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Chapter 129: Hallway Confrontation
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Mated in the Shadow of Betrayal Chapter 130: Double-Crossed Betrayal
(Xander POV)“If you are expecting an apology and a retreat, you can go f&&k yourself. I would do anything it takes to protect Piper.”“Anything?”“Anything.”Leo's question and tone sounded ominous, but like the master manipulator Ellis had described him to be, Leo went a completely different direction.“Then act like the best friend that she thinks you are. Think for a minute about what she wants and what is best for her.”“What does that mean?”“It means that you need to support her decision to marry me. And if you can’t, you need to go home to your new mate and let her go.”F&&k me. This pompous, narcissistic a&&hole was even more full of himself than I realized.“I will NEVER let her go, you A&&hole. Marrying you will destroy her. I have heard about your plans for her.”“You are wrong. I love her, Xander. I would never hurt her.”At that point, the sincerity in his voice almost broke me. Almost.But then I realized that Leo was talking to me as though I was nothing more t
Mated in the Shadow of Betrayal Chapter 131: Xander's Mind-Game
(Xander POV)I would love to tell you that hearing about the passcode and phone call was all it took for me to fully appreciate how wrong I had been to trust Ellis.It wasn’t. Of course, Leo’s words planted deep seeds of doubt in my mind. But I am a stubborn male, and my hatred of Leo ran deep. Trusting Leo over Ellis was not something I would easily do.Ultimately, accepting that I had been played by Ellis would not come until I was forced to face reality in a horribly devastating way later, when I returned to Blue Ridge.So what happened instead?Well, instead of immediately accepting the deep sh&t that Ellis had gotten me into, I experienced about 120 seconds of shock while I processed the information Leo had given me. During those 120 seconds, I really did entertain the possibility that Leo was telling the truth, and that this whole thing had been a set-up. It made me feel numb and betrayed and at a loss for what to do next.But then —as I stood there, with Piper just behind t
Mated in the Shadow of Betrayal Chapter 132: Negotiation
(Leo Bloodstone POV)“Okay, Leo. Let’s negotiate.”I raised an annoyed eyebrow. “Negotiate?”“Yes.”“What?” Surely, I heard him incorrectly.“It is a solution to both of our problems,” he said confidently. “We can work out a win-win solution. You can get what you want, and I can get what I want.”“Have you lost your mind, Xander?” I asked coldly. “What possibly makes you think that I am open to negotiating with you? Much less that you have anything worth negotiating?”“You told me about Ellis, and you haven’t tried to kill me yet.”“And?”“And you would not have done either of those things unless you had a reason.”“Correct. But my reason is Piper. Not that I have the time or interest in negotiating with you.”“No. Your reason is that you want power.”I pinched the top of my nose in frustration. I should have just killed him. It would have spared me a headache. “Seriously, Xander? Have you learned nothing?”“I have been watching and studying you for years, Leo. I have l
Mated in the Shadow of Betrayal Chapter 133: Meeting with Luna Lily
(Leo Bloodstone POV)Ten minutes later, Xander and I walked into my office. My father was already in there along with Luna Lily. She was holding an infant pup, and her husband/ mate Alpha James was with her. Unlike Xander and I —who were both barefoot and dressed in basketball shorts and t-shirts— Luna Lily was wearing heels and a navy-blue business dress, while Alpha James was wearing a black suit, blue button-up shirt, and no tie. My father was also dressed professionally in a full suit and tie.“Thanks for the heads up,” I mind-linked my father. “Could have given me some time to at least shower.”“Figured you were busy,” my father shrugged. “Didn’t want to bother you until I had to.”I sighed.“Luna Lily, Alpha James,” I said after I closed the door. I slightly bowed, acknowledging their positions. “I apologize for the wardrobe. I had not been expecting you.”“I understand. It sounds like it has been a busy morning for all of you,” Luna Lily responded, without the slighte
Mated in the Shadow of Betrayal Chapter 134: Hot Seat
(Xander POV)I was only barely listening when Luna Lily insisted that Leo sit back down. I was too busy worrying about why the f&&k Ellis had failed to notify the werewolf council about the attack.To be fair, Alpha James was right when he said that it was the alpha’s responsibility to give the notice… and I had been planning to do it. But phone calls with the werewolf council are always tedious and time-consuming, and Ellis insisted that he could help me out with that part so that I could concentrate on more important last-minute preparations. At the time, I felt grateful for having such a dedicated and determined beta wolf on my side.But how could Ellis just… not do it? That is not the type of thing that you simply forget to do.Unless…Unless… Unless he did not forget.Leo’s earlier words repeated in my mind. What if this had all been a set-up by Ellis? It would certainly explain who called and reported the attack to the werewolf council. Who else would have known to call?
Mated in the Shadow of Betrayal Chapter 135: Article 14.7.1
(Leo Bloodstone POV)“Did you attack Bloodstone Pack this morning because of Piper?” Luna Lily asked Xander.“Well, I … um…”“That’s not an answer, Xander. It is a yes or no question.”Xander rubbed his neck. “I… I just… I mean ---”“You are making a fool out of yourself,” I growled at Xander. “Act like an alpha for once in your d&&n life.”Luna Lily and Alpha James scowled at me.“Excuse me?” Luna Lily said, clearly not impressed with my interruption.“Just making an observation,” I replied.“I don’t think she asked for any help,” Alpha James said angrily. He was clearly even less impressed with me than Luna Lily was.“With all due respect, Alpha James, I was not trying to help Luna Lily.”“Then keep your mouth shut,” he snarled.“Sorry, I can’t do that.”“What the f&&k, Son?” my father mind-linked me. “Do you want to make an enemy out of Luna Lily and Alpha James?”“No,” I replied. “But if Xander doesn’t get himself under control, that is exactly what is going to happen.”And i
Mated in the Shadow of Betrayal Chapter 136: The Truce
(Xander POV)I did not know why Leo was so eager to get rid of Luna Lily and Alpha James. Nor did I understand why he did not seem to care that he was angering them. His behavior seemed inconsistent with his plan to marry Piper so that he would have more influence with the werewolf council.However, I did not have a lot of time to really think about it or ask questions. Nor did I really care that much, to be honest. When you are desperate and out of options, and someone offers to throw you a lifeline, you accept it. And goddess knows how desperate I was at that moment.Thus, I agreed to make peace with Leo f&&king Bloodstone. It was possibly the strangest and most unexpected truce in the history of werewolves, but it was a truce all the same.Unfortunately, agreeing to the idea of peace was the easy part. Agreeing to the terms was a lot harder.In exchange for peace, I demanded that Leo cancel his wedding and send Piper home with me to Blue Ridge. I also demanded that he agree
Mated in the Shadow of Betrayal Chapter 137: The Other Axel
(Leo Bloodstone POV)Yes, it is true. I reached a peace agreement with Xander Ross and Blue Ridge Pack.The agreement was necessary to get the werewolf council off of our backs, and it was a temporary agreement that would explicitly expire upon my marriage to Piper. Nevertheless,entering into the agreement was a huge f&&king deal, and it felt wrong on so many levels. And not just because the terms were ridiculous.Indeed, I knew when I entered into it that my father would have some colorful things to say about it. As he should. As my entire family should. It was to my father’s immense credit that he did not interfere with my decision to do it. It was also to his immense credit that he chose to leave the room during the negotiations. Hell, it was to my father’s immense credit that he had waited this many years to burn Blue Ridge Pack down and destroy every living being inside of it.Perhaps I should explain.Eighteen years ago, my little brother was murdered. It happened while
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