Page 4 of Betrayed Mate

Taking a ragged breath, I reached for my hair and brushed it aside again, trying to ensure that I had moved it all, just in case that was the issue. “Is that better?”

Reid’s forehead smoothed, and disgust twisted his features as he hurriedly took a step back. “No, that’snotbetter.”

“Reid.” Cassi dropped her hands to her sides. “We’re in the middle of the ceremony—you need to bite and claim her.”

“I…I can’t.” He ran his hands through his hair. “Iwon’t.”

My face flamed, but I refused to cower, not like this… not in front of so many people. For my pack and father, I wouldn’t make myself look less worthy.

Murmurs rose from the woods where the onlookers stood, and Cassi glared at the woman Reid had been talking to when I arrived.

“Reid…you were the one who wanted this to happen.” Cassi rolled her shoulders back and offered a strained smile and thenspoke louder. “Don’t worry, everyone! Just a little bit of cold feet. Who knew fated mates would have them too, before they completed their bond?” She laughed uncomfortably.

“It isn’t cold feet.” He crossed his arms, his biceps bulging against his shirt. “There’s something wrong with her.”

I took a step back, my foot hitting a rock that jutted from the ground. Pain burned up my leg and cleared my shock. “What are you talking about? We saw each other a couple of days ago, and everything was fine.”

He lowered his clenched hands. “Well, there is something now. My wolf must sense something wrong with your blood. That’s the only thing that makes sense!”

No one talks to my daughter that way,Father linked and snarled. He took a hurried step toward us, but Mom grabbed his hand and connected,Don’t. All the other packs are here. This is supposed to be a unity ceremony, not a cause for more of us to turn against one another.

“Be reasonable, Reid,” Cassi hissed under her breath, quiet enough that the others probably couldn’t overhear. “You said she’s your fated mate; you two have a bright future together. Your union makes the most sense in order to ascend the throne as the next king and queen and form a new royal pack.”

Not the future I’d wanted.

I understood my father, my sister, and I were the last of the wolf shifters with a smidge of royal blood running through our veins, but the connection was from more than four hundred years ago when the youngest of four royal children had mated with my pack’s then alpha. We weren’t pure royal blood—there were three generations separating me and my royal ancestor. We weren’t even considered royal…at least we hadn’t been until two months ago when the slaughter happened.

In the aftermath, someone had pointed out that a royal had married into my family pack hundreds of years ago. Still, I’d hadno thoughts about ever ruling. All I wanted was a quiet life with my pack and, eventually, my own bakery.

Cassi took my arm and tugged me closer to Reid, causing him to back away from us, his heels nearing the very edge of the cliff.

“I can’t!” he shouted. “The longer I’m close to her, the more confident I am that something isverywrong with her. Don’t you sense it? She’s not fit to be anyone’s mate—or even queen, for that matter.”

Every cell in my body sizzled. I wanted to put my tail between my legs and run.

Wasthere something different, something off about me? Was that why our fated-mate pull didn’t seem natural?

“What are you doing, son?” A spitting image of how Reid would appear when older, his father Perry, moved toward us from his spot in front of the trees. “You were howling at the moon over this last night—”

“Not anymore.” Reid spat on the ground. “She repulses me. She’s not going to be my mate.”

Bile churned in my stomach. Not only was he rejecting me in front of hundreds of people, but he was calling into question my pack's legacy and standing within the community. Tears burned my eyes. I’d done the one thing I’d never wanted to do in my life—let down my pack and family.

Dad was our alpha, and he had two daughters. No sons. The best thing Briar and I could do was find a strong alpha mate to solidify our position because neither of us could take over our pack. And now I’d just done the complete opposite.

Shaking, I stayed in place, knowing I needed to leave but hoping that he’d laugh and proclaim his protest was some sort of cruel joke. Anything that wouldn’t label my pack as strange or different.

Cassi released my arm, breaking my trance. I could still salvage this. Not wanting people to hear everything being said between us, I whispered, “Did I do something to upset—”

Reid jerked away from me and lost his balance, his foot slipping off the edge of the rock. He teetered on one foot, pinwheeling his arms.

Perry’s eyes glowed as he jumped forward and grabbed his son’s arm then yanked him forward. Reid fell to his knees in front of his father.

Perry turned to me and hissed, “Leave! Get out of here, and never come back.”

His words were the ultimate slap in the face, and I stumbled away.

Strong arms clutched me, and a musky leather scent filled my nose, informing me who it was—Dad.Come on, Em.He tugged me gently toward the tree line where Briar and Mom waited. My vision clouded, and I tried to hold back the tears.

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