Naked Betrayal

Vesperia's POV

The night air carried a sharp chill, doing nothing to cool the suffocating heat of the fingers clamped tightly around my waist. Roderick didn't loosen his hold by a single fraction when a tall figure stepped out of the tree line.

His twin brother, Gideon, stopped a few paces away, taking in our tangled position under the moonlight.

Roderick immediately dropped his aggressive stance, smoothing his features into a mask of pure ease. "Just spending some quality time with her, brother," he said smoothly. He offered me a charming, empty smile, acting as if he hadn't been forcing himself on me a moment prior.

Gideon wasn’t buying the performance. He took another step forward, his gaze bypassing Roderick entirely to check on me. "Vesperia, are you alright?"

I managed a jerky nod. My skin crawled with the desperate need to escape, deeply ashamed that Gideon had stumbled upon this mess. I just had to survive until tomorrow night, when Roderick would finally announce our bond to the pack.

Roderick's fingers slipped from my waist, though the look he shot his twin was anything but friendly. "This is none of your business, Gideon," he warned, his voice dropping into a low, territorial rumble.

Gideon held his ground. "Actually, it is. Our father is waiting for you in the main hall. The Alpha's Council just arrived."

Roderick let out an irritated breath and stepped back, quickly adjusting the collar of his shirt. He leaned in close, his mouth brushing just inches from my ear.

"We will finish this conversation later," he whispered, the cold promise sliding down my spine.

He turned on his heel and strode off toward the pack house, Gideon trailing a few steps behind. The second their figures disappeared into the shadows, my lungs finally expanded.

I took off running. I sprinted through the dense woods toward my house, my boots slipping over the damp earth. As the wind whipped past my burning face, a frantic question echoed in my mind.

Why did the touch of my fated mate feel so incredibly invasive and devoid of any warmth?

I slipped through the back door of our house, taking utmost care to twist the brass knob without making a sound.

"How dare you shame this family?" Myrna’s shrill voice sliced through the dark hallway. "You are utterly worthless, Scourge!"

I spun around to defend myself, but her palm cracked across my cheek with explosive force. The sheer momentum of the slap threw my body backward. My skull collided violently against the solid wood of the door, the dull thud rattling my teeth.

"You humiliated us out there!" Myrna stepped into the moonlight, her face contorted with rage. She grabbed a fistful of my worn sleeve, yanking me forward. "Your pathetic display during the assessment was an absolute disgrace!"

Her free hand swung again, striking my other cheek. The metallic taste of blood instantly flooded my mouth.

"I should have gotten rid of your defective ass years ago!" she spat, shoving me back.

I stumbled against the wall, hot tears spilling over my throbbing face as I desperately tried to find my footing.

"Where the hell did you run off to?" Myrna demanded, stepping closer.

"Mother, I caught her sneaking around with Roderick," Tamsin chimed in. She stepped casually out of the adjacent hallway, a mocking smirk playing on her lips. "They were practically eating each other alive in the woods."

Myrna stopped, her expression twisting into something far more cruel. She let out a dry, hacking scoff.

"You filthy whore. You honestly think you can hold Roderick's interest?" Myrna sneered, looking me up and down. "You are just a plaything, a cheap and temporary distraction for a high-ranking wolf."

I pressed my hand against my burning cheek. "B-but Roderick is going to announce m-me as his mate tomorrow," I whispered, the words scraping painfully against my bruised throat.

Myrna threw her head back and laughed, the sound cold and venomous. "Roderick will never choose a broken wight like you. Even the Goddess herself wants absolutely nothing to do with you."

Tamsin giggled, turning to walk back to her lavish bedroom. "You desperately need a reality check, Vesperia. And I know exactly how to give it to you."

Left alone in the dark hallway, I dragged my aching body toward the small store room at the back of the house. It was a cramped, dusty closet barely large enough to hold a broom, let alone a person. I sank to the freezing floor, pulling my knees tight against my chest to conserve body heat, and cried until exhaustion finally dragged me under.

The heavy wooden door to my makeshift room burst open the next morning, slamming violently against the drywall.

Before I could even blink the sleep from my eyes, my biological father, Beta Cormac, loomed over me. His massive hand swung downward in a brutal arc. The heavy blow caught the side of my head, crushing me instantly to my bruised knees.

I gasped for air, my vision spinning wildly as the wooden floorboards rushed up to meet me.

"W-welcome back, sire," I stammered, my entire body violently shaking. I had learned the hard way never to call him father; the last time that word left my lips, he had beaten me until my ribs fractured.

Beta Cormac stared down at my trembling form, his upper lip curled in pure disgust. "I am astonished you are still drawing breath," he muttered. "Especially after the stunt you pulled last night."

Myrna and Tamsin practically glided into the cramped doorway behind him. They wore identical, sickeningly triumphant smiles. They had undoubtedly fed him their twisted version of the assessment, ensuring his wrath was fully directed at me.

I hurriedly wiped the fresh tears stinging my swollen cheek, keeping my head bowed low. He despised crying, viewing it as pathetic proof that I lacked a true wolf's soul.

Dismissing me entirely, Cormac turned his attention back to his wife and daughter. His harsh features softened into a look of absolute pride.

"You handled yourself flawlessly, Tamsin. Thank you for covering up her humiliating mess during the Assessment," he praised. He reached into his coat and tossed a heavy, jingling pouch of gold coins into her eager hands. "Take this. Spare no expense for the Mating Season festivities tonight."

Tamsin let out a high-pitched squeal, clutching the velvet bag to her chest. "Thank you so much, Father!"

Myrna patted her daughter's perfectly styled hair, beaming. "We will find the most breathtaking gowns in the market. She is going to impress the Alpha's children and secure a highly respectable match."

Cormac nodded in agreement before shifting his cold gaze back to my kneeling figure. The warmth instantly vanished from his eyes, replaced by a dark, looming threat.

"And as for you, scourge," he practically spat the title. "The consequences for disgracing my household will not be ignored."

He leaned down slightly, his voice dropping to a terrifying calm. "After the ceremony concludes tonight, fly back here and pack your miserable belongings."

With that final, crushing order, he turned and marched out of the room.

Panic clawed mercilessly at my throat. Pack my things? Where was I supposed to go? Was he permanently banishing me from the pack territory?

Desperate to maintain some tiny fraction of dignity before Roderick claimed me as his Luna, I realized I needed to fix my clothes. My current dress was nothing more than a collection of filthy, tattered rags stitched together, making me look far worse than the lowest-ranking servant.

I ventured into the bustling pack market later that morning. The dirt paths were packed with excited wolves purchasing elegant fabrics and jewelry for the evening's ceremony. As I carefully navigated the crowded stalls, the treatment was relentless.

People openly sneered as I passed. A few deliberately shoved their shoulders into mine, while others hissed cruel insults about my defective nature. A meat vendor took one look at my bare, dirt-stained feet and spat directly onto the ground beside my toes.

I kept my chin tucked and forced myself to keep walking. It didn't matter. Tonight, Roderick would announce our bond, and this endless nightmare of abuse would finally end.

I approached a small seamstress stall, pulling out the few meager copper coins I had hidden away. I pointed to a simple steel needle and a spool of black thread.

The seamstress sneered, aggressively tossing the small items onto the wooden counter so they rolled toward me. She waved her hand dismissively, refusing to even look at my coins, treating my very existence as a contagious disease.

I bent down to retrieve the needle. As my fingers brushed the wood, a sudden, electric jolt sparked in my chest.

My dormant wolf stirred with frantic energy. The intoxicating, magnetic scent of cedar and rain washed over my senses. Roderick was here.

A fragile, hopeful smile broke across my bruised face. Was he out here looking for me?

Driven purely by the irresistible pull of the mate bond, I abandoned the stall and followed the heavy scent trail. I wove quickly through the distracted shoppers, my eyes scanning the perimeter of the market.

I finally spotted his tall, broad-shouldered figure near the edge of the merchant district. But he wasn't alone.

He was firmly holding a female's hand, leading her toward the sagging doors of an old, long-abandoned tavern.

I slowed my pace, confusion instantly replacing my excitement. As they stepped into the shadow of the dilapidated building, the woman's profile came into sharp focus.

It was Tamsin.

Why on earth was Roderick sneaking off with my stepsister? She had constantly mocked him in the past, claiming she preferred rugged, older enforcers who could violently manhandle her in bed.

A sickening sense of dread pooled in my stomach. Driven by a morbid need for the truth, I crept silently toward the perimeter of the decaying tavern. I pressed my back against the rotting wood and carefully peeked through a grime-covered, cracked window.

The scene unfolding inside the dim room drained every single drop of blood from my face.

Roderick and Tamsin were completely naked, their sweat-slicked bodies aggressively tangled on top of a broken, creaking mattress. Tamsin was straddling him, brutally riding his rigid shaft with relentless upward thrusts. The wet, rhythmic slapping of their flesh echoed violently against the hollow walls.

Roderick’s head was thrown back, his eyes squeezed shut as deep, rumbling groans of intense pleasure tore from his throat. He was thoroughly enjoying every single second of her body grinding against his.

I stood frozen in the dirt, entirely paralyzed by the graphic display. He was my fated mate. How could he possibly do this? Couldn't he feel my agonizing wolf weeping just on the other side of this thin glass?

Then, the absolute worst happened.

In the middle of a vicious downward thrust, Tamsin's sharp eyes snapped directly to the cracked window. She locked her gaze squarely onto mine.

A wicked, triumphant smile slowly stretched across her flushed face. She knew exactly that I was standing out here, forced to witness this.

Never breaking her malicious eye contact with me, Tamsin deliberately increased her speed. She slammed her hips down onto his lap with brutal force. Keeping her eyes locked on my shattered expression, she leaned her upper body forward, brushing her wet lips seductively against Roderick's ear.

His large hands reached up, his fingers digging possessively into Tamsin's bare hips as he aggressively pulled her lower half deeper and harder onto his cock.

Tamsin threw her head back, dramatically moaning his name into the stagnant air, ensuring the sound carried right through the window.

While my devastated soul practically ripped itself apart in betrayal, Tamsin lowered her chin and looked me dead in the weeping eyes.

Through the dirty glass, she clearly and slowly mouthed a single, taunting word:

"Mine."