The Mating Day Betrayal

CASSIA’S POV

The bass from the massive outdoor speakers rattled my ribs. I practically vibrated out of my skin, adjusting the floral centerpieces on the head table. Today was the day. I was officially going to be Torin’s.

"Ready, girl?" Brina stood beside me, handing over a stack of napkins. A tight, forced smile stretched across her face.

"Feels like I’ve waited for this day my whole life," I answered. My heart hammered against my chest.

Torin had been gone for days. As the new Alpha, he spent the last week traveling, securing alliances with neighboring packs. I hadn't seen him at all. The separation made my skin itch. I just wanted him back.

I took a deep breath, trying to cool my racing pulse.

"Hey, Cassia?" Brina stopped me before I could grab the next box of decorations. Her voice dropped, barely audible over the thumping music.

"Yeah?"

She wouldn’t meet my eyes. She stared at the grass beneath her boots. "If today doesn’t go as planned... would you still be friends with me?"

I looked at her like she had grown a second head. The strange, aggressive behavior she had shown all week flashed through my mind, but I pushed the suspicion away. "Of course. You’re my best friend." I grabbed her shoulders, leaning down to catch her gaze. "Nothing, absolutely nothing, is going to change that."

I pulled her into a tight hug. She stayed rigid for a second before wrapping her arms around me.

I brushed off her weird question and rushed back out to the main lawn. Pack members scrambled to finish setting up the barbecue and the stage. The energy was electric. Adrenaline spiked through my veins.

Around four in the afternoon, the music abruptly cut out. A hush fell over the sprawling event grounds.

"Our new Alpha!" a senior enforcer announced.

A sleek black Mercedes pulled onto the gravel drive. The doors clicked open. Torin stepped out. His blonde hair caught the afternoon sun, his sharp blue eyes scanning the massive crowd. He wore a fitted dark suit that showcased his broad shoulders and perfectly sculpted chest.

Something deep inside my core snapped awake. A warm, heavy presence unfurled in my mind.

*Mate.*

My wolf. I smiled so hard my cheeks ached. I was finally getting my wolf.

Tears of sheer joy blurred my vision. I didn't care about the rules. I shoved past a group of elders and broke into a sprint.

"Torin!" I screamed, laughing as I closed the distance.

Another girl stepped out of the passenger side, but I didn't even process her face. She didn't matter. He could explain who she was later.

I threw my arms around his neck, slamming into his solid frame in a bone-crushing hug. Electricity exploded across my skin. Sparks shot through my veins, hot and blinding. A deep, satisfied hum vibrated in my skull. My wolf clawed at the surface, waking up and immediately trying to claim him.

"I fucking missed you," I breathed into his neck. I rarely cursed, only when my emotions redlined.

The sparks were on another level. I wanted to purr. I wanted to scent-mark him right in front of the whole pack, but I knew I would never live down the embarrassment.

Torin stood like a stone pillar. He didn't wrap his arms around me.

"Pack member Cassia, please step away from the Alpha," a stern voice barked from his side.

I shook my head, burying my face in his chest. I wouldn't let go.

Rough hands clamped down on my shoulders. I fought back, a distressed whine ripping from my throat, but the enforcer pried me off Torin by force.

Torin adjusted his jacket. His face was a mask of cold indifference.

"I, Alpha Torin, introduce to you your new Luna. And my mate."

My stomach dropped. I stared at him, a giddy, nervous smile still trembling on my lips. He locked eyes with me. He didn't look away.

"Luna Valerie," he announced.

He reached out and grabbed the hand of the girl who had stepped out of the car. He pulled her forward, lacing his fingers through hers right in front of me.

The breath vanished from my lungs. The smile fell from my face.

"What?" I choked out, looking from the strange girl to the man who was supposed to be my boyfriend. "You feel the sparks, right?" I muttered. I knew he heard me. His wolf had to be screaming.

"You will all respect her as your Luna and leader of this pack," Torin declared. His blue eyes remained solely on me as he spoke the command. Zero warmth. Zero regret.

Ice water flooded my veins.

"Cassia? How about we go inside first?" Brina murmured, grabbing my elbow and trying to drag me to the side.

I shrugged her off violently. The tears in my eyes spilled over, blurring the faces of the whispering crowd. I turned and ran.

I tore through the pack house, ignoring the confused stares of the omegas in the hallways. I bolted up the stairs, threw open my bedroom door, and slammed it shut.

Before I could turn the lock, a violent cramp seized my abdomen.

I dropped to the hardwood floor. A blood-curdling scream tore from my throat.

It felt like someone had shoved a rusty blade into my chest and twisted. The severed, unfulfilled mate bond ripped through my nervous system. Fire raced along my nerves. I curled into a tight ball, gasping for air.

My newborn wolf whimpered, a broken, agonizing sound echoing in my skull. She was dying. Torin’s public rejection was tearing our soul in half.

The door clicked open. "Cass!" Brina cried out as she rushed into the room.

I groaned, digging my fingernails into the floorboards. I thought I had locked the damn door.

"You need help. Let’s go to the infirmary," Brina said, dropping to her knees. She actually sounded panicked. She looked like she cared.

Another wave of agony hit me. My spine bowed. My vision went black at the edges.

"How long?" I wheezed.

"What?" She had the guts to act confused.

I slapped her hand away. "How long did you know about him getting another mate?"

She was one of the few people who knew Torin and I were practically mated before the official season.

"Cass, please. Can we at least see the doctor first?" she begged.

"No!" I roared. My insides felt like they were shifting, organs grinding against each other. It was humiliating enough that I had run to him, only to be shoved away and publicly discarded. I wasn't going to let her play dumb. "Don’t try to change the subject. Answer me!"

Brina shrank back. "Last week. I swear I didn’t know the details, just that he was going to be going through with another female."

*A lot can change in a week.*

Her creepy smile from this morning flashed in my mind.

"You didn’t think it was important to tell me?" I yelled, spit flying from my lips. I wanted to lunge at her and pluck her eyes out.

"Look, I’m sorry, okay? I couldn’t tell you. It wasn’t my place to do so. Besides, I had to prove my loyalty to the Alpha."

I scoffed, a harsh sound that quickly turned into a gag. She was my best friend. Torin hadn’t used an Alpha command on her. She just chose his favor over our friendship.

A fresh spike of pain shot up my spine. I rolled over, clutching my stomach, and screamed. The pain was blinding.

"You can be mad at me, okay? But I think we should go to the doctor first," Brina pleaded.

The absolute nerve of this girl. She set me up. She watched me walk into a public slaughter, humiliated by the entire pack, and now she wanted to pretend she cared.

"I don’t think I remember asking for your approval, nor your permission, to get mad at who I want to get mad at," I spat, blood tasting metallic on my tongue.

"But... but remember you said nothing would change between us," Brina stammered, trying to hold back her tears.

I dragged myself up, using the edge of my bed for support. My legs shook violently, but the explosive rage fueled my movements.

"Oh, no, no, no, no, no. You don’t get to pull this bullshit on me," I snarled, locking my eyes onto hers. "You knew all along, but you watched me make a fool of myself!"

"Cassia, please," Brina reached for my arm. "Just follow me to the clinic."