intention until the gossip began.

"Have you seen poor Karen today?" Becky asked, her mischievous smile betraying her love for drama.

"Just at breakfast. She looked utterly miserable," Sandra responded, eliciting a chorus of sympathetic tsk-tsks from the other women hauling logs to the bonfire.

Curiosity piqued, I couldn't resist asking, "What happened with Alpha Marcus and his mates?"

Becky, always eager to spill secrets, walked beside me, grinning. "Last month, Alpha Marcus was visiting other packs. His wife, Karen, was bossing us around, thinking she was better than us. Suddenly, she started screaming. Her filthy husband not only cheated on her but waited to mark his fated until after he'd had his way with her several times. It's a way our Alphas show dominance."

I frowned, trying to comprehend the cruelty. "Why would Alpha Marcus deliberately have sex with his fated before marking her just to hurt his first wife?"

"It's about power. My husband did the same. The pain weakens us, much like a rejection. They think it will scare us into submission."

"That's horrible! Why not just reject them and leave?"

"Leave?" Becky laughed bitterly. "If we reject them, it only works if they accept, which they won't. Rejecting our mate weakens the Alpha. After everything the Dark Wolves took from us, our packs would turn on us if we dared make them weaker. Katherine helped us understand our place. It's not what we want, but it's our reality."

I shouldn't have been surprised to hear my sister's name. Katherine had a way of exploiting the vulnerable.

"I'm so sorry, Becky. I had no idea it was like this for all of you."

"You're still a first Luna, and Alpha Jackson seems to care deeply for you. I pray he never finds his fated. You two are the strongest. Even if Jackson wanted to, he couldn't reject his fated."

I paused. "Why? The rejection would be fine if they don't mark each other."

Becky shook her head. "That's not how it works with fated mates. Rejecting them weakens our wolf. Your pack would demand Jackson take his fated to prevent us from falling weak."

I tried to shake off my unease. "What is that place?" Sandra asked, pointing to the eerie mansion in the distance.

"It's the haunted mansion of the De' Luxe family," I explained. "Legend has it that a malevolent force wiped out the entire family. Some say if you stand by the iron gates, you can see an apparition of a grieving woman searching for her daughters."

"Spooky!" Becky shivered.

"North has its own dark tales," Sandra added.

We continued gathering wood, the conversation diverting my thoughts from the unsettling revelations. I had a bonfire to host, but first, I needed to talk to Jackson about the Second Lunas' plight.

Returning home, I stopped dead in my tracks. Jackson was already home, but he wasn't alone.

"Amy, I told you not to come here ever again!" Jackson's voice boomed, filled with authority and anger.

"I can't wait anymore. Please don't make me hide. It isn't fair," a woman pleaded.

"Alpha Jackson!" he commanded. "I gave you an order, and you disobeyed!"

"I'm sorry," she whispered, her voice trembling with tears. I was about to enter the room when her next words stopped me cold.

"I just wanted to be close to you, Alpha. I need you."

I froze, my mind reeling. This couldn't be happening.

"Don't cry, Amy. You and your father have infuriated me. I am your Alpha!"

"Yes, Jackson, you are my Alpha," she replied seductively.

"After your father's stunt, I should punish you for weeks."

"I came here to warn you that night!"

That night... It wasn't what I thought.

"And you almost exposed us to Kiera," Jackson growled.

Tears streamed down my face. My world was shattering.

"She isn't your fated; I am," Amy whined.

"No, she isn't, but she's my wife. Your punishment is to leave until I call for you. Do you understand?"

Swallowing hard, I stepped into the room. There she was, a redheaded woman on her knees before my husband.

"This is how a mate should please her Alpha," Jackson growled, eyes closed in pleasure as she bobbed on his hard cock.

I stood there, tears blurring my vision, watching as Jackson roughly grabbed her head, finishing inside her mouth.

"Fuck, Amy. You don't listen, but damn, you give the best head."

"Better than your wife?" she asked, wiping his cum from her lips.

Her eyes met mine, a sly smile playing on her face. She wanted me to hear his answer.

"Kiera doesn't feel anything like you, sweetheart," Jackson said, caressing her cheek.

Athena surged forward with a vicious growl. "I reject you, Jackson, you pathetic Alpha of the Nightmare pack," I spat, shocked as Athena completed the rejection.

"Kiera! No!" Jackson roared in pain, his eyes black with his wolf. He moved to grab me but tripped over his pants.

"You will die for this, Jackson!" Athena vowed.

I fled, waves of rejection crashing over me. Athena was on a mission for death, but killing Jackson would kill us too.

'I don't care! I want his blood!' Athena snarled, refusing to acknowledge the pain.

I sprinted into the dense rainforest, fighting for control. 'We can't kill him! We need to find another way!'

'I want him to suffer!' Athena demanded.

Finally, I collapsed, the searing pain of rejection overwhelming me. 'Please, Athena, don't let us die for what he did.'

'He needs to suffer!' Athena growled but backed down. After an hour of agony, I regained control.

I gathered myself, adjusting my clothes and leaning against a tree. 'We will make him pay, just not with death from our own hands. He needs to complete the rejection.'

'No excuses, Kiera! Make him reject us so we can be rid of him for good.'

I returned to town, still aching, the betrayal fresh and raw. My life was in ruins, and I was lost in a haze of confusion and pain.