Chapter 01

The betrayal

I heard footsteps the moment I left the busy market and walked into an empty street.

Truth be told, I had noticed, or at least suspected that someone was following me for the past twenty minutes. But I ignored it, weaving through the market, pretending not to care, hoping whoever it was would lose interest and leave me alone.

They didn’t.

The feeling pressed in on me like an invisible weight, clinging to my skin. Walking into this forsaken street was a calculated risk—to draw them out, to force their hand and ask them why the hell they were trailing me.

I picked up my pace, careful to keep it measured so the person trailing me wouldn’t realize I was aware. My heart pounded as a thought slashed through my mind like a blade.

What if Xavier had found me and sent people for me?

No. Impossible. He had no way of knowing I was still alive. Besides, this was just one person, not a hunting party. I could handle them. At least, I hoped so.

The footsteps remained steady.

Close.

I quickened my footsteps, yet kept them slow enough to ensure that the person several miles behind me wouldn't suspect that I was aware.

When I saw an opportunity, I rounded a corner and hid as I pressed my back against the rough brick wall, my breath even, my muscles tense ready to pounce.

The footsteps grew louder.

The moment I noticed the person was close enough I grabbed an arm just before they could turn and flipped. My fingers wrapped around her throat, pressing just enough to make my point.

A woman

“Who the hell are you, and why are you following me?” I hissed.

She didn’t struggle. Didn’t even flinch. Instead, she smiled an eerie, knowing smile and bowed her head slightly.

“Greetings, Alpha Rhea.”

My world tilted.

I froze at the name and my hand dropped from her neck immediately.

That name. I hadn’t heard it in six years. The sound of it sent a chill slamming down my spine.

“I don’t know who you are,” I said coldly, stepping back. “But Rhea is dead. And she was no Alpha.”

Her smile faltered and she glanced around as if to ensure that there was no danger around before she took a deep breath.

She looked not older than twenty and although I could sense no danger from her aura, I could still sense her strength.

She might look beautiful, and innocent but something told me that this is no innocent girl.

“My name is Kate, my lady…”

“stop calling me that.”

She hesitated. Then, her next words hit me like a strike to the gut.

“I was sent here by Damon.”

I froze again. Damon?

I have no idea where this lady has come from or why she was here. And even though every part of me wanted to ask her what she wanted, every part of me yearned to know, I couldn't.

No. No, no, no. I shook my head, retreating another step, willing my heart to steady.

I shouldn’t care.

I shouldn’t ask.

That part of me was dead. Buried several years ago. Forgotten.

So I should not care about Lyra or even Damon.

“Go back to whatever hole you crawled out of,” I said, turning my back on her. “Tell Damon that Rhea is dead.”

I walked away, my shoulders tense, my every instinct screaming at me to ignore her, to keep moving, to forget this ever happened.

But she followed.

I didn’t stop.

“You know,” Kate called, her voice carrying in the empty street, “for days, I’ve been wondering… is it worth it?”

Living as a poor omega, being bullied constantly. This life you chose, the life you threw away your life for, is it worth it?”

I snapped.

I whirled so fast she barely had time to react before I was in her face, my fury scorching the air between us.

“I did not throw my life away!” I snarled. “My people did! They cast me out! They turned their backs on me! So yes, it’s worth it. Now the only reason your head is still attached to your body is because I don’t see you as a threat. Do not Push your luck.”

She lifted her hands slightly, placating. “Forgive me if I went too far… but not all of us turned our backs on you.” Her voice softened. “We need you, Alpha Rhea.”

“I. Am. Not.” My voice trembled with barely restrained anger. “And I don’t care.”

“Your uncle has taken full control of the entire city,” she pressed. “He’s ruling through terror. Our people are dying.”

I tried to hide my shock with a neutral look because I didn't want her to see how I cared.

“Again, I do not care. Your people, not mine, should figure something out,” I said icily. “Because this is my home now.”

And I meant that more than anything.

Once, they had been my people. Once, I had loved them as my father had taught us to.

But they had repaid that love with betrayal. They murdered my father. My mother. And…

I shook my head, unwilling to let the memory in. That is all in the past and I have already made up my mind to not think about it.

“Goodbye, Kate,” I said firmly. “Tell Damon you never found me.”

I walked away, and this time, she didn’t follow.

But then…

“Your uncle found Freya. Your sister.” Kate yelled behind me.

My steps faltered.

But I kept walking, not daring to turn back and ask her what she meant.

Liar.

Freya was dead. I buried her with my own hands years ago.

But her words followed me until I got to the big mansion which had been my home for the past three years.

**************

The moment I walked into the big gates, I took a very deep breath, pushing the encounter behind me.

I will not think about it, nor will I worry.

So with a refreshed resolve, I walked into the house, a huge smile in place.

One of the reasons I refuse to visit the past is because I was living a damn near perfect life right now.

I'm engaged to a powerful Alpha who loved me dearly. Even though I didn't get along with his family, I still would not trade it for anything.

I got out of a situation and made the best out of it. It took a lot of will, a lot of grit but I rebuilt my life and started afresh as a different person.

And it will remain that way.

My smile however dropped, when I walked into the sitting room and I saw Darius sitting on our long white sofa with his sister, Amara, and mother beside him.

They all looked angry, and the tension in the atmosphere was so thick, I could cut through it with a sword.

“Oh, there she is!” Amara called when she saw me.

I tried not to look concerned or bothered as I approached them, keeping my smile in place even though my instincts were blaring red lights.

“Hello Darius, I didn't know you would be home so early,” I said touching his shoulder but he flinched away, making me drop my arm back to my sides.

My breath caught. My hand dropped to my side.

Okay, what was going on? And why was he glaring at me like he was two seconds away from snapping my neck?

“So you still have the nerves to come in here and act like nothing happened? Pretend and act innocent, you whore?”

His mother yelled standing up.

I frowned, this time letting my confusion show on my face.

“Excuse me?”

“Just take a look at her face, mother. What a great actor. I've always warned you two that She's just nothing but a pathetic whore.” Amara snarled, her lips curled in disgust.

“I do not understand….” Before I could finish my sentence, a sharp sound filled the room, followed by a sharp sting on my left cheek. It took a moment for my brain to realize that I had just been slapped by Darius's mother.

My eyes stung with unshed tears as the pain filled my face and I looked at Darius who was just staring at the expression with a cold look on his face.

He did nothing to stop it, and nor did he say anything the way he normally does whenever his family tries to bully me in his presence.

“Darius…Darius, what's going on? Please talk to me.”

He didn't and that left me more confused than anything.

“What's going on, is that we have finally caught you in your act.” Amara hissed, shoving me with both arms and I staggered back, “From the moment I set my eyes on you, I always knew that you were only after my brother's wealth, but never did u imagine that you would stoop this low. And he did nothing other than love you!!”

I glanced between the two women who were glaring and practically shooting daggers at me with their eyes.

“Are you going to just stand there and look Clueless? Fine! Amara, show her the pictures.”

With a smirk, Amara took out her phone from her pocket, swiped it open, and shoved the screen to my face.

I had to lean back to see whatever it was she was trying to show me.

“This! This is what we are trying to say. Now you cannot deny or lie because you have been caught red-handed.”

But I couldn't talk even if I wanted to.

No, because I was too frozen to even move or shake my tongue and talk more to form a coherent speech.

I stared at the photo on Amara's screen with wide eyes, my heartbeat skyrocketing.

My world stopped.

My breath caught in my throat.

A photo.

A woman… me.

Draped over a stranger’s lap, wearing nothing but red lacy lingerie.

Except…

It wasn’t me.

I knew that face. That look. Those blue eyes.

Freya.

My sister.

“How do you explain this?” Amara taunted.

My knees buckled.

Freya was dead - how come?

How did Amara get this photo of her? Again, how on earth is my mute sister still alive?

“Too shocked to lie? Cat got your tongue? Because there's even a video - in case you want to use photo editing as an excuse.”

Amara's cold voice snapped me out of my haze and I turned immediately to Darius who still hadn't said a single word.

Surely, he knows that I would never do such a thing, doesn't he?

Of course, he trusts me, he can't just believe this.

With shaky knees, I staggered towards him and fell on my knees giving my fingers into his pants as I looked at him with tears.

“Darius, please listen to me. Look at me - you have to believe me. I love you. I would never do such a thing.”

“I would believe you, Lyra,” he said, his voice gruff and low, “but the evidence is right there before you. So how do you explain that?”

“I swear on my life, Darius - that…that isn't me. That's my sister. Yes. I have never told you about my family, that's my twin sister and…”

Darius shoved my hand away from my lap and I collapsed on the floor as I saw the disbelief in his eyes.

Of course, he doesn't believe me. Even I realize how stupid the words sounded as they came out.

Amara laughed, “Seriously, twin sister? That's your best defense?”

But it's true!

I wanted to tell, but I couldn't because my chest was closing up very tightly.

I wanted to scream and plead - anything to make Darius believe me and stop staring at me like I was some sort of traitor but no sounds were coming out of my throat.

“I trusted you, Lyra.” Darius said and I flinched at the hurt dripping from his words, “I trusted you, against all odds. I chose to love and believe you and this is how you pay me back?”

I didn't do it.

My cheeks were wet with tears. I didn't even know we were falling. My head was spinning and my stomach was so tight that it hurt.

I didn't do it.

“I didn’t fall in love with a whore. Neither am I going to marry one, so as of now - this relationship, the engagement is over. You are nothing more to me than a stranger and I want you out of my house in the next hour.”

A scream left my lungs as his cold words delivered blows straight to my heart and gut.

“No!” I whispered, my voice coming out more inaudible than I thought it would, “No no no. Please, no!”

He cannot do this to me.

I clung to his pants again but he just kicked my hand away.

No, God please no.

“Serves you right,” Amara said, “I'm glad that my brother finally saw you for who you are.”

“I'm proud of you Darius - for getting rid of this rag. Now you can comfortably let Vivienne back into your life, especially now that she's pregnant with your baby.”

I snapped my gaze to the woman, as her words registered into my mind and gazed at her because surely I didn't hear her right.

What?

“Oh do not look so shocked. You have been sleeping around with different men!” She snapped.

The remaining shred of strength, and hope I was holding onto crashed and shattered into a million pieces as I looked up at Darius, my vision blurry with tears.

“What is she talking about?” I whispered, my stomach turning.

“I was feeling guilty about this for so long,” Darius said, “but I guess that's unnecessary - considering what you have been doing. Yes, Vivienne is pregnant with my child.”

He ended that with a nonchalant shrug.

“You slept with your ex?”

“Darius and Vivienne have been seeing each other since she came back into town two months ago.”

Amara explained and I gasped out a bitter laugh.

“Two months ago…” I repeated the words and laughed again.

Two months.

For two months he has been cheating on me and now - now this.

After everything I have given and sacrificed for him, he pays me back by cheating with his ex.

I had nothing else to say.

I stood up and cleaned my face with my palm then turned to Darius with a glare.

“I curse the day I met you, Darius Grey! And I swear to you by the time I am done making you pay for this humiliation, you will regret ever being born. Count my words…I will make you beg, just as I begged and I'll make you suffer.”