Book 3: "Blood and Ashes"

Chapter 5: Betrayal's Sting

The air was cold in the dungeons beneath Ravok’s fortress, a stark contrast to the stifling heat of the throne room above. Riley sat in the corner of her cell, her back against the damp stone wall, her mind churning with the weight of everything she had endured. The faint glow of the collar around her neck was a constant reminder of her captivity, but it wasn’t the chains or the collar that hurt the most—it was the betrayal.

Mango.

The name itself was a dagger to her heart. Once, he had been her ally, her confidant. She had trusted him with secrets she wouldn’t dare share with anyone else. Now, that trust felt like a cruel joke, a weakness Ravok had exploited to perfection.

Riley looked down at her pup, Kael, curled up beside her, his small form trembling in his sleep. Kalthor, the massive wolf and Ravok’s loyal guard, stood watch just outside the bars of her cell, his sharp eyes ever vigilant, ensuring that she remained in line. The wolf’s presence was a constant reminder of her helplessness.

The sound of footsteps echoed down the corridor, pulling Riley from her thoughts. She straightened, her instincts sharpening as she waited. The door to her cell creaked open, and there he stood—Mango, his amber eyes shadowed with something she couldn’t quite place. Guilt? Regret? Or perhaps the weight of his new allegiance?

“What do you want?” Riley’s voice was sharp, bitterness lacing her every word.

Mango hesitated, his gaze flickering briefly to the chains that bound her wrists. “I came to check on you,” he said softly.

She laughed bitterly, the sound hollow. “Check on me? Spare me your pity, Mango. Or is this just another part of your mission for Ravok? Spying on the broken Alpha to make sure she stays in line?”

His jaw tightened, but he didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he stepped closer, his movements cautious. “It’s not like that, Riley. You know I—”

“I don’t know anything anymore,” she snapped, cutting him off. “I thought I knew you, but clearly, I was wrong. Tell me, Mango, how long were you playing both sides? How long were you pretending to care while feeding information to him?”

He flinched at her words, and for a moment, Riley saw a crack in his composure. But whatever guilt or sorrow he felt, it wasn’t enough to undo the damage.

“I didn’t have a choice,” he said finally, his voice low. “You don’t understand what he’s capable of, what he’s done to make sure I stay loyal.”

Riley’s golden eyes narrowed, her anger bubbling just beneath the surface. “Don’t you dare use that excuse. You had a choice, Mango. You always had a choice. And you chose him.”

Silence filled the space between them, heavy and suffocating. Mango looked away, unable to meet her gaze. Riley’s chest heaved with the effort to contain her fury, but it was no use.

“You don’t know what it’s like,” he said finally, his voice trembling. “To be under his control, to feel his power suffocating you at every turn. I did what I had to do to survive. Just like you.”

The words hit her like a slap, the truth of them cutting deeper than she wanted to admit. She hated it—hated that he could compare his betrayal to her surrender. But deep down, she couldn’t deny that they were both trapped in the same twisted game.

“Surviving isn’t the same as betraying the ones who trusted you,” she said quietly, her voice laced with pain.

Mango looked at her then, his eyes pleading. “Riley, I never meant for it to come to this. I didn’t want to hurt you or the pack. I thought I could outsmart him, keep him off our trail without giving him everything.”

“Then why are we here?” she demanded, her voice rising. “Why is my pack shattered, my pup held hostage, and me chained like an animal? If you were trying to protect us, you failed, Mango. You failed all of us.”

His expression crumpled, and for a moment, Riley thought she saw the wolf she used to trust, the one who had stood beside her in countless battles. But the moment passed, and the walls between them remained.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, the words barely audible.

Riley shook her head, her heart heavy with the weight of his apology. “Sorry won’t fix this,” she said, her voice cold. “And it won’t bring back what we’ve lost.”

Mango took a step back, his shoulders slumping. He looked as though he wanted to say more, but the words never came. Instead, he turned and walked away, leaving Riley alone in the darkness of her cell.

As the door closed behind him, Riley let out a shaky breath, her hands trembling in her lap. The sting of his betrayal was a wound that refused to heal, a constant reminder of how far they had all fallen.

But even as the pain threatened to consume her, Riley’s resolve hardened. She couldn’t trust Mango—not anymore—but she couldn’t afford to let his betrayal break her. If anything, it was another reason to fight, another reason to keep the flame of rebellion burning.

Ravok might have taken everything from her, but he hadn’t won. Not yet.