Elena's POV
"Members of the pack, I, Gabriel Foster of the Nightfall Pack, hereby announce that my fated mate Raine will be joining our pack. I hope that everyone will treat both Raine and Luna Elena with equal respect in the future."
Silence lingered in the air for a moment before the hall erupted into jubilant cheers.
"Congratulations Alpha Gabriel! Long live the Nightfall Pack!"
"Congratulations!"
I stared blankly at the two figures cuddled up in the center of the hall as a wave of numbness washed over me and I listened to all of the members of the pack congratulating them wholeheartedly. My mind was completely empty and in that moment, I couldn't even find the words to object.
My mate Gabriel had announced in front of all of our pack members on our third wedding anniversary that he had found his fated mate.
The only problem with that was that his fated mate was another woman. To make matters worse, instead of being shocked by this news, they accepted it without a second thought and gave their blessings almost instantly.
Anger and humiliation surged through me uncontrollably as my wolf Chloe growled inside my head.
"Elena... what the fuck is going on?!" she demanded, the hackles on her neck standing on end in her fury, clearly ready to rip this she-wolf's throat out.
"Chloe, calm down," I said, trying desperately to placate her and suppress my own anger whilst trying to prevent Chloe from forcing a shift due to her uncontrollable rage.
As Luna of the Nightfall Pack and daughter of the Alpha of the Ironclad Pack, I couldn't afford to lose control in front of so many people, especially not at such an important occasion...
"Fuck controlling yourself Elena, what is wrong with you? I don't give a shit what people think, I want to tear them apart!! Both of them! The smug little bastards, just look at them!" Chloe raged, practically foaming at the mouth as she refused to calm down.
"How could he do this to us?! For three years we've been married and I've managed his pack affairs perfectly whilst always remembering my duty as Luna…"
It was all I could do to maintain a false facade of composure. I was positively seething at this unexpected revelation.
"Don't just sit here like a weakling, Elena! Go and ask him just what the fuck he thinks he's playing at! Right now!" Chloe roared furiously in my head.
My body didn't seem to want to obey me as I forced my numb hands to lift my skirt as gracefully as I could manage and made my way toward Gabriel's side. It took everything that I had left in me not to shed the tears of anger and betrayal that threatened to fall.
The many eyes watching me as I made my way over were a constant reminder to me of my duty as their Luna and it helped me to keep my composure as I strode forward with a false confidence. I managed to keep Chloe in check as I walked, although I'm sure her fury radiated brightly from my eyes for those that looked closely enough.
I leaned down as I reached him, a tight smile in place as I spoke quietly to him, in the hopes that none of the assembled pack members could hear our exchange.
"Gabriel, what the hell do you think you're doing? Are you sure you want to do this to me on our wedding anniversary? Could this not have waited?"
"Elena, I'm sorry. I love you, but Raine... she's my fated mate after all… I can't deny her…" Gabriel said weakly as he looked up at me with a guilty expression written all over his face.
He didn't have the decency to let go of that woman though, he held onto her tightly without any intention of letting go.
He was nothing but a disgusting, cheating, hypocrite. I had no words that were pleasant enough to describe the woman sat next to him, smirking smugly up at me as I stood there, without an ounce of remorse in her eyes.
This had always promised to be the biggest obstacle between us. Gabriel and I fell in love when we were just 16 years old and had promised each other that we would be together for life. We had hoped desperately that the Moon Goddess would make us each other's fated mates when we turned 18 and shifted into wolves, but, much to our dismay, it didn't happen.
Even back then Gabriel had told me passionately: "Elena, I love you. Even though we are not fated mates, my pack members will never accept anyone else, you are the only person that they would ever accept as Luna! There will never be anyone else, I swear it!"
The man who had firmly chosen me back then and promised me the world, now stood before me holding another girl tightly in his arms. Despite my rage, the memories of the past few years kept flashing through my mind as I stood before them, trembling with barely suppressed anger and the unshed tears blurring my vision. I held onto my skirt tightly as I tried desperately to distract myself from the pain of my heart breaking and willed myself not to give into the grief and let these traitorous tears fall from my eyes.
I wouldn't give either of them the satisfaction.
"Elena, my love, you know what finding a fated mate means for an Alpha. Raine is just a poor girl whose pack recently suffered a catastrophe, I can't leave her alone. If I reject her, she will have nowhere else to go." Gabriel pleaded unrepentatnly.
He could see that I hadn't spoken for a long time but he insisted on reaching for me, and holding onto my hand like he usually did, all the while looking unashamedly at Raine with pity and affection in his eyes.