Alpha’s Betrayal
Chapter 5

Luna

Stable, Claw Mansion Woodward County, Oklahoma

Before I could even ask what the heck was going on, Marnet's butler shoved me to the ground. I yelped, startled, as I hit the hay; my hands flew out in front of me to break my fall. Though the man was just one member of Marnet's squad of servants (and grooms and cooks and cleaners and the rest of the small army of minions he employed), I had never had any bad interactions with him. In fact, Marnet never had me over to his home It made no sense for this person would be so hostile towards me. Seriously, all I had done was ask if he could call Marnet over for me! It was obvious my mate had a lot of guests already over; my wolf was certain he'd simply gotten tied up with the arrival of the other alphas. She thought it was obvious: he had wanted to sneak out to spend time with us to fortify himself before the Moonmate ceremony began.

I wasn't entirely sure that was true, but it was possible some of the visiting alphas had arrived earlier than planned. It didn't take a genius to notice they liked messing with each other. Would it really have killed the man to text, though?

I started picking myself up from the stable floor. "You stay here," the butler barked, pointing at the interior of the barn.

My brows knit together as I glanced around. None of the horses were in here, even though it was near dusk. They were probably overnighting in one of the large paddocks surrounding the property. In fact, there wasn't anything in here, so there was nothing to explain what I was supposed to be doing. Scowling, I turned back to the butler. "For how long?" I folded my arms over my chest. The back of my neck prickled uncomfortably. "What am I even-"

The butler waved a hand, cutting me off. "The alpha will grant you an audience when he sees fit," he replied, voice sharp and haughty. His eyes were stony in the low light. Something cold settled in the pit of my gut as I watched his face; I barely recognized this person in front of me. I couldn't say I was particularly friendly with anyone in Marnet's household, on the rare occasions we crossed paths, but none of them had ever spoken to me like that, even though they had no idea who I was. Marnet insisted on manners among his staff.

My wolf growled, ears lowering closer and closer to her skull each time this man opened his mouth. My confusion paled in comparison to her growing anger, her frustration being subducted beneath the plate of injured pride. The molten mass did nothing to soothe her, and Marnet's butler was well on his way to making an enemy out of us both. Did this man know who he was talking to? There was no way Marnet would stand for this behavior, even if he hadn't claimed me publicly yet.

"Stop it," I said, not entirely sure if I was speaking to the rude butler or my wolf. The man was clearly just trying to do his job, but he was crossing a line, and I was starting to have trouble keeping her anger at bay. "I just need to talk to Marnet for a moment. I promise it will be quick, and regardless of what he's told you about tonight, he'll want to see me."

"Oh, come off it," the butler replied, folding his arms over his chest as he took something of a defensive stance. "You aren't special. If there was an exception to be made for you, then Mr. Claw would have told me." He pulled his lips back in a toothy grin, but there was nothing mirthful there.

The feeling of ice water dripping down my spine returned and I stiffened, trying not to let this man see me shudder. "Actually, if you just-"

"I know who you are," the butler snapped, the last threads of his patience giving way. "I am a trusted member of the Claw Household, after all. Marnet's made no secret to us that there are several women who would do just about anything to be with him. The last thing this party needs is another gold digger trying to get her grubby claws on the Claw family's fortune."

The revelation stunned me into silence. Trusted member of the household...? Gold digger? Exactly how many women are showing up on Marnet's door?

My wolf hesitated for a moment, temporarily blindsided by the information. I had a hundred different questions, but I didn't think the butler could answer any of them - and if he could, he probably wouldn't, judging by the sneer on his face. Is this what Marnet told people about me? There was no way - if he really thought I was just after his money, why would he keep seeing me? Did everyone in the Claw Household think I was some sort of gold digger? What about Sophia and Kate? Did that include them, too? I felt like the foundation of the barn had given way out from under me and I was suspended in midair, falling, falling, falling, and I had no idea where the bottom actually was. I had no idea when I'd make impact.

Something colder settled over me like a funeral shroud. Had Noah Claw known about me, too? Had Marnet told his father? If our alpha had known, why the hell had he kept putting off claiming me publicly? The haze made my vision turn cloudy; I will not cry. I had always been one to tear up at the drop of a hat. It didn't matter what sort of emotion I was feeling - happiness, confusion, grief, frustration - as long as it was powerful enough, my eyes started to prickle and it was only a matter of time before fat, wet drops were rolling down my cheeks.

The butler seemed to sense my confusion and opted to capitalize on it. His sneer grew wider. "I've heard about you, you know. Luna...Highhorse? High...? Oh, whatever. Everyone knows Arden's oldest daughter is a wreck; it only makes sense you'd come sniffing around Marnet in an attempt to salvage your reputation."

"What?" I asked, hating how shaky my voice sounded. Some of the popular girls had given me a hard time back in high school, deciding I was a skank when I'd kissed one of their boyfriends - no one had believed I didn't know he was taken - but I had thought that reputation had been left behind when I'd graduated.

Something my stepmother said to me suddenly stood out in my memory. Your reputation does so much damage to this family, Luna. You really need to watch your behavior more closely. It's like you were raised by wild animals.

The butler snorted. "Don't play a fool. It doesn't help...but I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, does it? Your mother was the one who tried to woo Arden away from his mate, after all."

In my moment of vacillation, my wolf pushed through the cloud of thoughts swirling around us. The anger radiating off her was enough to burn away the emotional fog, like the hot summer sun clearing away a damp, dewy morning. My upper lip peeled back to expose my teeth as I mirrored her; the skin prickled on my nape as the hair there stood stand on end. The skin on my arms tingled beneath my shirt. "Do not speak about my mother that way. You need to watch your damn mouth," I snapped. I was barely able to suppress my wolf's rage. This man had about three seconds before I-

"Luna! That's enough!"

I would recognize that voice anywhere. I spun around, forgetting all about the nasty butler as my defenses dropped; my wolf's seething rage melted into a warm affection. Her alpha. Surely he was here to set everything straight. Marnet dismissed his butler with a wave of his hand, and to my relief, the man went without a word of argument. I didn't even wait to hear the stable door roll shut before I was closing the space between us, striding over the hay to wrap my arms around Marnet. I was so relieved to finally see him - and hopefully I'd finally get some answers about what the hell was going on. I detested being angry with others, and the fact that the butler had almost managed to bring that out in me... The thought alone was enough to make me shudder.

Unfortunately, my mate didn't seem to feel the same way. I went in for a hug and he sidestepped me effortlessly, planting a broad palm on my shoulder blade as he directed me further into the barn. Though I glanced up at him, I didn't protest.

I was always sensitive towards him; that's simply how it was with mate bonds. If he was excited or worried or randy, I always knew. It wasn't just knowing, either. I tried to acknowledge his emotions without vocalizing them, anticipate how to celebrate or alleviate or enjoy together. Marnet had never been particularly good at reciprocating, but it wasn't his fault. I'd never seen his mother be particularly caring towards him. Besides, he usually made some effort when we were alone and no one was around to judge him for what an alpha should or shouldn't do, so it had never bothered me that much before.

But now?

Now Marnet was acting like everything was fine.

Even if my wolf was relieved to see him, he should have sensed my confusion and anger only moments ago. If he didn't, then why the hell had he even come out to the stable in the first place? There weren't even any horses in here! "Marnet-" I began, but that was the only world my mate let me get out before he rounded towards me, face red.

"Luna, what the hell is wrong with you? Why the hell would you come here? Couldn't you see I was busy? What a stupid thing to do!" He spoke rapidly, clearly pissed, but keeping his voice low. Then he turned away again, running his hand through his light brown hair, as if he were worried. My brows only pulled closer together.

"What do you mean? Marnet, you blew me off! You left me a note asking to meet up, I didn't ask you!" I replied, reaching into my jeans to fish out the crumpled yellow note. "You've never been that late before! I was worried!"

He scoffed, then reached out to snatch the little piece of paper away from me. I blinked and took a step back - I didn't care if he had it. All he had to do was ask.

"Worried? I'm obviously busy, Luna. I know you're a bit of an airhead sometimes, but surely even you could notice that there are alphas from all the neighboring states," he scoffed.

I could feel my face heat. "I'm not an idiot," I said. "I know it's the Moonmate ceremony tonight. I was just worried. I thought maybe something had happened to you..." I trailed off, my voice sounding weak even to my own ears. I gave up with a small shrug. Should I have just called to check in? Text? Why the hell is he making such a big deal out of this, anyways?

Marnet rolled his eyes. "I thought..." he said in a terrible imitation of my voice, managing to sound both nasally and whiny at the same time. My face flamed hotter. "No, I think the problem is that you didn't think. If I couldn't make it, something more important came up, obviously. There are four other alphas here. Four, Luna! Someone has to make sure this all makes a good impression on them, and it sure as hell isn't going to be Kate or Sophia. Besides..."

The second half of what Marnet said was completely lost on me; it felt like my world was consumed by a dull static, an ugly white noise composed of smothered buzzing and a faltering heartbeat. Something more important came up...? Replaying it over in my head made my heart lurch and my wolf gave a miserable whine, sounding positively ill over the emotion we were both trying to stomach.

I was supposed to be the most important thing. I was his mate, damn it! It wasn't as if I was even being particularly selfish with his time. If Marnet needed to juggle these men because he'd only been the alpha of Lupus Claw for the past year and needed to prove something, that was fine. Hell, if he'd just let me in, I'd be happy to step up and help him! He didn't need to rely on his mother or sister. I was perfectly capable of logistics myself.

"Marnet," I said softly, my voice betraying the quiver in my chin. Oh, no, not again. I'm not going to cry. Not now! I tried to swallow down the well of emotion. If I teared up now, Marnet was never going to take me seriously. "All you had to do was tell me you were busy."

The man paused for a moment, looking like he was sizing me up. "You're right. I'm sorry," he said, as if this were some sort of business transaction that he could simply put in a bin and leave behind the moment it was over. "But you can't come back inside, Luna. I'm busy, and this needs to remain a secret." He pursed his lips, narrowing his eyes as he continued to look at me, making a motion with one finger between the two of us.

I startled, eyes wide with shock. A secret? Seriously? That's what he's worried about?

"Marnet, when are you going to keep your promise to me?" I demanded, retreating a step. My wolf whined again, clearly caught between her desire to keep us both safe and her need to be with her mate- to be made whole. There was nothing worse for her than when Marnet and I came into direct conflict like this.

He said nothing. I could practically hear the seconds crawl by. Still, nothing. I clamped my jaw shut, trying not to give away any more of my shock on my face. When I took a step forward, he took a step back, maintaining the distance I had put between us a moment before. "Marnet," I tried again, my heart giving a desperate lurch. All the doubts I'd felt earlier today at our love nest came welling up and I searched his face wildly, trying to parse even one inkling of what he was thinking right now. "Marnet, please." I reached for his hand again.

I had to ask to ask the question I'd been avoiding. My stomach lurched, but I did not let the man go. I didn't dare.

Marnet didn't stop me this time, but the alpha simply stared forward, his face an impenetrable wall of apathy. "Marnet, I'm your mate. Don't you want people to know about us?"

Time kept slithering forward. Tick. Tick. Tick. I scrutinized Marnet's face for something. Anything. I didn't see so much as a blink, a flare of his nostril, a tic on the lower side of his left jaw. There was nothing there. Each beat of my heart felt faster and more painful even as I tried to keep my breathing as calm and as unaffected as his.

"Oh, my-"

I took a step back, releasing his hand. The answer should have been easy. Obvious. Immediate. The answer should have been yes. Marnet could have been shy or worried or cautious or a hundred other different things, but no, he wasn't any of those things, was he? You should have listened to your gut. He's been playing you along, just like everyone else in this shitty little town.

My wolf made such a keening noise I was surprised no one else heard it as I stared at Marnet, still too shocked to say anything else.

Finally, he moved, offering me a half-hearted shrug. "Luna..." He trailed off. He'd run out of words. Maybe there was simply nothing else to say. After a minute that lasted an entire lifetime, he shook his head, turned around, and walked back towards the entrance of the stables. He had no other words for me.

My heart lurched and my wolf propelled me forward, scrabbling across the surface like this was her last chance at life. Like instead of following after the soul that was supposed to be her mate, she was scrambling across the surface of a frozen pond, only inches from cracking it and disappearing beneath the icy water. I felt frozen, awkward and stumbling as I hurried after him, reaching out to grab his arm before he could open the doors.

I grasped Marnet tightly enough that a startled noise squeezed out from between his chapped lips. He turned towards me, green eyes widened with shock as he looked between us. I had never laid a hand on him before (well, not outside of the secret cabin, and certainly not in anything other than affection or desire), and it seemed he couldn't quite believe I had done it now.

I followed his gaze, slightly relaxing the death grip I had on him. Breathe, Luna. Breathe. No need to freak out now. Do not freak out right now. My self-coaching attempt didn't really work. My wolf was still half-frenzied, convinced this might turn into a life-or-death situation. Like there was something slipping through her paws, even if my weak human senses couldn't pick up on it. My heart still sounded like it was running a marathon in my ears; my hindbrain was pretty sure we were still perched precariously on a precipice, and we couldn't see what might be waiting for us on the other side of the fall.

How many times do I have to fall today?

He opened his mouth, about to address me, when someone called out his name.

"Marnet? Marnet, where are you?"

The voice sent shivers down my spine.

A moment later, the barn door slid open, revealing none other than Sophia Claw herself. She wasn't alone. A few party guests milled a few steps behind her, clearly more interested in chatting among themselves than whatever Sophia and her brother were doing. I didn't recognize the woman she was standing with, shoulders almost touching as they chatted, but she smelled like a wolf, and Marnet didn't seem particularly surprised by her presence. He had removed himself from my grip, however, brushing at his tailored shirt sleeve like he'd gotten a few pesky stalks of hay stuck in the fabric. When he looked at his younger sister, he somehow managed to look bored.

My heart faltered again. Was he just playing it cool for his sister, or have I really been that wrong about this guy?

Sophia gave me one quick looked and arched a well-manicured brow, fixing her brother with an imperious look. "Marnet? Your guests have been wondering after you. What are you doing out here with this woman?" Her glittering eyes gave away her sweet tone. I knew she knew who I was. Knew my name. She was doing this on purpose. I caught her gaze and quickly looked away, trying to pretend her presence didn't bother me. Sophia shifted her hawk-eyed gaze from me to her older brother, tugging on the hand of the quiet male to step inside the barn.

My skin crawled at having this woman in my vicinity. She might have brought me and Marnet together in some strange, twisted way, but that didn't change the fact that the younger Claw had tormented me through elementary school, and most of high school, too. Don't give her the satisfaction of seeing you uncomfortable, I instructed myself, trying to school my expression back into something that might be mistaken as neutral.

"Luna works in the barn," Marnet said without missing a beat. He looked down to fix his right sleeve. My heart twisted in my chest. Surely this is a joke. This must be some kind of misguided, stupid joke, I thought, trying to ignore the way my vision swam. How could he talk about me like this?

He looked up at his sister as if I had simply ceased to exist. The woman scoffed, clearly not buying the story Marnet was trying to sell. "As you may have noticed, it's going to get dark soon. I wanted to know what was taking so long and why my horses weren't in yet." He glanced back in my direction with an unimpressed sigh. "She said she'll make sure they're all in before nightfall."

Sophia shook her head and tsked. "Why Mother insists on charity cases, I'll never understand." She flashed me another beatific smile. Apparently, she had decided to play along with Marnet's terrible story in front of their guests. One small corner of my brain wanted me to reach out and grab her by the shoulders, shake her until all those pretty manners fell away and that fake-a*ss smile cracked. Fortunately, the rest of me had better sense; I shoved my hands into my pockets, unsure of what to do. I shot Marnet a pleading look. He had to understand how much I disliked his sister.

We were mates. Soul mates. If we were going to be together for the rest of our lives, I was going to have to live with this woman, too. The very least Marnet could do was make it even the tiniest bit more bearable.

He did no such thing.

Finished with fiddling with his shirt, he turned back to me. "As I said, Luna. Make sure the horses are in as soon as possible. They're valuable animals; each one is probably worth more than whatever you have in the bank." With that, he turned, using his hand to sweep his sister and her friends out of the stables. No one protested any further, seemingly relieved to leave the yard and return to the main celebration.

I stared after them in disbelief. It went without saying that there was a bit of difference between the wealth Marnet had been born into and what little my family still held on to, but he'd never used it as a weapon against me before. Has he always felt this way? I thought frantically, carding through dozens of memories. Maybe the odd little quirks I'd brushed off before had been warning signs. I thought he didn't leave marks because he wanted to always appear professional. Or that he didn't want me calling him when he traveled because he was with potential clients. Or that he didn't have me over to his house because he was trying to protect me from Sophia. Maybe he just didn't want anyone else to know...

My wolf wailed at the idea. My head throbbed, overwhelmed by the battery of intense emotion and roller coaster of disappointment and relief. I felt like I had run five miles. My heart still stuttered awkwardly in my chest as I watched the group disappear, none of them so much as giving me as second look.

But I didn't care what they thought of me I cared what Marnet thought of me.

Maybe you're being paranoid, I tried to tell myself, wishing my wolf would calm down and give me a moment to think. Maybe you just shouldn't have put Marnet on the spot. You know he's not good at expressing his feelings, maybe he didn't mean what he said... I looked back towards the Claw mansion and sighed. He had promised me... and he hadn't actually backed out of that promise, even now. Maybe I just needed to reset my expectations.

Well, whatever was going on, I just needed some time to think. At least the stable was quiet enough to give me that.