Alpha's Revenge: His Mate Kisses His Enemy

Ariane: I had always imagined that when I met my mate, the world would shift in ways that defied reason. Kaelen had been my anchor since childhood. The one who had known my laughter, my tears, the moments when the world felt vast and small all at once. The man who was supposed to be my everything, my reason for breathing. My wolf stirred restlessly inside me, clawing at the barriers I had built to keep her contained, to keep us both contained. I turned to Kaelen, my heart pounding in my ears, and that was when I knew. It wasn't just a passing feeling. It wasn't my imagination. The bond—the bond that would tie us together for all eternity—was real. Just as I was ready to approach him and ask him if he could feel what I felt, she appeared. Sierra. His long-time girlfriend. The one who had been a constant fixture in his life, a shadow he could never seem to escape. She came running toward him, eyes bright, lips already curving into a smile as she threw herself into his arms. And before I could stop myself and even process the storm of emotions broiling inside me, she kissed him. His lips, which were meant for mine, pressed to hers with a familiarity that shattered me in ways I hadn't thought possible. A kiss that was supposed to belong to me in our moment was given so freely to someone else. I froze. I wanted to scream, run over to them, and demand answers, but all I could do was stand there, rooted to the earth, my heart breaking as I realized the truth. Kaelen was going to reject me. His kiss with Sierra deepened, and the world around me seemed to tilt on its axis. It wasn't the bond I had been hoping for. I stepped forward, my legs unsteady, my chest tight with pain. "Kaelen," I said, my voice trembling with a vulnerability I didn't want to admit I was capable of. He pulled away from Sierra, a flicker of confusion flashing in his eyes before irritation took its place. "What are you doing here, Ariane? I told you not to bother me when I’m with Sierra," he growled, his voice sharper than I expected. The words landed like stones in my chest. Cold, heavy. I couldn't breathe, couldn't think. "Kaelen, please," I whispered, my voice cracking, "You have to listen to me. Something is wrong… I—I think you are my mate. I feel this pull to you I can't explain and—" "Oh, please, Ariane." He laughed, "You and I?" he snorted, cutting me off. His words were sharp as a dagger, cold and cutting. "I've known you since I was a boy. I’m twenty now and would know if my fated mate were in this pack. You’re just trying to manipulate me, trying to make me believe you're my mate. You're just trying to ruin what I have with Sierra. Your jealousy already ruined our friendship, Ariane. It’s time to stop," My jealousy had not been what ruined our friendship; Sierra is what destroyed our friendship. She had convinced Kaelen time and time again that I was only trying to take their time, stealing it for myself. Had he forgotten that tonight would begin my eighteenth birthday? Had our ten years of friendship meant so little to him that he couldn't remember my birthday, or had he forgotten that the bond would be hidden until both mates reached their eighteenth year? Technically, I wouldn't be eighteen for another hour or so. The blood drained from my face. The Kaelen I had known, the one who had been my closest friend, my confidant, was gone. And in his place was someone I didn't recognize. Someone who thought I was lying. Someone who thought I would betray him. "You're not my mate," he continued, his voice now cold, flat. "Stop trying to control me, Ariane. I won't fall for these games." Before I could respond, Sierra stepped forward, a malicious smile spreading across her face. Her eyes glittered with victory as she placed a possessive hand on Kaelen's arm. "I know what this is. You've been using dark magic, haven't you? Trying to manipulate him into believing you're his mate, all to get the Luna role." Her voice dripped with venom as she continued, "I always knew you were after it, you little s.l.u.t,” Her words were like adding accelerant to a flame, "You're nothing but a half-blood freak," she spat, eyes narrowing in disgust. "A witch and a werewolf. Do you think that's going to make you more powerful than me? You're trying to steal Kaelen from me and take the Luna role with your dark magic. I won't let you, tramp." I was frozen. The accusation was absurd. Dark magic? The Luna role? A position I had never desired, never even thought about. This person they were describing wasn't me. But they didn't know that. They didn't know me at all. I had never wanted power. Hell, I was scared of the power I had. Why would I want more? I had never tried to steal him from her. I had always been in the background, adoring him from afar, never making a move because I respected his care for Sierra despite all I had ever wanted—all I had ever needed—was him, and he didn't even know that. Varek: I had watched her from the shadows. Never too close, never too far. A perfect distance, where she could never know I was there. I had kept myself hidden for so long, forced myself to remain invisible, all for her. But tonight… tonight, the air felt… different. I could see her tears in the moon's glow, the crimson stains that crossed her puffy eyes and nose. She had been crying. She was still crying. Rage flooded me. I needed to find out who had hurt her. But that would have to come later; she held me captivated for now. Her hands trembled as she picked up the small trinket I’d left for her on the porch steps. I had left her the same trinket every year since she walked away. Like clockwork, I made sure it was there every year. Of course, she didn’t know I had left it. She couldn’t know. I wasn’t allowed to be the one she relied on anymore. She’d left me, abandoned our spot in the woods, the only place she’d ever known, all because of them, because of that damn Alpha and his pack. But she didn’t belong there. She didn't belong in their world. She belonged with me, in the quiet, in the solitude. She belonged with the one who had always taken care of her. Her back was to me as she stood there, looking down at the trinket with an expression I couldn’t read. I hated not being able to understand her. I hated not knowing what went on in that mind of hers. What could she possibly feel when she looked at it? A memory of something she had long since cast aside, or a reminder of what she had lost? Then she did something I hadn’t expected. She turned, and I saw the tears. They slid down her cheeks, silent, heavy, as she blinked them away, wiping at her face like she could erase the pain. She ran. She ran away into the night as if she were trying to outrun something that she couldn’t escape. Something that had been haunting her. I stood frozen for a moment, unsure of what I felt. I didn’t understand the tears. I hated that I hated seeing her hurt. She was supposed to be strong. She was supposed to be the one who never broke and never showed weakness. She was supposed to be mine, only mine. But now, she was falling apart, and I couldn’t do anything to stop it. I wanted to follow her, call out to her, and tell her that it didn’t have to be this way. I wanted to tell her that with one bite, I could make it stop. But I didn’t. I couldn’t. She would never understand, never accept it… never accept me.