Rejected By Mate, Claimed By Triplets

Chapter 5 You Betrayed Us

I was hiding behind the bushes when I saw Bryan, my father leaving the house. The sun was not even out and he was leaving to see my mother. My stomach dropped at the thought that once again he was leaving me alone, but it was still not a surprise, because this was what he had told me the other night.

He asked me to make myself scarce in the household, he didn’t want to see me during the whole week on my mother’s death anniversary.

I took a deep sigh of defeat and when I was sure he had left and didn’t intend to come back, I headed straight to my room.

After getting bored of everything, I stared out of the window. The ache in my chest deepened as I wondered why he couldn't take me to visit Mom's grave together.

I was his daughter after all, why he despised me so much, and if his hatred of me was much bigger than his duty he should have left me at the adoption center.

A soft knock drew me out of my mind and a slow smile curved on my face.

"Cassandra, I was going to shop. Would you like to accompany me?" June said, her voice a gentle breeze in the stagnant air, and I couldn't help but hop on my legs and greet her.

“Yes, I would love to,” I jumped up and down in excitement.

She grinned at me, and leaving the worries behind we left the house.

“Where is Landon?” I asked June.

“He was about to come with me but then thought he wanted to spend time with his friends. I didn’t stop him, this gave us little opportunity to spend time together,” she answered as she squeezed my hand.

I grinned at her in acknowledgment.

We reached the market and the bazaar buzzed with activity.

“It’s so gorgeous,” I perked up at her. June's hand in mine provided a sense of comfort, and as we strolled through the crowded marketplace, I couldn't help but steal glances at her side profile.

At that moment, I saw June as the light of kindness. Her warmth melted my life’s cold prison and provided me with a warm embrace. A pang of longing for my mother's presence hit me, and I couldn't help but imagine that if she were still alive, she'd be as warm and soft-hearted as June.

“If you like it, we are buying it,” she said absentmindedly as she bought me other kinds of stuff. Most of the things I knew I wasn’t going to use but I wanted her to buy for me, because I loved the thought that she was buying me things because she loved me.

"Cassandra, stay close. Don't get lost," she called, and I waved in acknowledgment without breaking my gaze from a particularly intriguing display.

Then, a sudden burst of noise disrupted the lively atmosphere. A loud popping sound echoed through the air, and I felt a jolt of fear.

The sound of heavy growls filled the place.

I turned, freezing in place, as a group of wolves, rogues stormed into the bazaar, their presence turning the festive scene into one of panic and confusion.

I whimpered when I noticed that June was nowhere near me.

I cried in horror when I saw the rogues attacking the shop owners. Most of the vendors, many of whom were bottom omegas, were defenseless against the onslaught of the trained and organized rogues.

“Luna,” I cried again in the hope of finding her. While I was crying, I caught sight of June, rushing toward the center of the chaos. She was the highest-titled member of the pack present in the place and as the Luna of the Pack, it was her job to protect her pack.

But I couldn’t help but cry for her.

I rushed toward her but her eyes locked on mine and desperate emotion crossed on her face. She signaled me to hide behind the stall.

My heart raced, and I moved carefully, attempting to blend into the shadows. However, the rogues still found me.

Two of them immediately zeroed in on me. Panic surged through me as they closed in, seizing me before I could react. Their grip was firm, and they held me hostage, and one of them said something like “this is the one”.

I couldn’t understand that. What they were talking about, and how did they know me?

June's eyes widened in alarm as she witnessed me in the hold of the rogues.

"Luna, I believe you have a soft corner for this little twig over here." one of them shouted, a sinister grin playing on his lips. "You want this little pup to stay in one piece? You better do as we say or else," as he said he increased the pressure on my neck.

I howled in pain and tears welled up in my eyes.

“You are mistaken if you think you can take up on me,” June growled before shifting into a wolf.

I struggled against their hold, my attempts to break free met with rough resistance. Fear and frustration fueled my efforts, but before I could make any headway, a blunt force struck the back of my head. The world blurred, and consciousness slipped away as darkness claimed me.

But I saw June snarling at the rogues.

I opened my heavy eyelids and they got closed again unwillingly, the weight on them was making my head pound. I tried to open my eyes and they opened up to the darkness. The ground was cold and damp.

All the events that had happened before slammed into my mind and I let out a painful cry in the empty place. My wails echoed in the room and every sound was coming back to my ears, making me cry harder.

June, I cried again thinking about her.

I tried to move, but there was something heavy on my chest, my hands and legs were bound. The chains that bound me echoed with a metallic clunk as I tried to move, but they held me firmly in place.

Fear gripped my heart as I recalled the stories I'd heard about this forsaken place. The loneliness, the hopelessness, it was a nightmare among nightmares. I wondered why I, a mere twelve-year-old, found myself in such a wretched place.

Rogues

A word sn*ked around my mind and my heart thudded in my chest and I tried harder in the binds. They had taken me and locked me in the dungeon.

Oh, goddess.

My heart started beating radically, thinking that the rogues had come to attack me again, but relief washed over me as the shadows revealed two figures, Alpha and Landon.

“Landon,” I cried in relief.

As they drew closer, however, a chill ran down my spine. The dim light revealed their faces, and instead of warmth and rescue, I saw coldness etched across their features. Their eyes, once familiar and comforting, now bore a strange resentment.

Alpha, with a stern expression, and Landon, with a darkness in his eyes, approached me slowly. The silence between us was heavy, and I could feel the weight of their gaze, filled with a kind of judgment I couldn't comprehend.

“Landon, what are you doing? You are scaring me, please help me.” I cried again

“Stop this fu*king innocent act, we know about your truth,” Alpha Leonard snarled at me.

Alpha Leonard’s eyes were red in rage and his wolf was howling, his ferocity was making me tear up, my breath hitched and I started trembling.

He growled once again and its echo reverberated on the stone walls of the dungeon.

“You traitor,” he spat.

My eyes furrowed with confusion and he continued.

“You fu*king shameless b*tch, I guess you are so great at acting. You must be, that’s why we couldn’t see your cunning face behind all this innocence. What did she do to you? Tell me why would you do that? June loved you the same way that she loved Landon, she cared for you, cared for you when your own father didn’t. Why would you do that to her?” he screamed at me, making my heart thud in my chest. But he didn’t stop, he continued.

“I…I..don’t. Alpha, I don’t know what you are talking about.” I stammered, fear evident in my voice.

“You want to hear what you did. Okay, then listen. You fu*king betrayed us, you sold us. Your father, Bryan colluded with rogues, And then you, like a little diligent daughter, took June with you to the place where you knew the rogues were going to attack. You led her to her death.” Alpha hissed at me, his voice dripping venom. And if he could he would have strangled me with his words only.

The weight of Alpha's accusations pressed heavily on my shoulders, and my mind struggled to process the torrent of information. "Father betrayed the pack?" I whispered, the words feeling foreign and impossible. "June... killed by rogues?"

“No…” I begged, but he turned away and left me.

My eyes, swollen with tears and confusion, turned to Landon, desperate for answers. "Landon, please, tell me what happened. I didn't set June up. I don't understand any of this."

But instead of the reassurance I sought, I was met with a gaze filled with disgust and hatred. "You're still faking it, aren't you? Why would you frame my mother, Cassandra? She was so nice to you. Why would you do this? She loved you like her own daughter."

His words hung in the air, accusations echoing in the cold dungeon. Before I could respond, Landon stepped into the cell, his anger manifesting in a brutal force. His hands closed around my throat, squeezing hard.

Panic surged through me as I struggled to breathe, the world tilting on its axis. "Landon, please!" I gasped.

But the hatred in his eyes didn't waver. The pressure on my throat intensified.

The world dimmed around me, my breaths became heavy. I was moments away from my death.