Betrayed by My Alpha Mate

The roar of engines echoed through the mountain pass as we approached the most dangerous curve of the Cascade circuit. My hands gripped the steering wheel, knuckles white with tension. Through the windshield, I could see Christopher's sleek black car three positions ahead of mine, his driving aggressive and precise as always. The mate bond hummed faintly between us—a connection that should have been our strength but had become nothing more than a hollow reminder of what we didn't have.

"Focus, Natalie," I whispered to myself, downshifting as the road narrowed. After my visit to Seraphina last night, something felt different. The witch's warning about today's race replayed in my mind: *You stand at a crossroads. Tomorrow's race may bring more than just victory or defeat.*

I pushed the thought away, concentrating instead on the hairpin turn ahead. This race meant everything to the Shadowridge Pack's standing. As Christopher's racing partner, I couldn't afford to make mistakes, even if my Alpha mate treated me as little more than a useful tool.

The radio crackled. "Omega, maintain your position. I'm making my move on the Cascade Alpha." Christopher's cold voice, using our mate link instead of the team channel so the others wouldn't hear his commanding tone.

"Copy that," I responded automatically, swallowing the hurt at being addressed by rank rather than name. Five years, and still this distance between us.

That's when I saw it—the Moonstone Pack's silver car swerving wildly ahead, smoke pouring from its engine. Stephanie Rivers was driving, her blonde hair visible through the window as she fought to control the vehicle. My heart sank. Of course she would be here, racing for her pack while simultaneously stealing my mate's attention.

Everything happened in slow motion after that. Stephanie's car spun out, clipping another vehicle. A chain reaction of collisions erupted across the narrow mountain road. Cars crashed into each other, metal screaming against metal. I slammed on my brakes, trying desperately to avoid the pileup, but the car behind me couldn't stop in time.

The impact sent my vehicle spinning toward the guardrail. Through the chaos, I saw Christopher's car skid to a halt. Our eyes met across the distance—his wide with shock, mine pleading for help. The mate bond flared between us, instinct calling him to protect me.

But then Stephanie's car burst into flames.

I watched as Christopher made his choice. With Alpha speed, he lunged from his vehicle toward Stephanie's burning car, using his supernatural strength to tear open her door and pull her to safety. Not once did he look back at me—his mate—as my car teetered on the edge of the ravine.

"Christopher!" I screamed through our bond, the betrayal cutting deeper than any physical wound could.

For a split second, I felt his hesitation through our link. Then, deliberately, he severed the connection between us, his decision made. He had chosen Stephanie.

My car broke through the guardrail, and I was falling, tumbling down the steep ravine. The world spun in a kaleidoscope of green forest and blue sky. Metal crunched and glass shattered. Pain exploded through my body as the car rolled, each impact stealing my breath until darkness began to cloud my vision.

As consciousness faded, I thought I glimpsed a massive wolf racing down the slope toward me—impossibly large, with fur dark as midnight. Hallucination, surely. No wolf could be that size.

The last thing I felt was the car coming to rest upside down, gasoline pooling beneath me, the acrid smell filling my nostrils. The last thing I heard was the metal frame groaning as powerful jaws tore through it like paper.

Then strong arms were pulling me free, cradling my broken body against a warm chest. Through blood-matted eyelashes, I caught a glimpse of intense eyes staring down at me with concern I hadn't seen in years.

"Hold on," a deep voice murmured, so different from Christopher's cold commands. "I've got you now."

Flames erupted behind us as the stranger carried me away from the wreckage. With each step he took, the mate bond I'd shared with Christopher grew fainter, replaced by blessed numbness.

Darkness claimed me completely then, my last thought a strange mixture of pain and relief. Christopher had made his choice. And somehow, in the arms of this unknown savior, I was making mine.

I just didn't know if I would live long enough to see what came of it.