Alpha’s Betrayal
Chapter 8

Remus

Terrace, Claw Mansion

Woodward County, Oklahoma

Huh.

I hadn't any inkling that Marnet was taking a mate tonight, but I wasn't sure why he felt the need to announce it in front of anyone. I didn't recognize the woman, so this couldn't have been some uniting among packs...unless, maybe, she'd come from one of the

European packs. But since Marnet didn't lead with that, I suspected she was a member of his pack, and nothing more. I paused for a moment, trying to see if I could spy York among the wolves gathered. Hadn't he mentioned his beta's daughter would be joining Lupus Claw? I glanced back at the nameless woman, but I couldn't place her. She was pretty, in a standard blonde Barbie doll sort of way. Straight hair teased into curls. Sparkling green eyes. Dressed to the nines, of course, with heels high enough to kill a man and a dress short enough to expose legs for days. Exactly the sort of girl I pictured Marnet with, really.

I was about to take a sip from my glass when I heard that strange sound again. A whine, low and whispering. A wolf in pain. My nape bristled as my own wolf stirred, unsure if there was someone he needed to protect - but it wasn't a member of our pack. It was the woman standing next to me. She had abandoned her drink and looked as if she had just seen a ghost. Weird, I thought, trying to edge a little closer to her. "Are you all right?" I asked. Marnet's display was a bit uncouth, but it was hardly something to inspire swooning.

The woman really did look like she might pass out. I realized, after a moment, she was murmuring softly under her breath.

"That is not his mate. Marnet is my mate- I am his mate. He is mine. He is my mate. It's not her. It's not her."

The woman almost sounded possessed, as if she'd forgotten there were dozens of other werewolves attending the same ceremony as her, witnessing the same announcement she just did. I had no idea why Marnet would claim anyone but his actual mate - this poor girl must be delusional. That was the problem with these sorts of ritual things, wasn't it? People bought into them so deeply they started to twist the world around them to make it true.

"Hey," I said, trying to get her attention again. "You're looking pretty pale. Why don't you sit down?"

I reached out to try to take the woman by the wrist, but my movement seemed to break whatever spell had been cast over her. Without so much as blinking in my direction, she stormed forward, possessed with a kind of fury I'd rarely seen. Maybe Marnet was playing the field. Now that, I could believe. I snorted, watching the woman stalk towards the alpha like the hunter a wolf was. Maybe he had a couple of different women on the line while trying to sort out who and what he wanted.

No one was guaranteed to meet their 'destined' mate within their lifetime. There were no rules about where your mate might be born, or when. It could happen that you were eighty-seven years old when your mate was born...and then what? Or maybe you spent your whole life in southern Texas and your mate was be born in...I don't know, China. Did they have werewolves in China?

There were no guarantees, which is why I thought the whole thing was ridiculous. You set up young women (and young men, too) to believe the only true love they'd find was their destined mate. If you never met them, maybe you'd find a partner, but it wasn't destiny. If you did meet them, well, that was your whole life, wasn't it?

Remus, get a grip. Exhaling carefully through my nose, I forced myself to derail that train of thought. This wasn't my problem. I might have felt bad for the silver-eyed she-wolf, but it wasn't much more than a passing thought. She looked like she was about to make Marnet sorry - or at the very least, she was going to make a scene. I lifted my glass back up, trying to hide my growing smile. This was perfect. Certainly nothing I had planned for, but I couldn't imagine anything better. If this woman decided to fight an alpha, of all things, there would be no one paying attention to me.

I better get in touch with Bane.

I swallowed the rest of my whiskey and set my tumbler down at the table, eyeing the cosmo I had brought over for a moment. Should I...? Nah, don't need it. I can celebrate later, I decided, straightening my jacket. It wasn't hard to start weaving my way through the crowd - those who hadn't cared about Marnet's announcement certainly had their attention captured by the woman approaching him. I had almost made it out of the decorated terrace when Fiona suddenly stepped into my flight path.

Ugh.

I suppressed the urge to growl. There was no easy way around her, not while pretending I hadn't seen her. I had to hand it to her - my mother was crafty. She snagged my arm and pulled me to one side, whispering something fiercely. "Is that her? Is she the one?" I scowled and tipped my head, searching my mother's face. It looked like she was warring between aggravation and panic - but the second emotion didn't make much sense. Unless she was on to me? I inhaled carefully. "Is who what?" I whispered back, glancing over her shoulder. Thankfully, it didn't look like anyone was paying us any mind at all.

"That woman about to embarrass herself." She nodded towards where Marnet and his arm candy were standing. Where the silver-eyed wolf was heading. "Is she your mate? I saw you sitting with her before the announcement."

"Oh." I couldn't help myself, chuckling. My mother was still stuck on the mate thing. That, I could deal with. "No. I just thought she was cute." I shrugged. "Didn't even ask her name."

"Oh, that's good. That's very good." Relief won out over her face, and the death grip she had on my arm turned into a thoughtful pat. "I've heard some...unsavory things about her while I was mingling with some of the older pack members." What? The woman had seemed perfectly normal to me, if not a bit distant. Hardly anything alarming. But why is Mom asking about random women? I narrowed my eyes, nostrils flaring. "Were you gossiping about me?"

"Oh, no." Fiona patted my arm again, clicking her tongue against her teeth. "Not at all. But if other wolves are talking about their own pack members, it doesn't hurt me to listen, does it? Apparently, that girl is an illegitimate daughter of an otherwise well-respected wolf in the Lupus Claw pack. He has several other legitimate children. Some of them are looking for mates tonight." She kept talking. I hardly knew this woman, but I felt a little rankled my mother was going on at length about her and her family. "Someone mentioned that woman was a bit of a loose cannon, though, and now I can see why!"

I exhaled, giving my mother a sharp look. "For someone who 'wasn't gossiping, Mom, you sound a lot like a gossip right now." That wasn't how I liked to run my pack, and I certainly didn't want anyone else to get that impression. "How do you know they weren't just speculating or being nasty?" Who knew what kind of history those wolves may (or may not) have had?

Fiona brushed a strand of graying-brown hair away from her face. "Are you even paying attention to what's going on right now, Remus?" she huffed, as if the outburst made everything these people said totally valid.

"What if she was my mate?" I growled. "Weren't you telling me earlier how that bond was supposed to come before all else?" Just because I didn't agree with the woman on that particular matter didn't mean I didn't listen to her. Perhaps she had thought otherwise. The look of abject horror on Fiona's face was worth whatever lecture I might get down the road for 'not taking mateship seriously. It even managed to sweeten my otherwise sour mood, and I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from grinning at her. "Remus!" she hissed, swatting my forearm as she seemed to shake herself from whatever nightmare she was imagining herself in. "That is not funny. Besides, no future daughter-in-law of mine would have such poor manners. I know you."

I snorted. Maybe not as well as you think. 'Picture perfect manners' were definitely not the first thing I looked for in a woman.

Not that I was looking for a woman at all. Not for more than a weekend, anyways. And even if I was interested...with what time? I had a corporation to run, and a pack to care for. Speaking of which...

Something was distracting my mother, so I tried to reach into my pocket for my burner phone. All I needed was a minute - thirty seconds to make a quick call to Bane, and fifteen seconds on either side to disappear and reappear right after. I hadn't made it so much as two steps away when my mother reached out and grabbed my arm, demanding my attention.

"What-"

My question died on my tongue as I realized the she-wolf was now toe to toe with Marnet. Misguided or not, I had to give her credit for her guts. Even though I couldn't imagine this would end well for her. Imagine if one of my pack members tried to do that to me! (I mean, it would never happen. I had a far stronger grasp on my pack that Marnet ever did over Lupus Claw. It was a moot point.)

They were whispering fiercely, and I found myself leaning in a little, curious to what was being said. The woman introduced as Marnet's mate had seemingly disappeared from his side; that probably for the best. She didn't want to be collateral damage. I could only see the back of the she-wolf's head, but Marnet's face had gone all red and blotchy. Even from here, I could see the tension rising in his shoulders. How embarrassing... First Moonmate ceremony all on his own, and it was turning into a total riot.

I grabbed another drink off a tray as a waiter wandered by, clearly attempting to distract the guests. I really need to call Bane. When I tried to extract myself from my mother's grip, she only latched on to me tighter. I scowled. She couldn't pull her eyes away from what was unfolding, but she damn well couldn't let me go, either. "Mo-"

"No! You won't do this to me!" I was cut off by the silver-eyed she-wolf all but howling at Marnet. She leaned in closer, pointing a finger at the man. She was loud enough that no one needed to strain to hear her any longer. "You fvcking liar," she seethed, anger radiating off her in waves. "She's not your mate, and you and I both know it. We've both known it for the last six years."

Six years? I raised a brow. She could have been the right age, six years ago. But if that were true, why wouldn't Marnet have claimed her right away? She was pretty enough, and surely Kate was just as irritating when it came to 'stabilizing the pack' as my own mother was. Something doesn't add up.

Marnet tried to take a step back, brushing the woman away like an errant fly. "Don't embarrass yourself," he growled. "Now calm down, or I'll make you calm down."

The threat did nothing to settle the she-wolf. Her hand was shaking as she pointed at him again. "How could you? After everything we shared? After everything we went through?" Her voice cracked and I felt the back of my neck prickle. I liked drama as much as the next person, but I really hoped this woman wasn't about to break down into hysterics. "Why are you doing this? I deserve to know."

Marnet peeled his upper lip back, eyes flashing dangerously. "I don't owe you anything," he growled. My wolf tensed slightly, more keenly aware of the influence the other alpha was trying to exert. "An alpha would never have his fate entwined with a wolf like yours." He had moved back into her space.

Before the she-wolf could say anything else, an older woman came striding out of the gathered crowd. "Luna!" she snapped, reaching out to snag the she-wolf's elbow. "Stop it. Stop it right now! You are embarrassing your father and your family." She seemed to be trying to whisper, but the effect was lost in the situation.

Luna only side-eyed the woman and tried to shake off her grasp. I had to assume the woman was her mother, though they looked nothing alike. She leaned in to try to wrangle Luna again, still seething venomous whispers. "This is a new low, Luna, even for you. The alpha's mate? Really? Has he just been loitering the past six years? You're far too old for this sort of nonsense, now stop embarrassing me and-"

Maybe there was more to that tirade. Maybe not. I tuned the woman out, largely uninterested in her vitriol. The silver-eyed wolf - Luna, right, Luna - was moving again. She'd pushed back her mother and was standing right in front of the alpha again, staring him directly in the eyes. Even as the man growled, she did not break her gaze. The shaking seemed to disappear. Despite myself, I was curious about what was going to happen next...and if I was completely honest, I didn't mind seeing Marnet humiliated by a little she- wolf, either. I didn't even have to participate.

"Do the right thing," she snapped. If I didn't know better, she almost sounded...tired? Well, it was quite the outburst. "Do the right thing, Marnet. Claim me as your real mate and I'll forgive you for this."

I almost couldn't believe she was giving the man an ultimatum. If she was actually his mate, then she would have good reason to be upset, given what my mother said about mate bonds. But...if she was actually his mate, wouldn't Marnet have claimed her by now? Even if I didn't buy into all the mating bullshit, most wolves did. Marnet probably had packmates that did. It probably could have strengthened his position among the wolves (not that it would have helped him now, but still - the point was that he wasn't much a fool, and denying your mate seemed a foolish thing).

This wasn't going to end well, not for Luna, and not for Marnet. I glanced over at my mother, noting her hand had fallen away. Finally, the scene seemed to have all her attention. Sensing my opportunity, I reached back into my pocket, trying to step away as quietly as possible lest I alert Fiona again. I hadn't gotten more than two steps towards the exit when a loud growl made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

My wolf bristled on instinct. I glanced over my shoulder just in time to see Marnet backhand the silver-eyed woman hard enough to produce a meaty smack. The respect I had for the man was already minimal, but whatever was left was flushed immediately down the toilet. I almost forgot the phone in my hand and my plan altogether; my nostrils flared as I fought to rein in my disgust.

By the time Luna hit the ground, she had already started to shift. It was only a few seconds before a svelte wolf stood where the woman had fallen. Her silver eyes blazed, almost ghostly against her deep brown pelt. She looked almost black, save for a few chocolate-brown highlights around her ruff and her shoulder. The wolf jerked her head up and growled, pulling her lips back to display her teeth.

There were a few gasps before the crowd fell deathly quiet. Luna had disrespected her alpha. My heart did something strange in my chest, twisting slightly as I shook my head. I had liked this woman's moxie, but what she'd just done... some alphas would consider that punishable by death, and I had a strong suspicion that Marnet was one of those alphas. He had just struck her, after all.

I tightened my grip around my phone before shoving it back in my pocket. This had better not fvck up my plan.