Alpha Hunter

Chapter 2

Reyna Cruz:

"Alpha King Hunter!" The man pulled away and grabbed a sheet to cover his torso.

"How could you sleep with my mate, the Luna Queen?" Hunter was trembling with anger, his eyes revealing his wolf.

My mouth hung open, and my throat felt dry at his words. He had it all wrong.

"No! That's not what happened," I tried to explain, staying in the corner, but the stranger had more to say.

"I didn't know she was the Luna Queen of the Flaming Fangs Pack. She told me she was an Omega from some random pack," The man lied; he wasn't from our pack. That's why his scent was so strange.

"He's lying. I don't even know him," I yelled at the man, trying to prove my innocence. "Why are you doing this?"

"That's it. You will face the consequences of sleeping with an Alpha King's mate. And as for you... how long? How long have you been sneaking around behind my back to be with this man?" Hunter turned his face to the side, gritting his teeth and muttering those words to his mate.

I could only imagine how he was feeling. Just the thought of finding him with someone else made my blood pressure rise. I could only guess what he was going through seeing me with this naked man.

"Hunter! I promise, I'm innocent." My poor attempt at a full sentence was cut short by the hot flashes and nausea I was experiencing.

"Beta Mac has arranged a ride for us.

I don't want to stay here and witness this unpleasant scene," Hunter rushed over and took my hand, leading me away.

I felt really uneasy when everyone kept glancing at us and whispering to each other. Hunter had his fingers tightly wrapped around my wrist as he pulled me along to the car. I kept my head down, trying to avoid the curious stares from all around.

We settled into the backseat of the car as the driver hit the road. I was keeping my distance from Hunter; his rapid breathing was unsettling.

I couldn't find the words to speak. Beta Mac was seated in the passenger seat, and I didn't want anyone eavesdropping on our conversation. Their opinion of me was already negative, and I didn't want to worsen things.

So, I mentally prepared myself to show him the text messages and explain why I was in that suite in the first place. I believed it would clear everything up.

Once we arrived at the mansion, Hunter got out of the car, and I had to hurry to catch up with him.

"Hunter! Please, just hear me out," I raised my voice as we entered the foyer.

"Really? Fine. Let's hear it then. Explain why you were with that man," Hunter turned to me, shouting loudly. I noticed he was wearing the same coat I had found at the suite's entrance.

It didn't occur to me at the time, but now I was starting to catch on. I didn't accidentally walk into the wrong room; I was led there.

"I received messages from a stranger telling me you were cheating on me with some other she- wolf," I said, my heart sinking as I recalled those text messages.

"And you believed them?" Hunter frowned, shaking his head in disappointment.

"Could you blame me? You've been ignoring me..." I couldn't hold back the tears and broke down into sobs before I could even pour my heart out to him.

"Reyna! I was planning for your birthday. I wanted it to be the most special experience for you. I was busy hiring cruise guards and buying an island as a gift while you thought I was cheating on you," his words and the shattered tone made me lift my face from my hands and stare at him.

I was in shock at the truth. So, he had never cheated on me?

"What? Oh my goodness! I was so wrong." I felt foolish for not trusting my instincts and instead believing some stranger.

"Wait! Tara told me she had seen you with another she-wolf yesterday," I brought it up because that's what had led me to believe the unknown caller.

"Tara? She knew I was with my beta yesterday, preparing the same suite for you that you slept in with your... boyfriend," every time he recalled that sight, he clenched his jaw and closed his eyes in anger.

"She knew?" It was a moment of great astonishment for me. It all seemed like a deception now.

"Tara! Tara!" I started calling for her frantically, as if I were a lost soul without a body.

"What's going on?" Tara marched downstairs to the foyer and came to a halt when she saw Hunter and me together. "What's happening, you two? You look... worn out," she gulped.

"Did you know he was busy preparing for my birthday?" I wasted no time in questioning her memory.

She glanced at Hunter and then at me before nodding.

"But you never told me. You said you saw him with someone else. What was that all about?" I was trembling with both anger and confusion. Why didn't she inform me when she saw that Hunter had chosen the same room mentioned in the text messages?

"I don't know what you're talking about. Why would I ever tell you something like that when it's not true?" She looked bewildered, but it wasn't entirely accurate. She knew what she had told me and was now retracting her statement.

"Tara!" I scanned her face, seeing the ignorance in her expression. My heart was pounding harder and louder in my chest. It felt like the Moon Goddess herself had descended to Earth to claim my soul.

"Wait! I have the text messages." Thankfully, I wasn't completely cornered yet.

I hurriedly spun around and found my phone on the breakfast table where I had left it before.

"This stranger had been messaging me and telling me thin---," I was explaining, my fingers scrolling through the inbox. Dread washed over me, causing goosebumps on my skin when I couldn't find the conversation anymore. Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

"Hunter! It was here," I raised my face to see Hunter shaking his head at me in disbelief.

"And let me guess, somebody deleted the conversation as well?" Hunter was no longer yelling at me. He looked angry and disappointed, intensifying the already rapid pounding of my heart.

"I swear I'm not lying. Tara! Please tell him you've seen the messages," I pleaded with someone who had clearly abandoned me. My mind couldn't comprehend who else might be involved in making me look bad in front of Hunter.

"I can't lie anymore. I'm sorry, Reyna. But I have to tell him the truth. The truth about your involvement with Gamma Killian of the Dead Moon Pack." Her accusations only made my situation worse. I was so terrified of her false claims that my eyes grew heavy, and my muscles tensed.

As if my life hadn't been turned upside down enough, another shock hit me when the two of them seemed to tune out for a moment.

"I received a mindlink from Mac," Tara announced first.

Her gaze shifted to Hunter, who clenched his fist and nodded.

"What mindlink? What's happening?" I felt like a miserable Luna, unable to form a mindlink with my pack due to my wolf's rarity, and now I was completely in the dark.

"The counselors have discovered your betrayal. They're organizing a public trial for you," Hunter declared, his expression making it clear that he had no intention of coming to my rescue because he didn't believe me.

"Tara!" I turned to the only person who could potentially vouch for me and help me out of this predicament. I knew she had played a significant role in tarnishing my reputation, yet I pleaded with her for the sake of our friendship.

"I'm sorry. You did this to yourself by cheating on him," her words shattered my world into pieces.

I had been deceived.