My Cruel Alpha

Betrayal

Never show your enemy what you’re truly capable of. Be as cunning as a snake, as deceitful as a devil and you would fool your enemies into showing you their hands. Dad had always drilled these words into me. It made me create a fake persona for myself. One who was easily loveable. The kind of person you could easily let your guard down around.

As I exited the Golden’s residence, I realized that the back of my dress was still loosened. It was inappropriate to go back to the ball like this so my eyes quickly searched around.

At a dark corner, under a tree, stood a young man, smoking. He was the closest person to me so I didn’t think twice before approaching him.

He raised his head just when I was a few steps away from him then he c****d a brow, an annoyed expression covering his face as if a company was the last thing he wanted but then I wasn’t here to keep him company.

“I’m sorry if I met you at a bad time.. I uh..”

“What do you want?” he asked coolly, calmly, eyes raking all over my body, sizing me up, taking me in and somehow, it didn’t feel uncomfortable at all.

“Nothing. I shouldn’t have come. Just enjoy your time.” I figured it was wise to leave and not annoy him further but his words made me stop the moment I took a step forward.

“What do you want, Princess?” this time, he made his voice a lot calmer, softer, as if he didn’t want to scare me any more than he already had. Even his expression softened a bit and he relaxed. I wondered if it was because he recognized me and figured I wasn’t a threat.

“My dress is loosened and i-I can’t reach it.” Why was I stuttering so much?

“So you need my help?” he completed for me with a c**k of his brow and before I knew it, he had covered the distance between us. The heat of his body brushed against my bare arms, causing a chill to run down my arms at once as he turned me around, back facing him, almost pressed against his firm chest I could almost feel.,

“What’s a pretty Damsel doing out here alone without any protection?” he whispered against my ear lobes but I almost didn’t hear him because I was focused on the way his finger brushed my bare back as he caught the ropes and began to knot it together.

“Just going for a walk.” I answered briefly. A lie.

“Just walking won’t get your dress loosened now, would it?” he whispered. “Unless someone tried to—”

“Nothing like what you’re thinking happened.” I quickly cut him off. I guess it was my turn to become annoyed. Why was he trying to poke his nose into something that is not his business? Unless I had met a psycho instead. Goddess help me.

“What do you know that I’m thinking then?”

“We both know what you’re thinking.”

“Oh? But I don’t.”

Was he kidding me?

“Just fix my dress and I’ll leave.”

“I didn’t mean to stir you up, Princess.” Again with the soft yet deep voice. How could I explain what it did to me? What he was doing to me? I must be mad. He was a fvcking stranger!

“I know.” I tried to relax a bit, seeing as he meant no harm. “I’m just also in a bad mood myself.”

“Care to tell?”

“No.”

“It wouldn’t hurt. We both don’t know each other and this might be the last time we meet. No harm spilling secrets.”

I guess he was right. He was a total stranger to me and his face didn’t ring a bell even though I could recognize almost half the important people in the Kingdom and even their children and grandchildren which goes to say, he wasn’t high up there.

His eyes watched me keenly while I played with my finger, trying to figure how to form my words.

“Boyfriend issues?” he asked and I wasn’t surprised because it was usually the only problem girls my age would have.

“Something like that.” I shrugged, taking in a huge breath, “… I kind of found my mate.”

“Mmmm…” he hummed. “Did he reject you?”

“No. But he has a girlfriend and… he hates me.”

“His loss.” The stranger said, before I knew it, we were both leaning on the tree together. “He isn’t rejecting you yet because he knows what he would be losing out on. Isn’t it better you do it first?”

My eyes shot up at him and for the first time, I was noticing the stranger’s eyes. Golden. Really Golden. But only a half part of it and then the other half had specks of green in his irises or was it blue or both? I couldn’t tell but they sparkled under the moonlight, making me lost for a moment.

“What is it?” he asked me and okay, I’m not going to comment on the way his voice sounded because it seriously does something to me I couldn’t explain at all.

“Your eyes.” I answered. “I have never seen one like yours.”

“Is it to your fancy?”

“It’s… beautiful.” I couldn’t control how it slipped out.

“But not as mesmerizing as yours.” He whispered back, making me wonder what about my green eyes seemed mesmerizing to him.

“Don’t do that.” I said, noticing the intricately carved dragon ring sitting on his fore finger which he was constantly rubbing out of habit.

“Do what?”

“You’re flirting with me.”

“You’re a beautiful woman and… an interesting one. I can’t help it.” He said it without hesitation, making me smile. “Are you going to tell me why you almost had your dress off you?”

“Couldn’t you guess that for yourself?”

“Did he throw himself on you or was it the other way around?”

I couldn’t tell why but I cracked up when he asked that. Did Blake throw himself on me or did I throw myself at him? What a funny question.

“You have a gorgeous smile. I’m glad I got to see it at least.”

This man was smooth with words… and dangerous with it too. For my heart maybe.

Oh Fvck. Time to go or Gwen would begin to worry about me.

“I-I have to leave now.”

He nodded at me, removing his back from the tree just as I did. And then he came closer, I couldn’t help noticing his distinctive scent of tobacco mixed with something else… it scented like cedar wood.

“I guess it’s goodbye then.” He said, “Don’t forget to think about it.”

“About what?”

“Rejecting him.” He said, “The earlier the better for both of you. You must do it first if he wouldn’t.”

Somehow, I felt as though he was particularly too interested in this. Rejecting the goddess’s gift isn’t something that simple.

I smiled a fake smile before I turned around and left, forcing myself not to glance back even once until I was safely out of the premises and back to the ball venue. I finally heaved a sigh of relief.

“How did it go?” Gwen was hounding me the moment I was back at the ball and as much as I didn’t want to talk about it, I knew I just couldn’t escape her.

“I told you he is a total ass.”

She suddenly stopped walking with me and I turned around to look at her.

Concern filled her eyes when she looked at me and asked. “Are you okay?”

I bit my lips until I tasted blood. I couldn’t answer. Was I okay? I guess not.

“Come here.” She opened her arms wide for me and I didn’t know when I rushed into them, squeezing the life out of her and not hearing her complain. Even wiping my snort on her beautiful blue dress as I cried without a sound.

To others, it may look as though, we were just fooling around.

“All you people of the Kingdom of Rein, our heir has been decided finally and the King is here to tell us who among the four Princes is going to be crowned today.” The Mc’s voice drew us away from each other as we watched the crowd part for a Camel rider who held the piece of paper where the Heirs name was written.

We all knew who it was going to be anyway, but this formality was needed to create suspense, I guess. Anything could happen after all.

“Guess who is also here today?” Gwen whispered to me just in time as my eyes found the Prince on the podium where all eyes could be on him along with his younger brothers. His found mine and I don’t know why my stupid heart was doing this thing again. f**k it.

“Who?” I quickly looked away from him and asked absentmindedly.

“Landon Hayes.”

“Oh..” I said in thought but then the name rang in my head a few more times until I realized who the actual f**k she was talking about. Chills ran down my arms immediately and I glanced at her.

“What would the dark lord be doing here?” I’m sure the King didn’t invite him. Never would.

“Beats me.” She shrugged. “Well, the dark lord is known to do whatever pleases him and this party is one he can easily get into.”

My eyes immediately looked for my father. And as expected he wasn’t where I last saw him.

He was gone.

Let me guess, he was probably somewhere with the dark Lord having a battle of words with him, which he almost never wins.

If Landon Hayes was here personally, then it was to stir up something. Just the way father was plotting something big against him, there’s no doubt Landon was also preparing a counter attack. I’ve heard he was as smart as if he could predict the future.

I quickly entered the crowd, trying to make my way to Conrad who was a few feet away from me.

“Where’s my Father?”

“Why?” Conrad raised a brow but then he saw my serious expression and answered. “The King has asked him to entertain an important guest tonight.”

An important guest. My mind mulled over it.

“Is it Landon Hayes?”

“Yes my lady.” Conrad said. “Would you like me to bring him to you?”

“No. It’s okay.” I answered. Father wouldn’t want me there.

I noticed how Conrad’s eyes seemed out of focus for a moment, then he blinked and looked at me. “Your father wants you.” He informed me, causing a frown to settle between my brows.

That’s strange. Father wanted to see me when he was hosting the dark lord himself.

Usually, he never lets me get close during this time. Perhaps it was to protect me but today he suddenly wanted me there.

“This way, my lady.” Conrad cleared the way and I took in a breath, ready to follow him, that was until I heard the deafening cheers of the crowd then I looked up at the podium to see Blake being crowned as Prince. Crown Prince. Just as we all thought.

He looked really happy, staring down at everyone from that height. Something I now noticed he liked to do. He took over the microphone and started to make his speech.

“All you people of Rein, I am so honored to be In favor of your tremendous continuous support. Today however, I won’t be the only one in the spotlight.” His eyes then found mine, holding my gaze as he went on to announce. “Today, I have indeed received the goddess’s blessings. I found my mate.”

Total silence for a few second and then the sudden cheers as everyone stood up to clap.

The goddess has really blessed the Prince.

He found his mate the day he got crowned.

Yeah, so who on earth is the lucky girl, our future queen?

My insides twisted in nervousness as I rubbed my clammy palm, eyes glued to Blake and that annoying smile on his face. What was he planning to do?

Is he going to only claim me in front of this much of a crowd? Is he going to call me up or…

Don’t be ridiculous Maeve. You know he would never do that.

His gaze shifted and I followed them to see he was looking at somewhere else. Someone else.

“Come out baby.” He smiled and then there, the crowd slowly parted to reveal a woman as she walked briskly to the stage, her face all red from blushing too much as she joined Blake.

Sloane.

No.. no… is he going to…

NO! I could feel my heart shattering into a million pieces even though I had convinced myself only moments ago that he was total trash and doesn’t deserve me but my wolf. She was howling in my head, unable to accept this but it didn’t just end there with him introducing her to everyone.

He went ahead to sink his teeth into her neck, claiming her in front of everyone, marking her as his.

Everyone cheered but me, in that moment something broke inside me. My wolf’s pain swallowed me up completely until I couldn’t breathe any longer trying to bear it, trying to keep my composure, trying to act like I wasn’t affected when in fact I was dying inside.

“My lady—” Conrad jolted me out from my agony.

I didn’t know how the tears fell. I only felt them rolling down my cheeks.