Betrayed and Broken: The Lycan King's Slave Mate

"Why?"

The word escaped my lips as barely more than a whisper while I leaned heavily against the cold metal bars that were the only thing keeping me upright as my legs threatened to give out beneath me.

I watched in complete horror as Owen and Cynthia kissed right in front of my cell, their bodies pressed together in a way that spoke of intimacy that had clearly been building for much longer than just tonight.

Owen finally pulled away from Cynthia gently and turned to look at me with eyes that held no warmth or love, only cold calculation and satisfaction at seeing my pain.

"I gave you everything, Owen," I said as tears began streaming down my cheeks. "I gave you my trust, my loyalty, my love. I even shared the secret about my wolf with you when I knew that revealing it to anyone could get me killed, because I trusted you with every part of my soul."

"Your wolf!" Owen cut me off sharply, his voice rising with fury that made me flinch backward. "That secret showed me exactly how much of a threat you truly are to me, Ariana Nightfall. You have the same strength that your father had running through your veins, the same dangerous Alpha power that made him unstoppable."

"But I never—" I tried to protest desperately.

"Yes, but you are such a threat whether you intended to be one or not," he interrupted without mercy. "I never loved you, Ariana, and I never wanted anything to do with you beyond keeping you under control. You are the daughter of a traitor and you carry a strong Alpha bloodline, so I just had to keep you close enough to know exactly what kind of danger I was dealing with."

"Her wolf..." Cynthia coughed delicately, her eyes widening with surprise. "You never mentioned that part of the truth to me when we were planning all of this together."

The way she called him "my love" made my stomach turn as I realized how deep their betrayal went.

"I saw through all your pretense of being weak during the training sessions, Ariana!" Owen's voice grew louder and more aggressive as he slammed his fist against the metal bars. "You are every bit as dangerous as your father was, and I refuse to underestimate what your bloodline is capable of!"

The fury in his eyes made my heart jump in my chest with genuine fear.

"Owen, I took the fall for you when you killed Mara," I said desperately as my voice broke. "I confessed to a murder I didn't commit and let this entire pack torture me because I believed in you and the future you promised we would have together."

I slid down to my knees on the filthy floor. "I was going to do anything for you."

"Mara was just a victim who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time," Owen replied with a casual shrug. "She saw you that night when you shifted into your wolf form, and she came running to me saying she wanted to clear your name by telling my father what she had witnessed."

A cold smile spread across his face. "I couldn't allow her to reveal your secret before I figured out how to eliminate you as a threat, so I invited her to my room during the ceremony and killed her while everyone was distracted. And then you took the blame for everything without me even forcing you. It was such a perfect plan."

"What about the promise you made to me?" I asked as one last desperate flicker of hope tried to ignite in my heart. "You swore you would save me once you had the power."

Owen's expression shifted into something that looked almost like amusement. "Wait until tomorrow, Ariana, and then you'll see exactly what I plan to do for you."

He reached out and took Cynthia's hand, lacing their fingers together. "Come, my love, we have more important things to attend to than standing here watching this traitor's daughter cry over her well-deserved fate."

I watched through my tears as they walked away together, their footsteps echoing through the dungeon until the sound faded completely and I was left alone in the darkness with nothing but my shattered dreams.

*********

"Execute her! Execute the murderer! Execute the traitor's daughter!"

The crowd's voices rose in a deafening chant that echoed through the clearing as what seemed like the entire pack gathered to witness my punishment.

I was dragged from my cell and out into the cool night air where hundreds of angry faces waited. The moon hung full and bright in the sky above us.

"Ariana Nightfall, you stand before this pack to face judgment for your crimes!" Elder Thomas proclaimed. "Tonight, the Moon Goddess herself shall bear witness to the punishment that will be delivered upon you for the brutal murder of Mara Thornwood!"

The crowd erupted in cheers and angry shouts as they pressed closer.

I lifted my eyes and found Owen standing at the front beside the council members, wearing his new Alpha robes. Our eyes met across the distance and I searched his face for any sign of the man I had loved, any trace of compassion that might suggest he would keep his promise.

But all I saw staring back at me was emptiness and coldness, and in that moment I knew with absolute certainty that he was never going to keep his promise to save me.

"The penalty for murder is death according to our ancient laws!" Elder Thomas continued. "What say you, Alpha Owen? Shall we proceed with the execution?"

The crowd fell silent as everyone turned to look at Owen, waiting to hear their new Alpha pronounce my death sentence.

"Wait!" Owen's voice suddenly rang out with Alpha command that made every person freeze in place. "Don't execute her!"

The crowd erupted in confused murmurs as they tried to understand why their new Alpha would intervene.

"But Alpha Owen, death is the penalty that our laws demand for murder," Elder Thomas said with confusion written across his face. "The pack has spoken and the judgment has been passed."

"Death would be far too merciful a punishment for a traitor's daughter and a cold-blooded murderer," Owen replied with steel in his voice as he stepped forward. "She deserves something much worse than the quick release that death would provide."

My stomach dropped as I realized he wasn't saving me at all.

"Send her to be flogged with thirty strokes in this clearing where everyone can witness her suffering!" Owen commanded with authority. "And then cast her out as a rogue into the Silver Claw Pack's territory.