When their mate turned away Chapter 05
Warriors dropped to their knees all around us.
Cold wind carried the scent of blood down the road.
Jason Cole’s order to investigate thundered through the air.
Moon Guard soldiers stormed every street, spies covering every corner of the pack lands.
A heavy, icy silence fell over the entire territory.
Mia Bennett sat on the ground, fake sobbing, her body going stiff with fear.
The familiar feeling of being completely ignored wrapped around her.
She wiped her tears and touched her ankle, whimpering softly as she always did.
“Jason, my ankle hurts so bad from the horses. Can you take me to the healer?”
But the man who’d once rushed to her at the tiniest frown didn’t glance at her.
Jason Cole carried Maya’s body away, stumbling, walking right past her.
The next day, the alpha of the Aetheris Pack declared a full pack mourning period.
Our caskets were placed in the center of the pack temple, surrounded by flowers, somber music filling the
air.
Derek Reed and Jason Cole wore black mourning clothes, kneeling motionless before the caskets, empty and
numb.
Only then did they realize how many terrible things they’d done.
The alpha’s roar still echoed in their ears, cutting into their hearts like knives.
“What did my daughters do to deserve this?”
“We gave you everything, cleared your paths, fought and bled for you.”
“Your power, your status-you owe it all to them, their omega blood, their status.”
“How could you choose Mia Bennett’s tiny scrap of kindness over a decade of their love?”
Why had they?
Jason Cole squeezed his eyes shut, his knuckles white, blood in his mouth, but nothing compared to the pain
in his chest.
Derek Reed banged his head on the cold stone floor, leaving a bloody mark.
After a long, shaky pause, he whispered, “I’m sorry.”
No one answered.
They both knew a scrap of food could never compare to ten years of devotion.
They’d acted out of petty pride.
They couldn’t stand that everything they had came from two omegas.
So they spoiled the weak, dependent Mia Bennett.
They loved watching Iris and Maya fight for their attention, drunk on control.
They never realized their selfishness would kill the only people who’d ever loved them unconditionally.
By the time they understood, it was too late.
To make up for his guilt, Derek Reed publicly cut all ties with Mia Bennett that same day.
He gave up all his power and title, returning everything to the alpha.
He asked only for permission to guard my tomb for the rest of his life.
Jason Cole also cut Mia Bennett off and sent her back to the pack doctor’s home.
He kept his power as Moon Guard Chief, obsessed with finding our killers.
He swore he’d uncover the truth before we were buried, no matter what it took.
After days and nights of relentless searching, they finally got the report they’d been waiting for.
Jason Cole, still in mourning, pulled Derek Reed to his feet.
They didn’t say a word as they stormed to the Moon Guard headquarters.
When they unfolded the letter and read the name at the bottom, both kings froze in shock.
“It was Mia Bennett.”
“It was her.”
Derek Reed stared at the name, his voice shaking uncontrollably.
Jason Cole’s eyes turned red, refusing to believe the woman he’d protected for years had killed his mate.
“No!”
He swept everything off the table, tearing through the investigation scrolls like a madman, his fingers raw.
“It wasn’t her.”
But the evidence was undeniable.
The Moon Guard investigators had documented every cruel thing Mia Bennett had done since she arrived.
They’d thought she was a weak, helpless omega who needed their protection.
They never knew every sweet act had been a lie from the start.
She’d planned everything to steal them, to drive Iris and Maya away forever.
Every trick, every lie, every fake accident had been her doing.
She’d made sure we waited alone in the cold, hurt and humiliated.
Even the heat powder attack had been her plan all along.
And they’d fallen for it every single time, choosing her over us.
With every page they read, their faces grew paler.
The small clues they’d ignored, the lies Mia had told-all crashed down on them, drowning them in regret
and despair.
The truth broke Derek Reed.
He coughed up a mouthful of blood, staining the letter dark red.
Jason Cole stood frozen, his hands clenched so tight his bones cracked, regret and rage burning in his eyes.
He hated himself for trusting a monster, for killing the only person who’d ever loved him.