## KAYLA'S POV
It had been a couple of days since the choosing ceremony, but the pain wouldn't stop burning. Diego had hurt me worse than I thought possible. I kept telling myself he couldn't have meant it. He couldn't have really ordered those guards to throw me out like trash. But as much as I tried to deny it, the memory was real.
The grin on Adire’s face while they dragged me away was burned into my mind. I couldn't sleep. I couldn't breathe. Finally, I couldn't take it anymore. I had to confront him. I needed answers.
A short while later, I was walking down the hallway toward Diego's private chambers. The last time I was in this pack house, I was heartbroken. Now, all I felt was a mix of rage and absolute betrayal.
"Diego, you aren't getting away with this," I muttered under my breath.
As I neared his door, strange sounds echoed down the corridor—heavy groans, sharp gasps, and thick, wet panting. I froze for a second, shaking my head. No. I was just hearing things. I forced my feet to keep moving.
"Ugh!" a woman’s voice moaned loudly from inside.
I stopped dead in my tracks. I knew that voice.
"Harder, Diego! I love you! Yes!"
My knees almost buckled. That was Adire.
*No. It’s in my head,* I lied to myself.
I grabbed the handle, shoved the door open, and stepped inside.
My world stopped.
Adire was on the bed, her back arched, her hands gripping the sheets while Diego drove into her from behind.
"Di...ego," I choked out.
Diego stopped and looked over his shoulder. He didn't even try to cover himself.
"What the fuck are you doing here?" he asked, his voice harsh and annoyed.
"Why... why are you doing this?" My voice trembled.
"Doing what?" He pulled out of her, stepping off the bed with his bare body exposed, completely unbothered. He let out a dry laugh. "You mean having sex with Adire? Was I supposed to wait for you? You keep holding onto that virginity like it's a prize. Keep it to yourself."
His words hit me like knives to the chest. "You gave me your word. You swore it was me. Why did you lie?"
"Don't tell me you actually believed that," he scoffed, pulling on a pair of pants. "You can't be that stupid."
Tears blurred my vision, but I tried to wipe them away before they fell. "Why?" I whispered.
"Why what?" he asked, turning to me with a mockingly confused look. "You mean why didn't I reject you sooner?"
Adire sat up on the bed, pulling the sheet to her waist, and laughed. "She really is as dumb as her miserable mother."
My chest throbbed so hard I thought my heart was going to split open.
"An Alpha prince and an Alpha princess makes sense on paper," Diego said, stepping closer to glare down at me. "But not with a rejected, useless princess. You honestly thought I'd make a loser my Luna?"
"You can't do this to me..." I choked out.
"I only stayed around you out of pity," he cut in, his eyes cold. "You're too weak to rule beside me. You mean nothing to anyone. You're as good as dead."
My throat locked up. The pain was so thick I could barely force air out. "I... I love you," I rasped.
Diego threw his head back and laughed aloud, mocking me right to my face. When he stopped, his expression turned deadly serious. "I hate you."
I turned and ran out of the room.
---
An hour later, I was sitting in a dimly lit pack-border pub, surrounded by empty bottles. I just wanted to numb it all out.
With every glass I downed, the heartbreak slowly twisted into a burning anger. I was furious at Diego for deceiving me. I was furious at Adire and Kate for taking everything from me. But most of all, I was furious at myself for being so naive.
After a few more drinks, the liquor took over completely. I staggered up from my chair and climbed onto the small wooden stage in the center of the bar.
The music was loud, heavy, and thumping through the floorboards. My body started moving to the rhythm on its own. I was completely drunk, and for the first time in days, the weight in my chest felt lighter. Somewhere along the line, I had stripped off my dress, dancing in just my lace underwear while the music pounded around me.
Through the blur of red and blue lights, I noticed a man step up onto the platform beside me. He was moving in sync with the beat, closing the distance between us until he pressed his body against mine from behind.
*Does this guy think I'm a performer?*
I twisted out of his reach and kept dancing, trying to ignore him. But he wouldn't back off. He stepped in again, getting closer, until his hands reached out and roughly grabbed my chest.
"Get your hands off me!" I yelled, fighting through the loud music and trying to pry his fingers off.
"Stay still, bitch," he growled in my ear, his grip tightening until it hurt. "Don't fight it."
I pulled against him with everything I had, but the alcohol had made my arms weak. I couldn't shake him.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw another shadow move onto the platform.
This man was taller, broad-shouldered, and walked with absolute control. He looked dangerous. For a second, panic flared again. Was another one coming to lay hands on me?
I closed my eyes, waiting for the worst.
Instead, a heavy hand grabbed the pervert by the collar and yanked him off me with terrifying speed.
I opened my eyes. The stranger shoved the man back, throwing a single brutal fist right into his face. The guy flew backward and hit the wooden stage floor with a loud crash.
I stared, stunned by the sheer power behind the hit.
I expected the pervert to jump up and fight back, but the moment he looked up and saw who had hit him, the color drained from his face. He scrambled backward on his hands and knees, trembling violently.
"Alpha Zeus Ludendorff!" the man stammered, his voice shaking with terror. "P-please... forgive me!"
Zeus didn't say a single word. He reached over to the DJ setup, his sharp claws extending just enough to slice clean through the main speaker wires.
The loud music instantly died. The whole pub went dead silent.
Everyone turned to stare at the stage. I was standing there in my undergarments, half-naked and soaked in alcohol, but I couldn't bring myself to care. My eyes were locked on him.
"Throw this piece of garbage out," Zeus commanded, his deep voice carrying across the quiet room. "If he steps foot in here again, kill him."
I let out a small, drunken giggle. *Who does he think he is, giving orders like that?*
Before I could process it, three large bouncers appeared out of nowhere, grabbed the guy by his arms, and dragged him out the back door.
Zeus took one last look at me, then turned on his heel to walk away.
"Hey!" I called out, letting out a loud burp.
My head was spinning. "Who are you?" I giggled, taking a wobbly step toward the edge of the stage. "What... what did he just call you?"
He paused and glanced back at me, his eyes dark and unreadable, before turning to keep walking.
"Wait up," I muttered, trying to follow him down the steps.
My legs completely gave out. The floor rushed up to meet me, and I hit the ground with a hard thud.
Before the darkness took over my vision, I felt a shadow fall over me. Zeus had dropped down on one knee beside me. His jaw was tight, his nostrils flaring as he took a sharp breath, sniffing the air around my neck like a wolf picking up a trail.
As my eyelids grew heavy and the room faded to black, I heard him whisper a single word.
"Mate."