Library
Search
Home / Werewolf / Mated in the Shadow of Betrayal / Chapter 139: Ruben's Choice

Share

Chapter 139: Ruben's Choice

Author: Lady Gwen
last update Last Updated: 2024-08-25 12:43:26
(Leo Bloodstone POV)

Warrior Ruben’s letter continued:

“I did not want to kill your pup. I was following orders.

Looking back on it, I wish I had pushed back on the orders or ignored them entirely. But I was still just a pup myself, having just turned 21 years old the month before. And I had a new, pregnant mate at home. I did not know how to challenge authority, and I was scared to try.

I know none of these things are excuses. I also know that my regret is probably of very little comfort to you. But it’s true. I desperately wish that I could have changed what happened that day.

Before I go further, please understand that my alpha is not a bad guy. He never has been. He was just a young alpha who was a little …misguided… and who experienced some things that messed with his perspective. He also hasn’t always gotten the best advice from others around him.

Let me back up.

As I see things, the story of your pup’s death begins almost three years before your pup died, when rogue
Lady Gwen

More reveals coming in the next two chapters.

| 8
Locked Chapter
Continue to read this book on the APP
Comments (1)
goodnovel comment avatar
Ana Weihs
These last chapters have been heavy with information, just what we needed! ...️
VIEW ALL COMMENTS
Previous Chapter Next Chapter

Related chapters

  • Mated in the Shadow of Betrayal   Chapter 140: The Council's Role

    (Leo Bloodstone POV)I'll pause for a moment, because at this point in the story, I am sure that you are wondering two different things. First, how could I possibly memorize such a long letter after reading it just one time? In response to that question, I will say two things: 1) I am both a werewolf and an alpha, which means that I have all sorts of abilities that an average human does not have; and 2) you try forgetting a letter that explains so much of a tragedy that has impacted your entire life.Second, do I (or did I) have any sympathy for Warrior Ruben’s plight? Did/ does my father? The second question is as easy to answer as the first: No. Does that make us cruel and heartless? Maybe. But the a&&hole shot and killed a 4-year-old pup who was chasing after a f&&king bunny. I don’t care how scared Ruben was. I also do not care how young he was. There is a thing called a moral compass, and if Warrior Ruben had a functional one, he would have stopped to think about what

    Last Updated : 2024-08-25

  • Mated in the Shadow of Betrayal   Chapter 141: Piper's Blanket

    (Leo Bloodstone POV)The next part of Ruben’s suicide letter may have been the hardest for me to read, but it also had a profound impact on my life. It also gave me my first glimpse of Piper Monroe, aka my Little Pea.“While members of the werewolf council led the search for your pup, myself and another guard transported your pup to the border gates and dropped his body off there.We had been directed to drop off the body and leave, but I just could not leave the pup alone. It was starting to get dark, and I worried that an animal might come and paw at his body. I may have taken his life, but I could not take his dignity too. So I waited and watched.There must have been a group of she-wolves who went shopping in human territory or something and who were unaware of the search for your pup, because after about an hour, several cars casually pulled up to the border gates. At first, I worried that we had placed your pup’s body in a bad location, because none of the cars seemed to no

    Last Updated : 2024-08-25

  • Mated in the Shadow of Betrayal   Chapter 142: Back in the Panic Room

    (Piper POV)It was now closing in on noon. My stomach was rumbling, meaning that my body was hungry, but I had no desire to eat. I was numb.It had been hours since I had been stuck in the panic room with Ingrid, Axel, and the nannies. Thankfully, it had also been hours since anyone talked to me. Once Ingrid said what she wanted to say, she left me alone to process it.And process it I did. Like poison.I knew deep down that she was lying about at least some of what she told me. But was any of what she said true? So much of what she said answered questions that I had. Was she such a good storyteller that she could identify questions that I never asked and answer them with stories that were 100% lies? Was anyone that good? I didn’t know.All I knew was that I trusted Leo. And I felt safe with him. And I loved him. Goddess, did I love him.But Ingrid had an answer for that too. She said that my engagement ring had been spelled by magic. That part I knew was true —Leo had

    Last Updated : 2024-08-26

  • Mated in the Shadow of Betrayal   Chapter 143: Child Actor

    (Piper POV)As I hear what sounds like a steel door opening, I race out of the bedroom. The moment that I see Leo, I feel a tremendous weight lift from my shoulders. Without saying anything, I jump into his arms. I wrap my legs around his torso and bury my face into the crook of his neck. He smells like sweat, blood, and war, but I could care less. He is here. An answer to my prayers.“Well that is a greeting that I could get used to,” he chuckles. He begins rubbing comforting circles on my back with one hand, while the other holds me up by my a&&.“Are you okay? Is everyone else okay? Is the pack okay? What happened?” I ask in single breath.He smiles as he gently pushes me back just a little bit so that he can look into my eyes.“Everything is fine, Little Pea. Everyone is okay. I missed you.”I smile at his words. I know that we need to talk, and I know that I have even more doubts and questions for him than before, but this feels right. I can feel it deep in my gut; b

    Last Updated : 2024-08-26

  • Mated in the Shadow of Betrayal   Chapter 144: Ingrid's Next Play

    (Piper POV)After Leo leaves, I can feel the tears beginning to form in my eyes, but I fight them back. Like hell am I going to let Ingrid and Axel know that they have successfully broken me.Not that they don’t already know. It is pretty obvious that they do. Axel sticks his tongue out at me the moment that Leo is out of earshot, and Ingrid looks like she just won a billion dollars. At least the two nannies have the decency to have at least a little bit of sympathy in their eyes.As the four of them push past me to leave —presumably headed towards their rooms as Leo had directed— I find my feet stuck in place. I think a part of me hopes that if I stay in that same spot for long enough, I will wake up in my bed and find out that everything that has happened for the past six hours was just a nightmare.But then I hear Ingrid praise Axel, and for some reason, that is all it takes to bring me back to reality.“Mommy, did I do good?” Axel asks her, hopefully. “I tolded Pwetty Lady e

    Last Updated : 2024-08-27

  • Mated in the Shadow of Betrayal   Chapter 145: The Cell Phone

    (Piper POV)As I continue to lean my head against the couch in the panic room, the tears that I had been holding back earlier finally begin to fall.All morning, I had been fighting against myself and trying to hang on to my trust in Leo. But Leo? He had done the opposite. Without even giving me a chance to explain, he chose to believe the worst in me and walk away.What does it mean that he did that? Does it mean that our relationship is one-sided? Does it mean that I am a fool? That my trust in him is misplaced? What about my trust in our relationship… is that misplaced too? Worse… is there more truth to what Ingrid and Axel said than what I want to believe?I just really don’t know anymore.The more the questions and doubts swirl around in my mind, the more confused I feel. The more confused I feel, the faster the tears fall down my cheeks. And the faster the tears fall, the more that I wish that my parents and best friend were here with me. I desperately crave one of

    Last Updated : 2024-08-28

  • Mated in the Shadow of Betrayal   Chapter 146: Drunk Gossip

    (Piper POV)It is now three o’clock in the afternoon. I have not heard from Leo or anyone else in hours. Standing up, I decide that enough is enough. Although I wanted to wait for Leo to come to me, at this point, this whole thing has become ridiculous. I am going to go find Leo, and we are going to talk everything out. He may be angry with me, and he may not want to talk to me, but we need to at least try.After all, we are supposed to be getting married tomorrow, and our wedding rehearsal is set to begin in just four short hours. Besides, if I spend even another minute trying to make sense of everything on my own, I am going to drive both myself and my wolf crazy. Even though I messed up, I deserve an opportunity to explain. I also deserve to get answers once and for all.No longer caring whether there are guards in the hallway, I storm out of the panic room on a mission. (To my surprise, there aren’t any guards around.) I go straight to Leo’s bedroom, but after knocking a

    Last Updated : 2024-08-29

  • Mated in the Shadow of Betrayal   Chapter 147: (Not) Confronting Leo

    (Piper POV)One strange advantage to having your soul crushed into a million pieces is that it gives you options in terms of where to focus your energy.You can choose to focus on the heartbroken pieces, the jealous pieces, or the confused pieces. Alternatively, you can choose to focus on the pieces of your soul that are still desperately holding onto hope and faith and trust.Or, you can do what I decide to do: you can focus on the angry pieces.Truth be told, there is still a part of me that thinks that this is all just a set up by Ingrid. A masterful, brilliant set up. Another part of me isn’t sure what is going on, but it is nevertheless convinced that Leo loves me and that I can trust him.Unfortunately, if I listen to those latter pieces right now —after everything that has happened not only today, not only during the past two weeks, but rather during the entire past two years— I know me. The confusion will take over and I will end up in a corner of the stairwell crying for

    Last Updated : 2024-08-29

Latest chapter

  • Mated in the Shadow of Betrayal   Updates

    I have NOT abandoned this story. 2024 just hates me.I am determined to finish this story, and do so as soon as possible.2024 willing, updates start again tomorrow.

  • Mated in the Shadow of Betrayal   Chapter 197: Piper v. Viper, part 3

    (Piper POV)“Boss thinks it is time for you to go back to Bloodstone Pack.”I practically jumped off of the bench, almost throwing up right then and there. “What?!?!? You have to be joking.”Viper sighed. “No. I’m serious.”“No, you are insane,” I replied angrily. “How could you possibly suggest that I go back to him?!?!? After all that he has done?!?!?!”Even if a part of my heart still craves him, I added silently.“That is why I wanted us to talk. I need you to tell me what happened between you.”“You have been watching me for years. So you must already know.”“We are bikers not psychics.”I sighed and pointed to the darkening sky.“You really want to do this right now?”“Yes.”“Why?”“Again, boss’s orders.”“Which boss? Rooster?”“No. The one who hired us.”“And that was?”“Someone that loves you a lot. Someone who even you would have to agree has always had your best interests in mind.”I laughed bitterly. “And now I know for sure that you are lying. No one alive fit

  • Mated in the Shadow of Betrayal   Chapter 196: Piper v. Viper, part 2

    (Piper POV)“How do you know about my connection to Leo Bloodstone?” I asked gingerly.Viper ignored my question. “Why did you run away from Bloodstone Pack?” he asked me instead.“Answer my question first.”“No.”“Viper ---”“Poison, this is important. Before I tell you anything, I need to know why you ran away from Bloodstone Pack. I’ve given you time and space the last few months to see if you would tell me on your own, and you haven’t. Now I need to know.”“Why now? In the middle of a run with everyone else?”“Boss’s orders.”Huh. That comment puzzled me. The boss/ alpha/ president of the club was Rooster. I had only met him a few times, and he only barely seemed to notice me.“Rooster knows about Leo too?”“Yes.”“Why does he care? Did Leo threaten the club?”“No.”“So why does Rooster care?” “Before I answer that, answer my question first. Why did you run away from Bloodstone Pack?”Just like that, the anger and frustration I was feeling towards Viper returned. I de

  • Mated in the Shadow of Betrayal   Chapter 195: Piper v. Viper, part 1

    (Piper POV)As Viper and I continued to sit in silence on the bench overlooking the lake, the sky darkened, signaling a thunderstorm was on its way. At first, I tried to ignore the impending change in weather. However, after several raindrops hit my face and the first roar of thunder landed in the distance, I stood up and faced him. Regardless of whether I was ready to talk about my past, I knew that we needed to quickly do so and then get back on the road.“You said that you wanted to talk, so let’s talk,” I said softly.“We have been keeping secrets from each other,” Viper said in a serious tone of voice. “That needs to end today.”I gulped.“What do you mean?”“Don’t play stupid with me. We both know each other better than that.”“Well, I thought we did…”“Poison,” he said sternly.I sighed. “Okay, fine. Where do you want to start?”“First, I want you to tell me something. Do you trust me?” Viper responded.“That’s a weird place to start.”“Maybe. But answer the question

  • Mated in the Shadow of Betrayal   Chapter 194: Becoming Viper's Old Lady

    (Piper POV)I was silent for a long time after Viper told me that we needed to talk. I knew that he was right, but I was not sure who should start the conversation… him or me. Ten minutes earlier, I would have been sure that I was the one who needed to talk and confess some things. However, it was also ten minutes earlier that I had no idea that Viper knew anything about my past, much less about Leo Bloodstone’s connection to it. It was now clear to me that Viper had been keeping secrets of his own. Because, of course he was. All of the males around me kept secrets. URRRRGGGGGGHHHHH.I suppose I should back up before I confuse you any further. I forgot that I skipped ahead and left a few things out.As you already know, I had a car accident six months before this. Just before the accident, I stole a delivery van and ran away from Moon Shadow Pack. I thought that I had gotten away successfully, and I was planning to make my way to Dr. Hyder’s pack for treatment and help elimi

  • Mated in the Shadow of Betrayal   Chapter 193: Property of Viper

    (Six Months Later)(Piper POV)I found myself lost in thought as I stared out over a large lake. It was still pretty early in the morning, so there were not a lot of people around. The only movement that I saw came from the water, the wind, and the birds.So much had happened in the past six months. In many ways, I was happier than I had been in a very long time. However, a big part of me still longed for my old home, my old friends, my (now deceased) family, and …as stupid as it sounds… for Leo. After all the time that had passed, and after all of Leo’s lies, tricks, and secrets, I was not sure why my heart still held on to Leo. After all, we had only been together for a couple of weeks. I tried to convince myself that it was just the lingering effects of the spells that he had placed on me. For her part, when I asked her about it, Penelope agreed with me that that was all it was. However, I think both of us knew deep down that it was more than that; we just did not want to

  • Mated in the Shadow of Betrayal   Chapter 192: The Notes

    (Leo Bloodstone POV)“Where is she?” I asked.Addie did not answer right away. I could tell that she was beginning to fade. I began to worry that Addie would pass out or fall asleep any minute.“WHERE IS PIPER?” I repeated in a louder voice.“I don’t know,” she said in a sing-song voice.“How long has she been missing?”“I don’t know. A while.”“What happened?”“I don’t know.”Addie closed her eyes and leaned her head on one of her suitcases. No. I could not let her sleep. Not yet.I gently grabbed Addie by both of her arms. “Addie, this is important. Please concentrate. Where is Piper?”Addie shook my hands off of her. “I already told you, Leo. I don’t know!!! She was here, and then she wasn’t.”“What happened? Why did she leave?”Addie took in an annoyed breath. “I. DON’T. KNOW.”“I came all the way out here to get her, Addie. And I came because you called me. You’ve got to do better than that. You know how important this is. Give me something!”At that point, Add

  • Mated in the Shadow of Betrayal   Chapter 191: Drunk Addie

    (Leo Bloodstone POV)It was nearly 2 am by the time that my team and I finally made it to Moon Shadow Pack. It had taken me longer than I expected to leave, mainly because my father —despite doing better— was still not 100%. More on that later.I felt a mix of relief, guilt, and worry as we got close to the pack gates, and as I thought about Piper and all that had happened the past few weeks. But above everything else, I felt a sense of excitement. I genuinely missed her, and I could not wait to hold her in my arms again.I promised myself and my wolf that, once we found Piper, I would explain as much as I could to her. I would also never let anyone hurt her again. Nor would I ever let her go… even if I had to handcuff her to me this time.I was not surprised that Addie was waiting for me when we arrived. I was, however, surprised to see her sitting on the ground, waiting for me outside the border… by herself… while surrounded by suitcases and a few empty bottles of wolfsbane vo

  • Mated in the Shadow of Betrayal   Chapter 190: Piper's Escape

    (Piper POV)Luna Addie told Leo where I was. How could she do that? I really had thought that she had wanted to help me. Was I that bad a judge of character? I mean, yes, I had not completely trusted her …but I had trusted her a little bit… and I had never expected her to turn me over to Leo. Maybe she really did want to punish me for my relationship with Aiden, and her saying otherwise was just a lie.Goddess.No matter what, it was now clear that I could not trust anyone. Nor could I trust my own judgment.It was also clear that I needed to get out of Moon Shadow Pack. There was no way that I could stay now that Leo knew where I was.I raced as quickly as I could to my bedroom so that I could grab my duffle bag. Thankfully, I had not unpacked it at all and no one stopped me on the way to get it; everyone seemed busy with other tasks.Once I had my duffle bag, I went to Kade’s room on the next floor up to let him know that I was leaving. Despite being angry with me, I assum

You may also like

DMCA.com Protection Status