CHAPTER 1 Betrayal

"Yes! That's the one! That's exactly what I want!" Ann exclaimed almost giddy with excitement as she reached forward and ran her hand over the beautiful material.

The white fabric seemed to shimmer in the light and the effect was almost spellbinding.

"Fantastic, would you like to try it on now? It's a match for your measurements, but it may need a little alteration…" the sales assistant began before Ann interrupted her excitedly.

"No, it's fine. I'll take it home and have the seamstress take a look if there are any alterations needed. She's coming tonight to make some alterations on some evening wear that I bought for the honeymoon, so it won't be an issue." Ann grinned.

With a nod of her head, the assistant packaged everything up and handed her the dress to take home.

She couldn't wait to get home and try it on.

Ann admired herself happily in the full-length mirror as the seamstress said her goodbyes and left the room with an armful of gowns.

She smiled wistfully as she smoothed her hands along the flowing material of her wedding dress.

This was the last night that she would be Ann Veritas, daughter of the Alpha King. Tomorrow she would be Ann Lunaris, wife and mate of Brad Lunaris, the future Alpha King.

She covered her mouth with her hand and suppressed the squeal that almost escaped from her lips.

Finally, she would be out of this god-forsaken wing of the mansion and moved to her own floor with her husband. She would only have to see her stepmother and step-sister at special functions and would be able to avoid any contact with them on most days.

She bit her lip nervously. Should she go and show her dad the dress? He would see it tomorrow but... they had so little time together anymore, it might be nice to spend the last night here with him as his daughter.

Ann sighed lightly. She wished her mother was here. Even though her father had betrayed her mother and taken a mistress, Ann couldn't help but feel that if her mother had lived, things would have been infinitely easier. Perhaps she would have had more siblings.

With a final twirl and contented giggle, she opened the door of her room and headed out into the hallway.

As she made her way past the bedrooms and suites that made up this floor, she could hear a couple's distinct moans and grunts in the passionate throes of lovemaking.

She sniggered and rolled her eyes.

She hadn't had the chance to be intimate with Brad yet. Ann had been determined to save herself until they marked each other on their wedding day.

After they had said their vows and celebrated with the pack, the family would then retire to the inner temple of the moon where the elders waited.

It was a simple affair with intimate words spoken between the mated pair and an exchange of vows would happen again but this time, their wolves would have the opportunity to speak their vows to their fated mate.

It was a ritual that encouraged acts of service for each other and once the ceremony was complete, they would return to their room and enjoy each other as a mated pair.

Ann blushed furiously at the thought and stifled a giggle. To wear Brad's mark would bring her nothing but pride, he was loyal to a fault…

"Fuck, Ada…"

The banging of the headboard against the wall intensified as Ann froze. No..it couldn't be!

Her head turned towards the door that she had been just about to pass, and saw that it was slightly ajar. She swallowed nervously as her heart raced wildly. She was wrong..she had to be!

"Brad... oh, fuck... deeper... harder!" Ada's shrill voice begged between breathy moans.

Ann's legs seemed to have a mind of their own as she positioned herself next to the crack in the door. She pushed it open slightly as she tried to peer into the dim light of the room beyond, but it wasn't quite enough.

She took a deep breath and nudged the door a little more. Her chest felt like it would explode as she held her breath whilst the crack widened.

When it revealed her sister lying underneath Ann's husband-to-be, her hands flew to her mouth to stifle the gasp of horror as her heart shattered instantly.

As Brad roared his release inside her sister, Ada turned her head towards the door with a smirk. An icy chill descended over Ann as if a bucket of ice water had been thrown over her and she stood and stared, her eyes wide and mouth slightly open in disbelief.

Ada lifted her hand and waved in Ada's direction with a smug smile plastered on her face as Brad collapsed on top of her, kissing her neck tenderly.

Ann wanted to scream, to rage, and to sob but she remained silent as she pulled the door closed and balled her fists up angrily at her side.

She stared blankly ahead as she made her way down the stairs and out into the night.

Ann had walked along in a daze for quite a while, her mind reeling with the scene that she had stumbled upon.

They were supposed to be fated mates...what had happened? It was so rare to find the other person made exactly for you that when it happened, the relationships were almost infallible. It was very rare for either partner to seek others out for fulfillment because their wolves simply wouldn't allow it.

Ann's wolf Maeve had remained silent throughout all of this, but Ann could feel the fury coursing through her.

Maeve had never been one for talking too much. When Ann attempted to talk to her she would mostly remain silent. She communicated her feelings on subjects clearly enough at the time and words were rarely necessary for Maeve's opinion.

The numbness that had led Ann into the city had begun to fade and the pain that coursed through her heart was excruciating.