My chest heaved with burning rage, as if I had been running from something I couldn’t outrun. Marcel’s face wouldn’t leave me, the way his mouth curved into a smile when he looked at Linda, the way his fingers tangled with hers as if they had always belonged there. That smile used to be mine. That touch used to mean something. Now it was nothing but a knife twisting deeper every time I replayed it.
The corridor blurred around me as I stumbled forward, the chill of the stone walls biting into my palm when I reached out to steady myself. My wolf thrashed inside me, furious and wild, demanding I turn back. Insisting I tear down those doors, rip apart their lies, and remind them who I was.
But what was the point? The elders and pack members had picked their side. My uncle had played his game like a damn chess master. And Marcel…the fool had betrayed me.
My throat closed up, choking on what had just transpired and the pain it left me with.
The man I had fought for. The man I had dragged from the dirt and built into an alpha. The scumbag I had trusted with my heart has stabbed me in the back.
I thought I’d never see him again, not after he gutted my pride in front of the whole pack. But as the corridors emptied, and the servants and warriors slipping away into the night, I felt him before I saw him. Marcel stepped out of the shadows, his black robe carrying the faint musk of the throne room.
“Melissa,” he said, his voice low, almost tender.
That one word lit a fuse in me. All the rage I had been swallowing roared to life. I didn’t think; my hand flew, cracking across his face so hard my palm burned.
The slap echoed off the stone walls, but Marcel didn’t flinch; he didn’t growl. He just stood there, his cheek blooming red, his eyes locked on mine like he had been expecting it.
“I deserved that,” he said quietly.
His calm stopped me cold. My anger flickered, just for a second, my chest was still heaving, my eyes stinging as I searched his face. “What… what did you just say?”
“I deserved it,” he said again, slower this time. “For what I did to you.”
His words hit me and almost doused the fire burning within me. If he wasn’t fighting back and was not snapping at me… maybe this wasn’t his choice.
I swallowed, my throat dry. “Then tell me, Marcel. Why? Why her? Why, Linda, when you knew it was supposed to be me? I made you, Marcel. Without me, you’d still be a nobody, scrounging in the pack grounds. I put you on that throne. My father and I gave you everything.” My voice broke, jagged and raw. “So why did you throw me away like I was nothing?”
Marcel’s jaw tightened, his throat bobbing like he was choking on his own words. He stepped closer, his voice dropping to a rough whisper. “Because Leon forced me.”
I stumbled back, shaking my head. “No. Don’t you dare pin this on him. You’re the alpha now, Marcel. You swore you’d never bow to him. You swore to my father and me.”
“You think I wanted this?” His voice cracked, desperate, almost pleading. “You think I wanted to stand there, look you in the eyes, and break you in front of everyone? Melissa, I had no choice. Leon gave me an ultimatum. If I didn’t obey, he’d turn the elders against us. The whole pack would have come for our throats. I did lose everything…and you… You would be left defenseless.”
The walls felt like they were closing in. My nails bit into my palms, drawing blood, the sharp sting grounding me. I wanted to believe him, I wanted to so bad it hurt.
“Leon,” I whispered, my voice trembling. “It’s always Leon.” My uncle had been a shadow over my life, poisoning every chance I had to rise. And now… even my mate wasn’t strong enough to stand against him.
Marcel reached for me, his hand shaking as it hovered near mine. “I swear, Melissa, I’ll make this right. I can’t undo what happened in that hall, but I’ll give you back what you’re owed.”
“Give me back?” I gave a bitter and sharp laugh, jerking my hand away. Tears pricked my eyes, but I would be damned if I let them fall. “How? You stood there, Marcel, in front of the entire pack, and put a crown on her head. You made me look like a fool; there’s no fixing that.”
“There is,” he said, his voice urgent, stepping closer. His hands gripped my shoulders, firm but not rough. “Not the way we planned, not the way you wanted… but there’s a way. You can still be with me, Melissa. Not as Luna, but…”
I shoved him, hard. His back hit the wall with a dull thud. “Don’t you dare finish that sentence,” I hissed, my voice shaking with fury.
But he did. His eyes dropped, filled with shame, and his voice broke as he whispered, “Be mine anyway. Be my… mistress.”
The word was a white hot brand, burning straight through me. Mistress! Hidden away, a dirty secret, while Linda played queen. My heart pounded so hard I thought it’d burst, rage and heartbreak tearing me apart.
“Are you serious?” I choked out, my voice barely holding together. “After everything I’ve done, fighting for you, bleeding for you, building you into what you are, you’re offering me…scraps?”
“I’m trying to keep you safe!” he snapped, his voice raw, almost wild. “I love you, Melissa. I don’t love her. I never will. I only did this to keep Leon’s claws off you.”
My breath caught, a sob I refused to let out. For one stupid, fleeting moment, I wanted to believe him, wanted his words to fix the pieces of me he had broken. But then a sharp, mocking laugh cut through the air like a whip.
“Safe?” Linda’s voice echoed with pure venom, dripping with smug satisfaction. She glided into the corridor, her silk gown swishing, her curls bouncing like she was born to rule. That smirk on her face, she’d been waiting for this, savoring every second.
“Melissa, poor Melissa,” she purred, tilting her head like she pitied me. “Still falling for his lies?”
I went rigid, glaring at her. “Get out, Linda.” I shouted
She ignored me, sauntering closer to Marcel, her fingers brushing his sleeve like she owned him. “He doesn’t love you, never did. He chose me because he wanted me, because he loves me.”
“You’re full of it,” I snapped, but my voice wavered, betraying me.
Her smirk grew sharper, crueler. “Am I? Tell me, Melissa, has he mentioned where he’s been sneaking off to these past few moons? No? That’s because he’s been in my bed. With me.” She leaned closer, her eyes glinting like knives. “And now… I’m three weeks pregnant with his pup.”
The words hit me, taking my breath away. My vision blurred, my ears rang, and the floor tilted under me.
“No…” My voice was a broken whisper. I turned to Marcel, my hands shaking so hard I could barely breathe. “Tell me she’s lying, Marcel, please tell me she’s lying.”
He didn’t say a word. His lips were pressed tight, his eyes drowning in guilt he couldn’t hide. That silence, it was louder than any confession, heavier than any betrayal.
My chest caved in. My heart splintered, each piece cutting deeper than the last.
“You…” I stepped back, shaking my head, tears spilling now, hot and unstoppable. “You let me fight for you, bleed for you, make you everything you are, and you were with her? All this time?”
“Melissa, please…” Marcel’s voice broke as he reached for me, desperate.
“Don’t you touch me!” I screamed, my wolf surging, claws itching under my skin. “You don’t get to say my name. You don’t get to beg while you crown her, sleep with her, and…” I choked, the words too raw to finish. “...and give her what was supposed to be mine.”
Linda’s smirk was blinding, her hand curling around Marcel’s arm, claiming him. “You should have seen this coming, cousin. The pack needs strength, not your whining. And Marcel chose strength… and me”
I shook my head, my whole body trembling. My voice came out low, broken but steady. “No. He chose weakness and a whore. He chose to be a coward.”