The Innocent Traitor: Dying for the Alpha's Sin

After waking up from a five-year coma, I expected a warm embrace from my Fated Mate, Alpha Caleb. Instead, I was greeted with disgust. Standing beside a woman named Hailie, Caleb accused me of being a traitor. He claimed I had sold pack secrets and faked my coma to escape punishment. My own brother, Fitz—the boy I had sacrificed my wolf spirit to save—stood by and let them condemn me to protect his own stolen power. My life became a living hell. Caleb locked me in a sauna filled with toxic Wolfsbane vapor. He burned my skin with silver-laced water while Hailie laughed. And finally, he watched me fall from a roof, leaving me to die broken and alone on the concrete. It was only after my death that he discovered the truth: Hailie was the real spy, and I was innocent. Consumed by guilt, Caleb burned to death beside my coffin, praying for a second chance. The Moon Goddess heard him. Time rewound. Caleb woke up back to the day I opened my eyes. This time, he banished Hailie instantly. He treated me like a fragile treasure, filling my room with roses and vowing to protect me from the world. He thinks he has been given a miracle to fix his mistakes. He thinks he can make me fall in love with him again. But there is one thing my "perfect" mate doesn't realize. I didn't lose my memory in the reset. I remember every single way he killed me. Chapter 1 Ericka POV: Darkness had been my only companion for five years. But when I finally opened my eyes, the first thing that hit me wasn't the blinding white light of the hospital room. It was the scent. It slammed into me-a physical blow to the chest carrying the rich, intoxicating aroma of storm clouds, fresh pine, and ozone. My heart, which had been beating sluggishly for years, suddenly hammered against my ribs like a trapped bird. Every nerve ending in my body ignited with electric sparks. Mate. The word echoed in the empty cavern of my soul. I didn't have a wolf anymore-I had given her away years ago-but the biological instinct was undeniable. My soul felt a sudden, desperate pull toward the door. The door handle turned. A tall, broad-shouldered man walked in. He radiated power, an aura so dense it made the air heavy. His eyes were the color of steel, and his jaw was set in a hard line. Caleb Skinner. The Alpha of the Blood Moon Pack. My breath hitched. "Caleb..." I whispered, my voice raspy from disuse. Tears pricked my eyes. The Moon Goddess hadn't abandoned me. She had given me the strongest Alpha as my fated mate. But he didn't rush to me. He didn't bury his face in my neck to inhale my scent. He didn't claim me. He stood at the foot of the bed, looking at me with eyes devoid of warmth. Behind him, a petite woman with perfectly curled blonde hair stepped in. She clung to his arm, looking at me with feigned pity. Hailie Silva. "You're awake," Caleb said. His voice wasn't a caress; it was a judgment. "Finally done with your act?" I blinked, confused. "Act? Caleb, I was in a coma... I can feel the bond. You're my-" "Do not speak of the bond!" His voice boomed, vibrating through the walls. He used the Alpha Tone. Even without a wolf, my human side was forced to submit. My head snapped down, baring my neck against my will. It was humiliating. "You are a Wolfless disgrace, Ericka," Caleb spat, stepping closer. The delicious scent of him was now mixed with the bitter tang of his anger. "And worse, you are a traitor." "Traitor?" I choked out, fighting the pressure of his command to lift my head. "I don't understand." Hailie stepped forward, resting her head on Caleb's shoulder. "Oh, Ericka. Don't pretend. We found the letters. The ones you wrote to the Rogue King before your 'accident.'" She pulled a stack of papers from her designer bag and tossed them onto my bed. They scattered over my legs. "I didn't write these," I said, my hands trembling as I reached for one. "I would never betray the pack." "Save it," Caleb growled. "Hailie told us everything. How you planned to sell our patrol routes because you were jealous of those with wolves. How you faked this coma to avoid punishment." "No!" I looked toward the door, hoping to see my parents, or my brother, Fitz. "Fitz! Fitz, tell him!" My brother stepped into the room. He looked strong, healthy. His eyes flashed gold-the sign of a powerful wolf. My wolf. The spirit I had ripped from my own soul to save him when we were teenagers. Fitz wouldn't meet my gaze. He stared intently at the linoleum tiles, jaw tight, a bead of sweat tracing his temple. He looked like a man trying to swallow a scream. "The evidence is irrefutable, Ericka," he said, his voice hollow. "Just admit it." My heart shattered. He knew. He knew I gave up everything for him. And now he was letting them crucify me to protect his own stolen power. "I reject the accusation," I sobbed. "Caleb, please. The bond... you must feel it." Caleb grabbed my chin, forcing me to look at him. His touch sent jolts of electricity through me, but his grip was bruising. "I feel it," he sneered, his face inches from mine. "And it sickens me. The Moon Goddess must be punishing me, tethering me to a soulless traitor." He released me with a shove. "Lock her up," Caleb commanded the guards waiting outside. "She stays in the Old Pack House until I decide her execution." As they dragged me out of the bed, weak and screaming, I saw Hailie smile. It was a small, cold curve of her lips that promised this was only the beginning of my hell.