Moonlit Rebirth: The Alpha's Betrayed Mate

Broken Circle

☽ Nyra ☾

The chanting reached a steady rhythm, low and deliberate, vibrating through the stone beneath my feet. I counted the voices, the pauses between words, the way the air shifted as power gathered. I had seconds, not minutes. The bag was suddenly pulled off my head, and I blinked as I came face-to-face with Vespera. She slashed a knife so quickly along my arm that I was taken aback by the sudden attack. However, when I looked down, I saw its purpose. A bowl had been placed in the perfect spot to collect the drops of blood.

Before the next drop of blood could fall, I moved.

I surged to my left and slammed my elbow into the rogue’s throat. He stumbled backward, choking. Vespera looked surprised as the chamber exploded into shouts. Someone grabbed my hair from the back, but I twisted, drove my heel back, and felt bone give. I didn’t hesitate. I acted without thought as I grabbed what I assumed was some sort of important artifact. When it pulsed in my hand, heat flared up my arm like a warning. I knew that this was something important, so I ignored the weird, painful feeling and smashed it against the stone floor.

The sound was sharp and final.

The artifact cracked down the middle. The painted circle faded in color, and the chanting and chaos stilled.

“No!” Vespera screamed. The ritual collapsed in on itself like a snapped thread. The pressure in the room vanished, replaced by chaos. Rogues stumbled back as if disoriented. One dropped to his knees, clutching his head.

I didn’t wait.

I made a run for it. Hands reached for me, but without the ritual anchoring them, their coordination was gone. I ducked past one rogue, shoved another into a pillar, and sprinted for the side tunnel I had memorized. My lungs burned, but I didn’t slow. Behind me, Vespera’s fury cut through the noise.

“You useless fools!” she shouted. “After her!” I burst into the forest, cold air slicing into my chest. Moonlight broke through the canopy in pale streaks. I didn’t follow the path back. I zigzagged, doubled back, and crossed water twice to break any trail. By the time I reached the outskirts of the pack lands, my legs shook from exertion. I forced myself to keep moving. I couldn’t afford to collapse yet. When the familiar cabins came into view, relief almost weakened me. Fires burned low. Guards stood tense at the edges of the clearing. For a moment, everything looked normal. Then I stepped forward. And suddenly, everything was silent. Confused by the sudden tension, I walked into the center of the pack. Every head turned toward me, and the silence that hung heavily wasn’t relief. No. It was sharp. It was dangerous. Murmurs started up as members of the pack whispered among themselves. I listened carefully, still confused.

“She came back alone,”

“Probably to keep up with appearances,”

“I heard she planned her own kidnapping,”

My stomach dropped.

I searched faces, looking for Lucan, for Iseya, for anyone who might step forward. Instead, the crowd parted slightly, creating distance as if I carried something contagious. Zarek stood near the elders, his expression dark. Vespera was nowhere to be seen. I took another step.

“I can explain,” I said. A man near the front scoffed.

“Explain how you survived when others did not?”

“Explain why the rogues did not kill you!” a woman snapped. The accusations stacked fast, loud, and merciless.

“They say she led them here,”

“They say she knows their leader,”

“They say she wanted the pack weakened,”

I opened my mouth again, but the words tangled. I had no proof. No artifact. No witnesses who would speak for me. Zarek finally stepped forward.

“Enough,” he said as he raised his hand. The noise dimmed, but it didn’t vanish. “Speak,” he demanded.

“This was all Vespera’s plan,” I said. His expression didn’t change. “But I ruined their ritual,”

“What ritual?” an elder, Morcant, demanded. I swallowed.

“An ancient one. To steal power,” I answered. Zarek’s eyes hardened as he studied me closely.

“You expect us to believe this without evidence?”

“I expect you to remember who I am,” I said, my voice tight. “I expect you to think,”

“Think?” someone shouted. “She was rejected, and now this happens?” the weight of it pressed down on me, heavy and suffocating. I stood there, alone, with truth trapped behind my ribs and no way to set it free. Then the crowd shifted again. Lucan pushed through, his face drawn tight with fear that turned into fury the moment he saw me surrounded. He crossed the distance and placed himself in front of me without hesitation, his body a barrier.

“Enough,” he roared, and this time the word carried steel. His eyes swept over the pack. “You were attacked. She fought. She survived. And this is how you repay her?” Zarek stepped closer.

“She returned from the rogue lair unharmed,” he stated. Lucan turned on him.

“And you stood here while others bled,” he snapped, and a sharp intake of breath rippled through the crowd. But my brother wasn’t done. “You question her loyalty when you rejected her publicly and left her without protection,”

“Mind your tone,” another elder, Kaedra, warned. Lucan faced them, shoulders squared.

“I will mind nothing when it comes to her,” he glanced back at me briefly, checking that I was still standing, then returned his attention to the pack. “She is not a traitor,” he said. “She has never been,”

“And what proof do you offer?” another elder, Thalos, asked. Lucan’s jaw tightened.

“My word,” murmurs rose again, doubtful, and sharp. Lucan took a step forward, his presence expanding, dangerous, and resolute. “If anyone dares to lay a finger on her, I will fight them to the death,” the silence that followed slammed down hard. Lucan’s eyes burned as he made eye contact with each and every member of the pack, Zarek included. “I will not allow this pack to turn on its own because it is easier than facing the truth,” no one moved. No one said a word. “I will find the proof you demand. I will investigate. And when I return, those who lied will answer for it,”

“Lucan,” I whispered. My brother turned to me and placed his hand on my shoulder.

“We are leaving,” he said quietly. No one stopped us. As we walked away, the whispers followed, but they no longer mattered. I leaned slightly into Lucan’s support, my body finally giving in to exhaustion. Vespera had struck first, twisting the truth to her advantage. But she hadn’t won. And as the night closed around us, I let the anger settle into something colder and more dangerous. She had tried to destroy me with lies.

I would end her with truth.

☽☾