MATED TO THE SECRET ALPHA

The square was filled with a sea of somber faces, the air thick with anticipation and heavy with fury. The beta's wrong doings had spread like turnado, sweeping the whole pack before the crack of dawn and now that the sun was high up in the sky, the pack members were here to witness the traitors put to a humiliating death.

Many had attempted to comprehend how the gear in the beta's brains turned - to unravel the tangled threads of his thoughts and nothing seemed to prepare them for the result.

Just yesterday, he was pulled off the pedestal, but some pack members defended his character, fighting for his reputation. But the events that unfolded at midnight had shattered the little love left for him.

He had brazenly brought enemies into their pack, intent on harming their beloved Luna. How could he be so greedy for power? The Alpha position would be his after the mating ceremony, anyway, so why the desperation?

The audacity was baffling but it didn't end there. His brother, under his command, slaughtered the dungeon guards. How could they do that? Was Beta Ryan intending to kill the Luna, become the Alpha as the next in line, and marry Vivian? How ambitious and deceitful!

Yet, he didn't stop there. The beta's audacity knew no bounds, for the utmost disrespect he showed the Luna by having sexual relations with the same mate he callously rejected three years ago! The shamelessness of his actions was staggering – he had indulged in multiple relationships, yet had the temerity to assault a harmless servant merely for sharing a lighthearted moment with the Luna.

That was the height of hypocrisy!

The crowd's murmurs of outrage grew louder, their indignation thick as fog. Until the Luna emerged into the square, flanked by the council members and high-ranking warriors. The crowd's murmurs subsided, replaced by an expectant hush.

The higher-ups took their seats, their faces somber and unyielding. An elder, his voice dripping with gravitas, addressed the audience, meticulously recounting Beta Ryan's transgressions. The list of crimes was damning, and the angry crowd became furious.

As the elder finished speaking, guards escorted the traitors into the square. Beta Ryan, his brother and a few of his accomplice who were still alive, and Lillian were shackled with silver chains, their hands bound behind their backs, loose chains on their ankles. Every step was torturous.

The air was shattered by the anguished cries of the prisoners, each one screaming and begging for forgiveness, their voices hoarse and desperate.

"It was the beta!" one of the prisoners shrieked, his voice cracking with desperation. "He ordered us to attack the dungeon and rescue Vivian! We were just following his commands!" The prisoner's words were laced with panic, his eyes darting wildly towards Beta Ryan, as if hoping to shift the blame entirely onto him.

"Have you lost your mind?!" Beta Ryan's voice thundered through the square, his eyes blazing with indignation. "When did I order you to do such a thing?" He took a step forward, his chains rattling in protest, as he fixed the prisoner with a scathing glare. "You're lying!" he spat, his tone venomous. "I never gave such an order!"

"You did!" another prisoner shouted, his voice shaking with fear, but his eyes flashing with defiance. "You sent Killian to us. You ordered us to rescue Vivian, no matter the cost! You said she'd become our Luna after you killed Luna Reana!" The prisoner's words dropped like a bombshell, sending shockwaves through the crowd.

The air was sucked out of the square, leaving behind a pin-drop silence. The crowd's collective breath seemed to be held, as all eyes turned to Beta Ryan, his face now ashen, his eyes wide with shock.

Earlier, it was mere speculation, a whispered suspicion without solid proof, that Beta Ryan had sent those assassins to target Luna Reana. But upon hearing the prisoner's damning words, the crowd's doubts crystallized into certainty. The weight of the evidence was crushing, and the atmosphere in the square grew even more charged with outrage and betrayal.

"Shut up! I didn't do any of that!" Beta Ryan's face reddened with rage as he struggled against his chains. He turned to his brother, Killian, who was avoiding eye contact with him. "Killian?" he growled, his voice low and menacing.

Killian hesitated, before slowly meeting his brother's gaze. "Brother, you did," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "You sent us a letter, ordering us to help you rescue Vivian. You said it was essential to our plan..." Killian's words trailed off, his eyes filled with a mix of sadness and regret.

Beta Ryan's eyes widened in stunned realization, his face pale with the dawning understanding that he'd been set up. He let out a thunderous roar, his voice echoing through the square. "You stupid fool! Why would I send you a letter when I could have come to you directly?! Why would I risk implicating myself by involving my own brother?! If I wanted to rescue Vivian, I would have snuck rogues into the pack to do the job, not risk everything by using you!" His words hung in the air, a desperate attempt to salvage his reputation, but the damage was done.

Killian's eyes widened in horrified realization. Fuck! He hadn't thought it through, hadn't considered the possibility that the letter was forged because it was placed in his room and was written in Ryan's handwriting…

He felt a wave of nausea wash over him as he realized he might have fallen into someone's plans and wrongly accused his own brother. His gaze met Beta Ryan's, and for a moment, they just stared at each other, the tension between them growing heavy.

Ryan took a deep breath, his shoulders sagging in defeat. It was over… suddenly he thought of who the mastermind could be and one name crossed his mind… Reana!

His gaze snapped up, locking onto Luna Reana with an intensity that made her followers shift uncomfortably. His eyes burned with a mix of anger and begrudging admiration. Although her face remained a mask of cold, calculating calm, he was convinced that she was the mastermind behind his downfall.

A spark of respect flared within him; she had known all along what he had been planning, yet she had kept silent, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. And when she did, it was a single, devastating blow that destroyed him.

"Hahahahaha..." Beta Ryan's laughter echoed through the square, a low, menacing sound that sent shivers down the spines of those around him. "Good play, Reana, very good play," he whispered.

Was this all just a ruse to eliminate him and be with that servant? The thought seemed absurd, yet it was the only explanation that made sense. The Reana he knew would never have ended their game of cat and mouse so abruptly. She would have reveled in the challenge, toyed with him, and counter-manipulated his every move.

But she hadn't. Instead, she had struck with ruthless efficiency, exposing his plans and destroying his reputation. And it all seemed to center around that servant. He was infuriated that his death was because he attempted to kill a servant.

Well, if Reana thought that she'd be with that servant after what she'd done to him, then she must be mistaken. With that, Beta Ryan opened his mouth...