Chapter 3: A public betrayal

SCARLETT

As I stepped outside, it took less than three minutes before I came to an abrupt halt. A strange uproar made me furious.

“Yes, finally!”

“Accept! Accept!! Accept!!!”

“Finally, we will leave a real Luna!”

I sighted a large group of people around me, their voices a chorus of joy, chanting and leaping in celebration as I emerged from the palace.

I forced myself into the crowd, recognizing the familiar faces of pack members, their eyes bright with anticipation.

What was happening?

I moved forward, curious to know what caused such an uproar, but some in the crowd shoved me aside, their expression dismissive as if they didn't see or recognize me as Luna. But I was too used to it to care.

Then, as I pushed through the throng, I caught a glimpse of the scene unfolding ahead. It was a man on his knees, and …hold up. My heart raced.

There, on his knees, was Alpha John, holding a ring box above his head. The bright smile on his face was radiant, his eyes soft and glowing in a way I had never seen before.

They were fixed on a woman whose mouth fell open in shock—his ex-girlfriend, Maria.

My heart sank like a stone, and the joy surrounding me fell like a cruel joke. I couldn't believe my eyes. He was proposing to her.

As if sinking was not enough, my heart shattered into a million pieces, the sharp pain radiating through my chest as confusion filled me.

I took a step forward, my lips parting to speak, but before I could utter a word, someone from behind shoved me hard. I stumbled, colliding with Maria, and we both tumbled to the floor.

“Ah…”

“Ouch! Alpha John!” Maria cried out, her voice filled with panic as she clutched her stomach, tears running down her cheeks.

I quickly stood up and looked at John, shaking my head while trying to explain my innocence. I instinctively reached out to help her up even though a part of me rejoiced that she really deserved it even though it wasn't intentional.

But suddenly, a scorching slap rang across my face, the impact sending me tumbling to the ground.

Stars danced in my vision as I struggled to process what had just happened to me.

“How dare you try to hurt my Luna?! Do you wish for death?! I looked up to see his eyes blazing with anger, a red hue that sent a chill down my spine.

Fear gripped me as I watched him scoop Maria into his arms, his expression softening as he pressed his lips to hers.

He cuddled her gently, patting her back as she wept, her tears spilling onto his shirt. Never had John raised a hand against me, except when we were intimate and he did it for the fun of it.

But now, he was showing this sweet side of himself for her—his childhood lover, the very woman he had assured me was nothing more than a business partner.

So all this while he had been cheating on me. He had been lying to me.

The pain turned into anger as I immediately sparked, “You betrayed me!” You fucking betrayed me, John! So this is why you rejected me? What have I ever done to deserve this?

I cried out loud as tears blurred my vision. Everyone in the crowd watched the scenario going on, but I didn't care about them. I am so broken right now to think of hundreds of people watching me. Whatever, let them watch. I am a slave to them, a curse and forbidden to them. I have no worth in their sight.

“Is she sick or something?” One voice whispered, filled with disdain.

“She is being delusional,” another chimed in. They can never keep their mouths shut, bunch of fools, parrots.

“She deserves death for these accusations!” someone shouted, their words slicing through my heart.

They were all directed towards me, but I barely registered their taunt; my focus remained on John.

All I could see was him, the man I once thought would be mine forever.

However, Alpha John completely ignored me, his gaze locked onto Maria as if I were invisible. It felt like I was speaking to myself.

I could only watch, paralyzed, as he slipped the ring onto her finger.

A collective gasp erupted from the crowd, followed by a chorus of cheers and jubilation. Screams that pierced the air like a newly sharpened knife. I caught snippets of harsh whispers directed at me; each word raised the adrenaline in me.

I looked at the glistening diamond ring in the sunlight. I had once seen that ring before in his cupboard. It was the same ring I had admired, and when I had asked him about it, he told me it was a prop for an advertisement.

I mean, I get it all now. He had secured that precious ring for his ex-girlfriend Maria. What a big fool, pain flooded my heart.

I never had any worth to him. I was brought into his life like a parcel, into his life because of his father, and now that he's dead, I am just like things to him.

“Oh, so you thought our great Alpha John was going to choose a dirty sex slave over his beautiful girlfriend, right?” You must be a great fool.

A lady from the crowd yelled out, her voice dripping with mockery as everyone began to laugh cruelly, like she cracked a funny joke. If shame were a person, I would have been his mother.

My hands clenched into tight fists at my sides, the anger boiling inside of me as I watched them embrace.

“Ah…Ah…” Maria suddenly cried out, her face contorting in distress. She pressed her hands against her stomach, her eyes wide with feigned panic.

“Our baby, Alpha! I feel pain in my

Yummy! She wailed, her voice rising in pitch, drawing even more attent

ion.

A baby? The words echoed in my mind, sending shock through me.

She's PREGNANT?