Betrayed By My Mate Saved By His Rival

---- Chapter 24 Seraphina's POV Ethan stood there, stunned, staring at my trembling daughter. He reached out a hand but didn't dare come closer. "Lydia..." his voice was broken. "Daddy didn't mean to..." "She is not your daughter," I said, handing Lydia to Julian. "She is just a pup you tried to kill." Julian gently picked Lydia up, stroking her back. "It's okay, little princess," he murmured. "The bad man can't hurt you." I stood up and walked toward Ethan. He looked at me with a flicker of hope, thinking I was about to forgive him.

The sharp crack of my palm against his cheek echoed in the stunned silence. He stumbled, a red handprint blooming on his pale skin. "That," I hissed, my voice shaking with a rage so cold it burned, "was for Marcus." ---- Chapter 24 Seraphina's POV Ethan stood there, stunned, staring at my trembling daughter. He reached out a hand but didn't dare come closer. "Lydia..." his voice was broken. "Daddy didn't mean to..." "She is not your daughter," I said, handing Lydia to Julian. "She is just a pup you tried to kill." Julian gently picked Lydia up, stroking her back.

"It's okay, little princess," he murmured. "The bad man can't hurt you." I stood up and walked toward Ethan. He looked at me with a flicker of hope, thinking I was about to forgive him. The sharp crack of my palm against his cheek echoed in the stunned silence. He stumbled, a red handprint blooming on his pale skin. "That," I hissed, my voice shaking with a rage so cold it burned, "was for Marcus." ---- He clutched his face, staring at me in disbelief. "Sera..." "And this one," I slapped him again, "is for Lydia." He stumbled back, a trickle of blood at the corner of his mouth.

"There is nothing left between us, Ethan. Nothing but a graveyard," my voice was flat, final. "And you are the one holding the shovel. You dug the graves for our pup with your own two hands." "Tcan make it up to you..." he choked out. "Make it up?" I sneered. "How? Are you going to bring the dead back to life?" "We still have a chance..." he said, desperate. "We're fated mates..." "No," I shook my head. "We have no more chances." "Why?" he fell to his knees. "I'll do anything..." "The Council is waiting," I said, my voice dropping toa deadly calm.

"They have a special interest in Alphas who murder their own pure-blooded heirs." His face went white. ---- "What?" "Did you think killing Marcus would have no consequences?" I sneered. "The Wolf Code, Article Thirteen: Any Alpha who harms a pure-blooded pup shall be stripped of their title and exiled for life." "No..." he shook his head. "You can't do this..." "T already submitted my petition to the High Council," I said, my voice devoid of emotion. "The evidence against you is absolute. It includes the testimony of your entire pack...

and your own pathetic confession right here, right now." Julian gestured to someone in the distance. Amoment later, several wolves in the uniform of the Enforcers walked into the square. "Ethan Blackwood," the lead Enforcer said. "You are charged with the murder of the Alpha heir, Marcus Blackwood. You are under arrest." "No!" Ethan tried to fight, but Julian's power slammed down on him. "Behave," Julian said coldly. "Don't let the pup see any more violence." ---- The Enforcers moved in, cuffing Ethan's hands with silver manacles. "Sera!" he screamed as they dragged him away. "I love you!

I will always love you!" "But I don't love you," I said, my face blank. "And I never will again." His figure disappeared from the square. Three Months Later Isat in Julian's study, looking at the latest report. The Wolf Council's verdict: Ethan Blackwood, stripped of his Alpha title, exiled for life to a deserted island in the arctic. The Blackwood pack, without a leader, was disbanded, its members scattered. Lilith died in her silver cell. Leo was sent to an orphanage. Julian's hand rested on my shoulder. "Is it finally over?" he asked softly.

I closed the folder, the last chapter of a nightmare. "No regrets," I said, my voice clear and steady for the first time in years. "He didn't get what he deserved. He ---- got mercy." "'So, what about our mating ceremony?" he asked with a smile. "Should we try again?" "Of course," I stood up. "But this time, no uninvited guests." He grinned. "I promise. This time, the only drama will be you saying 'I do'. I could hear Lydia's laughter from outside. She was playing in the garden with Julian's nephews, all her old fear gone. "Mommy! Daddy Julian!" She ran in.

"We're playing hide -and-seek!" "Are you?" Julian knelt down. "Then let's play, too." "Okay!" she clapped her hands. Watching them-my daughter, safe and laughing, and the man who had given us a future-I felt a quiet warmth spread through my chest. My heart was a tapestry of scars, but new threads of silver and gold were being woven in. It wasn't whole yet. But it was beating again. And for the first time in a very long time, it was beating for the future.