I nodded weakly, unsure of what else to do. My body was too broken to argue, too exhausted to fight. The man straightened, his piercing gaze never leaving me.
“I know who you are,” he said, his voice calm but carrying a weight I couldn’t ignore. “You’re Luna Selene. Kael’s mate. The Scarlet Moon Pack’s Luna.”
Hearing my title, my connection to Kael, sent a sharp pain through my chest. He was my mate. My husband. The man who was supposed to protect me.
The man who betrayed me.
“And you know what else?” he added, his tone growing darker. “We’re the ones who attacked your celebration.”
His words hit me like a slap. My breath caught, and anger surged through me like wildfire.
“You what?” I hissed, forcing myself to sit up despite the stabbing pain in my side. My hands curled into fists. “You’re the reason my pack is in shambles? You killed them? You destroyed everything?”
I didn’t even think. My hand shot out, ready to slap him, but he caught my wrist with ease. His grip wasn’t tight, just firm enough to stop me.
“Before you lose yourself in anger,” he said coldly, “you might want to hear the rest of the story.”
I glared at him, my chest heaving with rage and pain.
“I saw him,” he continued, his tone unwavering. “Your Alpha. Your mate. I saw Kael put an arrow in your side.”
His words stopped me cold. My body froze, my mind racing to catch up.
“No…” I whispered, shaking my head. “You’re lying.”
“Am I?” he countered. “I saw it with my own eyes. He shot you. Then he ordered his warriors to drag you to the border and throw you out like trash. With the baby.”
The baby. Theo. Not Elias.
The image of Kael standing on that tree stump, commanding his warriors, flashed in my mind. The way he looked at me—cold, empty, like I was nothing.
Tears welled up in my eyes, spilling down my cheeks before I could stop them. “No,” I repeated, my voice cracking. “He wouldn’t. He’s my mate.”
“Your mate?” the man scoffed, letting go of my wrist. “Does a mate betray you? Leave you to die? You think I’m the monster? I lost five warriors in that ambush, but nothing—nothing—compares to the betrayal you just lived through.”
I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t move. His words crushed me, every syllable driving the knife of betrayal deeper into my heart.
Kael shot me.
He ordered me thrown out.
And Aria… my best friend… she took Elias. She took my son and left me to die.
The pain was unbearable, suffocating, like I couldn’t draw a full breath. My vision blurred with tears, and I crumpled, clutching my knees as sobs wracked my body.
“I—I trusted them,” I choked out, the words barely audible. “Kael… Aria… they were my family.”
“And they betrayed you,” the man said flatly, no sympathy in his tone. “Now, you have a choice. You can lay here and die like they wanted, or you can get up, survive, and figure out what you’re going to do about it.”
His words hung in the air, heavy with challenge. I wiped at my tears, my hands trembling.
I didn’t know who this man was, or why he’d saved me after attacking my pack. But one thing was clear: Kael and Aria had left me to die.
And somehow, I was still alive.
“I’ll survive,” I whispered, my voice shaking but resolute. “For Theo. For Elias.”
The man nodded, a flicker of approval in his eyes. “Good. Then you’d better rest. You’ll need your strength.”
