Alpha’s Betrayal
Chapter 21

Luna

Claw Mansion Woodward County, Oklahoma

Tala had been wound up all morning. I could practically feel the unfiltered energy as we sat downstairs in the formal dining room for breakfast. The two of us in such a large room was such a ridiculous prospect, but she was so high-strung it was difficult for me to do anything but nod my head and fake a smile. I'm not even sure she noticed how ingenuine the expression was. She'd been tense all through breakfast, and it'd only worsened when she'd followed me back to my bedroom, saying she had something she needed to ask

me.

Maybe she just doesn't care,the paranoid portion of my brain whispered. I didn't want to believe that was the kind of woman she was, not when she'd clearly made more effort than anyone else to make sure I was at least moderately comfortable, but... It would make sense, the intrusive thoughts insisted. It's not like you're that good at masking your expressions.

I sat on the edge of my neatly made bed and picked at one of my nail beds. While it was true that almost any strong emotion could bring up a well of tears, I had liked to think I was getting better at controlling that sort of thing. At the very least, I didn't wail at the drop of a hat anymore. My placid smile was second nature; it had been for years. You're overthinking it, I told myself, giving a little shake.

I glanced up from my hands; Tala was pacing back and forth across the bedroom. We'd returned after our meal, and I don't think she'd stopped talking since the door shut. If she had, she at least hadn't noticed my silence. Her perfectly manicured nails tugged restlessly at her auburn hair. Frowning, I glanced back down at my fingertips. I hadn't bothered to paint them before the Moonmate ceremony; Lynn would have given me at least three different lectures about trying to steal the spotlight from my step-sisters, and I had thought it wouldn't matter anyways, because Marnet-

My heart skipped a beat and caught on the nest of brambles that had made their home in my chest cavity. Any thought of Marnet caused a snag, another piece of flesh caught and torn by yet another little thorn. They were countless, each one an individual prickle, but together an impassable wall. Not if I didn't want my heart to be shredded.

I took a shuddering sigh. Not like there's much left at this point, I thought grimly. My wolf stirred, whining softly; I couldn't determine what had distressed her - dredging up the memories, or the fact that I was trying to dispel them. If it was the latter...how the hell was I supposed to combat my wolf's feelings and my own at the same time? I didn't want to be stuck in this purgatory where I wasn't over Marnet forever.

I straightened my shoulders and settled my gaze back on Tala, who was still pacing, as if I'd been a very attentive audience this entire time. I cleared my throat softly, not wanting to startle the other she-wolf. "What's wrong?" I asked, tipping my head to one side. Finally, Tala stopped pacing. She stood in the middle of the room for a moment, arms folded protectively over her chest before she strode over to where I sat on the bed. She folded herself delicately on the edge and reached forward, taking one of my battered hands in her own. I couldn't help but noticed how soft her hands were - buttery soft, almost. Would it be weird to ask her what kind of moisturizer she uses? Yeah, probably.

"I'm supposed to collect information on Marnet by any means short of violence," Tala blurted out, interrupting my awkward train of thought. I'd have been grateful, if not for the implications of the other she-wolf's directive.

I blinked once. "...what?" I hoped I hadn't heard her correctly.

Tala sighed, then glanced into a corner of the room like it held the answers to her internal strife. Though I was tempted to follow her dark blue gaze, I steadied my nerves and looked down at our hands instead. Tala had been the most reasonable Silverstreak wolf I'd come across so far, but I didn't want to trigger some sort of mood shift - or worse. I sat in silence, patient. At least I knew I was good at that.

"My alpha ordered me to get the information earlier this week," Tala finally said. I didn't look back up, but I could sense her studying me. "Which is stupid, because I'm not...I don't know, some sort of James Bond. Even if I do have the eyes."

I couldn't help a tiny chuckle at the weak attempt at humor. "You do," I agreed. "Accent's all wrong, though."

"Right?" I chanced a glance upwards and was rewarded with the sight of a tiny smile. Tala said, "I just... I'm a numbers kind of girl. Spreadsheets, bank rolls, mathematical proofs? Any of it - all of it - I'm your woman. But finding information?" She sighed and shook her head. "It's just...it's just not me. Besides, I think we could actually be friends, and some sort of half-hearted espionage would be a shit way to start that out, don't you think?"

I fought back the urge to frown, lifting my gaze to study the other woman's face. She certainly sounded earnest in her confession, and she had seemed pretty wound up since she'd knocked on my door this morning, but... What if this is her play? What if she's trying to use some sort of reverse psychology on me? Reveal the plot, win my trust, and then get exactly what she was after in the first place.

I swallowed, my throat suddenly feeling tight. It was clear to me that Tala was in distress, but the rest of it? She was really hard to read, now that I had settled into to an earnest attempt. Even my wolf wasn't entirely sure what to make of the energy Tala was exuding. Friend or foe?

I extracted my hand from hers carefully. "Can you, uh, give me a moment? Please?" I asked. I unfolded my legs to slide off the bed. "I just need to freshen up. I'll be right back."

Tala's expression faltered as she pulled her hands back into her lap. "I... I really shouldn't let you," she admitted. She glanced away for a moment before looking back at me. Something unreadable flickered across those sapphire eyes, and then she stood, shaking her head. "You know what, maybe I'll do the same. I could use some air, too." She set a hand on one of my shoulders. "Whatever is going on, you should know: Marnet didn't doesn't deserve you, Luna. I mean that."

It felt like she had punched me in the gut. All the air rushed out of my lungs. I said nothing. She offered me a sad smile before walking past me for the door. It took several seconds after I heard the click of the door before I could suck in a breath, eyes stinging. How could she possibly know that?

I stood in the bedroom for several minutes, trying to remember how to breathe. I should have paid more attention to that meditation app, I thought dimly. There were tears welling up just behind my lashes and I did not want to cry. I would not cry. I'm so damn tired of crying! Balancing on a fence between despair and exhaustion, I took another deep breath and pinched the bridge of my nose. The sensation was something else to focus on, and after a few more cycles of slow inhales and slower exhales, the feeling of paralysis starting to fade into the background. I finally uprooted myself from the floor, letting myself out of the bedroom to find the expansive guest bathroom again. The room they'd put me in was towards the far end of the hallway, and shared the bath with another guest room. The master suite was at my end. At the other was what I assumed was Kate Claw's room - or used to be her room, anyways, as it also had an ensuite just barely smaller than the master's - as well as two other bedrooms and a second guest bathroom just as expansive as the one I stepped into.

I wonder if any of these rooms are Sophia's,I mused as I turned on the faucet. I wonder which one would have been mi- Scowling, I cut myself off before I could finish the thought. I cupped my palms beneath the flow to splash a bit of water in my face. The coolness was refreshing and I exhaled, splashing myself several more times before turning the faucet back off. I patted my skin dry with one of the fancy hand towels, then slowly looked at my reflection.

He doesn't deserve you, Tala had said. I ran my fingers through my dark brown hair. It was brushed out and silky again, but nothing that interesting. Defined cheekbones...but maybe almost too defined. Lynn always hissed that I should try to round out my features and warm up my face; my mother had had a slender face, too, more defined than it was circular. She had the same dark hair and pale complexion. She even had the same color eyes. I didn't...I didn't want to look like Lynn or my step-sisters. I didn't want to look like anyone but myself, not really.

Until a few days ago, I had thought Marnet had liked me just as I was, too.

I sighed and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. My mother had been spectacular, and I was pretty enough - I wasn't so deluded as to insult what I'd inherited from her - but I certainly wasn't a supermodel like the blonde Barbie doll Marnet had revealed at the Moonmate ceremony.

That hadn't seemed to stop Remus, though. The cold water hadn't stopped him, either. Maybe it would be nice to-

Enough,I told myself firmly. I dried my hands roughly. I had no idea why we had given in to each other so quickly, but honestly, I didn't need to know. Entertaining those thoughts was only going to make my complicated situation even more tangled, and I couldn't deal with that right now. What would Marnet think?

Scowling, I shook myself internally. Luna, why are you still thinking about him? Who cares what he thinks? He doesn't get a say anymore.

Determined not to dwell, I straightened the polo shirt Tala had pulled for me. I was grateful I didn't seem to be expected to wear a fancy dress every day; the cotton top and linen slacks were much more comfortable. I slipped out of the bathroom, about to pad back down the hall to my room when my eyes strayed to the end of the corridor. The master. Marnet's room. No, Marnet's former room. My heart shuddered again and it found another bramble.

How does he have so much power over me? This isn't fvcking fair. I didn't want to feel a fresh wash of hurt every time I thought of the man. He had thrown me away like he hadn't felt a damn thing. It wasn't fair that he was still taking up space in my brain rent-free, especially not when my attempted evictions had no effect.

I didn't have to see him to know he wasn't suffering in the same way. If Marnet had felt that way, he wouldn't have humiliated me. He wouldn't have - he wouldn't have hit me.

A wave of determination I didn't recognize washed over me, and before I could talk myself out of it, my feet began to carry me towards the room. I rapped my knuckles against the wood softly; there was no sound of motion inside. Remus must be out. Relieved, I pushed the door open and crept inside. I could smell Remus all over the room, but Marnet's scent still lingered, a fading undertone. My pulse began to quicken, so I glanced around the well-outfitted master to distract myself instead of chasing that fading scent. I had toured apartments smaller than this before deciding I couldn't afford to live in Oklahoma City, and they hadn't even been studios. A man could live in here, I marveled, almost forgetting why I had let myself into the room in the first place. My wandering gaze fell on an austere desk, a small silver laptop shoved to one side. Remus must have found some of Marnet's things when he'd taken the mansion over. I hurried to the desk and pushed the computer open. My breath caught when I saw the username. Marnet Claw. Before I could think better of what I was doing, the whirling blue circle faded away, revealing Marnet's desktop.

No password?I wondered for a moment, my brow furrowing. Well...who would look at their alpha's computer? No one in their right mind.

Yeah, that made sense. Or enough sense, anyways. I don't feel like I'm in my right mind right now, anyways. I couldn't stop myself. I didn't want to stop myself. Marnet still had several tabs open, and I began to click through them rapidly. Excel spreadsheet. Pack finances. Holy shit, the wet bar cost how much-

I shook my head. I wasn't here to snoop on the inner workings of the Lupus Claw clan - or what was left of it. I grimaced and opened the next tab. Blank Word document. Boring. The third tab was just as uninformative, but when the fourth window opened, my heart launched itself into my throat. I almost choked on the sudden upwelling of emotion.

Photos. Dozens of photos. It looked like- Like some sort of vacation? Judging by the palm trees and colorful sunsets, they'd gone somewhere far nicer than Woodward County, Oklahoma. My eyes stung as I flicked through the album so rapidly I almost missed the date at the top of the window.

June 23, 2021

8:37 PM

Wasn't that the night we were supposed to see Lindsey Stirling in Oklahoma City? Yeah, it definitely was. I had been looking forward to that date for weeks; I'd even purchased a new dress for the outing. Marnet had said he had a last-minute business trip - something about getting a government contract for Claw & Co. Construction on the east side of the state, or something. He had told me it was too important to miss. That the company would be in the black for the entire year if he could just seal this deal. I ate up that lie like he'd fed me chocolate cake on a silver platter.

I sucked in a sharp breath and willed the tears back down, closing the photo album. His notes tab sprung up from behind. Reading the first few lines, my heart dropped from my throat to the pit of my gut. My stomach churned angrily as I read over the list of names. Briana Lee (Kitten)

Pam Whitewater (Princess)

Harmony Burns (Doll)

Yelana Rock (Not sure yet, keep working)

There were at least a dozen names and pet names on the list. Each had a few details next to them, phone numbers, and...links? My gut twisted and clenched as I hovered the cursor over the first name; I felt like an invisible python was winding itself around me, squeezing everything out of me. Out of breath. Out of tears. Out of good sense.

Click.

January 9, 2019

10:44 PM

Mercifully, the sound had been muted on Marnet's laptop, because the link opened to video. The scene was a little out of focus, like the camera had been set up ahead of time and hidden. It only took me a moment to realize why; the movement in the center of the screen was a pair of pale bodies writhing against one another. I didn't need to see their faces; the claw tattoo on the back of the man's shoulder gave him away. I'd traced those lines over Marnet's skin dozens of times. The halo of brown hair beneath the woman's head didn't match whoever he'd brought to the ceremony.

How many women...?

I couldn't look at anymore. I didn't need to. I slammed the laptop shut, whirled around, and pressed my fingers into my eyes. Years. Years. Marnet had been up to this sh!t for fvcking years, and I had been willing to believe he was worried, or busy, or-Or- A feral noise ripped itself from my chest as I whipped back around and snatched the laptop off the desk. I flung it like a frisbee across the room, it hit the wall with a satisfying snap. The desk was too big to knock over, but the chair behind it wasn't; I flung it too, this time towards the built-in bookshelf. One shelf cracked and several books came tumbling down, and a cloud of dust drifted up from the heap.

I snorted. Of course Marnet never read. I didn't care. My horror had morphed, finally rekindling the little ember of rage Marnet had failed to stamp out when he'd abandoned me inside his barn. Anything I could grab with my two hands was seized, thrown, or knocked down. It was highly unlikely Marnet would make it back to his mansion, but I didn't care. The sound of things crashing to the floor was the only thing I could hear over the roar of my own pulse.

Unfortunately, the burst of energy didn't last forever. Everything but the furniture had been uprooted, and I didn't have the strength to tip the desk or move the solid wood bedframe. I sank down next to the headboard instead, finally noticing my fingers were trembling no, not just my fingers. My hands. My arms.

Squeezing my eyes shut, I pressed my head against the wood. My heart sank to the floor. In the wake of my anger, the bramble of thorns still seemed to sit on top of my heart, prickling the tender muscle with every beat. Marnet didn't love me. Maybe he never loved me, not even at the start.

So why does this still hurt?