Alpha’s Betrayal
Chapter 23

Luna Oklahoma

City

Oklahoma County, Oklahoma

Tala had been the one to find me in the master bedroom after Remus left. That was probably for the best, considering that Remus was the one who'd been staying there. At least the computer hadn't been his. Tala said she would have someone come up and straighten everything else out while we got ready to head out. On some level, I felt like I should have cleaned it up myself, given that I was the one who had made such a gigantic mess, but Tala was hard to argue with. Tala was really hard to argue with. At least it was quite clear why she worked so well with Remus.

Once we arrived in Oklahoma City, Tala insisted we walk. "I want to get to know this city, especially since Remus will need to spend time here now - and if he doesn't feel like it, he'll be sending me or Bane. Which means he'll be sending me," she said, huffing a soft laugh.

I didn't know what to make of that information, so I shrugged. "I don't come to Oklahoma City that often," I told her as she dragged me down the first street.

"Seriously?" Tala asked. "It's only like...an hour and a half away. Two hours if you hit traffic."

I shrugged. "Never had my own car." There had been a plan, once The car my mother and I were going to fix together- No. I was not going to reminisce about my mom now. Especially in front of a...well. What was Tala, anyways? I wasn't sure I could call her a friend, not yet. She wasn't a stranger. Acquaintance? That didn't sound very nice, though.

Tala opened her mouth, and I would have bet five dollars she was about to ask me 'seriously?' again. I raised a brow and she just shrugged, then wrapped her fingers around my wrist to lead me further down the road. Though I felt a bit reluctant, we had driven all the way here. It seemed a waste to turn around and just go right back to Woodward.

"C'mon," Tala said. "It's been ages since I've had a day off, even back in Austin. And walking around in your human form will be good for you. We don't even have heels on today."

She winked and it made me wonder if she actually wore heels every day.

Plenty of regular humans milled the streets. I realized it must be the weekend by now - that, or a hol day. But I hadn't been out so long that Labor Day would have crept up on us, so. No. Weekend.

Folks ambled past us, chatting. Couples held hands. Children raced ahead of parents, smashing their faces against glass windows while pointing at toys inside. I chewed the inside of my lower l!p. The day was lovely, not too humid, and a few stray clouds kept the sun from heating everything up too much. Ladies swished by in airy sundresses and men sported polos and tees. Despite the nice weather, something still felt...off. I couldn't quite put my finger on it.

"Luna?"

I blinked and glanced up, not realizing I had stopped. Tala hurried back over, grabbing one of my arms Are you o-Oh! This store is so cute!" She slipped away almost as quickly as she had paced over, then stepped closer to the store's display. "Do you want to go inside? I've been looking for a white cotton dress for months, and I've never actually been able to find one that isn't either a sheet, or so fancy it could double as a wedding dress."

I could feel myself starting to freeze up. What are we doing? I know Tala said she wanted to be friends, but...

"Sure, let's go inside," I said tentatively. I had to stop doubting myself, or I was never going to get out of this mess. "I think I saw online that this store was new. They posted a pair of sandals I thought were cute," I added, offering a tentative smile.

It must have been the right thing to say, because Tala beamed. "Great! I promise, retail therapy helps a lot of ills. I would know."

Before I could ask what that meant, Tala pushed the door and stepped inside, the bell chiming merrily overhead.

I didn't end up getting the sandals. They were cute, and the boutique even had my size, but I really didn't have the money for it right now. More importantly, I still hadn't decided if I was going to help Remus and rat Marnet out - if I decided against the alpha's offer, I was going to need every last dollar to my name. You didn't need to be a genius to figure Remus was not the sort of man who took rejection lightly, especially if it meant it was going to be that much more difficult for him to obtain his goal.

I wasn't going to go running to Marnet, either. It had nothing to do with the fact that it would have been easy for Remus to track me. Even if I didn't want to betray my mate- no, my former mate- I didn't want to go running to him, either. There was no guarantee he wouldn't finish the job he started. While I had no idea what I wanted right now, I knew at least one thing. I didn't want to fvcking die, and I wasn't going to get killed over one man's pride.

If he didn't want to lose his pack, he should have thought about that before he decided to sleep with half the women in Oklahoma behind my back.

My wolf stirred and I tensed, half-expecting her to protest my newfound conviction. To my surprise, she did not; she laid her ears back and whined. The pain whistled through me like wind through a wintertime forest, whipping through bare trees and rustling fallen leaves. My heart throbbed. My breath caught as one of those thorns pricked me again, a swell of sadness threatening to blossom into something so much more.

When is this going to stop hurting? I thought, feeling almost crazy for it. No matter how I felt, the photos and videos and lists I'd found on Marnet's laptop made it quite obvious he did not feel the same. I was grieving something that hadn't even existed outside of my own mind.

Still, it felt a little better to have a name for it. I hadn't expected Remus to be insightful at all, but I was starting to realize he might have been right.

The thought hit me like a freight train. I was grieving. In the moment, it didn't matter if the man in question was worth my bereavement or not. No wonder memories of my mother kept cropping up. I forced myself to suck in a breath, that hot flicker of anger burning in the midst of my sorrow. Marnet Claw and Josephine Ulfric did not belong in the same category. I'd thought Marnet might change my life, but my mother actually did.

Before I could settle into a proper bout of indignation, Tala grabbed my arm, nearly jerking me sideways. "Look! A bakery. This will help your mood. Low blood sugar always makes me moody," she chirped, not bothering to wait for me to agree.

"We had breakfast a few hours ago," I protested, but the words were lost in the general bustle of the small store. It was homey with several small tables near the window, and two large glass cases full of baked goods. The air smelled amazing, yeasty and toasty. There was something familiar about it. I didn't notice the woman standing at the counter until she called us up next.

Ava Redwood.

My heart ricocheted into my throat before dropping into my gut with a heavy plunk as I recognized my stepmother's friend. That's why this place smelled so familiar, I realized grimly. One of Ava's younger daughters was clearing tables, and there were a few wolves huddled together in the far corner of the store, whispering fiercely to one another. Shit. They definitely recognize me. Strands of anxiety crawled across my skin like spiderwebs as I reached forward to grab Tala's arm. "I think we should leave," I hissed, trying very hard not to look like I was staring at the Hispanic woman directing customers. "Tala-"

"This will only take a moment, promise." She stepped forward as Ava called us forward. My sense of dread coiled tighter in my stomach as recognition flashed across Ava's dark eyes, her smile becoming much more 'how can I help you get the hell out of my store' instead of the warmth she showed her last customer. I swallowed uncomfortably, making some lame excuse about needing air as Tala ordered. If she recognized the tension or smelled the undercurrent of adrenaline suddenly coursing through the bakery, she showed no sign of it.

Her obliviousness, faked or not, made my skin crawl. As I weaved through a few other customers back toward the door, I accidentally clipped someone's shoulder. "Sorry," I stammered as I stumbled back. "I didn't see you th="

The man scowled, pressed two outstretched fingers into my shoulder, and gave me another little shove. He looked familiar, though I couldn't place his face. He smelled like Lupus Claw - or, well, sort of. His scent was heavy, laid over with adrenaline overdrive and the earthy scent of...of Remus. Had he pledged? "You should be sorry, traitor," he hissed as he leaned in, his upper lip trembling in anger.

Oh, no.There were several humans in here, and some of them were starting to pick on up the weird vibes. My gaze flickered back to the door before settling back on the man. "Sorry," I said again, not sure what else I could say. I hadn't even pledged to Remus and the Silverstreak pack yet. Unless this guy was at the Moonmate ceremony and saw my outburst? But how could that be construed as betraying Marnet? If anything...

I shook my head, not willing to take a deep dive into how that might have looked. I cleared my throat and straightened up. "I'm sorry I bumped into you, sir, but I'm not..." Not what? Not a traitor? Not a member of the Silverstreak Clan? Not working with Remus? Not Marnet's mate?

"There you are!" Tala chirped and grabbed my shoulders in a one-armed hug. A small paper bag slapped against my upper arm; Ava must have served her as quickly as possible to get her out. Tala smiled at the man blocking my way before steering us both around him and out the door.

I glanced over my shoulder, but no one followed us. What was that all about? I squirmed out of Tala's hold. I shot the woman a sideways look, trying to keep my face neutral. Even if no one had tailed us out to the sidewalk, I could still sense wolves watching. What if this is Tala's goal? She can't do spy stuff, or whatever, so she's- What, alienating me from my packmates? Making herself the best option? Does it look like we're friends? Do they think we're friends - wait, does Tala think we're friends?

The thought made me bristle with confusion, mouth turning downwards as we walked. Tala opened the paper bag and pulled out a plump blueberry muffin, thrusting it into my hands. It was still warm - it smelled so good. Ava's coffeecakes were always so good on Sund- No! Luna, do not let her win you over with treats like some kind of house pet.

"What's this for?" I asked stiffly, eyeing the muffin. My mouth watered slightly, and I hated myself for it.

Tala snorted and rolled her eyes. "To eat? You said you weren't that hungry, so I got something snack-sized." She raised a brow. "Seriously, I think your blood sugar might be dropping or something, Luna. You're not usually like this, you're being kind of cranky." The statement rankled me. How do you know what I'm usually like? I thought sourly, picking at the muffin's wrapper. My stomach growled. She might have a point about the blood sugar, though.

We rounded a corner. I was about to ask Tala if she had known that bakery when a large warehouse caught my eye. I frowned. Why are we in the industrial district? I thought Tala wanted to-

"Dad!?"

The muffin fell from my hand as I raced forward, eyes wide as I recognized one of the people being led out of the warehouse. As I got closer, I saw Lynn was with him, as well as a few other Lupus Claw officials. "Dad! Dad, what's going on?"

One of the guards gave me a dubious look. He held out a hand to stop me before I reached my father. Dad gave me an unreadable look, his face drawn. Did he already have that many wrinkles? Even if the Silverstreak shifter hadn't stopped me, the way my father looked would have stopped me dead in my tracks. He looked... He looked like he had aged ten years in the past week, shoulders hunched and mouth drawn.

I glanced around frantically, trying to figure out what on earth was going on. "Where are you taking him?" I asked the guard. He stared straight through me. The shifter was clearly well trained. I hissed through my teeth and looked back to my father, trying to reach for him again. "Dad? Dad, talk to me, please."

Before the guard could react, a smaller hand darted forward like a viper, slapping me away. I recoiled as if I had been bitten, the back of my neck prickling. I'd know the scent of blood orange and fabric softener anywhere; my father's wife had always smelled a bit bitter to me. Artificial.

"You have some nerve, showing up here," Lynn seethed, stepping between me and my father. The guard standing next to them eyed her over his shoulder, but didn't move. I was only vaguely aware that few of the other guards had paused in what they were doing, on alert for the possibility of a commotion. "Any remaining Lupus Claw wolves should have run you right out of the state-no, out of the United States - for what you've done, you traitorous whelp!"

My stepmother and I hardly had a warm and fuzzy relationship, but the accusations still caught me off guard. I took a step back. "What are you talking about?" I asked, trying to look to my father for some sort of explanation.

Lynn made sure to insert herself, blocking my view with her obnoxious blonde updo. (Honestly, I was amazed her hair was still pinned up, but that was Lynn. She probably kept her hair up with the power of sheer spite.) "Don't play coy now," she snapped, pointing a narrow finger at me. "Not after that display. What did the Silverstreak boy give you to put on that performance, hm? What did he promise you? You were so pathetic, you almost had me convinced - he must have offered you something good."

Her allegations were so wild, they left me speechless, my jaw hanging open. My performance!? I thought, head spinning. Did she- Did she really think I was faking that? Everything about that night was terrible - it easily the second worst day of my life. If someone had paid me to make a distraction, I definitely wouldn't have come up with something that awful.

My wolf stirred from her listlessness, the fur along her spine starting to prickle. "What the hell are you talking about?" I repeated, temporarily forgetting who I was talking to. "No one paid me anything! How the hell would anyone in Silverstreak even know anything about me?" I demanded. The insinuation was so absurd, it was bordering on insane.

Lynn sniffed, lips twisting into an ugly sneer. "Of course they didn't pay you. You were probably just some easy slut, like your mother."

"Don't you talk about my mother like that," I snapped. My cheeks felt hot. "My mother has nothing to do with this. I would never betray my pack like that, Lynn." It was only my sense of self-preservation that kept me from pointing a finger right back at my stepmother.

"Which pack?" Lynn snarled, edging forward.

Which pack? I gave the woman an incredulous look. It would be easy to write her off as nonsensical (or just outright cruel), but it didn't make sense for her to keep spouting off random insults pulled from thin air. "Lupus Claw, obviously," I said through gritted teeth. "Who else?" "Who else?" Lynn parroted back in a high-pitched, mocking tone. She pointed that finger again, this time jabbing me with a manicured nail. "Those little Silverstreak shits. The apple really doesn't fall far from the tree, does it? You are just like your whore of a mother - can't see when you aren't wanted. When you aren't even useful!" Lynn's tone pitched higher as she spoke; there was a wildness in her eyes I hadn't seen before. For a moment, I was afraid she might shift. "I should have killed you when I had the chance!" she snarled, then lunged forward with an open palm.

Killed me?Despite the threat, her words left me frozen.

Before Lynn could make contact, someone else grabbed her by the wrist, jerking her back to stand next to my father. I swallowed hard, glancing at the guard, but the burly man was busy keeping my father in place. I looked back to my left and my gaze was met by warm, hazel eyes. My heart lurched from my gut back into my throat. I tried to swallow it back down to where it belonged, but the lump remained wedged against my trachea as I stared into that arresting gaze.

Oh.