Betrayed By My Fiance, Mated To His Deadliest Enemy

Isabella POV:

A scream tore from my throat, but no sound came out.

My hands flew to my neck, feeling for the crushing grip of fingers, the snap of bone. There was nothing. Only smooth, unbroken skin.

It was real.

I threw back the silk sheets and scrambled out of bed. The full-length mirror across the room reflected a ghost.

A girl of twenty, with hair the color of dark honey spilling over her shoulders and wide, amber eyes. My face was flushed from sleep, full of life.But my eyes... my eyes were ancient, cold, and filled with a winter that would never thaw.

I was reborn.

Memories of my previous life suddenly flooded back. The biting wind on the high walls of the Alpha Citadel. The triumphant, cruel smirk on my half-sister Elfie Carlisle's face. And Silas Croft, my fiancé, his handsome features twisted into a mask of disgust as he shoved me.

He killed me.

A low growl rumbled in the back of my mind. It was my inner wolf, weak but present, confirming the strength and youth of this body. She was as shocked as I was, but the rage she felt was a familiar fire.

I took another deep breath, then another, forcing the inferno in my chest down to a controlled burn. Panic was a luxury I couldn't afford.

I knew the date. I knew what was coming.

I was originally betrothed to the Alpha Prince Hubert Peters, but Elfie, in order to take away the engagement, set a trap with Silas Croft to make me eventually marry Silas.And then, the betrayal would begin.

A soft "tsk" escaped my lips, a sound of pure contempt for the girl I used to be. The naive, trusting fool who walked willingly into their trap.

Not this time.

I moved to the door, my movements silent, predatory. I didn't open it. Instead, I pressed my ear against the heavy oak, listening. The soft creak of a floorboard down the hall. The distant hoot of an owl. Nothing else. The corridor was empty.

My hand went to the silver bell on my nightstand. Its chime was delicate, a clear, sweet sound that belied the cold purpose in my heart.

Seconds later, the door opened softly. Poppy, my loyal handmaiden, slipped inside. I saw the worry on her furrowed brow as she took in my pale face, the wildness in my eyes.

"My lady, did you have a nightmare?"

"Poppy," I said, my voice low and steady, devoid of its usual warmth. "Forget every lesson of etiquette I ever taught you. I don't need a lady's maid. I need your loyalty. Your absolute, unquestioning loyalty."

The change in me was so stark it was like a physical blow. Poppy's eyes widened, and without a moment's hesitation, she dropped to her knees, her head bowed.

"My loyalty is yours, Lady Isabella. Always."

"Good." I reached down and pulled her to her feet. I could feel her hands trembling. "Now, I need you to bring Titus Wolfe to me. "

Titus Wolfe was a guard left at home by my father, and was extremely loyal to the Carlisle family.

Poppy's nod was sharp. I could tell she understood the gravity of the command. She curtsied and disappeared as silently as she had arrived.

While I waited, I walked to the window, gazing out at the vast, dark forest that marked the edge of the Carlisle territory. Our land. My birthright. The one they had stolen from me.

I moved to the ornate fireplace, pressing a hidden stone. A small, secret compartment clicked open. Inside lay a silver dagger, a gift from my mother for protection. I ignored it. My fingers brushed past the cold metal and closed around a rolled-up, aged map of the territories.

I spread it on my desk, the parchment crackling in the silent room. My finger traced the borders, the rivers, the familiar landmarks. It stopped on a small, insignificant plot of land belonging to a neighboring pack.

Croft lands.

Footsteps, heavy and sure, approached my door. A soft knock, then Titus Wolfe entered, closing the door quietly behind him. He was a mountain of a man, his face a stoic mask, but his eyes held a fierce loyalty I knew I could count on. He knelt, his fist over his heart.

"My lady. You summoned me."

I didn't waste time with pleasantries. I turned and pushed the map towards him, my finger pressing down hard on the marked area.

"Titus, I have a task for you."

He looked up, his gaze unwavering.

My voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper. "Take the men you trust most. The ones loyal to you, not just to my father's title. Go to the Croft estate. Find their Ancestral Marker."

I saw the flicker in his eyes. He knew what that was. A sacred stone, a monument where a pack honored its lineage, its very soul. To touch it was an act of war.

"And then," I continued, my voice as cold and sharp as ice, "I want you to defile it. Shatter it. Use whatever means you deem most insulting."

Titus's jaw tightened. His head shot up, his eyes wide with disbelief. This wasn't just an insult; it was suicide. It was a declaration of war that our pack was not prepared for. He opened his mouth to object, to reason with the young, foolish girl he must have thought I was.

I met his gaze, cutting him off before he could speak. I stepped closer, forcing him to look into my eyes.

"Titus. Do you trust me?" I asked, my voice soft but laced with steel. "More than you trust an order from the Alpha? More than you trust what seems sensible?"

There was no hysteria in my eyes. No madness. Only a chilling, absolute certainty that I could see unnerved him more than any shouted command ever could. I let him see something new in me tonight.

He bowed his head, his internal conflict seemingly resolved. His voice was a low, hoarse rumble when he finally spoke.

"My life and my loyalty are yours to command, Lady Isabella."

A small, tight nod was my only reply. "I want word before sunrise. This, Titus, is the first of our secrets."

He rose, gave a curt nod, and melted back into the shadows of the manor.

The door opened again a moment later. It was Poppy, carrying a steaming cup of chamomile tea, meant to soothe my nightmares.

She stopped when she saw my face.

It was clear she knew I wasn't a girl who needed soothing.My eyes were wide awake, and in their depths, a fire was beginning to burn.

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