When the Fated Mate Betrayed Me

I hid my identity as a princess of the royal court and lived a quiet life with my fated mate, Kael Voss. The day I found out I was carrying his pup, he dropped a bombshell. "I'm actually the Alpha of the Thunderpeak pack. "In a week, I'm taking Freya Edris as my mate. She's the daughter of the Frostmoon pack's Alpha." I froze. He went on. "I'll set you up with an estate and a lifetime crystal ore stipend. It'll be more than enough for you and the pup." "So?" My throat tightened. "You want me to be your mistress? You want our pup growing up nameless, shunned by every wolf in the kingdom?" Kael looked away. "You're just a packless Rogue. Only Freya is worthy of standing beside me. She's the one who can help me grow the Thunderpeak pack. "As long as you behave, I can give you and the pup everything. Everything except the title of Luna." My eyes stung. So that was all I meant to him. Our pup, our mate bond, none of it was worth a thing. I lifted my gaze and looked him dead in the eye. "What if I told you I have a greater right to stand beside you than Freya ever will? "I wouldn't just help you grow the Thunderpeak pack. I could make it the most powerful pack in the entire kingdom." Chapter 1 Kael Voss froze for a moment, then let out a resigned sigh. "Nia, I know I was wrong to hide who I am and bond with someone else. "But there's no use dealing in what-ifs. The Thunderpeak and Frostmoon packs are tied for seventh in the kingdom. Freya Edris is the only one whose strength and bloodline match mine. "We've lived together in this unclaimed forest for four years. I know you're just a Rogue with no family and no pack. Stop saying things that will never happen." He could hide who he was, so why was he so certain I could not do the same? I looked at the cabin we had built with our own hands, the clearing we had tilled, the snow hares we had raised together. None of this felt real. "Kael, we're fated mates, chosen by the Moon Goddess herself. I'm carrying your pup. Don't go through with the bonding. We can keep living the way we always have. Please." I held his gaze. If he just said yes, I would forgive every rotten word that had come out of his mouth. However, he only pressed his lips together, his tone flat. "I've already marked her and promised she'll be my Luna. I intend to keep that promise." The words hit me so hard I nearly lost my footing. "That's impossible. Our mate bond is still intact. You can't mark someone else." "I had a witch brew a potion to suppress our bond." His voice was so calm it was cruel. "Marking her still hurt, but it wasn't enough to kill me." The blood drained from my body. It was no wonder the bond had been growing weaker lately. There were times I could not sense him at all. It was not because I was weak. He had been using a potion to block our connection. My eyes burned and my whole body shook. "What about me? You swore you'd love me and protect me for the rest of our lives. Are you really going to break that promise and throw me aside?" Kael reached out and wiped the tears from my face, his expression pained. "Nia, I'm just bonding with her. I'm not throwing you away. "There's a private estate near the Thunderpeak pack's border. I had my Beta buy it specifically for you. "I've had snow hares brought in, and your favorite berries and frostleaf planted on the grounds. Whatever you want, it's yours." I stepped back, shaking my head. "I won't be some kept mistress. And I won't let my pup grow up nameless, shunned by every wolf in the kingdom." Kael stepped closer, softening his voice. "I don't see you as a mistress. As long as you don't make a scene in front of Freya, you'll still be my most cherished mate inside that estate, all right?" I shook my head firmly. "No. I'm not going anywhere. I want to stay right here." This place held four years of our life together. I would not leave it. I wanted to be here when my pup came into the world. Kael's patience finally snapped and his tone went cold. "Nia, nothing can go wrong at my bonding ceremony. The potion can only suppress our bond temporarily. I need to formally reject you now and erase every trace of what we had. It's the only way you and the pup will be safe." Before I could react, he raised his hand. The pack guards behind him lifted their torches and set the entire yard ablaze. Fire swallowed the cabin, the fences and every memory they held. I clutched my stomach and screamed. "No! Stop! Please, stop!" Kael pulled me into his arms, but the words that followed were merciless. "I, Kael Voss, reject Nia Sorvane as my fated mate." The moment the words left his mouth, an invisible force seized the bond and ripped it apart. It felt as though a red-hot rod had shattered my bones and claws had torn through my flesh. The agony tore through every part of me, and sweat soaked through my clothes in an instant. "Be good. After the bonding ceremony, I'll find a way to petition the Alpha King to make you my second Luna as an exception. Our pup will be recognized by the pack. Things can still be the way they were." I was sobbing so hard, but those words almost made me laugh with disdain. In all of werewolf history, no pack had ever had two Lunas. His so-called "second Luna" was just a prettier word for a mistress. "That's enough. Go back to the estate and wait for me. I'll come for you once the bonding ceremony is over." He did not wait for a reply. He ordered the pack guards to carry me away, and they hauled my limp body from the ashes. I was a princess of the werewolf royal court. Did he really think I would settle for being his mistress? There was something he did not know. The mate bond he believed he had severed would remain intact without my consent. He would never be able to bond with Freya actually. Chapter 2 Between fated mates, if the gap in bloodline rank was vast enough, the higher-ranked one could forcibly sever the bond. However, Kael did not know that I was not the packless Rogue he believed me to be. I was a princess of the royal court, and my bloodline far outranked his. The only problem was that my father had sealed that power away. Four years ago, I had grown tired of the royal court's rules and restrictions and insisted on leaving to find my own freedom. My father, the Alpha King, was furious. He sealed my bloodline and power with his own hands, and then confined me to a tower to reflect on what I had done. I escaped during a guard shift change. I shook off every royal guard who came after me and fled deep into the unclaimed forest. That was where I met Kael. The moment our eyes met, my heart slammed against my ribs. He had gone still too. We both recognized it at once. We were fated mates. I hid my identity as a princess and went by Nia. He told me he had left his pack behind because he was sick of the power struggles, and that he wanted to live on his own terms. There was no formal ceremony. We simply stood under the moonlight and promised ourselves to each other for life. We did not have the luxury of the royal court, but we tilled our own land and raised our own animals. Life was simple and steady. Now the cabin had been reduced to ashes, and I was locked inside this cold estate. Three days had passed. All I could do was stare through the iron railings at the world outside. Beyond the railings, a few she-wolves passing by were whispering among themselves. "Did you hear? Alpha Kael used the pack's entire store of merit to petition the Alpha King for the Moonveil Crown, the one reserved for princesses." "That crown is a sacred relic. Only those with royal blood are supposed to wear it. He must really love his mate." "His mate is the Frostmoon Alpha's most beloved daughter. Their bloodlines and their packs are a perfect match. They were made for each other." The Moonveil Crown they were talking about was the treasure I had longed for since I was a pup. My father once told me he would give it to me as a bonding gift, but only when I found a mate who was truly loyal to me. When Kael first confessed his feelings, he had woven a rough flower crown by hand and given it to me. He held me close and said, "My Nia deserves the finest things the wolf kingdom has to offer. Even the Moonveil Crown wouldn't be good enough for you." Now he had actually obtained the Moonveil Crown, but it was for another she-wolf. That evening, Kael showed up carrying a pouch of honeyed dried fruit, my favorite. He sat down across from me, his expression calm. "Eat something. No matter how upset you are, you can't starve the pup." I reached for the fruit numbly and chewed in small, mechanical bites. The sweetness sat heavy on my tongue. Watching him sit there as though nothing had happened left a sense of bitterness that no amount of sugar could mask. "When did you mark her?" Kael stiffened. His gaze dropped. "On your birthday." The room turned to ice around me. One month ago, on my birthday, Kael had vanished without a word. The mate bond had gone silent along with him. I thought something terrible had happened. I searched for him all night, frantic. He did not come back until the next morning, battered and disheveled. He lied and told me he had gotten lost looking for a birthday gift and wandered into the Forbidden Grove, where the disrupted lunar energy had severed our bond. Then he pulled out a beautiful plume crystal, presenting it like a peace offering. I had not slept all night. I had nearly been killed by a wild beast while searching for him. However, when I saw the state he was in, I could not bring myself to blame him. All I felt was heartache. It turned out he had never been in danger. He had used the witch's potion to block our bond. The thought of him marking Freya on my birthday, behind my back, made my stomach turn. Still, when I thought about everything we had shared over the past four years, I decided to give him one last chance. "Kael, call off the bonding ceremony with her. Please." His patience shattered. "If I don't bond with Freya, then who should I bond with? You? "Do I have to spell it out before you'll understand? "Freya is the Frostmoon Alpha's only daughter. Her bloodline is pure and her pack's influence is massive. "As for you? You're a worthless Rogue with no family, no pack, and a wolf that never even awakened. "Someone like you doesn't deserve to be my mate, let alone be the Luna of the Thunderpeak pack." I refused to accept it. "Does everything have to come down to bloodline and power? What about our mate bond? What about the four years we spent together?" "The wolf kingdom runs on strength. Pack standing and bloodline rank matter. That's just how it works." He paused, and guilt flashed across his face. "And Freya is carrying my pup too." My mind went blank. A sharp cramp twisted through my lower stomach. Chapter 3 "Nia, you're a Rogue, so you don't understand how packs work. For any Alpha, only their firstborn pup receives the Moon Goddess's blessing and inherits a pure bloodline and power. "Freya's pup has to be born first and become first in the line of succession. That's the only way you'll be safe." It felt as though something was grinding my insides apart. Cold sweat soaked through my clothes. I looked at the empty pouch of dried fruit I had just finished, and the realization hit me like a hammer. "Kael, this is your pup too. How could you be this cruel?" Kael pulled me close, his eyes red, apologizing over and over. "I'm sorry, Nia. Freya already knows about you. "You conceived before she did. If your pup is born first, it'll claim the Moon Goddess's blessing. She'll never allow that." He had laced the honeyed dried fruit with an abortion drug. "Kael, the drug just kicked in. Our pup can still be saved. Go find a healer now!" He did not move. I broke down completely and threw away every last shred of pride. "I don't need a title anymore. I won't stand in the way of your bonding with Freya. All I want is my pup. I'll take him far away. I'll never interfere with your lives. Please, just save him." No matter how I begged, he did not move. He held me and rubbed my back, his voice soft. "Be good. Just bear with it and it'll be over soon. Remember? You always used to say that being in my arms made the pain go away. This will be the same. It'll be over before you know it." I shoved him away. My vision blurred with tears and every word tore itself out of me. "Go find a healer. I'm begging you, Kael." "It won't make a difference." He passed the sentence on my pup without a flicker of emotion. "Healers that powerful only exist in the royal court, and they’ll only treat those with royal blood. They'd never help a Rogue. "Just do as I say. Once Freya's pup is born, I'll give you another one." I clenched my teeth and seized his wrist with everything I had. "Kael, listen to me carefully. I'm not a Rogue. I'm Princess Serafina of the royal court. Now go find a healer and save my pup." He did not believe a word of it. He pulled his wrist free and looked at me with nothing but disappointment. "Nia, you've really let me down. There's a limit to how far a lie can go. "Impersonating royalty is one of the worst crimes in the wolf kingdom. In the best case, you’ll get your wolf power stripped and be exiled to the frozen wastes. At worst, it's a death sentence. "This isn't some unclaimed forest. This is the Thunderpeak pack's territory, right on the royal court's border. Say whatever you want if you've got a death wish, but don't drag me and my pack down with you." He stood and left without looking back. "It's just an unformed pup. It won't kill you. Stay here and think about what you've done." I watched him walk away, and the last flicker of hope I had went with him. I curled up on the cold floor. I could feel it clearly, the faint spark of life inside me growing weaker and weaker until there was nothing left. The pup I had dreamed of through countless days and nights had been killed by the pup’s own father before ever having the chance to live. With my bloodline sealed, my body had almost no ability to heal itself. I was unconscious for two full days. When I finally came to, my dress was soaked red with blood. The door slammed open with a deafening crash. Freya stormed in with her entourage, fury written across her face. Chapter 4 Freya glanced at me, drenched in blood from head to toe, then strolled over to the table and sat down. One of her attendants handed her a cup of spirit spring tea, and she took a leisurely sip. "I'm not a petty she-wolf. Male wolves have always been driven by desire, especially powerful Alphas. Keeping two or three mistresses on the side is perfectly normal. "I can tolerate your existence. However, as the future Luna of the Thunderpeak pack, my pup has to be born first and receive the Moon Goddess's blessing." I braced myself against the wall, barely holding my broken body upright. "So you decided to kill my pup." Freya let out a soft laugh, her eyes full of contempt. "I don't dirty my hands with that kind of work. Kael was the one who drugged you. He gave up your pup on his own. All I did was lay out the consequences for him." I stared at her, my nails digging so deep into my palms they nearly punctured skin. She stood and walked toward me, one hand resting lightly on her own stomach, her posture dripping with superiority. "You should count yourself lucky, really. Even if your pup had been born, without a proper bonding to back it up, the b*stard would've been nothing more than a nameless stain, scorned by the entire pack. It's better off dead than living like that." She turned to her attendants and gave a cold order. "Bring out the 'tonic' I prepared for her." An attendant came forward and pried my jaw open. A wave of bitter, acrid liquid flooded my throat. I recognized it instantly. Barren root. A forbidden drug among wolves. It would destroy a she-wolf's ability to bear pups permanently. Once it took hold, there would be no reversing it. I thrashed and tried to spit the liquid out, but the attendant pinned me down and forced every last drop into my stomach. Freya crouched in front of me and patted my cheek. "Be a good little mistress and stay in your place. Stop dreaming about clawing your way up through a pup. It's better for both of us. "My bonding ceremony is in two days. I still need to go back and try on the Moonveil Crown so I don't have time to waste on you." As she straightened up, an antique wolf-shaped stone pendant at her waist slipped into view. It was Kael's most personal keepsake. I had asked him for it once, but he refused. He told me it was the only thing his father had left behind and that he needed to keep it with him always. Now he had given it to Freya. Freya paused at the door and glanced back with a smile. "Oh, one more thing. I heard you like a quiet, simple life, so Kael had you placed here out of consideration. "But this estate has already been transferred to my name. You're on my property now, so make sure you follow my rules." Every muscle in my body went rigid. When Kael burned down the cabin we had built together, he told me he had bought this estate just for me. From the very beginning, he had never intended to leave me anything at all. "Freya." My voice came out raw and hoarse. She turned, looking down at me. "What?" "Have you ever heard of Princess Serafina?" Freya blinked, then snapped. "Watch your mouth. You think a lowborn wretch like you has the right to speak her name?" I managed a hollow smile. "I've heard that Princess Serafina's favorite thing in the world is the silver moon flare. "If your bonding ceremony could draw the princess herself to attend, the honor it would bring to you and to the Thunderpeak pack would be immeasurable, wouldn't it?" Freya's expression was pure disdain. "Princess Serafina has never made a public appearance. Outside the royal court's inner circle, no one knows what she looks like or what she favors. How could a lowly Rogue like you possibly know any of that?" "Believe me, or don't. Even if it turns out to be false, you lose nothing. But if it turns out to be true..." I left the sentence unfinished. Something shifted behind Freya's eyes, and the contempt gave way to calculation. After she left with her entourage, I curled into the corner of the bed, unable to move. The barren root was tearing through my body. My lower stomach felt as though it was being split open by a silver blade. Even breathing felt like agony. No one came for me. It was at that moment I finally understood. Meeting Kael, and being his fated mate, had never been a blessing. It was a curse. Through the haze of fading consciousness, I saw something through the window. A silver moon flare shot into the night sky and burst into a perfect silver crescent. Light scattered outward in a shimmering haze, breaking apart into countless silver-white sparks that drifted down like falling stars. A quiet wave of relief washed through me. It was one of the rarest and most expensive fireworks in the wolf kingdom. It was also the private distress signal I shared with my father. No matter where I was, the moment a silver moon flare lit the sky, he would know I was in danger and send someone to bring me home. I did not know how long I was out. When I woke, my entire body was drenched. I could not tell if it was sweat or blood. Kael was sitting at the edge of my bed. He reached over and pressed his hand to my neck, then let out a sigh. "Your vitals have stabilized. That's good. I had someone make spirit-infused broth for you. It'll help your body recover." I pushed myself upright, every movement a struggle. "Freya came to see me. She forced barren root down my throat. Did you know about that?" Chapter 5 Kael faltered. His face turned away from mine. "I know." "You knew?" It took everything I had to keep the tears from falling. "Nia, don't blame her. "She'll be the Luna of the Thunderpeak pack. Her pup will be the rightful heir. If you gave birth and the pup came for the succession, where would that leave her? "Try to see it from our perspective. I can't give you the title, but you're the only one I've ever truly loved." I stared at him in disbelief. I had just been stripped of any chance to ever carry a pup again, yet he was asking me to see it from their perspective. Kael set the bowl down and continued. "After Freya came back from seeing you, her wolf became unstable. The pack's high priest says it's because our lost pup's spirit hasn't passed on. It's affecting her." He looked at me, hesitating before he spoke. "There is a sacred temple where the Moon Goddess's statue is enshrined. If you climb the Ten Thousand Steps on your hands and knees, then pray to the Moon Goddess in repentance and ask her to grant a soul ward talisman for Freya, this whole matter can be put to rest. Will you do that?" My eyes burned. I locked them on his. "Kael, you and I are finished. If you want the talisman, go beg for it yourself." I threw every last ounce of strength into getting out of bed and escaping this cage, but he caught me around the waist and held me in place. He ignored my struggling, shifted into his wolf form, and threw me onto his back. He ran straight toward the base of the mountain where the wolf temple stood. Two Gamma guards from the Thunderpeak pack were already waiting there. "Keep her in line. Make sure she gets to the top." The two guards seized me, one on each side. After taking the abortifacient and the barren root, my body had nothing left to give. I dragged myself up the frozen steps, dropping to my knees and pressing my forehead to the stone with every step I climbed. Blood ran freely from my forehead. The pain dragged me in and out of consciousness. The only thing keeping me going was a single thought. I would make them pay for this a hundred times over. I had no memory of how I obtained the soul ward talisman. The next thing I knew, I was looking at Kael, and then my legs gave out and I collapsed. Kael rushed forward and caught me in his arms. "Nia, I know this was hard on you. But I promise, even after I bond with Freya, the only she-wolf I've ever loved is you." I closed my eyes slowly. Two days ago, I might have believed those words. Now they only made me sick. "You have your talisman. Let me go." My plea meant nothing to him. He saw it as nothing more than a tantrum. He scooped me up and carried me back to the estate against my will. "Stop being difficult. "The bonding ceremony is tomorrow. Freya has already promised me that once it's over, the two of you will stay out of each other's way. You'll still live here, and I'll come see you every day, just like before." Before he left, he added one last reminder. "The princess of the royal court might attend the ceremony tomorrow. Stay here and stay out of trouble." Shortly after Kael left, the royal court's shadow guards found me. I looked in the direction he had gone and let a slow smile spread across my face. I hoped tomorrow's bonding ceremony would be full of surprises for him. The day of the bonding ceremony, the Lunar Hall of the Thunderpeak pack was brimming with guests. The high priest stood at the center of the altar and raised his voice. "With the Moon Goddess as our witness and guide, today, Alpha Kael Voss of the Thunderpeak pack and Freya Edris of the Frostmoon pack shall be joined in the rite of bonding. From this day forward, they are formally recognized as mates and their packs shall enter a sacred alliance. "I declare the commencement of the bonding ceremony!" Kael stood tall in the formal bonding robes reserved for an Alpha. Beside him, Freya was draped in ceremonial finery with the Moonveil Crown gleaming atop her head. Together, they received the reverence of the entire pack. Just as the two of them were about to complete the final rite, a ripple of voices passed through the guards outside the hall, each one more reverent than the last, until the announcement reached the doors. "Her Royal Highness, Princess Serafina, has arrived!" The hall erupted. Wolves turned to one another, whispering in disbelief. "Princess Serafina? From the royal court? I've heard she's the Alpha King's only daughter. She was kept under close guard from birth and is rarely seen in public. They say she awakened a rare white wolf and has been groomed to be the next Alpha Queen." "Our Alpha and Luna must be incredible to get the princess to show up in person. That's practically the same as the Alpha King himself being here." On the altar, Freya grabbed Kael's hand, trembling with excitement. "Kael, the princess actually came! I told you spending those crystal shards on the silver moon flare was worth it. If we can get on the princess's good side, both our packs will rise." Kael was so thrilled he abandoned the ceremony entirely and pulled Freya toward the exit. "Put the rite on hold! Everyone, come with me to welcome the princess!" He rushed down from the altar with his pack streaming behind him. Outside the hall, a row of black war carriages bearing the royal court's insignia sat waiting in silence. Over a hundred of the court's elite guards stood in two perfect lines, heads bowed. Kael and Freya hurried to the lead carriage and bent into a deep, respectful bow. "Your Highness, it is the Thunderpeak pack's great..." The word "honor" never made it out of his mouth. The curtain of the carriage drew back. I stepped out, dressed in the ceremonial gown reserved for a princess of the royal court. The moment Kael saw my face, his fawning expression shattered into shock. "Nia? How... how is it you?!"