2. The betrayal.

.EVELYN

Everything I was feeling at that moment came to a sudden halt. I slowly lifted my head, as I strained to comprehend what I just heard.

A sharp wince escaped my lips, my body protesting as I attempted to shift my weight onto the edge of the bed.

What was he talking about? Rejection?

My heart sank like a stone in my chest. As I gazed up at him, my eyes widened in disbelief.

I couldn't even stand on my feet properly because of the cold shivers running down my spine as soon as he finished that statement. My knees went weak.

"Alpha John..." I managed to whisper, my voice trembling.

“You heard me.” He interrupted coldly, his tone sharp and brutal.

I shook my head in disbelief, and gathered my strength to stand up straight.

I looked up at him and noticed the tight lines etched across his forehead and the way his jaw clenched. He was dead serious. But why?

He picked up his shirt from the bed and wore it, standing by the window. His back was turned to me, the fabric of his shirt contrasting against the soft light filtering in.

"Please, you can't do this! After everything we've been through? I can't live without you!" I pleaded, my voice trembling as tears streamed down my cheeks.

My body shook, as I locked my gaze onto him.

"Well, that's for you to figure out," he replied, a smirk curling at the corners of his lips. He turned slightly away, adjusting his wristwatch, his indifference cutting deeper than any words.

It was like he didn't care a thing about my feelings or how his rejection would affect me.

Everything around me began to fade, the world blurring. I was suffocating in the well-ventilated room. I wrapped my trembling arms around myself, fingers digging into my sides as if to hold together the pieces of my breaking heart.

"No... No... I'm not going to accept your rejection," I pleaded, desperation filled in my voice, which came out barely above a whisper. I took a step closer, as I searched his face for any sign of softness. "You have to tell me what this is all about. What did I do? What happened? Why all of a sudden?”

John hissed as he pressed his temples, like I was rambling rubbish and he wanted me to shut up at that moment.

"You and I know for a fact that I never loved you, and I merely accepted to remain your mate out of pity, because of my father, Alpha Charles, who made this relationship work. Or else I would have rejected you that day."

Every. Single. Word. he uttered hit me like a slap. My heart raced, and I felt the color drain from my face.

I staggered back slightly, disbelief etched across my features.

I couldn’t fathom that his father was behind this. Memories flooded my mind—Alpha Charles, with his warm smile and kind eyes, always treating me with empathy, never once judged my status. He was the only one genuinely happy when he learned his son had a mate, and didn't care if I was an Omega.

The contrast between the kindness I’d received from him and John's cold words felt like a cruel betrayal.

So the only reason he accepted to be my mate was because his father made him accept me? Nothing else?

My lips parted in shock, but no words came out. I felt my breath hitch in my throat, a lump forming as I fought back tears.

"The divorce papers will be ready between now and tomorrow," he said, his voice icy and detached. "And you can continue living in the slave quarters since that’s where you belong anyway. So don’t worry, I won’t throw you out of the pack."

His cold words sliced through the air and wrapped around me, freezing me. I stood frozen, my heart pounding in my chest, as I searched his face for any hint of compassion.

But he avoided my gaze, focused instead on a distant point, as if the pain in my eyes didn’t exist. My hands trembled at my sides, and I felt a knot tighten in my throat, threatening to choke me.

"A divorce? What?" I repeated his words. He couldn't be serious, could he? As he turned to leave, panic surged within me. I dropped to my knees, grasping his leg tightly, my fingers trembling as fresh tears streamed down my cheeks.

"I love you, I love you so much, Alpha John! Please... please, I beg you!" My voice cracked. "We can make this relationship work somehow, I promise to be a good wife and—"

"Get your hands off me!" he growled, his voice thunderous and cold. The force of his words made me flinch, and I instinctively recoiled, releasing his leg.

My shoulders slumped and I lowered my gaze, my face burning with shame.

"Isn't it obvious that I'm in love with someone else? Huh?" The words hit me like a punch, and I watched in disbelief as he dropped the bombshell.

He shook his head in frustration, his jaw tightening as he stormed out of the room.

What does he mean by that? In love with someone else? How? Who was it?

I couldn't believe my ears. There's no way that could be true, right?

I slowly brought my shaky hands to my face, wiping away the tears that streamed down my cheeks.

I fought against the urge to sob, knowing that the pain was just beginning to settle in.

Sniffling, I stood up and took a hesitant step forward. I couldn't comprehend how life had spiraled so drastically. Did he truly think I wasn't enough for him? I had given him everything I could offer—cooked for him, cleaned for him, devoted myself to him in every way I could.

What else was I supposed to do again?

He had to tell me. I would do anything to be enough for him.

I couldn't let him leave me for another girl, the idea was unbearable.

As I stepped outside, it took less than three minutes before I came to an abrupt halt. A strange uproar made me frown.

"Yes, finally!"

"Accept! Accept!! Accept!!!"

"Finally, we will have a real Luna!"

I sighted a large group of people around me, their voices a chorus of joy, chanting and leaping in celebration as I emerged from the palace.

I squinted through the crowd, recognizing the familiar faces of pack members, their eyes bright with anticipation.

What was happening?

I moved forward, eager to know what caused such an uproar, but some in the crowd shoved me aside, their expressions dismissive as if they didn't see or recognize me as Luna. But I was too used to it to care.

Then, as I pushed through the throng, I caught a glimpse of the scene unfolding ahead. It was a man on his knees and…hold up…. My heart raced.

There, on his knees, was Alpha John, holding a ring box above his head. The bright smile on his face was radiant, his eyes soft and glowing in a way I had never seen before.

They were fixed on a woman whose mouth fell open in shock—his ex-girlfriend, Diane.

My heart sank like a stone and the joy surrounding me felt like a cruel joke.

He was proposing to her.

As if sinking was not enough, my heart shattered into a million pieces, the sharp pain radiating through my chest as confusion filled me.

I took a step forward, my lips parting to speak, but before I could utter a word, someone from behind shoved me hard. I stumbled, colliding with Diane, and we both tumbled to the floor.

“Ah…”

“Ouch! Alpha John! Alpha John!” Diane cried out, her voice filled with panic as she clutched her stomach, tears streaming down her cheeks.

I quickly stood up and looked at John, shaking my head while trying to explain my innocence. I instinctively reached out to help her up, even though a part of me felt she deserved this moment.

But suddenly, a scorching slap rang across my face, the impact sending me tumbling to the ground.

Stars danced in my vision as I struggled to process what had just happened.

"How dare you try to hurt my Luna?! Do you wish for death?!" His voice thundered, sharp and filled with fury. I looked up to see his eyes blazing with anger, a red hue that sent a chill down my spine.

Fear gripped me as I watched him scoop Diane into his arms, his expression softening as he pressed his lips to hers.

He cradled her gently, patting her back as she wept, her tears spilling onto his shirt.

Never had John raised a hand against me, except when we were intimate and did it for the fun of it.

But now, he was showing this sweet side of himself for her—his childhood lover, the very woman he had assured me was nothing more than a business partner.

So all this while he had been cheating on me. He had been lying to me.

The pain turned into anger as I immediately sparked, "You betrayed me! You fucking betrayed me, John! So this is why you rejected me? What have I ever done to you to deserve this?”

I cried out as tears blurred my vision. Everyone in the crowd watched the scenario going on but I didn't care about them. I was so broken right now to think of the hundreds of people watching me.

"Is she sick or something?" one voice whispered, filled with disdain.

"She is being delusional," another chimed in.

"She deserves death for this accusations!" someone shouted, their words slicing through my heart.

They were all directed towards me but I barely registered their taunts; my focus remained on John.

All I could see was him—the man I once thought would be my forever.

However, Alpha John completely ignored me, his gaze locked onto Diane as if I were invisible. It felt like I was just speaking to myself.

I could only watch, paralyzed, as he slipped the ring onto her finger.

A collective gasp erupted from the crowd, followed by a chorus of cheers and jubilant screams that pierced the air like daggers. I caught snippets of harsh whispers directed at me, each word a sharp sting.

I looked at the glistening diamond ring in the sunlight. I had once seen that ring before in his cupboard. It is worth hundred thousand dollars. It was the same ring I had admired and when I had asked him about it, he told me it was a prop for an advertisement.

I mean I get it all now. He had kept such a precious token for Diane.

I never meant anything to him. I was brought into his life because of his father, and now that he was dead, I meant nothing to him.

"Oh, so you thought our great Alpha John was going to choose a dirty sex slave over his beautiful girlfriend, right?”

A lady from the crowd yelled out, her voice dripping with mockery as everyone began to laugh cruelly, like she cracked a hilarious joke.

I turned to gaze at Diane, whose lips curled into a smug smirk as she looked at me like she won. Of course she did.

My hands clenched into tight fists at my sides, the anger boiling inside me as I watched them embrace.

"Ah... Ah...." Diane suddenly cried out, her face contorting in distress. She pressed her hands against her stomach, her eyes wide with feigned panic.

"Our baby, Alpha! I feel pain in my tummy!" she wailed, her voice rising in pitch, drawing even more attention.

A baby? The words echoed in my mind, sending shockwaves through me. She’s PREGNANT?