MATED TO THE SECRET ALPHA

Gamma Kira's expression softened slightly, though her eyes still flashed with warning as she glared at Vivian and her mother. With a curt nod, Kira stepped out of the hall, leaving the tense atmosphere to settle.

'Too simple-minded to catch the sarcasm, as always,' Reana thought to herself with a sigh.

"Reana!!" her stepmother wailed, her dramatics heightened by the fact that Vivian's wound had already begun to heal. "You...you're a monster!" she spat, her voice trembling with anguish. "Do you hate your sister so much that you can't wait to destroy her, just like you've destroyed everything else in your path? My best friend died giving birth to you…

"And my destined mate, my children's father, withered away because I devoted myself to raising you, depriving my own children of their father's love and affection. Yet, this is how you repay us? How could your heart be so cold, so scheming?" Tears streamed down her face like a torrent, her words dripping with venom and sorrow.

A fleeting glint of anger flashed in Reana's eyes, but she maintained her composure, denying her stepmother the satisfaction of a reaction. In the past, the cruel taunts of her stepmother and step siblings had drawn a fierce response from Reana, who had been labeled a 'murderer from birth' and a 'jinx' due to the circumstances surrounding her mother's death.

Following her mother's tragic passing, Katherine, her mother's closest confidante, stepped forward with a seemingly selfless offer; to care for the infant Reana, vowing to provide the love and nurturing that her mother would have given.

Reana's father and brothers, consumed by grief and their duties as pack protectors, were oblivious to Katherine's true intentions. They welcomed her into their lives, trusting her implicitly due to her close bond with their late mother. Little did they know, Katherine's actions were motivated by a sinister agenda, hidden behind a mask of kindness and devotion.

Katherine's role as Reana's nanny, despite its luxurious perks, wasn't enough to satiate her ambition. She coveted the title of Luna, and to claim it, she ruthlessly eliminated her destined mate, exploiting his existing illness to her advantage.

With calculated dramatic flair, Katherine mourned her husband's passing, berating herself for being a neglectful wife and mother. She wailed about the loss, proclaiming that her children would grow up without a father figure and that she was now alone, without a supporter.

Her manipulative words struck a chord with Alpha Roughman, who, driven by sympathy and a sense of responsibility, agreed to marry Katherine. After all, it seemed like a mutually beneficial arrangement, as Katherine had already taken on a maternal role with one-year-old Reana.

Alpha Roughman and Katherine's marriage was a union of convenience, as neither desired more children. However, years later, when it was revealed that Reana had a Luna wolf, and would become the Luna of their pack, a shocking turn of events unfolded.

Katherine, determined to get the Alpha title for Kael, did all she could, but in the end, resorted to finding an old witch who would help her discredit Reana.

The scheme was well planned and executed, with the witch accusing Reana of many things such as, 'a murderer from birth', 'Jinx', 'carrier of evil omen' and lots more. Her solution was to either kill Reana or banish her forever.

These hurtful accusations haunted Reana for a long time, leaving emotional scars that proved difficult to heal until she realized the truth.

Meanwhile, her father didn't hear any of that. He sought revenge for his daughter, banishing the witch from the pack, as well as killing her outside the pack. And her own brothers who did everything to make sure Reana overcame the trauma. But unfortunately, none of them realized who Katherine was, even in death.

Her father had made her promise to protect, care, and provide for them when she became the Luna, but she didn't promise not to make life a living hell for them.

Reana let out a weary sigh, shaking her head in disappointment. "This is precisely why you're unfit to hold a position of authority or live with honor as the Luna's stepmother after Father's passing," she said, her voice laced with frustration.

"You lack discernment and fairness. Which of your eyes witnessed me attempting to harm Vivian? Wasn't she the one who tried to take her own life?" Reana gestured towards the shattered remains of the jar. "She threw the object, it broke, and the shards flew towards her neck. How could that possibly be my doing?" She arched her brow as thick sarcasm clung to her tone. "Clearly, your daughter wanted a rather...permanent red necklace, reason why she slit her own throat—"

Kate's face turned beet red with rage. "Reana!" she yelled, her voice echoing through the room.

Ryder choked with laughter and turned his head to the side, coughing gently into his fist, as his eyes sparkled with mirth while struggling to compose himself, but his coughing fit only subsided into snickers.

Oh, this woman knew how to shoot the darts with her words. She'd always had a poisonous tongue, he mused.

He glanced sidelong at Reana, only to catch her eyes. Ryder's lips curled upwards, almost like a playful smirk. Reana didn't know why he made that expression, but a faint glimmer of amusement danced in her eyes, betraying her otherwise calm and cold demeanor.

Katherine, on the other hand, looked like she was about to explode from raw fury. Her face was red, her veins were bulging, and her hands were clenched into fists, so tight that her knuckles turned white. "How dare you!" she snarled at Ryder. Her beast stirred, threatening to burst forth and lash out at him.

How dare a servant mock her, the formal Luna?!

Reana's amusement vanished and her eyes flashed with a hint of warning. "Quiet!"

It worked because Katherine flinched, and held her tongue.

"Your screeching is giving the wrong impression. It sounds like I'm bullying you. I don't want my reputation tarnished. Everyone knows how much I care for you and your children. Let's not damage that bond, shall we?" Reana warned, as if they had any bond to begin with.

Katherine's mouth opened and closed like a goldfish. She had a lot to say, a lot of curses to utter, but she dared not. Whenever she angered this cursed child, her own children suffered.

If she knew that this child would turn out this way, she would have killed her alongside her mother… No, she tried to kill her many times, even when she was still in her mother's womb, but she failed. Perhaps, she should have tried harder…

"You can leave now, stepmother. I think we've reached an agreement. I'll make a nice tablet for Karl if he fails to come back alive… But that would be very sad, don't you think?" She put her cutlery down, signaling her end of meal.

"Besides, we don't even know if Kael is still alive," she clicked her tongue, enjoying her stepmother's look of horror as she shook her head with mock pity. "Losing two children at once must be very, very, disheartening. Hope you won't have a heart attack, stepmother? I can't afford to waste the pack's resources on three funerals right now, because we're saving for winter," she sighed deeply.

Katherine's eyes remained wide. It had been like that for a while now and Reana was starting to believe they would become permanent.

"A– are you cursing us to die?" the woman was bewildered. Everyday, she saw a new side to Reana that she never saw before. And Reana always left her gasping for air.

"Mother, that's enough, let's head back," Vivian finally spoke. She couldn't take it anymore. If she remained here, listening to Reana's infuriating words, she might attempt another mistake again.

She quickly pulled her mother up. She had allowed her own anger to blind her just now and threw an object at Reana. Even she knew she was wrong for throwing that porcelain jar. If words got out, the council would demand she be executed.

However, she wasn't going to apologize to Reana for what she did.

Katherine looked at her daughter. Seeing her nod, the woman stood up from her seat and made to leave, but before they could take a step, Reana's words cracked like thunder.