Page 10
Story: Mated to Ruin
My voice is hoarse, but it carries well in the silent arena.
“I thought you were worth saving once. I thought you had honour.”
I wipe the blood from my split lip.
“I was wrong about everything.”
He frowns slightly, possibly surprised by my firm tone.
But I’ve already turned my back on him and begun walking towards the exit. “Seraphina, wait-”
I do not look back.
“We’re done, Talon. Completely done.”
The arena doors slam behind me, making an echoing bang.
That evening, I host an emergency gathering of Luna women from the southern territories at my villa.
My dining room is filled with the most powerful females in werewolf society, including Lunas, Alpha daughters, and pack heiresses.
My best friend Ivy is the first to arrive, taking one look at my bruised face before slamming her wine glass down so hard that it shatters.
“This is absolutely outrageous! If you hadn’t carried him back from that wolf den eight years ago, he’d be dead as dead can be by now!”
Her voice shakes with fury.
Seven or eight women immediately surrounded me and took turns applying ice packs to my face. Many people are frowning and clicking their tongues in disgust.
“Alpha Talon was really brutal on you, sister,” says Sophia, Luna of the Ragehowl Pack.
“Everyone in our territory knows you nearly lost your leg to lava burns searching for him when he was trapped in those volcanic caves. You even left your wolf with permanent trauma from the fire.”
“Three months of recovery!” says Eve, the Silver Moon Alpha’s daughter.
“And now look – you carried him down the mountain for a day and night through a blizzard, but somehow it’s become that little snake Aelina who saved him!”
I grit my teeth to control my emotions and signal my servants.
“Bring out the files from my study. All of them.”
They return with several thick folders and a laptop full of audio recordings.
I arranged photos on the massive dining table like playing cards.
“Evidence of Aelina’s underground affairs with your mates, fiancés, and business partners is all here.”
The women lean forward, their eyes widening as they recognise the faces.
“I’ll need your help going forward. I’m returning to inherit Oakshade Pack and take my rightful place as Alpha.”
I pause to let it sink in.
“This time was really too dangerous. Thank goodness you all warned me in advance about Talon’s malicious intentions through our network, or my photos and videos would have become tools for those men to assault my reputation. They might have even spread across the entire internet…”
Most of these women are good friends that I’ve made over the years through strategic socialising.
More importantly, marriages between packs frequently involve complex political and financial interests.
Being able to obtain compromising information on a mate, particularly a Pack’s Alpha, provides leverage for improved territorial agreements and resource allocation.
The Alpha Council closely monitors Alpha wolf behaviour and occasionally allows capable Lunas to challenge Alphas for management rights when they prove unfit.
They each grab evidence of their other halves’ actions, their hands trembling with rage and excitement. “Damn that little slut!” Ivy snarls, holding up a photo of Aelina and her companion.
“She’ll do anything to climb up the social ladder! That kind of manipulative witch, and that fool Talon treats her like she’s made of gold!”
Sophia slams her fist onto the table.
“Look at this! My Jaxon with this whore! In our own pack’s guest house!”
“Thank goodness Seraphina was perceptive enough to help us notice Aelina’s irregularities,” Solara says, clutching pictures of her Alpha fiancé.
“I thought you were worth saving once. I thought you had honour.”
I wipe the blood from my split lip.
“I was wrong about everything.”
He frowns slightly, possibly surprised by my firm tone.
But I’ve already turned my back on him and begun walking towards the exit. “Seraphina, wait-”
I do not look back.
“We’re done, Talon. Completely done.”
The arena doors slam behind me, making an echoing bang.
That evening, I host an emergency gathering of Luna women from the southern territories at my villa.
My dining room is filled with the most powerful females in werewolf society, including Lunas, Alpha daughters, and pack heiresses.
My best friend Ivy is the first to arrive, taking one look at my bruised face before slamming her wine glass down so hard that it shatters.
“This is absolutely outrageous! If you hadn’t carried him back from that wolf den eight years ago, he’d be dead as dead can be by now!”
Her voice shakes with fury.
Seven or eight women immediately surrounded me and took turns applying ice packs to my face. Many people are frowning and clicking their tongues in disgust.
“Alpha Talon was really brutal on you, sister,” says Sophia, Luna of the Ragehowl Pack.
“Everyone in our territory knows you nearly lost your leg to lava burns searching for him when he was trapped in those volcanic caves. You even left your wolf with permanent trauma from the fire.”
“Three months of recovery!” says Eve, the Silver Moon Alpha’s daughter.
“And now look – you carried him down the mountain for a day and night through a blizzard, but somehow it’s become that little snake Aelina who saved him!”
I grit my teeth to control my emotions and signal my servants.
“Bring out the files from my study. All of them.”
They return with several thick folders and a laptop full of audio recordings.
I arranged photos on the massive dining table like playing cards.
“Evidence of Aelina’s underground affairs with your mates, fiancés, and business partners is all here.”
The women lean forward, their eyes widening as they recognise the faces.
“I’ll need your help going forward. I’m returning to inherit Oakshade Pack and take my rightful place as Alpha.”
I pause to let it sink in.
“This time was really too dangerous. Thank goodness you all warned me in advance about Talon’s malicious intentions through our network, or my photos and videos would have become tools for those men to assault my reputation. They might have even spread across the entire internet…”
Most of these women are good friends that I’ve made over the years through strategic socialising.
More importantly, marriages between packs frequently involve complex political and financial interests.
Being able to obtain compromising information on a mate, particularly a Pack’s Alpha, provides leverage for improved territorial agreements and resource allocation.
The Alpha Council closely monitors Alpha wolf behaviour and occasionally allows capable Lunas to challenge Alphas for management rights when they prove unfit.
They each grab evidence of their other halves’ actions, their hands trembling with rage and excitement. “Damn that little slut!” Ivy snarls, holding up a photo of Aelina and her companion.
“She’ll do anything to climb up the social ladder! That kind of manipulative witch, and that fool Talon treats her like she’s made of gold!”
Sophia slams her fist onto the table.
“Look at this! My Jaxon with this whore! In our own pack’s guest house!”
“Thank goodness Seraphina was perceptive enough to help us notice Aelina’s irregularities,” Solara says, clutching pictures of her Alpha fiancé.