After Betrayed, Became the Most Alpha’s Luna Novel – One word. That’s all it took for my world to split in half. The bond snapped tight inside my chest like a chain yanked from the dark. My breath left me. My heart started to slam so hard I thought the room could hear it. Ella, my wolf, whispered in my mind—steady, fierce. Relax, Avery. We knew this day could come. We are Luna. We don’t break in public. I forced my mental walls up. Hard. Cold. Perfect. Then I looked at Alistair. He was frozen. Not looking at me. Not even blinking. His eyes were locked on the woman standing in front of him.
And she—she stared right back like she’d been born to take what was mine. The room was full of Alphas. Powerful men. Dangerous men. And not one of them spoke. Because everyone knew what they were witnessing. The Alpha finding his fated mate. While his chosen Luna stood right there. I stepped forward anyway. My face didn’t change. My smile didn’t shake. Only my fingers betrayed me—digging into my palm until it hurt. I placed my hand on Alistair’s lower back. A gentle push. Go on, I told him without words. Do it. Prove to everyone what kind of man you are. He lurched forward like my touch released him. And then he wrapped both arms around her waist and lifted her clean off the floor. The woman laughed softly—like she’d won. Then Alistair kissed her. Not a polite greeting. Not a respectful first touch.
A deep, hungry, public kiss. Her hands tangled in his hair like she’d been waiting years for this moment. My vision blurred for a second. I swallowed it down. If I cried, the pack would never forget. If I broke, they would eat me alive. Around us, whispers started like poison smoke. “She’s still here.” “Poor Luna.” “Chosen mate means nothing against fate.” I heard a small, sharp laugh. A female voice. I turned slightly. One of the Alpha’s mates—someone who’d always smiled too sweetly at me—tilted her head and murmured loud enough for others to hear: “Well… I guess the throne is opening up.” My wolf snarled. I didn’t. I looked at her and smiled wider.
Then I said, clearly, for everyone: “The throne doesn’t ‘open up’ because an Alpha loses control of his mouth.” Silence slammed into the room. The woman’s smile died. Good. I turned back to the gathering of Alphas, ignoring the kiss still happening behind me like it wasn’t ripping my soul apart. “Conference room,” I said, voice calm. “Now.” No “please.” No softness. Just authority. A few Alphas moved immediately—because they recognized power when they heard it. Others hesitated. Then Alpha Ryker—big, arrogant, always waiting for weakness—crossed his arms. “And why should we take orders from you?” he asked, eyes gleaming. “If Alistair has a fated mate now… what exactly are you, Avery?” My heart clenched. Not because he was right. Because he said it out loud. In front of everyone. Trying to strip my title off my skin. I took one slow step toward him. My voice stayed quiet.
That made it worse. “I’m the Luna who held this alliance together while you complained about border patrol schedules,” I said. A few Alphas coughed to hide their laughs. Ryker’s eyes flashed. I didn’t stop. “And until Alpha Alistair says otherwise,” I continued, “I’m the one keeping you all alive long enough to argue.” Ryker bristled. But he didn’t challenge me again. Because even his wolf knew it. I was not prey. I turned and walked. The Alphas followed. Behind me, the kissing finally stopped. I didn’t turn around to see what Alistair’s face looked like. I didn’t want to know whether he felt guilt. Because the truth was simple: He didn’t even look at me. Not once. In the conference room, I took the seat at the head of the table. My hands were steady. My spine was straight.
My heart was bleeding in perfect silence. Lily stood near the door, eyes wide with questions. Not now, I mindlinked her. Refreshments. Then lock the doors. Her eyes softened. She nodded and left without arguing. Good girl. I lifted my chin and addressed the room. “Alpha Alistair is… occupied,” I said smoothly. A snicker came from someone’s side. I turned my head slowly. The sound died. “Until he returns,” I continued, “I will lead this meeting. Any objections?” No one spoke. Because even the ones who wanted me gone knew better than to say it first. “Good,” I said. Then I opened the folder in front of me. “Five years of peace,” I began. “And now we have rogues acting like they own our borders.” I watched faces sharpen with interest. War talk always wakes wolves up. “A month ago,” I continued, “five rogues attacked our patrol. We captured two.” I slid photos across the table.
Blood. Bite marks. Broken bones. A few Alphas leaned in. I didn’t flinch. “They admitted they follow a new rogue leader,” I said. “Ellang.” The name landed heavy. “His purpose?” I asked, then answered myself. “To ‘take back what was his.’” Chairs creaked. Wolves stirred. Alpha Phoenix’s eyes narrowed. “What does he want back?” I held his gaze. “That’s what we’re finding out.” I gestured toward Alpha Ryker and Alpha Phoenix. “Shadow Falls. Black Mist. You’ve both had contact with them.” Ryker spoke first, voice stiff. “We’ve had scouting groups. Small. Three to six. They stayed in neutral territory.” He paused, eyes flicking to me like he didn’t want to give me more power by speaking. Then he forced himself to continue. “Last Thursday, a rogue came forward. He called himself Beta Ellangsley.” The room tightened at the title. A Beta with manners? That wasn’t a random pack of animals. “He asked if we had a she-wolf,” Ryker said. “Name of Sloane Mitchell.” Every muscle in my body went cold. Ella went silent.
Then, a second later, she whispered—faint, shocked: Avery… My fingers froze on the table. The air in the room felt too thin. I forced my voice to stay calm. “Say the name again,” I said. Ryker frowned. “Sloane Mitchell.” A sound slipped out of me before I could stop it. A sharp inhale. Alpha Phoenix noticed immediately. His eyes pinned to me like nails. “Avery,” he said slowly, “do you know that name?” The room turned. Every Alpha stared. Every wolf listened. I could feel the weight of their curiosity like hands on my throat. I smiled. It was the most dangerous smile I’d ever worn. “I don’t know her,” I lied. But Ella whispered again, voice shaking: That’s not a stranger. That’s a ghost. My stomach dropped. Because if rogues were searching for Sloane Mitchell… And if they were willing to start a war to “take back what was his”… Then this wasn’t just about borders. It was personal. And I had a terrible feeling the fated mate Alistair just kissed… Wasn’t the only thing fate planned to steal from me. Chapter 2 “Thank you,” I said, voice steady. “We have no she-wolf under the name Sloane Mitchell sworn into our pack.
No guest. No hidden rogue. Nothing.” The room stayed quiet. Too quiet. Because everyone heard the unspoken part: Then why are rogues circling your borders like they own them? I didn’t flinch. “I want a meeting with Beta Ellangsley,” I continued. “And I want it to look like unity, not weakness. Shadow Falls and Black Mist will send representatives with me.” A few Alphas nodded. Some looked relieved. Some looked annoyed. I could feel the ones who wanted me to stumble. I didn’t. “My plan was to release one of the captured rogues with a message,” I added. “But this morning… both rogues were found dead in their cells.” Chairs shifted. Eyes narrowed. I slid two photos across the table. Two bodies. Twisted. Still. “No broken bones,” I said. “No bruises. They were cuffed with silver to prevent shifting. They were injected with wolfsbane for interrogation, nothing more.” I let my gaze sweep the room. “That means someone killed them to shut them up,” I said. “And the cleanest way to do that is witchcraft.” The word witch hit the table like a blade. Alpha Phoenix’s aura rolled out in warning. Alpha Ryker’s jaw tightened.
Then—right as I opened my mouth to continue— a white-hot pain ripped through my abdomen. I sucked in a sharp breath. It felt like someone shoved a knife into my stomach and twisted. Once. Twice. Again. My fingers clenched around the table edge. My smile stayed on my face for half a second longer than it should have. Then it cracked. A sound escaped me. “Ah—” I bent forward. Not a lot. Not enough to look weak. But enough that everyone saw. Ella’s voice rushed through my mind, urgent. Breathe, Avery. I’m here. Breathe. I gritted my teeth. What is this? I hissed inwardly. Ella’s growl rumbled through my skull. It’s the bond. He’s… he’s with her. He’s feeding it. And we’re paying for it. My mate mark burned like acid down my neck. The pain pulsed again, brutal. I forced air into my lungs and lifted my head. A few Alphas looked genuinely concerned. Most looked curious. And then—like a vulture sensing blood—someone spoke. A male voice, young and smug. “With respect,” he said, “shouldn’t Alpha Alistair be leading this meeting? Unless… he’s too busy with his new mate.” A few quiet laughs.
My vision sharpened. I turned slowly toward the speaker. A Beta. Not even an Alpha. I memorized his face. Then I smiled. It was a cold smile. “Say that again,” I said softly. The room went dead silent. The Beta swallowed. “I just meant—” “I know what you meant,” I cut in. “You meant to test if I still have authority.” My stomach stabbed again. I didn’t show it. I leaned back in my chair and let my aura press outward just enough. Not Alpha-level. But Luna-level. Enough to make him sit up straight. “Here’s the rule,” I said calmly. “In my pack, we don’t bark when the Alpha is busy. We act. We protect borders. We keep people alive.” I tilted my head. “And if you interrupt me again,” I added, still polite, “I’ll send you home with your tongue in your pocket.” A few Alphas coughed into their hands. Ryker’s mouth twitched like he was fighting a smile. Phoenix’s eyes gleamed with approval. Good. Let them see me. Let them remember. The pain flared again, harder.