After My Mate Betrayed, I Fought Back Chapter 08

After My Mate Betrayed, I Fought Back Chapter 08

The pack house fell into a stunned silence as I stood amid the three fallen Betas, their groans of pain echoing against the marble walls. Not a single wolf dared to move. The scent of fear had replaced the earlier stench of mockery and cruelty, sharp and acrid in my nostrils.

Madison’s perfectly painted face had transformed from smug superiority to naked shock. Her mouth opened and closed several times, but no words emerged. Beside her, Dylan had gone deathly pale, his earlier bravado evaporating like morning dew.

“Please,” Dylan finally choked out, taking a tentative step toward me. “Aria, my mate-”

“Don’t,” I cut him off, my voice soft yet carrying easily through the silent hall. “Don’t you

invoke our mate bond now.”

dare

He flinched as if I’d struck him. “You don’t understand,” he pleaded, his voice cracking. “Madison and I… we’re true mates. The Moon Goddess herself-”

“The Moon Goddess,” I interrupted, “doesn’t make mistakes. She paired us for a reason.” I took a

step toward him, and he instinctively backed away. “That reason was my mission, not your happiness.”

Confusion flickered across his face, quickly replaced by desperate calculation. I could almost see the wheels turning behind his eyes, trying to find an angle, a way to manipulate the

situation.

“Whatever this is,” he said, gesturing vaguely at the Royal Guards securing the perimeter, “whatever you’re involved in… I can help. We can work through this together.”

I laughed then, a sound so cold it made several nearby wolves shiver. “Five years, Dylan. Five years I supported you financially while you contributed nothing. Five years I endured your disrespect, your laziness, your entitlement.” I shook my head slowly. “And you think I need your help?”

Madison finally found her voice, drawing herself up to her full height. “I am the Luna of the Silverfang Pack!” she declared, though the tremor in her voice undermined her attempt at authority. “You have no right to treat me this way!”

“Luna?” I repeated, raising an eyebrow. “Is that what you call yourself while your pack conducts illegal border raids? While your mate, Alpha Gideon, smuggles contraband across Lycan

territories?”

Her face drained of color. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Of course you do,” I said softly. “Why do you think I was stationed here? Your pack’s activities have been under investigation for years. You were just too arrogant to notice the spy in your midst.”

The revelation sent ripples of shock through the assembled wolves. Several pack members exchanged alarmed glances, suddenly understanding the gravity of what was unfolding.

“This is absurd,” Madison hissed, though her confidence was clearly crumbling. “You can’t possibly-”

“Captain Valerius,” I called, not taking my eyes off Madison.

“Commander,” he responded immediately, stepping forward with a respectful inclination of his

head.

The title hung in the air, another shock wave passing through the crowd. Commander. A rank reserved for only the highest echelons of the Royal Guard.

“Secure the primary conspirators,” I ordered. “And anyone who attempts to interfere.”

“Yes, Commander.” With a sharp gesture, Valerius directed his guards. They moved with fluid precision, surrounding Madison and Dylan.

“Wait!” Madison shrieked as silver cuffs were produced. “You can’t do this! I’m a Luna!”

“And I,” I said, finally allowing my full aura to unfurl, the power I had suppressed for five long years flooding the room like a tidal wave, “am Commander Aria Blackwood, personal guard to the Lycan Royal Family and head of covert operations for the Crown’s intelligence division.”

The force of my aura drove several wolves to their knees. Madison swayed as if she might faint.

Dylan made a choked sound of disbelief.

“Your rank means nothing here,” I continued, watching as the guards secured their wrists with

the silver cuffs bearing the royal insignia. “Your title cannot protect you from treason against the Crown.”

As they were led away, Dylan looked back over his shoulder, his eyes wide with desperation and dawning horror. The man who had believed himself so clever, who had orchestrated my public humiliation with such calculated cruelty, now understood exactly who he had crossed.

And this was only the beginning of his reckoning.