The Alpha's Mistake
Aurora's point of view
A sharp glare of the sun pressed against my closed eyelids. I groaned softly, lifting my hand to shield my face, but even that small movement sent a jolt of pain tearing through my lower body. My fingers twitched, then froze. Something was wrong. I shifted slightly,and the ache deepened between my legs. Raw. Violent. Like I’ve been torn open.
A slow breath escaped my lips as I shifted onto my back. The ceiling above me was carved with strange patterns, delicate swirls of gold etched into black marble. My brows furrowed as confusion pinched. I stared at it for a moment, unsure of where I was, or how I’d gotten here.
I twisted my head slowly, my hair sticking to the sweat on my neck. My heart beat erratically. And then, my gaze fell on him.
Alpha Manuel.
His broad chest rose and fell in deep, steady breaths. He was still asleep, but his presence filled the room like a shadow. The sheet was tangled loosely around his waist, exposing his defined torso,each muscle carved wonderfully.
I swallowed hard, my throat dry.
His face was impossibly calm, cold, even. High cheekbones. A jaw that could cut glass. His lips were pressed into a flat line, as if he was always thinking, calculating. Always in control. Always dangerous.
I blinked again, trying to clear the fog in my mind. How had he...?
And then I felt it.
A sharp, searing pain sliced through my neck. I froze. My breath stopped.
I reached up instinctively, my fingers trembling as I touched the spot. It was wet. Something was wrong.
I pulled my hand back and stared at the smear of blood on my fingers.
I gasped, eyes widening.
His mark.
Why did he mark me?
A low, choking sound left my throat. My head spun. The bite burned against my skin like an electric current, every throb sending a shock through my entire body.
The door burst open with a deafening bang, slamming against the wall.
I jolted upright, my heart thudding in my chest. My fingers frantically yanked the bedcover up to shield my bare chest as cold air snaked across my skin.
My eyes widened in alarm as Luna Martha, Alpha Manuel’s mother stormed in, her face contorted in fury, her regal frame rigid with rage. Two guards entered with her, stone-faced and towering.
Her gaze darted from me to Alpha Manuel. "You whore! What have you done?!" Her voice sliced through the room like a whip, high-pitched and venom-laced.
Her voice was loud enough to wake Alpha Manuel, he stirred beside me, his brows furrowing as he blinked himself awake.
He groaned and ran his hand through his tousled hair, he squinted his eyes from the morning light that filtered through the window which highlighted his sharp cheekbones and full lips, making him look ridiculously handsome in the morning.
“What’s going on?” he muttered, still groggy.
Luna Martha didn’t answer him at first. Her glare swung between us, then lingered on me with a hatred that burned,and then shifted accusingly to her son.
I shook my head quickly,parting my lips in panic, my arms clenched the blanket tighter around my trembling body knowing what she would be thinking.
She thought...
"Where is your sister?!"
Alpha Manuel pushed himself up, his voice sterner now. “What’s going on?”
Luna Martha's gaze remained on me.
Her nostrils flared as she looked at me like I was filth on royal tiles. “Wait a minute,” she sneered, her voice dripping with disgust. “Did you seduce my son? Get into his bed, knowing full well he is your sister’s mate?!”
“What? No!” I gasped, the heat rising to my cheeks. “I didn’t, I don’t….know, I can’t remember how I got here."
“Shut that hellhole you call a mouth!” she shrieked, Her hand twitching like she was fighting the urge to slap me. “Tell me where your sister is!”
“I... I don’t know,” I whispered, my voice catching in my throat as my vision blurred with tears. “I swear…”
Her face twisted with disgust. “What do you mean, you don't know?” Her voice lowered, more dangerous now. “You took her place last night, you must know where she is. If you don’t start answering now, you won’t like the next place you wake up at.”
“I swear I don’t know,” I said, my voice shaky. “And I have no idea why I'm here or how I got here. The last thing I remembered from last night was when we met briefly at the ceremony we had a small argument, and she left.
I pressed my fingers to my temple, trying to recall the blurry gaps in my memory, but the harder I tried, the more distant it felt.
Luna Martha’s eyes narrowed with suspicion. She turned sharply to Alpha Manuel, her voice laced with accusation. “And you, how could you let this happen? Don’t tell me you mistook her for Laura just because they’re twins. They have different scents, Manuel. You know that. You couldn't have mistaken her for Laura.”
Her voice grew sharper, each word stabbing like glass. “What if Laura finds out? What about the pack? What will you tell them? That you marked the wrong sister after choosing your Luna, your true mate?!”
Alpha Manuel dragged in a deep breath, the muscle in his jaw tightening as he ran a hand down his face. “ I don’t remember much from last night either,” he admitted, his tone laced with disbelief. “I entered this room with Laura. I remember her scent. It was her last night…”
He paused, his eyes scanning the room. His brow furrowed slightly.
“And I can still smell her scent here,” he said, almost to himself.
Luna Martha stiffened. Her sharp eyes locked onto something near the foot of the bed. She strode forward and bent down. When she stood back up, she was holding a dress.
Her face paled.
It was the same dress Laura had worn to the ceremony.
She gasped, then turned toward me, her lips curling into a sneer. “You sneaky whore,” she spat. “You must have drugged my son. You lured him into this room while wearing Laura’s dress. That explains why he thought he was with her.”
“No! No!” I cried out, shaking my head frantically. “I don’t know how that dress got here!”
Her eyes burned with cruel certainty.
“I know what will make you talk,” Luna Martha said coldly. She tilted her head and looked over her shoulder at the guards. “Take this witch to the basement. Torture her until she confesses what she did to the Alpha.”
The guards stepped forward without hesitation.
“No, no, please don’t do this! I don’t know what happened!” I begged, my voice cracking as I clutched the bedcover tighter over my bare chest.
My heart pounded in terror. I can’t be dragged out of this room naked.
The guards reached the edge of the bed, their hands lifting slightly toward me.
“Stop,” Alpha Manuel’s voice cut through the tension.
The guards froze instantly, their arms dropping to their sides in obedience.
He didn’t even glance in my direction as he spoke again, his voice firm and cold. “Stay outside and wait until she gets dressed.”
Relief washed over me. My breath shook as I exhaled.
It didn't change the fact that I was about to be punished for something I couldn’t even explain.
Luna Martha dropped the dress in disgust, her lip curling. “She should be quick about it. I don’t want another soul to see this.”
The guards turned and walked back to where she stood, silent and rigid. Just as they were about to exit the room, the door creaked open again.
Another guard stepped inside, his expression solemn.
Great…
Luna Martha’s head snapped toward him. “Did you find Laura?” she asked, her voice urgent
“Good morning, Alpha Manuel,” the guard greeted respectfully, bowing his head.
He turned to face Luna Martha, a dark expression passed over the guard’s face. He hesitated before answering, his tone grim. “Yes… she was found in the woods.”
“The woods?” Luna Martha echoed, frowning. “What was she doing there?”
The guard took a slow breath. “Her body was found in the woods... She’s dead.”
A collective gasp filled the room, both Luna Martha and I recoiled in shock. My eyes widened as the words crashed into me like a lightning bolt, rooting me in place, numbing my limbs.
Luna Martha turned to my direction, with a horrified expression that quickly twisted into hatred. “You sick bastard,” she hissed. “You killed your sister.”
“Wait—what?!”
