BLOOD MOON BETRAYAL A FORBIDDEN WEREWOLF ROMANCE

LAILA

What would you do if you were rejected by your mate and asked by another Alpha to leave your pack to his?

The Harvest Festival was the biggest celebration of the year for our pack.

Wolves came from all over to trade, make alliances and celebrate the full moon together.

This year, five different Alphas had come with their packs.I put on my nicest dress - a simple blue one that my friend Sarah had given me for my birthday.

I braided my hair carefully and tried to cover my fading bruises with makeup.

I am still hurt and angry about what I heard yesterday, but I held my head high.

If Damien was going to trash our relationship in front of everyone, I wasn't going to make it easy for him by crying or at least I'll try not to cry.

The festival was held in the big clearing in the center of our territory close to the pack house.

There were colorful banners hanging from the trees, tables full of delicious food, and a stage where the pack leaders would make speeches.

I walked through the crowd, looking for Damien.

People stared at me strangely, like they knew something I didn't. Some of them whispered when I walked by.

Finally, I saw Damien standing near the stage with Vivian. They weren't trying to hide anymore, that's when I realized everyone had already accepted her over me.

His arm was around her waist, and she was wearing a beautiful red dress that probably cost more than everything I owned.

I walked up to them, my heart beating very fast.

"Hello, Damien," I said quietly.

He turned around and looked at me with cold eyes. There was no warmth there at all. No love. Maybe there never had been.

"Laila," he said. "Perfect timing."

"We need to talk," I said, trying to keep my voice steady.

"Actually, we do." Damien smiled, but it wasn't a nice smile. "In fact, I think everyone needs to hear what I have to say."

He walked up onto the stage and took the microphone. The whole festival got quiet as everyone looked up at him.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Damien said in a loud, clear voice.

"I have an important announcement to make."

I felt sick to my stomach. This was it. This was when my whole world was going to fall apart.

"As you know, two years ago I claimed Laila Ashwood as my mate," Damien continued.

"But today, I must correct a terrible mistake."

Everyone turned to look at me. I felt like I was going to throw up, but I stood up straight and didn't look away.

"You see," Damien said, "I have discovered some very disturbing information about Laila's true parentage. Information that changes everything."

"What are you talking about?" I called out, even though my voice was shaking.

"Tell them, Uncle Theodore," Damien said, looking at my uncle who was standing with the other pack leaders.

My uncle stepped forward. He looked sad, but I could see something else in his eyes. Guilt.

"Laila," Uncle Theodore said quietly, "your father was not a werewolf."

The whole crowd gasped. I felt the ground spin under my feet.

"What?" I whispered."Your mother, she was raped by a human," Uncle Theodore continued.

"You are half-human, Laila. That's why you can't shift. That's why you're so weak."

"No," I said, shaking my head. "That's not true. My parents were both werewolves. You told me they died in a car accident when I was little."

"I lied to protect you," Uncle Theodore said. "But now that you're mated, the truth must come out. You are an abomination. A half-breed who has no place in our world."

And to make sure everyone knows what she really is," Vivian said, stepping up onto the stage.

"let me tell you what else we discovered. Laila's mother wasn't just raped by her lover, she was raped by a gang of drunk human men and they were her lovers friends. Her mother died of shame. Luna is nothing but the unwanted child of a whore and a coward."

The crowd started talking loudly. I heard words like "disgusting" and "unnatural" and "freak."

Damien smiled wider. "Now you understand why I cannot remain mated to such a creature. I Damien Holden, Beta of Silver Creek Pack under the rule of Alpha Theodore reject you Laila Ashwood, as my mate. You are not worthy of any true werewolf."

The rejection hit me like a physical blow. I felt something tear inside my chest, like my heart was being ripped in half.

The pain was so bad I couldn't breathe. I fell to my knees in the dirt, clutching my chest.

The crowd laughed and pointed at me. I felt like I was dying from the pain and humiliation.