The dawn of betrayal

Enzo's POV

The ride to Craven Pack stretched on endlessly, every mile thick with tension. Sitting beside Damien felt suffocating under a mountain. He said little, but the way he held himself—his aura of authority—was stifling. I hated this trip, I was exhausted, irritable, and nursing a quiet resentment I dared not voice.

But when we arrived. Something unexpected happened. She stole my breath.

A girl stood near the edge of the gathering, shrouded in the shadows as if she hope to vanish into them. Her dress was worn out, hanging loose, but it couldn't hide the soft curve of her waist, her face radiated a quiet allure, and her smell kept drawing ne closer. She glanced in my direction for a moment, but there was something haunting in the way her eyes kept stealing glances at Damien.

Who was she?

She didn't look like the daughter of an Alpha—not with that modest dress and demeanor. My gaze shifted to another woman, dressed provocatively and oozing arrogance and entitlement. The pride in her stance left no doubt—this had to be the Alpha's daughter. But her ostentatious presence paled in comparison to the quiet beauty hiding in the shadows.

When the mating ceremony began, I barely noticed. I was still watching her, still trying to piece why she felt so… important.

Then chaos erupted.

One moment I was sipping my drink. The next I I caught sight of her again—this mysterious woman—running tears streaking down her face. Damien stood frozen, his expression etched with something between shock and fury.

My heart clenched painfully when I pieced it together. She was his mate. A second chance mate.

The Moon Goddess is cruel.

"She was supposed to be mine!" I roared, slamming my fists into my bedroom door. The wood splintered under the force, but I didn't care. I couldnt shake the image of her. I didn't know her, but she was already etched into me. A storm of rage and longing filled me.

Later, Damien came to deliver the news to Alpha john, dragging me along like a loyal soldier.

"We're leaving Craven Pack tomorrow morning," he announced. "And she's coming with me."

His tone was flat, absolute. No room for argument. But the anger in my chest burned like acid.

"Get the cars ready for tomorrow."

I bowed stiffly, as protocol demanded, my fists clenched tight at my sides. Watching him walk away, something dark coiled inside me. My wolf, Zen, growled low and feral.

You've taken everything from me, Damien. But one day, you'll be on your knees.

That night, I couldn't sleep. I Lay on my bed with her face in my mind. Her eyes, her face, her sweet smell. She wasn't just beautiful. She was intoxicating. Addictive.

By morning, I'd buried my feelings beneath a mask of calm. But when she handed me her bag and our hands brushed, sparks flared up my arm. my wolf stirred restlessly. My The restraint was crumbling. I wanted her riding beside me.

But Damien claimed her, taking her with him like she was already his.

Fate. It seemed, had other plans.

The rogue attack on the way back was no accident. I knew that. Still watching her fight-really fight—was like seeing a differentside of her. She moved with a quiet grace, deadly and divine. I couldnt look away.

She will be ours, I declared with conviction. Zen hummed in agreement.

We arrived at Raven Claw Pack. I retired to my room, but I was itching to see her again. But I had to look for the perfect opportunity to get her alone with me.

This morning, Damien left for the company, and I stayed back using the excuse of finding the lead to the rogue's death, which I clearly knew who did it. Me. My lips curved into a sinister grin.

Damien, wouldn't know what hit him. When I take him down.

I prowled like a beast denuded it prize, I had to see her, I let her scent guide me, soft and maddneking. She wasn't in her room. Instead, I found her lingering near the forbidden room in the pack house.

Curious, little thing.

She got startled her by my presence, wide eyes flashing with guilt. I said nothing just offered a faint smirk and escorted her back to her room. She entered, almost shutting the door; she didn't want me in. Irritation flared. But I remembered she wasn't sharing a room with Damien.

That knowledge alone soothed something primal in me. my wolf.

Before I turned to go, I leaned in, close enough for her to feel the heat of my breath. "If you need anything, Luna," I murmured, "you can ask me."

She froze, and I felt it—the way my presence made her tensed. Uncertain. I liked it.

The door clicked shut behind me and I walked away. her scent still clinging to my clothes like sin.

Back in my room, I let myself unravel. She was consuming my every thought and I reveled in it.

Then Damien's voice sliced through the mind-link like a blade.

"I received a note threat."

His tone was clipped, tight. I smirked to myself. Of course he had. The plan was unfolding perfectly.

Even the surveillance footage—tampered with erasing it, leaving no trace of the act.

"I need you to discreetly investigate every pack member. Do not raise panic."

"Yes, Alpha," I replied smoothly, masking my satisfaction. But not even a minute passed before he linked again. Demanding why the family of the deceased mine worker wasn't compensated.

"Why weren't you at the meeting?" he demanded.

"I was investigating the rouge death, like you requested," I replied evenly, clenching my jaw to suppress my growing irritation. When the link finally severed, I exhaled deeply, relief washing over me.

A notification blinked on my burner phone, drawing my attention. The location was familiar. I slipped out of the packhouse, dressed in black, going unnoticed. The abandoned building stood as unassuming as ever. On the third floor, I entered the code.

The door opened to reveal a hidden sanctuary—a well-furnished apartment with a lab filled with scientific equipment, rogue experimentation and weapons no one could touch.

At the center stood a man I owed everything too. "Grandfather," I greeted.

He didn't look up. "Did you kill the rogue as instructed?" he asked, still engrossed in his work with vials of glowing liquid.

"Yes," I said. "But Damien is becoming suspicious. He's ordered an investigation of the whole pack."

His gaze finally lifted, sharp and calculating. "Does he suspect you?"

"No," I assured him. "But we need to lay low for now. The red note has agitated him, and he won't rest until he finds someone who's connected to the rouge attack."

He nodded, then paused. "I heard Damien has another mate," he said slowly. "Do you think she is the one ?"

I hesitated.

"She bears no mark," I murmured. "I haven't seen her wolf."

His expression hardened. "Find someone to take the fall—and ensure they don't survive."

A slow smirk tugged at my lips, it was all falling into place. Someone would take the fall. Someone always did. And while I played the loyal Beta. My plans would blossom in silence. Soon, I would take everything from you, Damien. I would rise as the Alpha. And Zendaya? She'd be mine.