Betrayed

Valerie's POV

I caught his scent on her skin before my eyes even found them in the glittering crowd. The rich, masculine notes of sandalwood mixed with sharp cedar hit my senses. It was Kaelen’s signature scent, the very aroma that used to make my inner wolf purr with deep, primal contentment. Now, it clung tightly to another woman, radiating off her flesh like a brand of pure ownership. The smell was so thick, so undeniable, I could taste the bitter ash of it at the back of my throat.

Celia. Kaelen's precious childhood sweetheart. His so-called true love who had casually rejected him five long years ago. She had walked away without a backward glance to chase grand city dreams, abandoning him when his pack was crumbling into dust.

Yet here she was. I was the Luna of this territory, and I had received zero notice of her return. Pack law dictated that a returning member needed the Luna's approval, but they had simply bypassed me. By the time I finally discovered the truth, she was already standing right where I belonged, eagerly basking in the shining glory I had bought with my own blood and sweat.

The opulent ballroom practically vibrated with roaring success. High-ranking pack members laughed loudly, crystal champagne flutes clinking in joyous toasts to our monumental rise. We had clawed our way up from a pathetic tenth place to rank second in the Continental rankings. It was a brutal, hard-won victory. I had sacrificed my youth, my energy, and my very soul to achieve this status.

And my husband chose to celebrate the pinnacle of our triumph with his former mistress securely wrapped in his arms.

I stood frozen in the grand arched doorway. The heavy winter coat I wore from the frantic drive over felt like a lead weight on my shoulders. My numb fingers dug brutally into the fabric of the garment bag I carried. Inside hung a breathtaking white silk gown, meticulously designed with diamonds sewn into every seam. I had created it specifically for tomorrow night.

Yes. Tomorrow night.

Every single person in Kaelen's inner circle had looked me in the eye and swore the grand banquet was scheduled for tomorrow. I had believed their smiling faces like a naive fool. If I had not overheard a careless seamstress gossiping during my final fitting, I would have stayed blissfully blind in the dark. I would have sat alone in our estate while another woman paraded around in my rightful place, celebrating the triumph of my own pack.

"Luna?!"

The sharp, shocked gasp came from Gemma, my loyal maid. Her piercing voice sliced through the elegant string music playing in the background.

Instantly, hundreds of heads in the lavish ballroom snapped in my direction. The lively chatter died, replaced by a vicious, buzzing wave of whispers.

"Didn't Alpha say the Luna was bedridden and sick?"

"Are you a newborn pup? You actually bought those pathetic lies?"

"Goddess help us, both women are in the same room..."

Every hushed murmur acted as a jagged blade twisting into my chest. The guests were not the fools here. I was the ultimate idiot, ruling over a pack of vipers who had conspired to keep me hidden away.

Deep within my soul, my wolf, Zira, unleashed a guttural, furious snarl. *Rip their throats out,* she demanded, pacing aggressively against the confines of my mind, craving the metallic taste of blood. I wanted to let her loose. I was known as the fiercest female warrior to ever emerge from our lands. But in that crushing second, betrayal suffocated me so deeply I could not force a single breath into my lungs.

Across the sprawling expanse of the ballroom floor, Kaelen moved. He deliberately slid his large hand lower down the curve of Celia’s back. The gesture was public, calculated, and dripping with aggressive possession. He locked his icy blue eyes directly onto mine. The gaze that used to soften the moment he spotted me across a crowded room now held a severe, silent threat.

*Back down. Do not make a scene.*

That was when Celia finally noticed my arrival.

Her bright green eyes widened in a theatrical display of shock. Her red lips parted into a perfect circle of false, sickening concern. Playing her part flawlessly, she pressed one perfectly manicured hand flat against Kaelen’s chest—an intimate, familiar touch that sent pure bile rising into my throat. She leaned close, whispering something against his jaw that made the muscles in his face clench tight.

Then, shifting just enough so Kaelen could not see, she looked directly at me.

Her mask slipped. A triumphant, victorious smirk curved her painted lips. She was claiming him. Claiming my life.

The suffocating weight of betrayal instantly shattered, replaced by a cold, razor-sharp fury. The mere ten steps required to cross the polished marble floor felt like wading through an open inferno, but I welcomed the burn. I refused to cower. Every eye tracked my forward movement.

The string quartet faltered and then died away. Conversations halted mid-sentence. Servers stood petrified, holding champagne bottles suspended in the air. The heavy, metallic scent of the crowd's sudden, spiking fear filled the massive room.

They had every right to be terrified.

I was no weak, fragile ornament. I was the proud daughter of the formidable Frost Pack. I chose Kaelen when he was nothing but a desperate, struggling heir to a dying, impoverished pack. I was the one who utilized my father's memorial ceremony to formally merge our vast territories. I stood before my skeptical, growling people and personally convinced them to accept his rule when they wanted to tear him limb from limb. I smoothed the political rifts. I built the foundation of his empire. I made him the Alpha he was today.

And now, at the zenith of our shared success, he dared to publicly humiliate me? He thought he could parade his runaway lover in front of the elites and cast me aside?

My sharp heels clicked rhythmically against the marble floor. Each deliberate, ringing step served as a formal declaration of war. The Frost Pack did not tolerate betrayal, and neither did I.

As I closed the final distance, Kaelen moved defensively. He stepped right in front of Celia, utilizing his broad Alpha shoulders as a physical shield to protect her from my wrath. I could still see her peeking around his arm, her eyes gleaming with barely concealed glee.

"Valerie," Kaelen commanded. He used that authoritative, dismissive tone he usually reserved for unruly, insubordinate Council members. "Now's not the time for this conversation."

I stopped exactly three feet away. I was close enough to see the tense muscle feathering in his clenched jaw. Close enough to smell the cloying, sickeningly sweet jasmine perfume of Celia mingling intimately with his rich cedar scent. The foul combination made my stomach turn, but my posture remained iron.

I looked deliberately past his broad chest, focusing my burning gaze directly on Celia, who still possessed the sheer audacity to feign a wide-eyed, innocent expression.

"I think now is exactly the time," my voice rang out, crystal clear and unwaveringly steady across the silent, breathless ballroom. "If you plan to humiliate me in public, then I will defend my dignity in public."