Betrayed Luna's Second Chance Alphas
Betrayed Luna’s Second Chance Alphas – Chapter 49

-Riley-

The car ride was silent. Feyona had hired her own ride because she wanted to be discreet.

I stared out the windows, watching the bustling traffic. Everything looked vibrant here. I had never been to a city in my life. When Hiran had to go for business trips, which I was now sure were nothing but f*cking trips, I was stuck at my pack taking care of everything.

Of course, I loved being there for them, being a part of the pack, because before Crystal Park, my old pack had not been much of a home to me. It was like a guest house where all the guests were cold and aloof.

“I need to call Maria. I forgot to tell her that I wouldn’t be coming in today. First day of work, too!” I said with a frown as I grabbed my phone. “This ba.stard is always spoiling my dreams.” I slapped Hiran against his back and he whirled around and glared. “Yeah, you can’t touch a single strand of my hair now.”

“Little Red.” Adrian smirked. “You are getting audacious,” he said with a shake of his head.

“Well, I was getting tired of all the shi.t he had done to me. I can’t wait to get rid of this a*s.hole.”

I dialed Maria’s number and she picked up. “Is everything alright? I tried calling you when you were a no show.”

“I am alright, but it is a long story. Dee will tell you the details, but I am now in NY, and going straight to the King’s council to reject the bas.tard.”

Maria sighed. “Oh, Riley. I hope you will be alright. Will it hurt?”

“I have heard that it hurts so damn much, like someone is ripping your soul in two, like someone is tearing your skin apart. But I am ready to take the pain, to take whatever. Bearing his mark on my body feels disgusting.”

“Take care, Riley, and you know, it is what I have always said, but my door is always open to you.”

“I know, Maria, and I am grateful for that. I do want to learn more from you. I loved it when I first started training with you. Baking relaxes me. It made me feel like I had a purpose.”

“And you were a natural. It was such a waste that you had to quit.”

“Because I thought I was being a good mate, a dutiful Luna. I sacrificed myself, my passion for Hiran, and that is something I would never do, not for anyone, ever again.” I closed my eyes with a deep sigh.

“You don’t have to, Kitten,” Roman said as he turned to look at me. “After today, the sky is your only limit. Do whatever you want to do, go wherever you want to go.”

I blinked. Tears threatened to come, but I had cried a lot. This was my time to be happy.

“Thank you,” I whispered to him, before I said goodbye to Maria and hung up.

“And we will take you there, little Red,” Adrian whispered closer. I loved it when he called me little. I really was when compared to both of them. But I wasn’t petite or anything. I was tall, I was big when compared to Feyona.

I nodded and closed my eyes until Roman said: “We are here.”

“Where are we?” I blinked as I looked at the majestic, gleaming building in front of me. It looked like it was twenty stories high.

“Our pack. Nightshade.”

“A pack? This is a freaking five-star hotel,” I said, and Ashelene chuckled as we walked out. She put an arm around me and I gave her a look. She flashed me an apologetic smile.

“It is. When you are in the city, you do wolfing the city way. Welcome to our pack house, Riley.”

“Thank you,” I said as I breathed in the scent of high-class perfume. The place was luxurious. I thought our pack was rich, but compared to this, we were nothing.

Roman and Adrian dragged Hiran inside. I just stood there and stared, as Ashelene bumped against me.

“Are you going to stand there and keep staring?”

I shook my head and snapped my mouth shut as I walked into the open lobby, with high ceilings, polished marble floors, and opulent chandeliers hanging overhead.

The reception area had plush sofas and armchairs arranged around low coffee tables. There was a small lounge behind a glass door, and a bar ran along one wall, its shelves stocked with every imaginable alcoholic drink, while a team of impeccably dressed bartenders stood ready to serve.

“Damn, this is…”

“I know,” Ashelene said. “Come on, I will take you to my parents’ floor. My mom will want to see you.”

“Where did Roman and Adrian go?” I asked as we walked towards the elevator.

“They would have taken Hiran to the floor where the council court is located. There are specially made prisons there, just for as.sholes like Hiran,” she said as we entered the elevator, and soon we were standing in front of a penthouse.

She rang the bell, and I heard voices mumbling and whispering. My pups.

“Are they all here?”

The door opened and a woman who looked like the older version of Ashelene opened the door. I didn’t know what the heck I should do now. Should I curtsy?

“Oh, Riley! Oh, no wonder my son is besotted. You are beautiful. Wait, what are you doing?”

“Bowing?” I mumbled incoherently under my breath, flushing as I did, and she gave me a sharp look.

“Well, your bow isn’t proper. You have to bend until your h**s are fully curved and then you have to take my hand in yours and say: Your Majesty, before kissing the back of my hand, and then you have to stand up.”

“OH.” My mouth fell open as I looked at her. She was still looking at me as if she was waiting for me to bow again. I tried to do as she asked and she laughed. “Wait, did you just-“

Ashelene nodded and I shook my head, flustered. The Queen gave me a wink. I huffed.

“Come on in, your little pups have made you a welcome banner.”

“How is Roman so grumpy?” I said to Ashelene, and she shrugged.

“That is just Roman.”

“And he is amazing.”

I walked inside and saw ten bright faces looking at me. My eyes searched first for the two little girls. Mirabel and Claire.

“Thank you so much for doing this, Your Majesty.”

“I told you to call me Alex,” she said as she looked at the pups. “Show her the second surprise.”

“More?” I widened my eyes and they laughed. They all looked bright and healthy, even Claire.

“I have to thank your son for saving Claire.”

“Finn is busy looking for his friend.” Her face fell and she looked worried. “I pray to the goddess that Dean is safe.”

The pups came back with a plate of cookies. Claire handed them to me. “Finn helped me buy them.”

“You okay, little pup?” I asked and she nodded with a smile.

“I hit the bad man with my toy truck.”

“That is my little warrior,” I said as Mirabel walked towards me with her stubbly little legs. She pushed her hands up and I lifted her and she hugged my neck. My heart broke when I thought of Ethan. Hiran was the reason Mirabel didn’t have a dad now.

I hugged her tighter as she smiled. “Drian…” she said and my eyes widened.

“Did you just ask for Adrian, little traitor?”

She nodded, her blue eyes twinkling.

“Oh, I see… he is your favorite now?” She nodded her head without missing a beat and when I glared at her, she giggled. “He is here.”

“He here!”

---

(KING’S COURT)

I spent the rest of the day with the pups and then sleeping. Later that evening, the Queen came to see me.

“It is time, Riley. Here, drink this.” She handed me a vial filled with dark brown liquid.

“What is it for?”

“I have a witch friend. She made this especially for you. This will reduce the pain, and allow you to heal faster.”

“I heard nothing could make the rejection less painful.”

“It is still painful but a few things can reduce the pain of rejection. This is one such thing. This is a potion made from devil’s claw, white willow, and boswellia mixed with some other things you should rather not hear. Close your eyes. Do not breathe. Just gulp it down.”

I did as she asked and winced as the vile taste coated my tongue. “What else can reduce the pain of rejection?”

“Your fated mate, if you are rejecting your chosen one. Roman and his father’s magic would help, too.”

“I have to keep Roman closer then,” I said as we walked towards the elevator and she pressed the seventh floor. My stomach twisted nervously, but I was fully ready. It was time.

I walked inside a big room, fitted with brown tiles and painted dark brown. Roman and Adrian were standing there with Hiran. I winced when I realized Hiran wasn’t wearing any shackles.

“Don’t worry. He can’t walk out of the room. It is surrounded by magic,” Roman said, as if he understood my worry. Of course, he did.

“She cheated on me with your prince and this a*s.hole right here,” Hiran snarled. I flinched as I looked around. No one reacted, though.

“Quiet. Talk only when you are asked,” one of the men said. The man in the middle of the chair looked up and I instantly knew he was the king.

“Tell me, Ms. Riley Waites, why do you want to reject your mate?” A man in a red robe asked. He looked important.

“He cheated on me with my best friend. When I asked for rejection, he threatened the omega pups. He also sold our pack members for some kind of experiment. He is a monster. It is not just because he cheated. Not anymore. It is everything he has done since then, and I want to reject him and then he should be punished for his crimes.”

“She is lying. She wants to be with these two Lycans here and she is blaming me for-“

“Hush,” the man in the red robe said. “We have all the evidence pointing to how you cheated on her first. Also, the accusations against you have all been verified. You and Miss Riley will do the rejection ceremony, here, now.”

A witch, I suppose, the same one who made me the potion, stepped forward with a dagger in her hand. “Show me your mark.”

My stomach was in knots. I pulled my shirt down as I looked up and met the Lycans’s eyes. They looked concerned.

The Queen walked towards me and grabbed my hand in hers. The witch started to chant something under her breath and soft green light moved from her dagger. She placed it on my mark and a scream left my lips.

“It is going to hurt,” she whispered. I shook my head. It was already hurting. I felt like she was cutting my skin off my bones, but she had barely touched my mark.

“Don’t do this, Riley, Riley, please. Baby, look at me. You are my Luna and I need you. I am sorry,” Hiran begged. The anger was gone. The vengeance was gone. He looked just desperate.

Tears streamed down my cheeks as everyone stood up and the witch pressed the dagger against the mark, cutting it into two. A loud whimper left both our lips as I sobbed out.

It was more than I imagined. I felt like I was being flayed.

“Stop, Riley,” Gem howled in pain. “We don’t have to do this.”

I knew how much it must have hurt for her to say this.

“It is okay, baby, it is okay,” I said to my wolf. Roman and Adrian looked at me, helpless. They were only a blurry mess through my tears.

“Say after me. I, Riley Waites, reject you, Hiran Waites, for today and all eternity.”

It reminded me of our marking oaths. It was the same, except the word rejection.

I repeated it through broken sobs.

She went to Hiran. He thrashed. But he wasn’t given the choice. She did everything she did to me.

“Accept. You can do nothing but accept her rejection. Only when you accept the rejection does this pain go away.”

He howled as he doubled over. “I accept.”

And I felt it. Both the relief and the pain. It was excruciating. Every part in my body felt harrowing pain.

A loud scream left me as my eyes went dark.

In the darkness… I felt something. Something warm and soft. Serene. Calming. It felt like a breath of fresh air.

And the pain wasn’t as much as it was before. I remembered what the Queen said. So… My fated mate… he was here.

“MATE,” Gem whispered.

My eyes snapped open and I looked into the gray eyes staring straight at me without blinking.

He is my mate?

He didn’t say a word.

He placed a hand on Roman’s back.

“Help her. Your magic will help her.”

!!!